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You did say that Rugby Union Might Feature.........

Bill1945
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Hi There,

I seem to remember that Rugby Union may well be mentioned in the Community. The Six Nations is upon us and "Kicks Off" on Saturday 3rd Feb 2018. Amongst your very varied and well read contributors there must be pundits itching to broadcast their opinion as to who will win the honours available. (BTW is there a sweepstake in the O2 Community Office?)

Any response will be gratefully received. All of course within the ethos of the game.

Bill

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welshsteve76
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Unlike in Paris last week against Ireland, France were extremely undisciplined, especially in their own half, and it ultimately cost them the match. They made it very easy for Scotland, who were always going to revert to Laidlaws' boot when the penalties started flowing. Fair play to Scotland though, a good response to last week.

 

I never expected it, but Wales should have won.  Only one person on the planet (the TMO) thought it wasn't a try, but even if you put that to one side, Scott Williams dived way too early and could easily have gone over if he'd stayed on his feet for an extra split second and/or looked inside him.  But I think what cost Wales more than anything was their poor kicking.  It was a very poor performance from Patchell. They were also terrible under the high ball (they really missed Halfpenny or Biggar who are excellent under the high ball).  Anscombe changed the game when he was moved to fly half.

 

Thanks

Steve
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Anonymous
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@welshsteve76 wrote:

 

I never expected it, but Wales should have won.  Only one person on the planet (the TMO) thought it wasn't a try, but even if you put that to one side, Scott Williams dived way too early and could easily have gone over if he'd stayed on his feet for an extra split second and/or looked inside him.  But I think what cost Wales more than anything was their poor kicking.  It was a very poor performance from Patchell. They were also terrible under the high ball (they really missed Halfpenny or Biggar who are excellent under the high ball).  Anscombe changed the game when he was moved to fly half.


Yes, Scott Williams should have done better really, but Wales squandered a few try scoring opportunities, and that was probably the difference in the end. And they definitely missed Leigh Halfpenny’s accuracy from the tee, as there were a few kickable penalties that were perhaps on the limit of Patchell’s range. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but perhaps it was a mistake to release Liam Williams back to Saracens, as he could have made an impact from the bench, covering either full-back or wing. 

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welshsteve76
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wrote:

@welshsteve76 wrote:

 

I never expected it, but Wales should have won.  Only one person on the planet (the TMO) thought it wasn't a try, but even if you put that to one side, Scott Williams dived way too early and could easily have gone over if he'd stayed on his feet for an extra split second and/or looked inside him.  But I think what cost Wales more than anything was their poor kicking.  It was a very poor performance from Patchell. They were also terrible under the high ball (they really missed Halfpenny or Biggar who are excellent under the high ball).  Anscombe changed the game when he was moved to fly half.


Yes, Scott Williams should have done better really, but Wales squandered a few try scoring opportunities, and that was probably the difference in the end. And they definitely missed Leigh Halfpenny’s accuracy from the tee, as there were a few kickable penalties that were perhaps on the limit of Patchell’s range. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but perhaps it was a mistake to release Liam Williams back to Saracens, as he could have made an impact from the bench, covering either full-back or wing. 


@AnonymousYes I agree. A lack of composure really.Patchell seemed to go to pieces after missing that one long range kick. There were quite a few kicks in Halfpenny's range that were turned down and we kicked to touch instead.  I like Alun Wyn Jones. He is a fabulous player, and a good leader on the pitch, but I do question his tactics sometimes.

Thanks

Steve
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Bill1945
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A propos of the Scotland v France Test, Scotland seemed to have a Plan B but still played too narrow. I thought France would have used Poirot more. Teddy Thomas is a player to be covered at all times.

The French players seem to have continued the Test in an Edinburgh pub and the autorités Écossaises are interviewing them. Maybe Poirot will assist.

I agree that the TMO made a very bad error in not allowing the Welsh try in the England v Wales Test.

Bill

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Anonymous
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@Bill1945 wrote:

A propos of the Scotland v France Test, Scotland seemed to have a Plan B but still played too narrow. I thought France would have used Poirot more. Teddy Thomas is a player to be covered at all times.

It was the proverbial game of two halves, and you’re right about Teddy Thomas, as he’s on fire at the moment. But it was missed tackles that let him in for his first try, with Finn Russell being the main culprit (he really was poor on Sunday). It was surprising to see Greig Laidlaw taking over at fly-half, but he steadied the ship, and kept them in the game with a flawless kicking display. It was ill-discipline that cost the French in the end, but Scotland will take heart from a much improved performance. 

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Anonymous
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I always thought that England had looked vulnerable in the first two rounds, but I didn’t imagine that Scotland would be good enough to end their Grand Slam hopes. But they outplayed England, scored some great tries, and thoroughly deserved the win. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43162908

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jonsie
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I couldn't agree more. England never looked like they believed they could win. They were lethargic , no one seemed able to find that something special to unlock the Scottish defence and no bursts of individualism. Without trying to take anything away from Scotland and they played really well, but England were absolute rubbish. I would have said that they only played as well as Scotland allowed them to but England didn't play much better in the first two games.

Why is it that all the other nations play with a passion and pride for their country yet England seldom do, be it Rugby Union or football? Or is it just that every country in the world hates England so much that they just love to beat us......?

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Anonymous
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I think Scotland just wanted it more, as was exemplified by Huw Jones’s second try, when he dragged Mike Brown and Anthony Watson across the line. England did play poorly, and they made a lot of uncharacteristic errors yesterday, but that tends to happen when you find yourself chasing the game.

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Anonymous
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@jonsie wrote:

 

Why is it that all the other nations play with a passion and pride for their country yet England seldom do, be it Rugby Union or football? Or is it just that every country in the world hates England so much that they just love to beat us......?


Interesting that in the build-up to the game, Ben Te’o managed to underplay the significance of playing Scotland away, by claiming that "You're always going to have an away fixture with a hostile crowd, that's part of the game. You've seen one, you've seen them all."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43185679

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Bill1945
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Agree or not I think that Scotland's win on Saturday was based on two of the basic Rugby Union tenets of the Game. (First) Tackles and Passing. They played with an almost Antipodean flair, enthusiasm and a passion to win the Test Match. John Barclay really did lead from the front.

The first tackles were very impressive. Success in this aspect of the game grinds the opposition down.

Bill1945

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