6 Nations 2015

[jargan83]

Probably not worth several threads so why not condense it here.

England train with hymns blaring over loudspeakers to prepare for hostile Wales crowd in Six Nations opener

ENGLAND have taken the unusual step of training to the sound of hymns being blasted out over loud speakers in a bid to get used to the atmosphere awaiting them at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for their Six Nations opener with Wales.

On their last visit to the Welsh capital two years ago, England saw dreams of what would have been their first Grand Slam in a decade disappear with a thumping 30-3 defeat by Wales, with a packed Millennium Stadium crowd of some 74,500 contributing to the fevered environment in which the rout took place.

England’s side on Friday is set to feature only five survivors from that match in the starting XV and coach Stuart Lancaster has left no stone unturned at the squad’s training base in Bagshot, south of London, to make sure his team are not caught cold again.

England players trained to the sound of hymns being blasted out over loud speakers.

England players trained to the sound of hymns being blasted out over loud speakers. Source: Getty Images

“It’s just a way of trying to replicate for the players who have not been there examples of the type of sound and how it reverberates around the stadium,” Lancaster said after unveiling his matchday 23.

“It also shows you how clear your communication has to be because often you can’t hear yourself due to the intensity of the occasion.”

http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/e...-1227208763290

[The InnFORCEr]

Telecast Times - Round 1

All on ESPN and none are Live this week.

I am guessing after the Wellington Sevens this weekend they will all go to one of the Fox Channels and be shown live.

Saturday 7 February

Wales v England 1pm - 3pm

Sunday 8 February

Italy v Ireland 1pm - 3pm
France v Scotland 7.30pm - 9.30pm

[Kev]

Looks a litte strange that in my browser, directly under thsi post is an advert around all 6N games live on beIN SPORTS ... formerly Setanta.

4am WST on beIN sports that is currently offering $9.99 a month for 3 months trial period to get people to stay with them after the Setnata transition ... albeit they don't cover Aviva Prem games any more.

Will be up at 3.55 which gives me time to get a couple of beers ready for the game, phone in hand to take drunken calls from friends at the Millenium whilst watching England triumph by only a score or two ...

[The InnFORCEr]

Rugby World Cup adds spice to Wales-England clash

AFP
February 6, 2015, 2:41 pm


Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Wales versus England remains a rugby Test match that never fails to whet the appetite and stir emotions.

This year, there is the added spice of a World Cup largely on English soil in which the two long-time rivals have been drawn in the same tough pool.

Bragging rights are up for grabs in Friday evening's match at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, where 10 years ago Gavin Henson nailed a long-range penalty that handed the Welsh victory over England and opened the way to a first Grand Slam in 27 years.

After Warren Gatland took over in 2007, the Wales team then went on to clinch Grand Slams in 2008 and 2012 and the title in 2013, but have been unable to translate that form on a consistent level against the Southern Hemisphere giants of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

They did manage to edge a weary-looking Springbok team in November, as England beat Australia, nicely setting up Friday's match as both teams strive to consolidate and build momentum with one eye firmly on the World Cup.

For it is only eight months until Wales and England meet again in their crunch pool match at Twickenham on September 26 -- crunch because the pool also includes the Wallabies and unpredictable Fiji, with only two qualifying for the knock-out phase.

The English arrive in Cardiff ravaged by injuries to key players such as centres Manu Tuilagi, Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond, fly-half Owen Farrell, the lock trio of Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes and Geoff Parling, backrowers Tom Wood and Ben Morgan, and prop David Wilson.

Coach Stuart Lancaster named Luther Burrell and Jonathan Joseph in a new midfield partnership and handed bench recalls to the experienced pair of fly-half Danny Cipriani and No 8 Nick Easter.

Prop Dan Cole returns at tighthead having recovered from a foot problem for his first Test appearance in almost a year.

- Nine survivors -

The team, however, features only nine survivors from the side that started the 26-17 victory over Australia at Twickenham in the climax to the November programme, and just five from the XV thrashed 30-3 by Wales in Cardiff two years ago.

