6 Nations 2013

I predicted France to win with England second and Wales to finish third. Oh me of little faith! Superb performance from the boys yesterday. On the whole a very poor competition this year,this is reflected with the lowest try total since the tournament began.
 
And then there is that magical day when this young man stood behind the goal at Wembley on 30 July 1966. I can still hear the beating drums when I glance up from my desk every day.

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I'm delighted to say I have had great joy from being a football and rugby fan throughout my post infant life. I played rugby at my Public School in the 50s when kicking any kind of ball in improvised soccer games on school fields led to a one hour detention. I was always getting caught and would deliberately get up to the three hours which meant a caning by the Headmaster which wrote off outstanding hours of detention. Those were the days ........ I got to know the Headmaster well. He referred to my chequered career in assembly on my last day. Many years later when as a member of the Public Sector establishment I was invited back to the school to talk to 6th formers I noted that they then played both rugby and football. Would have saved me a lot of trouble back in the 50s.
 
Fido said:
Feeling depressed. Then reminded myself:

World Cup Final appearances:

New Zealand 3
Australia 3
South Africa 2
France 3
England 3

Grand Slams

Nation Grand Slams Grand Slam winning seasons
England 12 1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003
Wales 11 1908*, 1909*, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2008, 2012 wales is nations champions 2013 six nations
France 9 1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2010
Scotland 3 1925, 1984, 1990
Ireland 2 1948, 2009
Italy 0
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These stats make very interesting reading - if anyone had asked I would have sworn that Wales were far more dominant in the 70s' early 80s period than 3 Grand Slams - I guess that just goes to show that it's a pretty difficult achievement. The fact that France achieved the same number in the 'noughties' just goes to prove the old adage about lies, damned lies and statistics. Even more incredible is that Wales went from 1978 to 2005 without a grand slam.
 
Here's what the English press and a few ex English rugby players and coaches had to say.

Jamie.




Mick Cleary, The Telegraph

"The finale to end all finales. It was a teeming spectacle from start to end, from the throaty roars of the crowd to the sharp-heeled finishing of Wales wing, Alex Cuthbert. It was a raw contest for the first-half, a riveting exhibition of power-plays in the second half."

Sir Clive Woodward, Daily Mail

"Great teams are full of great individuals. Not a single English player outperformed the red jersey opposite him. They were brave and never gave up, but this team's limitations were exposed. Wales have the balance of a young, relatively inexperienced backline, but they also have caps where it matters, up front in the engine room.

"The tight five were magnificent. If you are going to pick a 22-year-old to take on Adam Jones then he has to be a phenomenal scrummager, but Joe Marler was unable to live with the dark arts and power of the Lion tighthead.

"Watching Justin Tipuric and Sam Warburton operate together reminded me of England's Richard Hill-Neil Back back-row axis - one of them was wreaking havoc at every breakdown. One positive note, in a team going backwards all day, Chris Robshaw did amazingly well against the pace of Wales' back row.

"I always used to try to pick a team capable of outscoring New Zealand, on tries, in Auckland. That mindset for Stuart Lancaster now has to be to score more tries than Wales in Cardiff."

Brian Moore, The Telegraph

"Rarely do these occasions occur and this did not disappoint. I don't think I have ever heard a louder crowd. My BBC voice feed had to be turned up to maximum and still at times I could not hear myself or anyone else speak."




Owen Slot, The Times

"As for Warburton, an hour after the final whistle he stood proud, still muddied, bashed and bearing the scars, and said reassuringly: 'Always believe in yourself and things will come good in the end'. Thank you, Sam, flanker and philosopher. You are a lesson to us all."

Hugh Godwin, The Independent

"Had it not been for a shambolic first half here against Ireland on the opening weekend of this Championship, Wales might have been celebrating a fourth Grand Slam in nine years, beyond anything achieved by the great teams of the 1970s. Anyone thinking of the summer's Lions tour was envisaging many more red jerseys than white."

Ben Kay, Daily Mail

"The scrum was a sub-plot to a contest in which England were well beaten. They failed to handle the pressure of the occasion and looked overhyped compared to the more concentrated performances earlier in the tournament."

Gavin Mairs, The Telegraph

"A stunning, intoxicating Test match made more thrilling by the incredible atmosphere. The collisions in the first half were as brutal as I have seen as Wales established their dominance. The intensity only heightened in the second, capped by two superb tries."

Mark Souster, The Times

"In the tumult of the Millennium Stadium, Wales were physical, precise, bullying, street smart and clinical, fine-tuned by Rob Howley, the interim head coach, and led - if not captained - by Sam Warburton.

"Collectively, Wales were superb, their body positions - low and driving - when going into contact enabling them to gain yards. But also within their ranks they had individuals with skill, instinct and self-belief."

