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Six Nations

[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1049502#msg1049502 date=1265375782]
If Worsley was fit they'd of probably played him in the centres.
[/quote]

The thing about Worsley last year was that he wasn't that succesful at his task i.e. stopping Roberts.
Admittedly, the Doc didn't score, but he got over the gainline everytime - hell, he even made line breaks.

Add this to the fact that Gethin made more tackles in that game than Worsley did. A Prop making more tackles than a Back-Row forward.
 
[quote author=bryndaloo link=topic=38718.msg1049511#msg1049511 date=1265376714]
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1049502#msg1049502 date=1265375782]
If Worsley was fit they'd of probably played him in the centres.
[/quote]

The thing about Worsley last year was that he wasn't that succesful at his task i.e. stopping Roberts.
Admittedly, the Doc didn't score, but he got over the gainline everytime - hell, he even made line breaks.

Add this to the fact that Gethin made more tackles in that game than Worsley did. A Prop making more tackles than a Back-Row forward.

[/quote]

Gethin is special though mate ;)

I thought Worsley had a good game in last seasons match, but of course it was still blown out of all proportion.

After hearing this latest news i'm felling a little more confident now. If we can just get enough ball for our backs, then surely we can take advantage of that soft as shite centre partnership?
 
Worsely was unstoppable in the first half of last seasons meeting.

The second half Wales adjusted and lessened his impact, but it was still a very decent performance.
 
[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=38718.msg1049521#msg1049521 date=1265378263]
Worsely was unstoppable in the first half of last seasons meeting.

The second half Wales adjusted and lessened his impact, but it was still a very decent performance.
[/quote]

Decent - yes.
Unstoppable - Certainly not.

He was put in the team with one purpose - to stop Doc Roberts.
Doc Roberts never failed to get over the gainline, and made clean line breaks.

Therefore, in my book anyway, Worsley failed at his job but was 'decent' enough to stop Roberts from scoring at least.

I take your view on the match with a pinch of salt anyhow, as your remember the game so well, you think Wales didn't score a try...
 
How long has Hape been playing RU? Who does he play for? Last time I saw him he was playing for Bradford.
 
[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=38718.msg1049561#msg1049561 date=1265384799]

How long has Hape been playing RU? Who does he play for? Last time I saw him he was playing for Bradford.

[/quote]

He plays for Bath and moved over for the start of the 2008-09 season.

Bath introduced him to Union very wisely - making him play in the reserves until they thought he was ready for the 1st XV.
Contrast this with other League converts who've been thrust straight into the Union spotlight only to come up short.
 
[quote author=bryndaloo link=topic=38718.msg1049574#msg1049574 date=1265385952]
[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=38718.msg1049561#msg1049561 date=1265384799]

How long has Hape been playing RU? Who does he play for? Last time I saw him he was playing for Bradford.

[/quote]

He plays for Bath and moved over for the start of the 2008-09 season.

Bath introduced him to Union very wisely - making him play in the reserves until they thought he was ready for the 1st XV.
Contrast this with other League converts who've been thrust straight into the Union spotlight only to come up short.
[/quote]

Fair enough, he was a good centre Hape, got a bad injury at some point though.
 
Jesus, where did we pick up this arrogant cunt from?

Sky Sports:

'The selection of Joe Worsley, who marshalled the dangerous Jamie Roberts superbly, certainly proved inspired, while the centre combination of Riki Flutey and Mike Tindall blossomed with ball in hand.'

Observer:

Worsely exactly the performance he was picked for. His defensive work was astonishing, even if his contributions in the loose were a little less effective.

He even won the match of match award.

Remember that?
 
Very much looking forward to this, as ever.

Antepost I can't see much beyond France and Ireland either.

If England do well today against Wales then I'd watch out for them.

I'm really cheering for an Italian win in at least one of their games. If they don't start to get some results soon I can't see how they can push on to the next stage i.e. better than perennial wooden-spooners.
 
Decent game i guess but far too many mistakes made from both teams.

Turning point was obviously AW Jones yellow card (bloody idiot!).

AR needs to go back to ref school and learn the rules of the game before he takes charge again.
 
I only saw the second half of England v Wales and it seemed an evenly matched contest. That yellow card definitely tipped the balance in England's favour but Wales made far too many handling errors. They handed the game on a plate to England.

As for us , we just seemed stuck in first gear. If you look in isolation at how we fared in different areas, the lineout worked, the scrum held up well, we didn't make many errors, we didn't turnover ball at the breakdown, our ball handling was good, with the exception of a few by Kearney our kicking game was good but all of that didn't seem to fit together right. Maybe it's a testament to the Italian disruption at the ruck and maul or maybe O'Leary lacks the urgency we need at the breakdown from our scrumhalf. Whatever the reason we need to rectify it and up the tempo of our attacking play in our next game.
 
