Rugby matters

[JohnL]

Wales will be lucky to beat Scotland away - but then again could sneak one away to France.

I like

England 0 Scotland 5 :)

[rendelharris]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> For your homework RH would you find out if it's

> possible for all 6 teams to end up with the same

> number of points?

If you think I've got nothing better to do...you'd probably be right. Not sure if it can be done with "regular" results, but chuck in a couple of draws and with these results every team would end on fourteen points:

WEEK ONE

Scotland 2 v Ireland 4

England 4 v France 1

Italy 2 v Wales 4

WEEK TWO

Italy 2 v Ireland 4

Wales 0 v England 4

France 4 v Scotland 2

WEEK THREE

Scotland 2 v Wales 4

Ireland 4 v France 2

England 4 v Italy 2

WEEK FOUR

Wales 4 v Ireland 0

Italy 5 v France 2

England 0 v Scotland 5

WEEK FIVE

Scotland 3 v Italy 3

France 5 v Wales 2

Ireland 2 v England 2

[Mick Mac]

rh: Ireland losing to Wales, and also to England away.

That will be interesting.

[rendelharris]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> rh: Ireland losing to Wales, and also to England

> away.

>

> That will be interesting.

Well, now they draw to England! All theoretical - I don't really believe there will be two draws on the final day. I have a feeling, if the teams remain roughly as they were for the autumn internationals, that England Ireland will depend on the weather as much as anything, a mucky rainy day in Dublin and England will keep it tight and edge it, a nice mild spring day and Ireland will throw it around a bit and should exploit the fact that (I think) England still haven't got the middle of the back line sorted.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

You did see my post Rendel didn't you?

rendelharris Wrote:

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> Mick Mac Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > rh: Ireland losing to Wales, and also to

> England

> > away.

> >

> > That will be interesting.

>

> Well, now they draw to England! All theoretical -

> I don't really believe there will be two draws on

> the final day. I have a feeling, if the teams

> remain roughly as they were for the autumn

> internationals, that England Ireland will depend

> on the weather as much as anything, a mucky rainy

> day in Dublin and England will keep it tight and

> edge it, a nice mild spring day and Ireland will

> throw it around a bit and should exploit the fact

> that (I think) England still haven't got the

> middle of the back line sorted.

[rendelharris]

Oh yes, I do apologise...well you've got lots of four tries or more points there, so maybe everyone gets fourteen points and Scotland win on points difference.

[JohnL]

The British and Irish Lions team will be decided by this 6N

So should be extra motivation.

[rendelharris]

Just seen Dylan Hartley's cheapest of cheap shots against Sean O'Brien Northampton/Leinster tonight. Calculated thuggery, I really think he shouldn't remain as England captain - for God's sake, he's spent more than a year of his career suspended!

[Alan Medic]

Six nations coming up. I'm looking forward to a good game between Scotland and Ireland though Sexton has been ruled out. Glasgow play an exciting brand of rugby and Ireland have changed their style too. The 4 writers in The Times on Sunday predicted no one to win the Grand Slam and 3-1 England/Ireland to win overall.

I read another article by one of them who doesn't think the new (to the 6N's) points bonus points system will make any difference in terms of tries scored. We'll see. I prefer it to simple points difference deciding the overall winner as happened a couple of seasons ago. If there's one weak team and there usually is, by the time the last game comes around they are usually weaker still and prone to conceding a lot of points.

[Mick Mac]

Agree - the last day games were great and amazingly some very close points difference finishes - but I think the bonus points system will be fairer.

Someone often hammered Italy on the last day, like Wales did last year (and Ireland did in previous years), which under the old system gives too much of an advantage.

Will be interesting to see how it pans out.

In trying to compare to previous tournaments, they could be comparing the table after 4 games (rather than just the finished table), to see if going into the last set of fixtures brings the same level of anticipation/excitement. I don't know if that's been done.

[JohnL]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Agree - the last day games were great and

> amazingly some very close points difference

> finishes - but I think the bonus points system

> will be fairer.

> Someone often hammered Italy on the last day, like

> Wales did last year (and Ireland did in previous

> years), which under the old system gives too much

> of an advantage.

> Will be interesting to see how it pans out.

>

> In trying to compare to previous tournaments, they

> could be comparing the table after 4 games (rather

> than just the finished table), to see if going

> into the last set of fixtures brings the same

> level of anticipation/excitement. I don't know if

> that's been done.

Wales gained nothing from that as the match was played first.

If matched were all played simultaneously it could have seen Wales gaining.

[Mick Mac]

Sorry - it was two years ago - my mistake.