"While we have certain players unavailable through injury, it's great to be able to welcome back guys who missed the November series such as Dan Cole, Mako Vunipola and Tom Youngs," said Lancaster, who had his team training on Wednesday to the sound of hymns being blasted out over loud speakers in a bid to get used to the atmosphere awaiting them in Cardiff.

"Their experience, alongside that of players like Tom Croft and Nick Easter, will be invaluable against a strong Welsh team."

Wales, which has lost just one of their last nine Six Nations matches at Millennium Stadium (22-30 to Ireland in the opening round in 2013), can boast relative stability in their team.

Gatland has made two changes from the side that beat South Africa 12-6 in November, winger George North and hooker Richard Hibbard both starting in place of Liam Williams and Scott Baldwin.

"England have so much strength in depth I don't think it matters who they pick," Gatland said of England's supposed injury problems.

"Last year they were able to go to New Zealand and push the All Blacks really close in that first game (of the tour) and then make a number of changes the for second and third Tests."

Friday's match will be England's first at the Millennium Stadium since the 30-3 defeat in 2013 which cost them the Grand Slam.

The last English clean sweep in the Six Nations dates back to 2003 when they went on to win the World Cup, a precedent Wales will be seeking to avoid come match day.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...england-clash/

[Sheikh]

Quick wrap-up of the weekend's games:

Wales 16 England 21. A bit of a surprise in this result, Cardiff being a fortress and England with a few injuries. Wales got off to a good start (10-0 after 10 minutes) but then got let down by errors and poor skills. Looking at the stats, the match looks pretty even for possession, England shading territory, and putting the Welsh line-out under pressure. For me, the big differences were the number of missed tackles for Wales (13% of tackles were unsuccessful, compared to just 9% for England), the concussion for George North (two knocks to the head, one he seemed completely out of it for, but was allowed to play on) and the yellow card to Wales's other wing, Cuthbert, meaning they got really stretched when they needed to mount a comeback.

Italy 3 Ireland 26. No surprises in this game, unless you count the ferocity of the Italian defence. Ireland had nearly 2/3rds the possession and territory, but were only 12-3 up when the Italian hooker got a yellow card. Five minutes later Ireland had two tries. The Italians had to make nearly 200 tackles and still had the best tackle percentage in the weekend (92%); they also had some great support running and offloading. Any team looking just at the score-line and taking the Italians for granted could be in for an upset, although this match was in Rome.

France 15 Scotland 8. A much more open match (over 800 running metres as opposed to under 600 for the other two games) but with a single try, and scored by the losing side. France were the better team (~55% possession and territory) and mauled well and often, forcing Scotland into errors and penalties, from which France kicked 5 of 6. I'd say France were efficient rather than outstanding, but effective with it.

None of the winning sides won that convincingly (the Ireland score-line notwithstanding) and none of the losing sides embarrassed themselves.

Next week's fixtures are: England v Italy, Ireland v France and Scotland v Wales.

I expect England to beat Italy, even if the Italian defence shows up again - I don't think they have enough skill to outdo England in either an expansive or a tight game and will have to look to force errors.

Ireland should beat France in Dublin, but this France team should make this the game of the weekend. Ireland weren't that convincing and if France can score early I can see nerves appearing and the French runners tearing into a fairly inexperienced Irish defence, with the French ready to keep the scoreboard ticking over if the Irish lose discipline. However, the Irish could expose the French defence as the Scots did.

Will Scotland find the Welsh defence less porous than the French? England made hay against it, and Scotland could, too. However, I think Wales have too much nous to allow that to happen and will keep the ball in close where their larger runners can pound the Scottish defence, winning the possession battle, and Halfpenny pinning the Scots back to win the territory battle. A Scottish win could send the Welsh into freefall and would certainly end their 6 Nations hopes.

[MunisNZ]

For future reference foxtel subscribers with the sports package can watch 6 Nations for free on espn3.com. No need to pay this ex setanta mob (BeInSports) chan 525 who went bust in the UK taking my money with them.
all you need is you username and password, which is the same that you use for the foxtel go app.

[blueandblack]

Italians played really well, until things came undone with the yellow card. Didnt get to see the France game, but I read somewhere that they'd "just scrapped by" over Scotland. Clearly not the case.

