Mid year internationals - what are the hopes and expectations

First topic message reminder :

This is taken from a Wiki page, I hope its accurate. These are the upcoming fixtures.
Mid-Year international matches/tours -

England -
Play the Baabaa's at Twickenham, 2 SA Baabaa sides and 3 tests against SA
I'm excited about this tour, a young squad. We could get hammered or we could win 1 or 2 tests - either way, if we can show development from the 6N then it will be a worthwhile tour, especially if we can find out about some of these youngsters. With a massive squad this could almost be a development tour.

Wales -
Play Baabaa's at home, 3 tests against Oz, and ACT Brumbies
I feel that Wales must win in Oz. Players and fans shouldnt expect anything less than a series win. No major injuries, they are going out there with a lot of expectation.

Ireland -
Play Baabaa's at home, 3 tests against NZ
This is a really tough tour with no mid week games to develop youngsters. If Ireland can win 1 test it will be a successful tour. Will DK take out the strongest side? Could be a tour from hell but I hope not.

Scotland -
Play OZ, New South Wales Tahas, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa,
4 test matches for the Scots, should have at least 3 wins there. Will Fiji and Samoa have their stongest sides? I hope so. Scots need to put in a really good performance against OZ in order to climb back up the IRB rankings.

France -
2 tests against Argentina
A real rivalry there, should be a very good match. Scots won the series last season, France should be aiming to do the same.
Argentina will be gearing up for their inclusion in the revamped 4 nations competition.

Italy -
Play USA, Canada, Argentina
Replacement fixtures for the Churchill cup teams. Italy should do well in N.America and the Italy v Argentina match will be very interesting. I'm hoping this will be televised.

Whats your thoughts and expectations on the upcoming matches?

dragonbreath wrote:

propdavid_london wrote:I agree geoff - BeachBoy is having a bad day I suspet!

Realistically there is a good chance of 1 or 2 test wins for Wales.
1 test win for England is not impossible, series win would be amazing.
I can't see Ireland winning a test though, although that is more of a reflection on the AB's rather than Ireland. (I dont think that England or Wales would fare much better in New Zealand).
Scotts should expect to beat all the island teams and mid week fixtures. Cant see them turning over Oz though, unless they put out a weak side.

He might be having a bad day, but his predictions are more likely than yours. What basis is there for predicting English and Welsh success in the SH (we will leave Ireland out of this as that series could be a nightmare for them). Wales have been beaten comfortably by Aus twice in the past 6 months, once at home and other neutral. Why would that change because we won a GS in which a very ordinary England side pushed us all the way.

If something happens to Adam all this talk of beating up the Aus scrum is just nonsense. When he was injured in the WC Aus had the better of us at scrum time. We have done well in the last 12 months and are clearly twice the side we were at this time last year, but winning in Aus, I think not. Not yet anyway.

How exactly are England going to beat SA. They have no offensive threat, so unless they plan to convert 7 or 8 penalties every game, I just don't see how they will accumulate enough points to win a match. They won't get hammered but they will come up short.

So Mr BeachBum may end up being right, even with the scores, because one thing the SH boys do very well is beat you up if they get a chance. Any fall off in concentration or committment could well end up in a hiding for all our sides.

Hope I'm wrong, but that's how it looks to me

Morning dragon breath -
I think its all about momentum - Wales coming off a grandslam have momentum, a settled squad and coaches (barring the Gatland absence). But his team has been together long enough to know what he wants done and how to do it. I'm sure Howley will still be on the phone to Gats every other minute.
I agree that Adam is the linchpin of the Wales pack and if he is out due to injury then things dont look quite so rosey - but, why all the negatives! He is fit at the moment.
History suggests that Wales will loose in OZ, but they must win sometime and i'm only suggesting that this is a good Wales side and that they have the potential to buck the trend.

Now, to Englands chances. If you re-read my post, I'm not saying that they will win the series only that it would be amazing feat if they did. I think that they could sneak 1 test win (I didnt say how they would win - yes, its quite possible it would be a penalty bore fest) but they could still scrape a win. You yourself state that you think it could be a close affair.
To say there is no attacking threat is a little harsh. Tuilagi is pure attacking threat.
A lot will depend on selection and the type of game that Lancaster/Catt want to play.