[Official] 6 Nations 2010

[Nitafrong]

We have come to that time of year again- International Rugby Union is to start again. The 6 Nations is always one of the highlights of my year and without fail it always manages to produce a number of interesting and compelling games. Many of the home nations will be looking to bounce back after a couple of disappointing Autumn games and the first match or so is always vital in determining which teams are attempting to run at the title.

Without playing down the chances of Scotland or Italy- really its only the other four nations who I think have a good chance this year.

Ireland of course are following on from their best ever year in which they grabbed all the gold and ended the year undefeated after beating South Africa in a muggy Croke Park. They also have the relatively easy prospect of facing Italy at home in their first match. However my home side is also relatively famous for until last year not really recognising their full potential so it will be important not to underestimate the threat that Italy will pose.

Wales and England face off in the most important decider today at Twickenham. Two years ago Wales started their campaign to Gran Slam glory with a surprise victory over England at home. Last year though the previously indomitable Welsh team suffered a number of setbacks and actually ended the tournament behind England. Of all the home nations England has by far the largest population and thus pool of rugby talent and despite reccent troubles they are never a team to be underestimated. Its been 6 or so years since England last tasted success and the match between two will perhaps be a vital indicator of where this tournament is going.

Finally tomorrow will have Scotland and France in Murrayfield. This has the potential to be a surprising game- as Marc Lievremont is famed for constantly making changes in his side- meaning that while France defeated both New Zealand and South Africa they were also slaughtered by England last year. Scotland also have had changible form- progressing from defeating Australia to losing to Argentina in the space of a week over Autumn.

In anycase this years 6 Nations should prove as interesting campaign as it always does- though of course it will be hard in my eyes to beat the year that was 2009 So yeah who else here is a fan of the 6 Nations? Anyone manage to get tickets to any of the matches or will we just be pubbing it?

 

[Nitafrong]

Well day 1 of the 6 Nations proved a pretty mixed bag of results. Ireland as was expected were able to beat Italy- though considering how bad Italy played the game was much closer than it should have been. While Ireland showed some energy in the first half- the second half was much more stagnant and it became quickly apparent that Declan Kidney intended to use the opportunity to try and get some experience for the younger players. While this is probably a good idea considering the match itself it doesn't leave the Irish team with a lot of momentum before one of their sternest tasks- the Stade du France next Sunday. There are also a few key injury worries especially from a kicking standpoint as Ronan O Gara was forced to leave the pitch and his immediate replacement Jonathon Sexton is already out injured.

From a neutrals perspective the second game- England vs Wales was a much more exciting match especially in the second half- though it was, as a lot of opening matches tend to be, mired with lots of errors on both sides. The key to this match of course was the sin binning of Alun Wyn Jones on either side of half time which England capitalised on with two tries and two conversions seemingly putting the game beyond Wales. The Welsh came back with real flair though and dominated much of the second half bringing the margin to only three points before a late mistake and a final England try put the game finally to rest.

Both sides looked dangerous at different points in the game and the prospect of facing England at home (which the Irish will have to do) looks like a hard task, as well as a Welsh side in full flight. Guess we will just have to look forward to France and Scotland tomorrow to see which France decided to turn up and whether the Scots can inflict a shock defeat like they did a couple of years ago. Roll on day 2

 

[Sivsyboi]

Nothing like watching your countries team put a 13 point difference between you and the welsh in the last 10 minutes of the game in a pub...Gotta love rugby.

I thought the England vs Wales game was how a real match should be played. I also thought during that last try 'Now that's how you win a rugby match'. I watched all three games and was surprised that Scotland weren't destroyed in the first 10 minutes of the game. Didn't manage to catch the end though. Am definately looking forward to next weekend's matches.

 

[Nitafrong]

Yeah I have to admit too that I was surprised by how well Scotland managed to hold on against the French- they looked very dangerous in the first half especially. So far out of all the matches I think the French played the best of all the teams. Their biggest tests though will be how they do against Ireland next week and of course the major problem which will be facing England in Twickenham- something which we will have to do as well.

While I did really enjoy the England, Wales match- which was exciting as a neutral- England taking the half time advantage and then Wales coming strong on the fight back- I thought that the France, Scotland game was probably an example of better Rugby- as both teams played strongly and made less mistakes. Its also a good idea I think not to underestimate the Scottish- despite their seeming inability to score tries I can still see them scoring an upset win against someone- and playing in Murrayfield in always a hard fight.

