England vs Wales 9th March

Let's look towards the next game after getting ourselves back on track against France, just like last year, after the Irish put the spanner in the works.

England are at home, old chap.   

Good to see the welsh guys back on v2.

Well the Irish did indeed put the spanner in the works. Then the French took the foot off the accelerator. The English will look to put a monkey into space.

Barney McGrew did it wrote:Good to see the welsh guys back on v2.

Well the Irish did indeed put the spanner in the works. Then the French took the foot off the accelerator. The English will look to put a monkey into space.

Apparently he's getting paid 300k a week now.

Team selection I wouldn't make many changes. Hopefully AWJ will be fit, though Ball impressed and Coombs was relentless as always.

Rhys Webb showed he has what it takes, North looked solid and tricky for the opposition defence. Front five went well too.

England should beat Ireland tomorrow, but will probably lose to Wales on the 9th of March. Sets Wales up nicely to try and rack up the points against Scotland in the final round.

The Saint wrote:England should beat Ireland tomorrow, but will probably lose to Wales on the 9th of March. Sets Wales up nicely to try and rack up the points against Scotland in the final round.

Without Cole I can't see England beating Ireland in their current form. They would have struggled with Cole but without him I can't see their scrum functioning. As well as propping he does a great deal in the loose, always high on their tacklers list too.

maes, England aren't all about Dan Cole.... The breakdown will be the most crucial area. England dominate that, their backs will probably go straight through D'arcy and BOD. Ireland's backs haven't offered much IMO. Fly-half will be the next most important position. If Farrell doesn't have his kicking boots on I can see him becoming the scape-goat again.

As an England fan I'm a lot more worried about Ireland, especially given the TH prop situation. It's not so much missing Cole as having to play Wilson before he is back to full fitness that worries me. I think England should beat Wales this year, despite the hammering last year. I am hopeful for the Ireland game but it is a formidable proposition, they are a very good team and have some wise heads in there, including the coach.

The Saint wrote:maes, England aren't all about Dan Cole.... The breakdown will be the most crucial area. England dominate that, their backs will probably go straight through D'arcy and BOD. Ireland's backs haven't offered much IMO. Fly-half will be the next most important position. If Farrell doesn't have his kicking boots on I can see him becoming the scape-goat again.

The amount of penalties that England will likely concede at the scrum will be a huge game changer.

Tonight was a tough night for both packs at the scrum, Rolland was inconsistent, indecisive and impatient but in the end we seemed to win the scrum battle.

Tomorrow and march 9th will be similar.

If it comes to playing the breakdown, well Wales seem to have found the missing ingredient from two weeks ago. Englands back row have a lot to deal with against Ireland.

POM looks sensational at the breakdown.

Once Wilson is back to fitness and form I have no worries. Hopefully he will be in time for the Wales game.

Wi11 wrote:Once Wilson is back to fitness and form I have no worries. Hopefully he will be in time for the Wales game.

How long has he been out for?

He was playing well at Bath. It's a huge ask of such an inexperienced international though.

Can't remember, maybe a couple of months. He was playing very well last year but I gather he looked well off it when he played at the weekend. It doesn't say much for the other bloke (Thomas) that they are taking such a risk on Wilson.

I think 3 weeks back from injury should be long enough to at least cope against Jenkins. 1 week back against Healy is a much tougher ask.

He's not actually that inexperienced, I think he's played close to 30, almost all as sub of course.

I guess we will get a good idea of how Wilson's form is tomorrow.

Against Exeter last week he didn't look ready for club level let alone international rugby.

England lost to that French side that Wales just stuffed.Where does the idea that they will beat Wales come from?Can't be the Press coz they haven't started their EngLand build up yet.

Taffineastbourne wrote:England lost to that French side that Wales just stuffed.Where does the idea that they will beat Wales come from?Can't be the Press coz they haven't started their EngLand build up yet.

They have home advantage and some exciting players like Burrell, Care and Brown.

It will be interesting to see what happens to their packs ability without Cole. He has been the only consistent selection for four years.during his 45 caps he has barely missed a match.

maestegmafia wrote:

Taffineastbourne wrote:England lost to that French side that Wales just stuffed.Where does the idea that they will beat Wales come from?Can't be the Press coz they haven't started their EngLand build up yet.

They have home advantage and some exciting players like Burrell, Care and Brown.

It will be interesting to see what happens to their packs ability without Cole. He has been the only consistent selection for four years.during his 45 caps he has barely missed a match.

They had home advantage last time we beat them at HQ.

Taffineastbourne wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

Taffineastbourne wrote:England lost to that French side that Wales just stuffed.Where does the idea that they will beat Wales come from?Can't be the Press coz they haven't started their EngLand build up yet.

They have home advantage and some exciting players like Burrell, Care and Brown.

It will be interesting to see what happens to their packs ability without Cole. He has been the only consistent selection for four years.during his 45 caps he has barely missed a match.

