International Rugby

[Gareth]

A win is a win…two very moderate teams, so little incision on show

The thing about that is, Wales are strugglnig with loads of injuries and retirements to key players right through the squad. England don't have that excuse, yes there are some players with only a handful of caps but that's mostly due to Jones and Borthwick being scared to give them any gametime. Fin Smith is probably the form 10 in English rugby this season and he's been given 6 minutes across 2 games where Ford has been very poor.

It's a win but there just as many problems with England now as there was this time last year and I reckon we're on for 3 defeats from here now we've snuck through against the 2 wooden spoon contenders.

Fully agree but there is a ‘face fits’ thing with England, Ford and Daly are two same a Youngs who was 40 caps heavy before he retired.  Firm has never been a key criteria

[charlatan]

RTE's coverage is bit ahead of ITV's, which is odd. Don't worry, I won't do any SCORRRRRRRRRCHIOOOOOOs.

ITV's football coverage has been on a notably longer lag behind the radio during this year's FA Cup than it usually is and the gap for both that and the 6N is longer than on the BBC.

[PaulWinch again]

They got the win. Not great, but a lot of new coaches and combinations so prepared to see if it’ll bed in better.

[paul_e]

They got the win. Not great, but a lot of new coaches and combinations so prepared to see if it’ll bed in better.

I'd agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that despite loads of new faces it felt like exactly what we saw last 6N and it's a lot like how Leicester were playing under Borthwick as well.

My problem is that it feels like rugby by spreadsheet and the players who offer a spark of brilliance to do something different are being neutered.

[PaulWinch again]

And you might well be right. It’s just I’m prepared to wait and see on the basis that Borthwicj has at least recognised he needed new coaching input.

[taylorsworkrate]

I was reasonably excited by the squad picked for the tournament. Borthwick has gone about as conservative as possible from it though.

[AV84]

Having seen everyone else, bar Italy, play twice now, it would be worse than the World Cup let down if Ireland don't do the Slam again. I still feel like we were wobbly against France early on and were lucky they were wobbly all game, but we still look miles above England, Wales, and Scotland.

I fully expect this to come back and bite me on the bum, but I don't think it's going to be a very exciting 6 Nations this year.

[taylorsworkrate]

Having seen everyone else, bar Italy, play twice now, it would be worse than the World Cup let down if Ireland don't do the Slam again. I still feel like we were wobbly against France early on and were lucky they were wobbly all game, but we still look miles above England, Wales, and Scotland.

I fully expect this to come back and bite me on the bum, but I don't think it's going to be a very exciting 6 Nations this year.

The winner of the France v Ireland game was basically guaranteed a grand slam

[Brazilian Villain]

I think the microphone's bigger than the kid singing Ireland's Call.

[AV84]

Fair play to the little lad off the Toy Show belting out Ireland's Call there.

[UK Redsox]

There's a new series of 'Slammed' on BBC Wales and iPlayer, covering the Wales international teams of the 1980s

Bloody hell, Jiffy was some player

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00136pq/episodes/player

[dcdavecollett]

I saw him play RL against Sheffield Eagles once. The word was that he wouldn't be fit to play because of an iffy hamstring. In the second half, he got the ball on his own try-line and went on a run that would have seen him beat every player on the opposing team had the full-back not saved the try with a last-gasp tap tackle.

Yep, he could play a bit.

[taylorsworkrate]

Few changes for the Scotland game. Daly still in the team though  :'(

[paul_e]

Few changes for the Scotland game. Daly still in the team though  :'(

Personally I'd have kept Steward and Dingwall in (but moved them to 11 and 13 respectively) and dropped Daly and Slade, right now the biggest problem with this team is we have too many players who like to kick the ball if they can't see anything on.

That said I hope they've worked with Furbank cutting in between 10-12 or 12-13 because he's been exceptional at doing that this season.

[paul_e]

Wales are so weak, Ireland aren't playing particularly well here but they don't need to because if they just keep the ball in hand and work through the phases they know the chances will come and in defence they can just wait for the mistakes.

If you named a lions squad now Reffell would be the only Welsh player in it for me.