"We took Wales apart" said Tom Croft! lol

First topic message reminder :

England forward Tom Croft claimed today that his team took Wales apart at Twickenham – despite losing 12-19.

The flanker, billed as the world’s fastest forward said in the Daily Mirror today: “It was very frustrating.”

“We’d taken apart a side which was billed as potential champions.

“They’d been talked about massively and we took them apart for most of the 80 minutes, but let it slip.

Croft missed a tackle as centre Scott Williams flew home to win the match for Wales and keep the Grand Slam dream alive.

Of the try, the Leicester star said: “I’ve stewed on that try of theirs for days, I genuinely believed I’d get Scott.

“It annoys me that a player got away from me, it really does.

“I’ve been doing extra sessions to make sure I’ve got that extra yard next time.
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Oh dear oh dear Thomas this type of backward thinking will get you no where, be a man and shake the hand of your opponent and take it on the chin and don't go making up excuses.

Wales had more territory.
Wales made more clean breaks.
Wales beat more defenders.
Wales had better ruck completion rate.
Wales missed less tackles.
Wales conceded less penalties.
Wales destroyed the mighty English scrum.
Wales scored a try England didn't muster up a single try.
Wales WON.

All on your cabbage patch.

It is foolish to forget thatWales only win when they are lucky or when the ref hands them games on a plate. Otherwise our record in rugby would be zero wins by now.

I do find the English hypocrites rather amusing though.

englandglory4ever wrote:"Wales had more territory.
Wales made more clean breaks.
Wales beat more defenders.
Wales had better ruck completion rate.
Wales missed less tackles.
Wales conceded less penalties.
Wales destroyed the mighty English scrum.
Wales scored a try England didn't muster up a single try.
Wales WON."

what a load of tripe. England really did have wales on a plate until Lawes allowed himself to be stripped of the ball. England finished much the stronger side and Strettles effort was definitely a try. Wales were very lucky to win. England had them on toast for most of the game.

Yup that's why we beat you I suppose. Get a bloody life as said lost on your own cabbage patch.

thomh wrote:
Well every result within seven points is lucky to an extent, in that it wouldn't have taken very much at all going differently for the result to change, and there are so many turning points in each game. Wales could easily have lost to England. Similarly, England could easily have lost to Wales in the equivalent fixture in Cardiff last year. The general point I would make (that was also true for England's Six Nations run last year, or our world cup run in 2007) is that a few games is not enough to draw overly significant conclusions from. A significant number of close wins over a long period of time may be evidence of a mental toughness and intelligence that helps the team close out games. One or two is not enough.

At last a voice of reason. good to see some levelheaded thinking thomh.

I would say there is something to be said about being gracious winners. It just seems it isn't very prevelant here though.

Oh view your such a wum. So now Croft is now your favourite player to post quotes from. You lap up the tripe written by the English media everytime. (try reading walesonline for some proper jingoism!) Ever thought about posting opinions on actual games?

btw...who got torn a new one yesterday?

#bandwagon

How is this tripe? In the real world it's called facts . No use trying to point this out to you though, I can see you are as delusional as Croft (or more).

You might as well say the welsh shirt is a nicer shade of red than MUs! What really matters is what we actually saw on the pitch and that was England were a better side than wales for the majority of the game. You can stick your stats where the sun don't shine for all I care.

If England were the better side how come they lost? Results and stats show Wales were the better side.

"Results and stats show Wales were the better side."

Wrong! They just show that wales won the match but they were lucky. An unusual mistake by Lawes and a strange TMO decision at the end made it very lucky in my opinion.

Well results show who the better side is because the whole point is to score more points than the opposition. Whoever does this is the best side. that's kind of by definition. About the only way you can fairly say the best side didn't win is if the 'winning' try is wrong allowed or disallowed by the TMO who has a very clear view (I'm talking Wilkinson v Scotland in 2007 here, not Strettle v Wales in 2012)

How is it wrong englandglory4ever? It is fact, I repeat FACT. History books say England lost. Stop blaming it on Lawes, it is your coaches fault that he picks average and overated players.

