Rugby matters

[Alan Medic]

701......a new game? What makes you think Argentina are going to win?

[JohnL]

I thought Barnes had a bad game in SA-Wales.

Joubert surpassed it all (and then ran away :) ).

Owens for the final (the only Welshman in the final).

[Alan Medic]

What a nice gesture.......

[Alan Medic]

I don't care anymore..........

[Mick Mac]

Hats off to England. Fantastic performances this 6 nations. The best team by far. A real missed opportunity in the world cup by this evidence, but right back up there now.

[Alan Medic]

They nearly blew it yesterday. Still a WIP but have the resources to compete with the SH teams eventually. It will be interesting to see if France are capable of playing like 'France' today given they still have an outside chance of winning the championship. They need to win by a lot of points against an ever improving Scotland.

[JohnL]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They nearly blew it yesterday. Still a WIP but

> have the resources to compete with the SH teams

> eventually. It will be interesting to see if

> France are capable of playing like 'France' today

> given they still have an outside chance of winning

> the championship. They need to win by a lot of

> points against an ever improving Scotland.

Wouldn't have deserved it but if George North hadn't been

ruled to be in touch - he wasn't btw - we'd have run in the

winning try.

But for once not moaning and congrats England. :)

[Alan Medic]

Doubt anyone here watched but a classy tribute to Anthony Foley today at Thomond Park both on and off the pitch.

[rendelharris]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Doubt anyone here watched but a classy tribute to

> Anthony Foley today at Thomond Park both on and

> off the pitch.

Caught some brief highlights including the tributes, wonderful. Remember him well playing for Ireland - saw him twice in the 5N/6N either side of the turn of the century - immense player, very sad indeed.

[Alan Medic]

Well, I haven't waited over 100 years but it seems like it. Well done Ireland for a great win over New Zealand.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Played Ireland...quite a day yesterday. Amazing results.

[titch juicy]

Fantastic performance. Looked for a while that the ABs would pull it back, like they always do, but Ireland did so well to hold on then pull away again. Fantastic.

[rendelharris]

Beautiful. Love the ABs but great for world rugby to see that they're not invincible. Also excellent to see a 61,000 seat US venue sold out for a game of rugby!

[Mick Mac]

I thought this was great until someone told me we have to play them again in Dublin in two weeks time - ouch.

[JohnL]

Well done Ireland. Welsh match was miserable.

[Alan Medic]

Bonus point system for the 6 nations. I prefer this to simply points difference even if it did produce a great final round of matches a couple of seasons ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38157831

[rendelharris]

Hopefully it'll work and could make for more exciting ends to matches where the result is already decided but a side might decide to go for a penalty to improve points difference, if they've scored three they'll really pressure for a fourth. My only worry is a slight one of equality: for example next year Ireland are playing Scotland at Murrayfield on February 4th, England are playing Scotland at Twickenham March 11th. The latter game is far more likely to have conditions propitious for running rugby and try-scoring, so England would have a far better chance of collecting bonus points. But I guess that's just the rub of the green.

[JohnL]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bonus point system for the 6 nations. I prefer

> this to simply points difference even if it did

> produce a great final round of matches a couple of

> seasons ago.

>

> http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38157831

It's a bit late in the day to announce that - although everybody

seems to be trying to play more attacking rugby (and Wales can't :) )

I think maybe 5th place this year. England good for the championship again.

[Alan Medic]

It is quite late to announce it and it's only a trial. Grand Slam winners will get 3 extra bonus points, I presume to ensure they also win the championship. Without those it would have been possible for a team to win it with 4 wins and enough bonus points in a GS year.

England's final game this year is in Dublin on Paddy's w/end I believe. Still going for England?

[rendelharris]

It does mean there could be a situation where a team which wins two games and loses three could draw with a team which wins four and loses one, I think that's right:

Team A wins two games with four-try bonus points, 5x2=10, loses the other three with two bonus points in each, 2x3=6, total 16.

Team B wins four games without scoring four tries in any, 4x4=16, loses the other game by more than seven points and without scoring four tries, 0 points, total 16.

Be interesting to see how they're split then, back to points difference I suppose? Or most bonus points, in which case team A comes out on top despite winning half the number of games! Interesting.

[Mick Mac]

Possibly split them on who won between the two teams. But that might be unfair as only play once and one team is at home.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

2017: Scotland's year. Tennis and rugby.

[rendelharris]

Bit bored so had a look at the fixture list, under the new system we could end up with these results (figures points awarded, obviously):

WEEK ONE

Scotland 2 v Ireland 5

England 4 v France 2

Italy 2 v Wales 5

WEEK TWO

Italy 2 v Ireland 5

Wales 2 v England 4

France 5 v Scotland 2

WEEK THREE

Scotland 2 v Wales 5

Ireland 5 v France 2

England 4 v Italy 2

WEEK FOUR

Wales 4 v Ireland 1

Italy 5 v France 2

England 0 v Scotland 5

WEEK FIVE

Scotland 5 v Italy 2

France 5 v Wales 0

Ireland 0 v England 4

Which would end with a table of:

England 16 points

Wales 16 points

France 16 points

Ireland 16 points

Scotland 16 points

Italy 13 points

Really must get out more.

[Alan Medic]

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?

[JohnL]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It is quite late to announce it and it's only a

> trial. Grand Slam winners will get 3 extra bonus

> points, I presume to ensure they also win the

> championship. Without those it would have been

> possible for a team to win it with 4 wins and

> enough bonus points in a GS year.

>

> England's final game this year is in Dublin on

> Paddy's w/end I believe. Still going for England?

Ireland beating the All Blacks, England looking good too (I expect them to beat Australia).

It'll be close I think.

Scotland improving too.