I'm fucking fed up with O'Leary- he's a fucking liability. The man is slower than a week in jail behind the ruck.

O'Gara and Kearney booted all our possession away- we started to play a wee bit of rugby when Paddy Wallace came on, but turgid stuff. We'll get beaten by France and England if we play like that again.
 
I was thinking about him after the game, I don't think he's a liability as such. He's glacier slow at the breakdown but the rest of his game is very good.

But I think the lack of urgency is enough to warrant dropping him. We were more lively in the last ten minutes with Reddan at 9 and Wallace at 10.
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=38718.msg1050669#msg1050669 date=1265541648]
I was thinking about him after the game, I don't think he's a liability as such. He's glacier slow at the breakdown but the rest of his game is very good.

But I think the lack of urgency is enough to warrant dropping him. We were more lively in the last ten minutes with Reddan at 9 and Wallace at 10.
[/quote]

That's the thing though- quick ball from the ruck is the single most important task of an international scrum-half. A backline with Bowe, Darcy and O'Driscoll, 3 of the most talented backs in international rugby, and they hardly touched the ball- fucking criminal. Part of the reason was that slow ruck ball, which limits options dreadfully, and usually results in a forward lumbering into a well prepared defence 5 yards to the side of the breakdown.

Terrible.
 
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1050393#msg1050393 date=1265482378]
Decent game i guess but far too many mistakes made from both teams.

Turning point was obviously AW Jones yellow card (bloody idiot!).

AR needs to go back to ref school and learn the rules of the game before he takes charge again.
[/quote]

Yeah, it was quite enjoyable to watch. Neither side look good enough to win the Championship though.

I think France will finish top, but will lose at home to England in the last game, thus denying them the Grand Slam.
 
If the weekend's performances are anything to go by then the championship looks wide open to me.

All teams, bar Italy unfortunately, look as though they could spring a surpise or two.

We'll have a better idea after next weekend.
 
I was surprised gli Azzurri didn't do better in the tight against Ireland, who I thought would struggle in there against Castrogiovanni in particular, though they were never going to be in serious danger of losing the game.
 
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=38718.msg1051280#msg1051280 date=1265637861]
I was surprised gli Azzurri didn't do better in the tight against Ireland, who I thought would struggle in there against Castrogiovanni in particular, though they were never going to be in serious danger of losing the game.
[/quote]

Whats going on with him? He was one of the best about, yet now seems to struggle to get in the starting team for Leicester.
 
Don't know for sure, mate, but he'd been getting so much praise from so many quarters that he was maybe starting to believe his own publicity.
 
JJ - Borthwick seemed to have a good game at the weekend, certainly from the 40 mins I saw. Maybe there is something there after all ?
 
He was certainly one of the better players on the pitch. He was winning turnovers on the floor and nicking our ball from the lineout.
 
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1051488#msg1051488 date=1265664697]
He was certainly one of the better players on the pitch. He was winning turnovers on the floor and nicking our ball from the lineout.
[/quote]

I see your mate was substituted again ....
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=38718.msg1051499#msg1051499 date=1265665480]
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1051488#msg1051488 date=1265664697]
He was certainly one of the better players on the pitch. He was winning turnovers on the floor and nicking our ball from the lineout.
[/quote]

I see your mate was substituted again ....
[/quote]

It was a tactical switch rather than performance related ;)
 
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1051282#msg1051282 date=1265637997]
*For Doc Mac*

Ulster have signed Xavier Rush.
[/quote]

Fantastic player- but we've got a terrific number 8 in Chris Henry coming through, so I hope he continues to be developed.
 
[quote author=doctor_mac link=topic=38718.msg1051747#msg1051747 date=1265711120]
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=38718.msg1051282#msg1051282 date=1265637997]
*For Doc Mac*

Ulster have signed Xavier Rush.
[/quote]

Fantastic player- but we've got a terrific number 8 in Chris Henry coming through, so I hope he continues to be developed.
[/quote]

It's on a two year contract Doc, plus with so much rugby being played i can't see it hindering him that much.

Rush has been superb at Cardiff, hopefully he does as well for your boys.
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=38718.msg1051483#msg1051483 date=1265664519]
JJ - Borthwick seemed to have a good game at the weekend, certainly from the 40 mins I saw. Maybe there is something there after all ?
[/quote]

Ross, that was easily Borthwick's best game for England. I've never thought he was a poor player, just that we can do better. That remains my view (and that of most English observers BTW), even if Johnno doesn't share it.
 
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