Rugby

Loved that game

The English Women's team beat Wales 63-0!

Super League is now officially better than the NRL, which means England will definitely win the world cup this year. Phew!

I've got a couple of tickets to see Scotland Wales on Saturday. The only problem is that the seats are not together... They are in the same block, but different rows etc. It's not a massive problem, but my gf has never been to a game (of any sort) before and so is nervous about sitting on her own.

It's a long time since I've been to the rugby (>10 years) so I can't really remember... How open are people to swapping seats? It would be nicer if we could sit together.

If ever there was a crowd to not worry about asking, it's a rugby crowd. They might still say no, but they'd hopefully not be dicks about it.

Yeah, that's what I was hoping. Fingers crossed.

Maybe pre-emptively by some bribe beers.

If ever there was a crowd to not worry about asking, it's a rugby crowd. They might still say no, but they'd hopefully not be dicks about it.

This.

Rugger Buggers are the nicest sports fans ever!

Really well played from Scotland.

The handling by Russel for the second try was perfect. So good to see smooth rugby like that. The sidestep by Visser (I think) just earlier was also worth watching.

Sexton ended any debate about who the Lions halfback partnership will be today. As long as he stays fit. Which he won't. So, as Farrell is really a 10, will he be going as a first choice 12 ahead of Henshaw, or Sexton's backup at 10?

England yet to respond to Italy's refusal to commit men to mauls.

I seem to remember Ireland exploited a similar tactic a few years ago.

Well that was the weirdest England test match I've ever seen. Seemingly if you don't commit at the breakdown you can stand as offside as you like. It's an amazing run England have put together but I'm waiting for a game when I'm not so damn tense.

Think the trick is by not committing there is no ruck so as long as your behind the ball and a metre away from the tackle.

The way Scotland were playing, it seems your wish will not be done by next week.

I know the camera angles are unusual but I swear half the time the Italians were beyond the ball. Well at the very least it was interesting.

Yeah you're right. They were WAY beyond the ball.

Apparently it's what I said but without the "behind the ball" bit. So effectively no offside line as a ruck isn't formed and presumably they forgot to add a clause for that part of the law.

Italian players regularly refused to form rucks after tackles, meaning no offside line was formed as per Law 16 which requires players to retreat behind the hindmost foot once a ruck has been formed. That allowed Italian players to stand anywhere on the pitch - with the exception of one metre around the tackle area - after tackles had taken place.

Playing a match next week at Allianz Park, I wonder how many times that'll be used.

Can be countered at the discretion of the referee. When people started not contesting mauls at a line out to force the attacking team to be offside if they had a mam in front of the ball carrier, referees started insisting that there needs to be a contest. It would be like stepping backwards in a scrum.

That being said, fair play to Italy. They were well within the rules and it put the shit up England for a half.

Ah

When people started not contesting mauls at a line out to force the attacking team to be offside if they had a mam in front of the ball carrier

Oh, yeah. Have encountered that, the referee deemed it fair, so we just had to turn about with the ball continuously shouting "I have the ball, I have the ball" if they were standing off.

Do love it when a new tactic dug deep from the law book is used. Always very entertaining, especially when the other team have no idea whats happening.

A pleasure to see England playing well from the first minute for the first time in the tournament, I do find myself feeling a bit disappointed for Scotland, clearly a victim of knowing that if they played just a little bit better than they have in the tournament so far they might actually make it a contest, but ultimately resulting in a bit of an implosion in the first 20 minutes from which they couldn't recover.

Good to see England playing a brand of rugby that is firmly english but also attractive and entertaining to watch.

It was nice still have un-bitten fingernails this time...

I was astonished to see so much attacking intent from Phase 1 possession.

If it is repeated in Dublin next week,
I think we can say todays performance was the first where the Stuart Lancaster assembled squad has adopted the Eddy Jones mentality.

Well done Ireland.

Eddy has always been the successor of good coaches and has run those teams into relatively mediocrity (Brumbies, Wallabies) He's good at the verbal and Cheicka took the bait waaayyy too easily.

Jut scored tickets for the 2 & 3 tests in July. Stoked.

Yes, well done Ireland. They dominated a very good England side and were deserved winners.

Its true that Jones has run teams into the shit and has had things blow up in his face but it is also true that when it's going well for him, it goes really well. He's intense and demanding, that's why he succeeds and that's why he fails. He is undoubtedly succeeding at the moment, he has improved England in every department. The big question is, can he hold it together long enough for the world cup?

Painting him as a failure or a lucky coach is a gross simplification.

I'm painting him as neither a failure or lucky, he deserved his appointments when McQueen left and obviously has a massive talent at motivating his personal, but, like you implied above this massive shift in style that isn't really being supported by the clubs and that every team he's been in charge of blows up ( because he's so demanding) because of the micro management tends to think that 2019 is a long ways off.