Why are we still talking about this? Both teams are playing other sides next week, both sides they could easily lose to. We'll see who the better side are next time we play, this time it was Wales even if the try and "non-try" at the end were incredibly galling

Lawes is part of the team, ergo if he makes a mistake it is the team's fault

HammerofThunor wrote:Well results show who the better side is because the whole point is to score more points than the opposition. Whoever does this is the best side. that's kind of by definition. About the only way you can fairly say the best side didn't win is if the 'winning' try is wrong allowed or disallowed by the TMO who has a very clear view (I'm talking Wilkinson v Scotland in 2007 here, not Strettle v Wales in 2012)

Yeah, I think the TMO was drunk then. It also appeared to use up all of our TMO luck for English players for at least 5 years, so karma is a bugger

Peach of a try it was though by Scott Williams.

Seriously? People are arguing over quotes made in the Mirror?
Stop it! You all know better! I'm very disappointed in all of you.

Have you never heard of a team scoring against the run of play. England played the better rugby for most of the game but the welsh scored against the run of play and the TMO must have a welsh grandparent.

As for the ref well we could go on about how North slapped the ball in to touch and how wales knocked-on outrageously before picking up a 3 pointer.

No mate. Wales were lucky. Very lucky. The best side did not win.

England were lucky as Priestland was not even offside, let alone a yellow card! That is two incorrect yellow cards in the last two games. And not to mention Robshaw dangerously pulling down Warburton in the lineout. All this and you lost. Up until that point you had only scored two tries in the entire tournament and still only had two going into Le Crunch. Says it all really. Stop overating your team.

I don't really see how Halfpenny's yellow, correct or not, has anything to do with England.

And if my Aunty had a pair of ******** she would have been my Uncle...!!!

Morgannwg wrote:England were lucky as Priestland was not even offside, let alone a yellow card! That is two incorrect yellow cards in the last two games. And not to mention Robshaw dangerously pulling down Warburton in the lineout. All this and you lost. Up until that point you had only scored two tries in the entire tournament and still only had two going into Le Crunch. Says it all really. Stop overating your team.

Hmmm...

Robshaw could easily have seen yellow but Priestland was significantly offside, and after numerous warnings as it ended up being a hit off the ball, there was no way ever that Priestland wasn't going to see yellow. TBH we should have scored that try anyway, but he's basically at the mid level of the ruck, i.e. a foot offside which is a lot on your own try-line. Maybe you need to review the offside laws, as against Scotland you also felt the Welsh were not offside when they were OUTRAGEOUSLY offside. It's fine if the referee doesn't penalise it but you can't complain when he does

why dont you welsh just enjoy the moment and the fact that you are likely to win the 6N and stop bleating over what "may have been said" to that famed rugby journal The Daily Mirror?

I'm English and would freely admit that Wales won fair and square. Strettles "try" might have been given and then again again it might not...whatever the decision, it would have been controversial.

Most neutrals would have said that a draw would have been a fairer result, but there is no doubt that our team of rookies did have Wales scared for much of the match.

In the end, we lost and that is all that matters.

It's just a shame that even on the cusp of a 6N title, you still have to bang on about the english.

As for the "arrogant English", dont make me laugh. all the pre match talk of Wales putting a cricket score on England was laughable.

That said, good luck for Saturday. You would be deserved winners.

How can he be offside if the ball is out? And Corbs had fluffed it up before Priestland went in for the hit anyway! As usual I can see a good Welsh defence is defined as just being offside by the English though. Arrogance and jealousy.

Morgannwg wrote:How can he be offside if the ball is out? And Corbs had fluffed it up before Priestland went in for the hit anyway!

1. He was offside before the ball came out

2. Yes Corbs had fluffed it before Priestland went in for the hit. That's why it was a hit off the ball.

Morgannwg wrote:How can he be offside if the ball is out? And Corbs had fluffed it up before Priestland went in for the hit anyway! As usual I can see a good Welsh defence is defined as just being offside by the English though. Arrogance and jealousy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17141687#1m43s I hope that works. Ball clearly not out, Priestland clearly offside. Wales still deserved to win the match, just, but that was definitely a yellow

EDIT: It didn't work. But the moment you are looking for is 1 min 43 seconds where the ball is not out and Priestland is level with an English player in the middle of the ruck

Geez, you won the game - why so insecure?

