gosub
~#
Wales and Ireland to play each other in red and green for final time amid ban
Wales v Ireland fixtures will look a bit different going forward
Six Nations - 2024
- Thread starter Elpenor
- Start date
flypanam
Sausage to fortune
Maybe not but having those national sides as a club at least is a chance to grow the sport domestically and later internationally. What’s yr suggestion?
"And for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green."Wales and Ireland to play each other in red and green for final time amid ban
Wales v Ireland fixtures will look a bit different going forwardwww.walesonline.co.uk
1927
Funnier than he thinks he is.
Completely bonkers.
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
It’s another match day weekend. This Saturday it is
Ireland v Wales
Scotland v England
Then Sunday is France v Italy
Meanwhile here’s a handy glossary of what the commentators actually mean
www.rugbypass.com
Ireland v Wales
Scotland v England
Then Sunday is France v Italy
Meanwhile here’s a handy glossary of what the commentators actually mean
The Bluffer's Guide to the Six Nations
If you've spotted rugby on Netflix and fancy blending in with the fanatics, this rundown is for you...probably
www.rugbypass.com
fucthest8
Cool people die horrible, preventable deaths.
It’s another match day weekend. This Saturday it is
Ireland v Wales
Scotland v England
Then Sunday is France v Italy
Meanwhile here’s a handy glossary of what the commentators actually mean
The Bluffer's Guide to the Six Nations
If you've spotted rugby on Netflix and fancy blending in with the fanatics, this rundown is for you...probably
What do you make of Furbank at fullback? I don't know enough about him.
Also that link is basically Flats' entire routine
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Furbank offers so much more in attack than Steward and has more pace / is more agile so able to cover more ground in defence (Steward is slow and often out of position I think defensively). Furbank has the ability to play 10 so can serve as a second receiver. He also looks like he should have been a hurricane pilot in the Battle of BritainWhat do you make of Furbank at fullback? I don't know enough about him.
Also that link is basically Flats' entire routine
Lawrence at 12 + Genge at prop means more carrying options so don’t need Steward for his ball carrying at 15. Stewards other superskill is catching high balls, so you lose that but you gain a lot more… theoretically. It is a gamble, but one that is worth taking.
If it’s pissing down and Furbank drops the first bomb then it could be a long night… but if it goes well then it’s a genuine ball player at 15 who can counter attack, spot and put other people through gaps etc
fucthest8
Cool people die horrible, preventable deaths.
Yeah, did wonder about Steward defensively except of course under the high ball, where he is just so reliable.
As you say though, if not Furbank's forte then guess we expect Russell to attack that, could be very tedious (either because kick tennis, or because he fucks it). Here's hope Ng it's more fun than that.
And yes, wins the Hurricane Pilot lookalike hands down
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
One thing I have read about today is that Russell was suffocated by the Boks blitz defence at the World Cup, which is why Scotland were so poor in that match. This is the same type of defence England are now using. Exeter use the same defence and it involves rushing up to catch the attacking team behind the gain line. To do this you need to be very fit.
What does this mean in reality? The attacking team are vulnerable to an intercept, particularly if rushing to get the ball away as they’re about to be tackled; they may throw a poor or loose pass. If you’re tackled you may end up turning over the ball if isolation and concede tries as the attacking team has very quickly gone from attacking to losing the ball and does not have their defence set. As I say Exeter do this and Henry Slade has had 3 interceptions from this defence and Chiefs have also scored several tries from this rapid transition I mention.
How do you counter the blitz defence?
Well one way is to get the ball wide quickly, this means you can get behind the onrushing centres - Italy and Wales exploited this against England.
You might also try a chip over the defence, to see if you can then regather, like all kicks it’s risky but it’s a good way to turn your defence, if there’s no sweeper (usually a scrum half or one of the back 3) then you can very quickly score. Finn Russell will certainly fancy this, will probably wait for a sweeper to be isolated. Perhaps one to try with penalty advantage.
You also might decide to throw a long pass out wide straight away, but when the ball is thrown wide it opens up the risk of an interception due to the trajectory of a floated pass means it takes longer. Whipping the pass (so flatter trajectory and faster means that it’s easier to catch for the blitz defence outside if they’re in the right place at the right time. Finn has past form for this - see the famous pass he made the Huw Jones break in 2018 that led to a try.