 

[Sivsyboi]

Here are my predictions for next week:

England vs Italy- I fully expect Italy to show us up and score a try early on, before we put a (Minimal) 15 point lead between us. Then, England's infamous ability to screw up in the second half will kick in and Italy will close a part of the gap. However, I will be amazed if Italy could pull of the upset. I take England for the win here.

Wales vs Scotland and Ireland vs France- I bunched these 2 together because i feel the exact same way about them. Either team could win in both games. I think Wales just edge it here. Ireland vs France is possibly the most exciting game of the six nations as it's the top two teams (With England as a close third) going against each other. I can't pick a winner

...Actually, I take that back. England are clearly the best.

 

[Nitafrong]

...Actually, I take that back. England are clearly the best.

Come the weekend thats what we all think. Thanks for posting in here anyway- I really thought there would be more fans of this but obviously not.

Anyway its the weekend again and two pretty big matches are taking place in a couple of hours- Scotland and Wales in Cardiff and Ireland and France in Paris.

The first match should be pretty interesting- both teams really need to win this to get their first win and actually look to salvage something out of this campaign. From their form in the last couple of years I would normally give this to the Welsh, especially as they were playing at home. Their lineout was horrible against the English though and the team made a lot of mistakes last week. However they did show moments of great play- especially in the second half against England and they are proven try scorers- something which Scotland always has a problem with. Scotlands scrum was decimated by the French as well (though again this could be because of the huge power that is the French forward line. Perhaps everyone is in trouble when it comes to their forwards), and as I said before they have trouble getting over the try line. They played good enough aginst the French though so it should be an interesting contest.

However the big game this weekend and one I have been looking forward to and simultaniously dreading is Ireland vs France. This game will be one of the defining moments of the 6 Nations- as will be both home games against England. Really it was last years victory in Dublin that kickstarted our campaign and made us believe that we had a chance of the Grand Slam.

The French have a fairly good winning record against us though and our last victory in the Stade du France was in 2000. Theres not a lot more I can really find to say- getting more and more nervous and excited as I type. Tonight will either consist of celebratory or concilatory drinks. So yeah- come on Ireland!

 

[Барбоса]

Ireland need a big performance to get a result in Paris. We have a poor record in France but the provincial sides, Munster, Leinster and Ulster, have proven that the Irish have what it takes to take on the French.

The Irish defence is good enough to take on the best the southern hemisphere has to offer and in the last 18 months the Irish offence has found some teeth in the back row and in the backs aside from O'Driscoll.

However, the enigmatic French on their day are irrepressable in attack and today I feel that they just might have the edge over Ireland today.

As for the other games, I expect Wales to beat Scotland probably 20-12 with Patterson's boot keeping the Scots within touching distance but Welsh flair will give them the win. England's new-found strength in the pack will negate Italy's strength and allow them to run out comfortable winners.

 

[CardiffCam]

The ending to the Wales-Scotland match was absolutely incredible.
I'm Welsh, as you can easily tell, and I have a father who's Scottish which made it quite a bit more interesting.
I got bored after the first half, with us getting defeated systematically without any entertainment or glamour. My dad was satisfied though.
But that 10 minutes at the end was like nothing I, or anyone else I have spoken to about it have ever seen before. The drama with the two players leaving the field, the decision to draw then go for a try, Scotlands decision not to take a draw- I wasn't on the edge of my seat, I was quite literally jumping up and down. My dad and brother were as well, and even my sister and mum were on the edge of their seats. Then Richie Reese got that pass through to Shane Williams, and he used his small stature to break through and score the try, and the room exploded, and my dad collapsed.
Absolutely breathtaking stuff that will be remembered for years to come.

 

[Sivsyboi]

The ending to the Wales-Scotland match was absolutely incredible.
I'm Welsh, as you can easily tell, and I have a father who's Scottish which made it quite a bit more interesting.
I got bored after the first half, with us getting defeated systematically without any entertainment or glamour. My dad was satisfied though.
But that 10 minutes at the end was like nothing I, or anyone else I have spoken to about it have ever seen before. The drama with the two players leaving the field, the decision to draw then go for a try, Scotlands decision not to take a draw- I wasn't on the edge of my seat, I was quite literally jumping up and down. My dad and brother were as well, and even my sister and mum were on the edge of their seats. Then Richie Reese got that pass through to Shane Williams, and he used his small stature to break through and score the try, and the room exploded, and my dad collapsed.
Absolutely breathtaking stuff that will be remembered for years to come.