Morgannwg wrote:How can he be offside if the ball is out? And Corbs had fluffed it up before Priestland went in for the hit anyway! As usual I can see a good Welsh defence is defined as just being offside by the English though. Arrogance and jealousy.

Please dont tar all england fans with the same brush.

I admire Wales for their new ability to be able to win ugly. I'd always seen them as just a pretty boy, running rugby type of team without the desire to put in the hard work up front...however not anymore and that is why you boys will win the GS.

The ' luck ' is being shared around during this 6ns. and i think in the games so far, england are out in front with the biggest share.

Sport, like most other things in life , come with or without a smattering of luck. What some posters are inferring is that 'luck' is somehow unjust.

Do they mean their 'luck' is just, but our 'luck' is unjust? or all 'luck' is unjust?

Good luck Wales next Saturday, and plenty of it.

good old reasoned welsh response as usual...(face in palm)

Now now cabbages don't put all us welsh in the same bracket there - point out the individual by all means

cabbagesandbrussels wrote:why dont you welsh just enjoy the moment and the fact that you are likely to win the 6N and stop bleating over what "may have been said" to that famed rugby journal The Daily Mirror?

I'm English and would freely admit that Wales won fair and square. Strettles "try" might have been given and then again again it might not...whatever the decision, it would have been controversial.

Most neutrals would have said that a draw would have been a fairer result, but there is no doubt that our team of rookies did have Wales scared for much of the match.

In the end, we lost and that is all that matters.

It's just a shame that even on the cusp of a 6N title, you still have to bang on about the english.

As for the "arrogant English", dont make me laugh. all the pre match talk of Wales putting a cricket score on England was laughable.

That said, good luck for Saturday. You would be deserved winners.

I think you will find that the predicted drubbing of England came from all quarters. While there were some outspoken Welshmen (we all know who we mean), most of the prophets of doom were actually English.

dragonbreath wrote:

cabbagesandbrussels wrote:why dont you welsh just enjoy the moment and the fact that you are likely to win the 6N and stop bleating over what "may have been said" to that famed rugby journal The Daily Mirror?

I'm English and would freely admit that Wales won fair and square. Strettles "try" might have been given and then again again it might not...whatever the decision, it would have been controversial.

Most neutrals would have said that a draw would have been a fairer result, but there is no doubt that our team of rookies did have Wales scared for much of the match.

In the end, we lost and that is all that matters.

It's just a shame that even on the cusp of a 6N title, you still have to bang on about the english.

As for the "arrogant English", dont make me laugh. all the pre match talk of Wales putting a cricket score on England was laughable.

That said, good luck for Saturday. You would be deserved winners.

I think you will find that the predicted drubbing of England came from all quarters. While there were some outspoken Welshmen (we all know who we mean), most of the prophets of doom were actually English.

That's true. If you pay attention to the usual suspects then more fool you (no-one in particular, the general 'you'). I certainly was expecting a drubbing and would have been happy with competative before the match (at the end I was gutted about the loss).

I doubt very much Croft said this

Sgt_Pooly wrote:I doubt very much Croft said this

How dare you suggest the Mirror would not be accurate in their reporting! Afterall when Eddie Butler was the ghost writer for Matt Dawson during the 2001 Lions tour did he alter from what Matt said? No. He had to change a few little things to get the true feels across but that's better accuracy surely. Our newspaper establisments are bastions of integrity, honesty and trust.

It doesn't strike me as a thing Croft would come out with, he's a pretty switched on bloke and seems pretty humble when I've seen him questioned.

Anyway it's untrue as we didn't.

c&b, lol!!!! don't be so serious!!!! and ruby, i'm sure you are as happy as i am that we are all different. we're all on the hill, but we've all got a differnt view,

I'm over the hill Gav, used to be on it mate - Hope to be over the moon on Saturday though

Come on now we all know Journalists take quotes out of context.

From a Croft point of view he did well at the lineout and the England forwards mainly controlled the breakdown. They would have been the areas he was targeting.