You might also try something like a kick pass, but again risk of interception. Finn tried that in a Bath game recently and got intercepted and that lost them the game (or a bonus point) I think.
There are other options to counter it which are a bit more layered, but they’re basically variants on a theme, going round, over or through the blitz defence. Note that some involving going a long way backwards to get round the defence - and what happens if they don’t get round the defence, they lose a lot of ground and probably have to kick the ball away.
See this video for more details and some real life examples
What does this mean in reality? The attacking team are vulnerable to an intercept, particularly if rushing to get the ball away as they’re about to be tackled; they may throw a poor or loose pass. If you’re tackled you may end up turning over the ball if isolation and concede tries as the attacking team has very quickly gone from attacking to losing the ball and does not have their defence set. As I say Exeter do this and Henry Slade has had 3 interceptions from this defence and Chiefs have also scored several tries from this rapid transition I mention.
How do you counter the blitz defence?
Well one way is to get the ball wide quickly, this means you can get behind the onrushing centres - Italy and Wales exploited this against England.
You might also try a chip over the defence, to see if you can then regather, like all kicks it’s risky but it’s a good way to turn your defence, if there’s no sweeper (usually a scrum half or one of the back 3) then you can very quickly score. Finn Russell will certainly fancy this, will probably wait for a sweeper to be isolated. Perhaps one to try with penalty advantage.
You also might decide to throw a long pass out wide straight away, but when the ball is thrown wide it opens up the risk of an interception due to the trajectory of a floated pass means it takes longer. Whipping the pass (so flatter trajectory and faster means that it’s easier to catch for the blitz defence outside if they’re in the right place at the right time. Finn has past form for this - see the famous pass he made the Huw Jones break in 2018 that led to a try.
You might also try something like a kick pass, but again risk of interception. Finn tried that in a Bath game recently and got intercepted and that lost them the game (or a bonus point) I think.
There are other options to counter it which are a bit more layered, but they’re basically variants on a theme, going round, over or through the blitz defence. Note that some involving going a long way backwards to get round the defence - and what happens if they don’t get round the defence, they lose a lot of ground and probably have to kick the ball away.
See this video for more details and some real life examples
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Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Most of Chiefs tries have been conceded by teams getting behind after the blitzing centres have gone up. Usually by getting ball wide quickly or by kicking the ball through. When it works it’s very effective, if it doesn’t …
mx wcfc
Well-Known Member
I've been thoroughly unimpressed by England so far, and expect the Scots to win.
We lost 3-2 on tries to Italy, and drew 2-2 with Wales (and one of ours looked highly dodgy to me).
Scotland will be well up for this. At home, Calcutta Cup holders, and still riled by the way the refs robbed them of victory last time out.
I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, but I expect three home wins this weekend.
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
England captain, Jamie George, is playing having recently lost his Mum. Quite a sad story, she was diagnosed with cancer the same day he got the England captaincy (so last month), and died on Wednesday.
She had gone to all of his previous England games, but wasn’t well enough to come to the most recent games when he was skipper.
There was an interview with Joe Marler who has known JG’s mum since he was 16 (from England age group teams I think), and he paid tribute to her.
So sounds like this could be a powerful motivator for England.
Edit - interview with George here
She had gone to all of his previous England games, but wasn’t well enough to come to the most recent games when he was skipper.
There was an interview with Joe Marler who has known JG’s mum since he was 16 (from England age group teams I think), and he paid tribute to her.
So sounds like this could be a powerful motivator for England.
Edit - interview with George here
'My mum would have wanted me to crack on'
England captain Jamie George speaks to Rugby Union Daily about facing Scotland in the Six Nations soon after the death of his mother.
www.bbc.co.uk
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planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Really? I think I might have a bet if that's true.
Mr Retro
Beware hedgehogs
Scotland are shit though. Only themselves to blame for not beating France. And left a really inexperienced callow Welsh side back into a game where they should have hammered them. Let’s see. I had a small bet on England +3.
starfish
No dialogue. Just plot.
And in the 2nd half too
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Got their points in the first half at Twickenham
They’re starting to look better with a man advantage
Still very lateral
starfish
No dialogue. Just plot.
Yes, but have still scored more in the 2nd.Got their points in the first half at Twickenham
They’re starting to look better with a man advantage
Still very lateral
Making much more a match now though. Plus the ref pulling up Ireland a bit.