[jargan83]

Italy and Scotland will continue to prop up the rest of the ladder and as usual the game between the two will be the decider for the wooden spoon. Maybe they could compete for a new trophy, perhaps the Plodders Cup?

Ireland will win the 6N and England are the only threat.

[chibi]

Love to see Georgia get more regular games against these guys. Against any "top-tier" teams for that matter...

[Sheikh]

Italians played really well, until things came undone with the yellow card. Didnt get to see the France game, but I read somewhere that they'd "just scrapped by" over Scotland. Clearly not the case.

The French did enough to win, but were helped by Scottish errors. France have an issue in continuing to pick Bastareaud and building their attacking play around him - he's a wrecking ball of a runner, but doesn't pass, doesn't look for the offload, doesn't present the ball quickly when he is brought down, gets isolated, is a liability defensively and is probably 15 kg overweight (reminds me of Skelton, actually). While the French made a lot of metres, they didn't do a lot with the ball. You can argue that Scotland stopped them playing, but most teams these days seem to stop France playing the free-flowing 'Gallic' style which makes France a favourite neutral side for many people. It seems to me that France no longer aim to play that way - preferring an efficient (dare I say 'English'?) style which isn't doing them any favours. I preferred the France of the amateur era.

[Sheikh]

Just realised I missed the 2nd round when I came to this!

In the 2nd round, a fortnight ago, England ran riot over the Italians, Ireland beat France by a try and Scotland narrowly lost to Wales, although none of those of is really true!

Italy started brightly against England, going 5-0 up after 3 minutes and leading for 20 minutes until England scored two tries midway through the first half. A 15-5 half-time scoreline can't have pleased the Twickenham crowd, although an early 2nd half penalty earned them a bit more breathing space, until the Italians scored a 2nd try to cut the lead to 8, and if the Italians had a decent kicker it would have been much closer. However, England then started to dominate and scored 4 tries in 15 minutes. However, in the last ten minutes, when Italy have often seemed to give up, England instead started to play to defend the lead (47-10) and ended up being battered by the Italians, giving up a late try. While you can't really argue with a 30 point win, Italy showed up some gaps in the English defence which better teams could exploit.

Ireland won the match with France 18-11, but as with France's first match (against Scotland) the losing side scored the only try. Sexton, back in the Ireland 10 jersey, was perfect with 5 from 5 (he missed 10 minutes in the blood bin following a clash of heads with Bastareaud). France seemed to improve once the subs started coming on - not sure if that's a drop-off in quality with the Ireland subs or the French still not knowing their best side - probably a bit of both; the last 15 minutes were France attacking the Irish and they scored one try and came close to a second which could have evened things up. The Irish certainly have a good defence.

Wales' trip to Murrayfield will probably be remembered more for the controversies than for the game itself. Wales were the better side, efficient and inventive when required, although Scottish indiscipline in their own half cost them by gifting Halfpenny too many penalties. Wales had most of the early possession and were already a penalty up when Scotland scored a great break-away try from a turnover. Wales were getting back into the match when a Welsh kick got chased and Biggar and Russell both went for it - Biggar jumped whereas Russell was on the ground, eyes on the ball, and only saw Biggar late. Russell turned out of the challenge, but Biggar hit his back and landed on the ground shoulders first. The Welsh wanted a red card, the Scots said it wasn't a foul at all as Biggar jumped into Russell; the ref gave a yellow and Russell got cited after the match. Wales also went down to 14 soon after when Davies saw yellow for a similar, if less contentious, incident. Other controversies include: a disallowed Welsh try when the ref (rightly) called obstruction from a maul (although we've seen it overlooked plenty of times), a Scottish try at the end which was given despite there being no clear view of the ball being grounded, and the ref blowing for time following the Scottish conversion despite there being 4 seconds left on the clock. However, I think a lot of the controversies around this match come from the Welsh not playing as well as they think they should have, and Scotland making some silly mistakes; the scoreline shows the match was close, but really it wasn't that close.