Wales certainly didn't deserve to win that year's 6 nations (imo) on any reasonable basis and a try fest against Italy is possibly the reason for the rules changing.

In fact it was a "dull" defensive performance by Wales against Ireland that year, that prevented Ireland winning the GS.

But i'm not bitter.

Now we have Andy Farrell, we can do dull and defensive too.

[JohnL]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Sorry - it was two years ago - my mistake.

>

>

> Wales certainly didn't deserve to win that year's

> 6 nations (imo) on any reasonable basis and a try

> fest against Italy is possibly the reason for the

> rules changing.

>

> In fact it was a "dull" defensive performance by

> Wales against Ireland that year, that prevented

> Ireland winning the GS.

> But i'm not bitter.

>

> Now we have Andy Farrell, we can do dull and

> defensive too.

Wales claim to have abandoned Warrenball now but ...

We'll see.

Howley can be very conservative and isn't that popular.

[????]

England win messily, Ireland fail tab the first - in the bag (championship anyway) i'd say :)

[Alan Medic]

Lets see how Wales look first. England go there next. The England set up's mantra of 'we want to be the no.1 team in the world' sounds like it's a form of brainwashing I've heard/read it so much. It doesn't mean they will be.

Anyway, who hit Eddie or did he really fall in the shower?

[JohnL]

Eddie Jones on refereeing of the Scrum on Saturday (Eng v Fra),

"Every time there was a scrum, there was a debate. It was like Parliament and watching Theresa May go against the other bloke,"

[Alan Medic]

I don't think I have ever been as amused by the 1st half of a game of rugby as I was on Sunday. And Eddie's muttering would put any decent whinging pom to shame. I always told my ex forward playing brother that forwards are thick. If he ever disputes it again I'll send him the tape :)

[titch juicy]

I'd be amazed if any rugby players know all the rules and when/how to apply them. That's one of the reasons rugby refs are so bloody good.

[titch juicy]

Saying that, it was still hilarious on Sunday.

[Mick Mac]

I think Eddie Jones has lost a lot of respect over his response to this.

To say: "Those are the rules and we adapted much better in the second half" would have been a better response.

I honestly thought rugby, unlike football, was above all this whinging.

If you want to push for a rule change, do it quietly through the correct channels, not through the media.

I also think England could have done without this. It's going to provide future opposition with a lot of powder.

[rendelharris]

I played at a reasonable level until I was 34 and I must admit I had no idea that if it was only the tackled player on the ground there was no offside! But then international players really should be more aware of the rules, especially as it seems Italy are not the first high level team to come up with the idea. If England had been on the ball they should have just started sending Care sniping up the middle with Itoje and Brown on his shoulders, Italy would have had to change their tactics or ship 50+ points, I reckon.

It was pretty funny, though a bit unedifying as a spectacle - not a game I'd show to someone in my quest to prove it's the best team game ever!

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Twickenham for me a week on Saturday. I'm hoping for a win, not achieved there since 1983.

M'oan the Scots - and Murray for The French!

Help-Ma-Boab Wrote:

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> 2017: Scotland's year. Tennis and rugby.

[????]

> Help-Ma-Boab Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > 2017: Scotland's year. Tennis and rugby.

I couldn't help noticing you didnae put Football in there HMB?

[JohnL]

rendelharris Wrote:

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> I played at a reasonable level until I was 34 and

> I must admit I had no idea that if it was only the

> tackled player on the ground there was no offside!

> But then international players really should be

> more aware of the rules, especially as it seems

> Italy are not the first high level team to come up

> with the idea. If England had been on the ball

> they should have just started sending Care sniping

> up the middle with Itoje and Brown on his

> shoulders, Italy would have had to change their

> tactics or ship 50+ points, I reckon.

>

> It was pretty funny, though a bit unedifying as a

> spectacle - not a game I'd show to someone in my

> quest to prove it's the best team game ever!

Apparently there is a local offside (a few feet around the tackle)

But not for the backs loitering

I''d just have gone straight to pick and drive until the Italians put

players in - it's not just Wales who can't think outside the plan then :)

[rendelharris]

JohnL Wrote:

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>

> Apparently there is a local offside (a few feet

> around the tackle)

>

> But not for the backs loitering

>

> I''d just have gone straight to pick and drive

> until the Italians put

> players in - it's not just Wales who can't think

> outside the plan then :)

Ah, that's what Poite meant when he said "One metre around the tackle."

Yes it was hilariously obvious what they should do, I've just been watching some clips - in possession, six men together, only two Italians in front, turning round to pass back and complaining there are Italians in the way!