Steve James, The Telegraph

"Passion and intensity can sometimes spill into inaccuracy. Here, with so much at stake, Wales' skill levels whilst battering England physically were quite remarkable. Reliable, consistent, solid and dependable. They could all be Leigh Halfpenny's middle names now. Magnificent under the high ball and a siege-gun boot from both hand and tee – but the Wales' rock can run too. A certain Lion."

Ben Youngs, The Times

"Wales was a huge learning curve for a lot of people who have never played in such a hostile environment. We are used to a pack of forwards going forward. This time we were going back."

Read more: Wales Online http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/need-to-read/2013/03/18/six-nations-what-monday-s-papers-say-about-riveting-wales-91466-33011564/#ixzz2Nybp7HnR
 
Jamie, I would guess that you were quite pleased with the result then.

Rob

p.s. I'm off to Germany for a couple of days fortunately. I don't think I can take any more photos of triumphant red shirts.
 
UKRob said:
Jamie, I would guess that you were quite pleased with the result then.

Rob

p.s. I'm off to Germany for a couple of days fortunately. I don't think I can take any more photos of triumphant red shirts.
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Very pleased Rob, but I always knew that this team was a very good team, but poor Rob Howley was thrown in at the deep end and he had to step in when Gatland was quite badly injured when he was going to lead the team to Australia, so Rob Howley basically went from being an attack coach for Wales and all of a sudden being head coach is a big ask, then we lost the three tests in Australia by a combined score of 4 points, when in reality we should have won three nil, and during that time Rob Howley really showed how good a coach he his not moving away from his philosophy and with some major injuries during the autumn internationals we were somehow written off, but I still think England and Wales will both be in with a shout come the next world cup, one glaring observation regarding the English backline play and a something that could easily be put right, your outside center Tualagi can be a devastating runner with ball in hand but they need to tell him to pass the ball more because those outside runners must be frustrated, your backrow is a quality unit, and so is your second row, but a frontrow needs to be found the likes of Leonard Probyn and Vickery are not easy to come by, and what would England give for a Wil Greenwood in the center, I'm sure England have the right people in charge and they will be sorting things out as we speak.

Jamie.
 
pugh-the-special-one said:
UKRob said:
Jamie, I would guess that you were quite pleased with the result then.

Rob

p.s. I'm off to Germany for a couple of days fortunately. I don't think I can take any more photos of triumphant red shirts.
Click to expand...

Very pleased Rob, but I always knew that this team was a very good team, but poor Rob Howley was thrown in at the deep end and he had to step in when Gatland was quite badly injured when he was going to lead the team to Australia, so Rob Howley basically went from being an attack coach for Wales and all of a sudden being head coach is a big ask, then we lost the three tests in Australia by a combined score of 4 points, when in reality we should have won three nil, and during that time Rob Howley really showed how good a coach he his not moving away from his philosophy and with some major injuries during the autumn internationals we were somehow written off, but I still think England and Wales will both be in with a shout come the next world cup, one glaring observation regarding the English backline play and a something that could easily be put right, your outside center Tualagi can be a devastating runner with ball in hand but they need to tell him to pass the ball more because those outside runners must be frustrated, your backrow is a quality unit, and so is your second row, but a frontrow needs to be found the likes of Leonard Probyn and Vickery are not easy to come by, and what would England give for a Wil Greenwood in the center, I'm sure England have the right people in charge and they will be sorting things out as we speak.

Jamie.
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Agree absolutely re: Tuilagi - he needs to straighten to draw in defenders (which, given his size and pace, he will), then put the pass in at the right moment.
 
Did you watch Manu Tuilagi playing Tigers-style this afternoon? He scored two of our four as we trashed Saints, amongst other things and being declared Man of the Match and a very strong contender for the Lions Squad.

If only England could play like Tigers and Tigers could play like this afternoon all the time!!
 
Bechet45 said:
Did you watch Mano Tuilagi playing Tigers-style this afternoon? He scored two of our four as we trashed Saints, amongst other things and being declared Man of the Match and a very strong contender for the Lions Squad.

If only England could play like Tigers and Tigers could play like this afternoon all the time!!
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Carl I watched the young outside half Owen Williams for the Llanelli Scarlets today who's joining the Tigers next season, all I will say is look out Toby Flood, aged only 21 and very much the typical Welsh number 10 loads of flair loves to attack, there's been much disappointment regarding his move out of Wales, not that I give a shit as I'm a Cardiff Blues supporter and we have the finest 19 year old number 10 I think I've ever seen a brilliant Rhys Patchell.

Jamie
 
Ths saddest thing about Rugby as far as I'm concerned is the fact that what we all wished for - a fair playing field in terms of professional paid players - all of a sudden has turned into a football type 'whover has the biggest wallet' wins competition. Welsh regional rugby cannot survive in it's current state.

The ridiculous thing is that it harks back to the days of losing players to Rugby League. What's the difference, apart from the fact that the players instead of swapping a miner's wage for a decent living wage in the North of England, now choose a decent living in the South of France?
 
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