And so to the rugby..
After last week’s eventful matches, Wales welcome Scotland to Cardiff and should probably expect home field advantage to win through, 2pm start – MinuteByMinute here Meanwhile.. Ireland travel to Paris to face France.. kick-off 4pm – MinuteByMinute here – I’m not making any predictions.. but it’ll be a real upset if Ireland can win that one. Italy host England tomorrow. The BBC’s iPlayer will have the matches here later. And, this time, let’s keep the discussion to the actual games themselves. Update Wales 30 – 15 Scotland. A reasonably solid home win for Wales.. with a little bit of help from the video ref.. And Unluckily for Ireland, France score first on 16mins. But Ireland get a penalty shortly after. Bah 19mins in. Ireland asleep. France score again. 29mins Ireland pull another 3 points back. 37 mins An error-strewn Irish attack ends with a French counter.. and a try. Half-time A tale of missed opportunities and errors for Ireland. France 19 – 6 Ireland. 47mins Lost lineouts abound. But the Irish defence holds. Still France 19 – 6 Ireland. 50mins Spoke too soon. France break through for another try. 58mins Pressure from the Irish forwards eventually tells. Penalty try. 61mins Suddenly Ireland are back in the game. Another try! 75mins O’Gara takes the penalty! Full-time France 26 – 21 Ireland. So close at the end. Over ambitious chip was gathered into touch. But it was [overall] a much better performance from Ireland.
Dewi,
am boycotting all Welsh mdeia until Wales lose – the deferential way they speak about the Wazza and Jimmy Savill really drivies me up the wall.
DilutedOrange,
Agree EOS was to slow about Reddan and putting Trimble in instead of D’arse. But Ireland(s) football teams are both shite and have been shite( except when ROI stuck a load of Englezes in the team ) and we dont go round thinking we should beat everyone in Europe. We are punching above our weight, we are 2nd most consistent team in 6n since start. Obviously disappointing we have not won 6n but yesterday’s performance was outstanding and with a bit of luck you never know.
“am boycotting all Welsh mdeia until Wales lose ”
But we are never ever going to lose again!
Dewi,
Have you borrowed those lines from tomorrow’s Western Mail editorial?
Sammy – I’m looking forward to the 17 pages on the Rugby i’m as mad as everyone else here!
Desperately trying to change my work stuff so I can get to Ireland for the Wales game. Have a train crash so I can come and investigate will you?
Another gallant defeat for Ireland, the story of our lives!
I suppose there’s always the chance of another Triple-Crown. We’ll soon have enough of them for the team to eat their dinners off!
Dewi,
Can only offer you another chariot derailment on the final day of the championship.
Another gallant defeat.
Diluted Orange
[i]“Why has it taken so long for Reddan to get into the side – after all he plays week in, week out for the best club side in Europe.”[/i]
Reddan only played 11 games for Wasps last season, so its not as if he has been ignored. Ian Humphreys has played as many for Leicester. Reddan came good towards end of last season. Boss was ahead of him in the Ireland set-up. Previous to Wasps he was behind Stringer in Munster and going on the Munster v. Wasps HCup game, Stringer outplayed Reddan.
Reddan is a good player, but a bit over-hyped because of his break. He has some way to go with his decision making, his steps and his pass yet. And he is 27. Its a pity Stringer wasn’t on for last 20 mins v. France. That ball would never have gone out at the end as Stringer would have kept the ball with the pack. Reddan passed the ball to Murphy who put it out.
I agree with you about Murphy & Bowe. EOS really has it in for Murphy sticking him on the wing.
[i]“Another gallant defeat for Ireland, the story of our lives!”[/i]
Seems ROG is none too happy with this approach.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations-2008/comment-analysis/heroic-efforts-are-no-consolation-for-frustrated-ogara-1286914.html
Diluted Orange
[i]“Why has it taken so long for Reddan to get into the side – after all he plays week in, [b]week out for the best club side in Europe.”[/b][/i]
The best side in Europe that didn’t get out of its group in HCup recently and is mid-table in Guinness Premiership at the moment?
How about one of the top clubs in Europe (along with Leicester, Toulouse and Munster)?
he plays week in, week out for the best club side in Europe.”
Ospreys got two fine scrum halfs already……..
[i]“Ospreys got two fine scrum halfs already……..”[/i]
Indeed Dewi, Ospreys are well on their way to winning the 6Ns as well as the HCup this year!
Brian Moore who else are you going to get when you have a budget of £3.4 Billion?
“Soviet Air Force” What sort of name is that?
That i player on the BBC is excellent – watched Shane’s try 83 times now – hmmmm you might just have a point about that left leg grazing the line……
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=t94aVr5S2pE
And that’s your new anthem – these two are brilliant.
Dubious try indeed Dewi, even Jonathon Davies said it at the time.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_dEB66Yq4NA&NR=1
Hell – I’ve got obsessed by another Irish song – wonderful.
Played scrum half to Jonathan Davies when I was 9 by the way – just used to give him the ball and watch…..
Dewi,
the first one is great – the girl on the right could well be ROG with a wig on. No good as an anthem though as there is no mention of killing people in it.
Uncanny resemblance Sammy now you say it.
Even clever than
Nellis Stella RLC
It’s not Warren Gatland in charge of Wales – it’s Rafael Benitez
Dewi,
I suspect he is looking to the Ireland game – he presumably thinks it unwise to put Hook in against Ireland ( where Wales need to get the basics right ) and he wants to get Jones bedded in – he’s also probably a little worried about Italy’s pack and wants to make sure they play the game in the Italian half. That was one of the reasons he lost the Irish job – he’s too conservative.
His own man though Sammy – breath of fresh air. And if things go wrong we can bring Phillips and Hook off the bench…….