Watching from a mutual standpoint, that ending was exciting as hell. I was pulling for the Welsh by the end of it, as the Scots clearly couldn't control themselves. I'll be interested to see what becomes of these two teams for the remainder of the tournament.

The French put on dominant, clean performance against the Irish and I was proven wrong, as I expected the Irish to surprise us. The french hold first place, but only by a 4 point difference ahead of the English, which brings me on to the final game...

...Which was a complete embarresment. We were almost beaten by a team that has never beaten us in the Six Nations. Italy put on a good showing, but England were playing terribly. Luckily, we held on until the end. I think now, that there is a 4 point lead overall between us and the French. But France haven't played Italy yet, and will undoubtedly put about 30 points between us.


For now, I'm predicting the France vs England game at the end of the season to be for the Grand Slam. It's wishful thinking, but France will definately have the 4 wins by then. England are gonna face tough competition against the Irish and the Scots, but if we can win those two, then it's all down to that final game...theoretically. Still, England are a close second at the moment. Can't ask for more than that.

 

[Барбоса]

The French put on an excellent defensive performance against the Irish yesterday in Paris and thoroughly deserved to win but it would have been so different had the ball not taken that kick to the left as D'Arcy was about to score under the posts.

The Welsh were incredibly lucky to come away with anything from their game in Cardiff. They were unbelievably poor in the first half and only improved slightly in the second. The Scots bossed most of the game and deserved to win the game if not for one moment of stupidity that put them down to 14 men.

England were equally fortunate. That was a horrible display against the Italians today. If they don't pick themselves up quickly they face two wallopings from the French and Irish in coming weeks.

I thought at the start of the tournament that the winner of the Paris showdown between the French and Irish would win the Six Nations and the opening weekends have done nothing to change my mind. With the French able to find a strong and organised pack to back up the undoubted flair of their running game, they will take some stopping

 

[Nitafrong]

Last weeks games were a mixed bag of results a mixture of average rugby, surprise finishes and some good teams and players playing badly. To begin with- the match closest to my heart- Ireland vs France was a very difficult game to watch from an Irish perspective as our players in the second half constantly dropped the ball and at key points were out muscled by the French. In fairness to the home team they played very good disciplined rugby and easily look the best team so far in the tournament. As the match went on I could feel the hope and energy slowly drain from the bar- apart from of course the small French contingent in the corner.

Scotland vs Wales was a bit heartbreaking from a Scottish perspective. I always have had a natural affinity with them and it was tough to see them lose after being deserving of it for most of the game. In fairness to the Welsh though- they don't give in and the end of the game is often more important than the beginning and their strong finish- helped by Scottish indiscipline turned the match around for them.

I don't know what happened to England and Wilkinson on Sunday but they seemed to take heart from the poor Irish performance against the Italians the previous week and attempted to outdo them. In fairness though- Italy were a lot better than they had been and seemingly played the more attractive rugby. You had the sense that it was only the depth of experience of English rugby that kept them ahead here.

In any case we have another important weekend coming in front of us though it will take place a day earlier than normal. Next Friday is Wales vs France before being followed on Saturday by Scotland vs Italy and Ireland vs England. On paper France should win again and considering how Wales have been playing apart from a few moments of skill, it should be fairly handy. France though have been known to follow an important win with a surprise loss. This has happened in the last two years against England and if I am correct the year before against Wales, and before that Scotland. It should though hopefully be an interesting game- even if it is just to see France run rampant against another team.

England vs Ireland though next Saturday is the really big game (or the really big game for us). If Ireland or indeed England are to get anything out of this tournament they have to win this game and following poor performances from both teams the result is a bit up in the air. Though Ireland have a pretty good recent record against England (6-1) England won the last time both played in Twickenham and the game was tight as always last year in Croke Park.

Finally Scotland vs Italy has the unfortunate reputation of being the wooden spoon match. Both teams played well in their last matches- though I would still probably give this one to the Scottish.