Rugby Union 2013-14

[paul_e]

So Davie Wilson in for Cole and Ford onto the bench in place of Barritt, as was clearly ging to be the case when the 23 was announced.  Should be a close game, Ireland have started the tournament really well and made Wales look very average (Although Mike Phillips deserves a fair share of the 'credit' for that).  England started 20minutes late against France but have been good since and keeping scotland at 0 highlights just how dominant we were, better precision and we'd have given them a real pasting.

I'm going to go for Home advantage and give go for England 17-13 Ireland and a very nervy last 10.

not far off, close to the difference and the last 10 was just as close as I suspected.

[villan1975]

Care was MOM for me in a really high quality test match, though Brown once again was unstoppable.

Billy V is a quality player who would be missed but Morgan is an excellent and powerful no.8 who must think himself a little unlucky not to start.

Bring on the welsh, we should have enough to beat them though it is the biggest game for them by a mile.

[taylorsworkrate]

That was one of the most pulsating and intense international matches I have seen.

Huge performance for such an inexperienced side to stymie an excellent Ireland in great form. Brown is fast becoming one of the best 15's in world rugby, something I never thought I'd be saying a year ago when he was wasting on the wing. Care excellent, as was Burrell.

This side could really be something. When you think how much natural improvement there's going to be over the next year, and with the likes of Cole, Corbisiero, Tuilagi, Wade, Yarde all to come back into contention, it must be a pretty scary prospect for other teams.

Hopefully Billy V will be fine in a couple of weeks, but Morgan is a fine player to have as backup.

If only for the lack of that poor first 20 minutes in Paris, we'd be looking at the probability of a Grand Slam.

[taylorsworkrate]

Oh and today epitomised for me why the six nations is a better tournament than the one played in the southern hemisphere.

Yes there may be more try's down south, but the level of intensity and commitment is lacking compared to the European game

[PaulWinch again]

Fabulous match full of tension. This England team is going places and fast. We need Billy back soon, but I thought Brown, Care, Launchbury, Lawes and Burrell were all excellent. Also it's noticeable that Farrell is playing a much more ambitious game now.

[peter w]

As much as the players named above deserve credit the player who was epitomised the direction this team has tried to go under Lancaster is Robshaw. Despite lots of criticism, only now is it quietening but not gone away, he has proved to be vital in this team. Credit to Lancaster for seeing something, making him captain, and watch him look closer to being a world class international as it's possible to be.

[Big Dick Edwards]

I was lucky enough to be at Twickenham yesterday. What a pulsating game of rugby, played by two evenly matched teams who displayed skill, ambition to run the ball while defending as though their lives depended on it, huge commitment and intensity. Can't wait to bring on the Welsh now.

[lovejoy]

Same, and the Irish helped to make it a great atmosphere.

[andyaston]

What a very good game of rugby that was. That first 20 minutes of the second half was pulsating with the momentum swinging one way and then the other. I bet Sexton is kicking himself after that restart, it was a turning point.

[Dante Lavelli]

Oh and today epitomised for me why the six nations is a better tournament than the one played in the southern hemisphere.
Yes there may be more try's down south, but the level of intensity and commitment is lacking compared to the European game

Agree completely which makes it doubly galling that the gap between the southern and northern hemisphere seems so wide, it discredits the 6 Nations and Heineken cup because any southerner will say the quality is not as good, yet as a spectacle it's consistently much better to watch.

[paul_e]

The gap between the north and south isn't anything like as wide as it's made out to be, player for player.  It's the attitude to the game that's different, this over simplifies things massively but in the north field position is more important than possession a lot of the time, that's not so true in the south, particularly at club level.  That's why the offloading game has historically been a very southern hemisphere thing, it works really well if you're attacking from deep.

[paul_e]

I see Billy V is rule out for the rest of the tournament, that's a big blow, he's been superb so far.  That said Morgan is a very capable deputy.  Will be interesting to see what they do with the bench though, Kvesic is the obvious choice but he'd be a direct replacement for Robshaw on the bench which I don't think Lancaster will want so you have to look to the saxons squad.  In there Dickinson looks like the sensible option but that would be a huge rise from the championship to the England bench in 8months.

[PaulWinch again]

I see Billy V is rule out for the rest of the tournament, that's a big blow, he's been superb so far.  That said Morgan is a very capable deputy.  Will be interesting to see what they do with the bench though, Kvesic is the obvious choice but he'd be a direct replacement for Robshaw on the bench which I don't think Lancaster will want so you have to look to the saxons squad.  In there Dickinson looks like the sensible option but that would be a huge rise from the championship to the England bench in 8months.

As you say Billy is a big loss but provided Morgan stays fit he's decent back up. I think he'll bring in Kvesic and if required he'll put Wood at number 8.

[paul_e]

I see Billy V is rule out for the rest of the tournament, that's a big blow, he's been superb so far.  That said Morgan is a very capable deputy.  Will be interesting to see what they do with the bench though, Kvesic is the obvious choice but he'd be a direct replacement for Robshaw on the bench which I don't think Lancaster will want so you have to look to the saxons squad.  In there Dickinson looks like the sensible option but that would be a huge rise from the championship to the England bench in 8months.

As you say Billy is a big loss but provided Morgan stays fit he's decent back up. I think he'll bring in Kvesic and if required he'll put Wood at number 8.

I agree, but the conclusion to that, if morgan has to come off, is that we'd probably end up with:

a 6 at 8 (wood)
a 6 at 7 (robshaw)
a 7 at 6 (kvesic)

Which is just as unbalanced as the backrow we had against wales last year which cost us dearly.

[taylorsworkrate]

Got to say, I'm worried about the game tomorrow.

Wales were poor against Italy, Atrocious against Ireland, and slightly above average against a French team that decided to roll over and die.

However, Wales have developed the knack of raising their game several levels when they play against us, and without Cole or Corbisiero, Adam Jones and Jenkins will be relishing the scrum.

Jonathan Davies being back is huge for them, as not only is he a strong centre, he allows North to revert back to the wing.

Hopefully the tempo and dynamism of our game will be too much for them to cope with.