6 Nations 2014

la gran siete

I think most fans would acknowledge that Ireland are the deserved winners and the match was a fitting farewell for one the greatest servants  the game there has ever been. I actually wanted them to win yesterday but that desire would have been easier for me if France hadn't played as well as they did, for a change .Frankly until yesterday i hated watching them .I felt their coach,PSA, had betrayed France's great tradition of playing the  dynamic , open ,off the cuff rugby that they were famous for ,instead opting for a "winning ugly" strategy .He admitted as much after yesterdays result when he wondered if a  winning ugly approach might have been better .Well the fact the French fans were singing towards the end of the match suggests different to me.As far as i am concerned that kind of approach should only be used when conditions dictate.
Mustn't take anything away from some very good Irish performances during the whole championship.the match against England could have gone either way  and for me they showed more in attack whereas Englands biggest asset was its defence
Being as i am English obviously i am also pleased England went well yesterday and are continuing to improve with every match. Brown for me has been the player of the tournament ,Farrell not far as well and i would add the two locks who have been outstanding.My main areas of concern have been the scrum which has looked a bit iffy at times , the penalty count especially against Wales and I dont think May has what it takes to be a top class winger. Nowell, at barely 13 stone, looks a bit too small especially against North who easily brushed him to one side on two occasions.He did make some good runs tho, and scored a well served try yesterday. Look forward to Yarde's and Wade's return .the latter may also be too small for defence purposes but he has the x factor in attack which might tip the balance in his favour/
Things are looking on the up for the red rose but the summer tour will tell us more about where they are at . The aim is to create a squad of 30 platters all of whom could slot in and do a decent job.

la gran siete

BBC Sport - Six Nations 2014: Dan Biggar says Wales would have beaten 15 men yes without a doubt Wales would have done as they are in control of the match .Having said that I do believe they have been found by the better teams and look pretty much like a one trick pony called warren ball. For all his attributes J Roberts cannot grubber kick with any accuracy and doesnt possess much guile, so for me Wales have to find someone else to play in that pivotal position who can offer something different.
I await to see what difference Verne Cotter can make to Scotland but given they have but two regions to pick from neither of which is going great guns, I cant see them making a lot more progress

la gran siete

if Wales want a quality fly half , look no further than Owen Williams who has come on leaps and bounds since joint Leicester,Maybe they should send more of their promising players to play in  the premiership in order to become have decent

BT Bob

It would be nice if just some of the better players stayed behind to allow the regions to try and perform better!

There's enough players leaving as it is - Sean Holley seem to be taking a shed-load to Bristol, in the same way Kingsley Jones did at Sale a few years ago.

If it carries on, we'll end up with a bunch of youngsters, a load of overseas players and one centrally-contracted player. Is this the way to run a Union? I think not.

gibbsy

Don't forget that Nigel Davies is attracting a lot to Gloucester. No doubt we'll hear Holley and Davies bemoaning how bad the Welsh regions are when they are part of the problem and not the solution.

Anyway good win for Cardiff against Ulster and a really entertaining game to boot.

BT Bob

Wasn't it? So frustrating when you know they can play like that and you wonder what thought process happened the week before !!

Chatting to a few of the (MANY) Ulster fans in the bar before and saying we'd settle for a some hwyl and a sub-30 point deficit, and then they go and pull out a performance like that first half. I can't remember the last time we put 7 points on a team down to 14, let alone 16!!

However, it all paled into insignificance (almost) when Smiler Rees came on to a standing ovation - before KO he presented a cheque for £20000 to Velindre Hospital from all the fund-raising at the club. And he seemed to lift the players' spirits as well - the last 10 minutes were pretty stressful to watch.

Scarlets did well today to hold on and gain the BP. Looked like Connacht were going to turn them over in the last 15 mins.

la gran siete

until  they sort out the mess that is Welsh rugby the best players and those who think they can improve in another league, will leave.Hopefully the restructuring of the HEC and the fact Pro12 clubs will have to qualify for it , might force the Welsh regions  to up their performances .Ditto the Scottish ones which have been mediocre at best