They had home advantage last time we beat them at HQ.

Aye, hopefully it will be a more convincing win. We need points as well as that we need Ireland to lose a game and they are not looking like losing a game at the moment .

England will be far more worried than Wales after all it is 0-3 to Wales in recent times. Wales should be back to full strength and have good strength in depth. Seem to have cured their lineout problems too which was a concern. Wales will be up for it knowing they can go 3 out of 3 championships too.

rainbow-warrior wrote:England will be far more worried than Wales after all it is 0-3 to Wales in recent times.  Wales should be back to full strength and have good strength in depth.  Seem to have cured their lineout problems too which was a concern.  Wales will be up for it knowing they can go 3 out of 3 championships too.

I think we are hoping that Jonathan Davies is available, North back to the wing, and JD2 in the centre. Though I think Roberts and North worked quite well. Not the most creative centre partnership but North has a good line and Roberts passing game is developing well.

As well as that the return of AWJ would be good. Jake Ball and Andrew Coombs have played some very good rugby but Ithin kAWJ and Charteris is our best combination at Lock.

Taffineastbourne wrote:England lost to that French side that Wales just stuffed.Where does the idea that they will beat Wales come from?Can't be the Press coz they haven't started their EngLand build up yet.

Good to see the Welsh are back on the boards and feeling bullish.

The recent bad weather must have been playing havoc with some posters' internet connections for the last two weeks   

Let's see how the Eng-Ire match goes first

I was very impressed with Ball, Charteris and Coombes - but I guess one of those will have to miss out unless Tipuric is dropped.

1. Gethin Jenkins (James on at 50)
2. Richard Hibbard
3. Adam Jones
4. Alun Wyn Jones
5. Luke Charteris
6. Dan Lydiate
7. Sam Warburton
8. Toby Faletau
9. Rhys Webb
10. Dan Biggar (I know it's not going to happen)
11. ??? George North/Liam Williams
12. Jamie Roberts
13. ??? Jonathan Davies/Scott Williams/North (in that order depending on fitness/training)
14. Alex Cuthbert
15. Leigh Halfpenny

16. Ken Owens
17. Paul James
18. Rhodri Jones/Samson Lee
19. Jake Ball
20. Justin Tipuric/Andrew Coombes
21. Mike Phillips
22. James Hook
23. Scott Williams/Liam Williams/Rhys Preistland

maestegmafia wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:England will be far more worried than Wales after all it is 0-3 to Wales in recent times.  Wales should be back to full strength and have good strength in depth.  Seem to have cured their lineout problems too which was a concern.  Wales will be up for it knowing they can go 3 out of 3 championships too.

I think we are hoping that Jonathan Davies is available, North back to the wing, and JD2 in the centre. Though I think Roberts and North worked quite well. Not the most creative centre partnership but North has a good line and Roberts passing game is developing well.

North had a mixed time at centre

On the plus side, he got his hands on the ball a lot more - and that lead to a few scores

On the negative side, he is very unused to defending at 13, he could be a weakness there - and was when Bastauraud actually got the ball

At least Rolland won't be reffing (especially the scrum). He really had no clue last evening even with the simplified law interpretations. The only thing he did right was to issue two simultaneous yellow cards (too late).

But being a scrummie himself, he did nothing about squint feeds.

So glad to see the back of him.

He's not earmarked for TJ is he?   

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:At least Rolland won't be reffing (especially the scrum). He really had no clue last evening even with the simplified law interpretations. The only thing he did right was to issue two simultaneous yellow cards (too late).

But being a scrummie himself, he did nothing about squint feeds.

So glad to see the back of him.

He's not earmarked for TJ is he?   

Nope that's Walsh

I agree on North's tackling. He's very good at bumping people off when he has ball in hand, but when tackling he tends to flap with his arms and miss the player. His technique is not so good. On the wing he can use the touch line to help him out, but in midfield he's left grasping air as happened a couple of times last night. Didn't it happen to him against SA in the autumn too?

Yeah, I'd say that's pretty spot on Griff. Still, I'd persist with last nights centre partnership, it's such a threat with ball in hand and needs time to grow. North will be up against Burrell next who is of similar build as opposed to the low centre of gravity type he struggles against.

I think has the potential to convert very successfully to centre. The times he's popped up in midfield and created or scored something from it would suggest the can do it too. Plus, he looked good there for Northampton when asked. Physically, pace wise, running lines, etc. are all there. Just perhaps defensive technique and he'd be very spot on.

Saying that, I'm not keen on messing players around and I don't want him become just decent at both wing and centre. He then becomes a sort of cover player.

maestegmafia wrote:Let's look towards the next game after getting ourselves back on track against France, just like last year, after the Irish put the spanner in the works.

bit over eager arnt you maes.. Blimey..

mystiroakey wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:Let's look towards the next game after getting ourselves back on track against France, just like last year, after the Irish put the spanner in the works.

bit over eager arnt you maes.. Blimey..