And so we come to this weekend's matches:

Scotland v Italy was a game of two winless teams, although both have played well in their previous matches. A look at the stats would have you thinking Scotland won this easily: more possession, territory, passes, runs, metres, defenders beaten, offloads, more rucks won, more turnovers and far fewer missed tackles, plus perfect kicking (5 from 5) compared to the Italian's 3 from 6. But Scotland also gave away more penalties (seems to be a familiar story!) Italy's forwards used their scrum and maul well and stayed in touch such that towards then end, when their forwards were in the ascendancy and they had a line-out in Scottish territory, Scotland had to drag down the maul, resulting a yellow card for the Scottish lock. From the scrum, Italy put enough pressure on Scotland to get awarded a penalty try. A good demonstration of the forwards backing themselves to win the match, especially away from home (and it's only Italy's 2nd away win in the Six Nations - both at Murrayfield)

France v Wales was a game of two teams at 1 and 1. The first half was a pretty ugly affair, Wales shading it 6-3, and the second half didn't start out much better. At the hour mark Bastareaud knocked on and Lydiate and Biggar combined for a try, not quite against the run of play, but certainly out of nothing. France did manage a few good passages of play, and scored a well worked try but kept giving Halfpenny chances to score whilst missing their own kicks - they eventually lost 13-20, but missed three penalties.

Ireland v England was the game between the two unbeaten teams, although if you'd watched the match, you'd have wondered just how it was that England were unbeaten. Ireland were better in just about ever department. England showed some inventiveness, and did make a lot of metres on their runs, but generally got themselves isolated and turned the ball over or gave away a penalty, allowing Sexton to keep turning the screw. Ireland's defence was a little shaky (25+ missed tackles) but bent rather than breaking.

So Ireland are unbeaten with Sexton back in the grove. They have only scored 3 tries, but have only allowed 1 (and that towards the end of the France game when they were comfortably ahead). They have away games at Cardiff and Murrayfield to come, so I wouldn't start printing green Grand Slam 2015 T-shirts just yet, but have a decent points differential and should win the Six Nations from here.

England are second in the table ahead of Wales, largely due to their 30-point win over Italy. They have been the most exciting to watch, with 8 tries scored, but also allowed 5 tries against. They have home games against Scotland and France to come, both of whom will consider they've underperformed this year and will look to the Ireland match for how to shut down the English attack and the Italy match for how to expose the defence. England would be favourites for both remaining matches, but I can't see them winning by enough points to beat Ireland even if the Irish do slip up.

Wales's matches have all been quite close. They host Ireland and then travel to Rome. A win in Cardiff could see an onslaught in Rome in order to score enough to challenge for the title, although 15 minutes against England aside Italy haven't looked like a side you can run the score up against this year. Wales should be kicking themselves for their second half against England, as otherwise their match against Ireland would be the Grand Slam decider, but even with home field advantage, Ireland might be too good for an efficient but hardly effervescent Welsh side.

France lie in fourth, every game decided by 7 points, but the only win being against bottom-placed Scotland. France still looks like a team in transition, and have only scored 2 tries in 3 matches. They've only allowed 2 tries, too, but have given away far too many penalties against Ireland and Wales. Lopez is the competition joint 3rd highest scorer, but doesn't feel like a decent kicker. Their remaining matches are away in Rome and Twickenham. Given how flat France have been, I'm not sure they'd be favourite in either match, but then I wouldn't bet against them as, well, they are France!

Italy have two homes games to finish the tournament, but they are against France and Wales. They have scored 6 tries, but allowed 9, and don't have a reliable kicker, meaning that unless easily kickable, they'll usually eschew 3 points and opt for a line-out or scrum and back their forwards when they get penalties. I don't think Italy have ever won two matches in a tournament, and this might be their best chance (a weak France and, if Ireland beat Wales, a Welsh team with nothing to play for) but it's still an outcome I have trouble believing.

Scotland are staring at a fourth wooden spoon in 11 years despite some high expectations following the November tests. They haven't played badly against anyone, but just seem to be incapable of lifting themselves sufficiently to actually win. Their remaining matches are in Twickenham and home to Ireland. I can't see them beating Ireland with Sexton's ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over, so their only chance of getting a win is against England; not impossible considering England's performance against Ireland, but I'd expect England to bounce back and provide too much for the Scots, particularly if Ford finds his form.

The good news for Australia is that neither England nor Wales look spectacular this year

[chibi]

I wonder if Ireland are building themselves up to choking at the World Cup; while the French are doing just the opposite?

[Alison]

I think a few people have Ireland as their dark horses for this year's RWC - me included!

As an aside, I was hugely impressed by the respect shown by the Irish crowd during the place kicking last night - you could hear a pin drop irrespective of whether it was Ire or Eng doing the kicking. I wish that respect was there when rugby is played in Australia and NZ - the booing that has crept into the game down here is disgraceful imo.

[Reds81]

Just realised I missed the 2nd round when I came to this!

In the 2nd round, a fortnight ago, England ran riot over the Italians, Ireland beat France by a try and Scotland narrowly lost to Wales, although none of those of is really true!

Italy started brightly against England, going 5-0 up after 3 minutes and leading for 20 minutes until England scored two tries midway through the first half. A 15-5 half-time scoreline can't have pleased the Twickenham crowd, although an early 2nd half penalty earned them a bit more breathing space, until the Italians scored a 2nd try to cut the lead to 8, and if the Italians had a decent kicker it would have been much closer. However, England then started to dominate and scored 4 tries in 15 minutes. However, in the last ten minutes, when Italy have often seemed to give up, England instead started to play to defend the lead (47-10) and ended up being battered by the Italians, giving up a late try. While you can't really argue with a 30 point win, Italy showed up some gaps in the English defence which better teams could exploit.

Ireland won the match with France 18-11, but as with France's first match (against Scotland) the losing side scored the only try. Sexton, back in the Ireland 10 jersey, was perfect with 5 from 5 (he missed 10 minutes in the blood bin following a clash of heads with Bastareaud). France seemed to improve once the subs started coming on - not sure if that's a drop-off in quality with the Ireland subs or the French still not knowing their best side - probably a bit of both; the last 15 minutes were France attacking the Irish and they scored one try and came close to a second which could have evened things up. The Irish certainly have a good defence.

Wales' trip to Murrayfield will probably be remembered more for the controversies than for the game itself. Wales were the better side, efficient and inventive when required, although Scottish indiscipline in their own half cost them by gifting Halfpenny too many penalties. Wales had most of the early possession and were already a penalty up when Scotland scored a great break-away try from a turnover. Wales were getting back into the match when a Welsh kick got chased and Biggar and Russell both went for it - Biggar jumped whereas Russell was on the ground, eyes on the ball, and only saw Biggar late. Russell turned out of the challenge, but Biggar hit his back and landed on the ground shoulders first. The Welsh wanted a red card, the Scots said it wasn't a foul at all as Biggar jumped into Russell; the ref gave a yellow and Russell got cited after the match. Wales also went down to 14 soon after when Davies saw yellow for a similar, if less contentious, incident. Other controversies include: a disallowed Welsh try when the ref (rightly) called obstruction from a maul (although we've seen it overlooked plenty of times), a Scottish try at the end which was given despite there being no clear view of the ball being grounded, and the ref blowing for time following the Scottish conversion despite there being 4 seconds left on the clock. However, I think a lot of the controversies around this match come from the Welsh not playing as well as they think they should have, and Scotland making some silly mistakes; the scoreline shows the match was close, but really it wasn't that close.

And so we come to this weekend's matches:

Scotland v Italy was a game of two winless teams, although both have played well in their previous matches. A look at the stats would have you thinking Scotland won this

The good news for Australia is that neither England nor Wales look spectacular this year

Not sure where you are going with this. Have you watched any of the games? Wales won in Paris.
World Cup a long way off, not sure I agree that they look any less spectacular than Aus. Only country that really looks spectacular 8 months out as always are NZ, and no I'm not a Kiwi

[GIGS20]

Not sure where you are going with this. Have you watched any of the games? Wales won in Paris.
World Cup a long way off, not sure I agree that they look any less spectacular than Aus. Only country that really looks spectacular 8 months out as always are NZ, and no I'm not a Kiwi

True, New Zealand are always unpack able favorites for the world cup, but they can only win one at home.