#
To be fair, I think he means 'put a spanner' in the Welsh works, not looking forward to them doing that to the English.

I could be wrong!

Griff wrote:I think has the potential to convert very successfully to centre. The times he's popped up in midfield and created or scored something from it would suggest the can do it too. Plus, he looked good there for Northampton when asked. Physically, pace wise, running lines, etc. are all there. Just perhaps defensive technique and he'd be very spot on.

Saying that, I'm not keen on messing players around and I don't want him become just decent at both wing and centre. He then becomes a sort of cover player.

I agree though I would be keen to see Jonathan Davies return.

Game on!

It felt great beating Ireland after they smashed wales only a couple of weeks ago

Taffineastbourne wrote:England lost to that French side that Wales just stuffed.Where does the idea that they will beat Wales come from?Can't be the Press coz they haven't started their EngLand build up yet.

Feeling a bit silly now?

Scrumpy wrote:Game on!

It felt great beating Ireland after they smashed wales only a couple of weeks ago

Same could be said about Wales stuffing it up France after they ended England's hopes on day 1  

Tournament blown wide open! It's going to be an intense next few weeks. The 6N does it again, every year it draws its critics and every year it provides for an enthralling finish, even if every game isn't as thrilling as some would like.

Here we come Twicks  

North can be a great centre, but the problem is we already have a decent established partnership and he is better than Liam Williams on the wing, we should sort out our weaknesses before moving players around.

This is building up to be a really great occasion at HQ.

Let's see Wales build on the great work they have done over the last two weeks ready for this game.

Knowsit17 wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Game on!

It felt great beating Ireland after they smashed wales only a couple of weeks ago

Same could be said about Wales stuffing it up France after they ended England's hopes on day 1  

Tournament blown wide open! It's going to be an intense next few weeks. The 6N does it again, every year it draws its critics and every year it provides for an enthralling finish, even if every game isn't as thrilling as some would like.

Here we come Twicks  

Mate it was a little bit of banter with some keyboard warriors from last night, they know who they are! 

YOU Scrumpy! YOU are the keyboard warrior.

England by a score. Or two. Maybe Wales to win.

They seem to save their best game for England; playing at the home of rugby probably motivates them more.

Oh let's go with England by 5. But I won't be surprised if Wales win.

Scrumpy wrote:

Knowsit17 wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Game on!

It felt great beating Ireland after they smashed wales only a couple of weeks ago

Same could be said about Wales stuffing it up France after they ended England's hopes on day 1  

Tournament blown wide open! It's going to be an intense next few weeks. The 6N does it again, every year it draws its critics and every year it provides for an enthralling finish, even if every game isn't as thrilling as some would like.

Here we come Twicks  

Mate it was a little bit of banter with some keyboard warriors from last night, they know who they are! 

Same, hence the smileys. No offence taken and, I hope, none given  

Seriously though, I was too incensed by the Ireland game to show my face on here until now. If Wales somehow win it from here I'll be more than happy.

Are you coming down to HQ Gruff?

Scrumpy wrote:Are you coming down to HQ Gruff?

No Hersh. Would love to though.

Griff wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Are you coming down to HQ Gruff?

No Hersh. Would love to though.

P.s. I know you think you were being funny writing Gruff instead of Griff, but both spellings are pronounced the same here anyway!

So England just lost to France and just beat Ireland - even
Ireland battered Wales and just lost to England - ahead
Wales battered by Ireland and battered France - even
France just beat England and got battered by Wales - behind

At this point I'd say Ireland a roughly favourites but have to play France in France. Wales and England about even but England haven't put in a major performance whereas Wales have.

And then you have Italy and Scotland ready to put the boot in and spoil the lovely symmetry.

maestegmafia wrote:

Without Cole I can't see England beating Ireland in their current form. They would have struggled with Cole but without him I can't see their scrum functioning. As well as propping he does a great deal in the loose, always high on their tacklers list too.

  

HammerofThunor wrote:So England just lost to France and just beat Ireland - even
Ireland battered Wales and just lost to England - ahead
Wales battered by Ireland and battered France - even
France just beat England and got battered by Wales - behind

At this point I'd say Ireland a roughly favourites but have to play France in France. Wales and England about even but England haven't put in a major performance whereas Wales have.

And then you have Italy and Scotland ready to put the boot in and spoil the lovely symmetry.

Have we? Most posters last night said wales created nothing and just took penalties gifted to them by an utterly awful France.   

maestegmafia wrote:
The amount of penalties that England will likely concede at the scrum will be a huge game changer.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel.   

Griff wrote:

Griff wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Are you coming down to HQ Gruff?

No Hersh. Would love to though.

P.s. I know you think you were being funny writing Gruff instead of Griff, but both spellings are pronounced the same here anyway!

That's a shame Griff/Gruff