Wales Vs France

m.j.w

What are your opinions on this match? France are 7/5 to win the match. I reckon thats great odds altough I dont really follow the rugby myself(just six nations and world cup) so just looking some opinions from ppl in the know

Stev_o

m.j.w wrote: »

What are your opinions on this match? France are 7/5 to win the match. I reckon thats great odds altough I dont really follow the rugby myself(just six nations and world cup) so just looking some opinions from ppl in the know

A safe bet is on Wales, France have a mountain to climb to win the 6N having to score 20 points to take the prize and its away match.

m.j.w

There 7/5 to win the match tho, not the six nations. Would wales not be happy enough if they ended up losing by 10 points. Will france not be going all out to try and get the points

Oafley Jones

Thought France had to win by 11 to win the 6 nations?

Podge_irl

Nope, Wales' points difference is 38 better than France, so France need to win by 20. Though if they win by 19 scoring more tries that would do.

Oafley Jones

Podge_irl wrote: »

Nope, Wales' points difference is 38 better than France, so France need to win by 20. Though if they win by 19 scoring more tries that would do.

Nice one, I was wondering why the bookies were offering 8-1.

Marshy

I just fancy Wales for this one. Especially now that Ellisalde has come out with some comments that'll only motivate them more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/7296840.stm

I find it strange he'd say things like that. There may be some truth it but that rarely works in a team's favour...

davyjose

You gotta love French arrogance: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/7296840.stm

This'll have the Welsh foaming at the mouth.

"This isn't the All Blacks or the Australians we are talking about here. We mustn't go there feeling we are going to be the victims, rather the favourites.
"The Welsh are still the Welsh. We haven't lost over there for ages. And in the preparation match for the World Cup, they conceded 30-odd points to us.

mental07

m.j.w wrote: »

There 7/5 to win the match tho, not the six nations. Would wales not be happy enough if they ended up losing by 10 points. Will france not be going all out to try and get the points

I'm sure they'll BOTH be going all out to do what they have to do - Wales to win at all costs to take the Grand Slam, France to get as many points on the scoreboard as possible. Should be a cracking match

m.j.w

I think France are a cert to win this match,Wales results in the competition flatter them imo. No one has played well in the six nations and I reckon France will just be to good for wales today. Well I hope so anyway:D

bugler

I think Wales will win. The French pack is as bad as it's been in years. Plus did you see them play England?

Jackz

Charlotte Church in or out?

davyjose

Hope France skin them. As the pundits on RTE said: Grand Slams are for great teams - this aint no great team.

Chong

Come on Wales, be delighted if they win.

Jackz

With little flicks like that coming off for Wales, it might just be their day.

Stev_o

Hhahahaha that ball just went backwards from a kickoff thats a first

kraggy

Jackz wrote: »

Charlotte Church in or out?

You mean in or out of Charlotte!

I say in.

toomevara

I cannot believe the second rate drivel France are producing, why oh why can't they play this kind of braindead nonsense when we play against them?

Stev_o

toomevara wrote: »

I cannot believe the second rate drivel France are producing, why oh why can't they play this kind of braindead nonsense when we play against them?

I dunno we gifted them most of their tries. This France side isnt great they'd get murdered by any SH team + Puma's

WoollyRedHat

Wow. The Welsh wizards. Triple crown, Grand slam, Champions.

Well deserved, brillant break at the end around 76 minute. If only Ireland could play like this.

Rockee

The joy on the faces of all the Welsh players and crowd. It means so much to them. Great passion, singing and support!! Delighted for them!

flyswatter

Congratulations Wales. Deserved winners of the 6 nations and by far the best team to watch.

sioda

What a display by france appalling bad but not taking away from Wales a commanding performance great breaking rugby if only North Hemisphre rugby could have the dynamism the wales side have shown.

Whi would have thought after the very first half they played in the championship they would be heading off with the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam Well done the Jones's

Chong

Delighted for Wales.

sioda

This really shows what a great manager can do for a side and the welsh deserve it all but I believe with a good manager at the helm Ireland have the players to do well

m.j.w

I think I got that one slightly wrong

toomevara

Fair play to Wales and the WRU for having the balls to have a post WC clean out and take a gamble with a forward looking and innovative management team...if only the mongs who run the IRFU had shown the same courage...who knows where we'd be...

France were utterly appalling, but Wales played what was in front of 'em...deserved champions of what has been a ropy old 6N...

springtex

davyjose wrote: »

Hope France skin them. As the pundits on RTE said: Grand Slams are for great teams - this aint no great team.

This is now the first half of the 21st century. Ireland won their only Grand Slam in the first half of the 20th century or to make it easier to work out 60 years ago. Wales have now won 10 or maybe 11, twice in the last four years. What message does that convey about Irish rugby apart that your pundits on RTE are losy losers? All the rest of you guys who are generous in your applause and appreciation - thanks.

MooseJam

well done Wales, hope Eddie was watching

nacho libre

toomevara wrote: »

I cannot believe the second rate drivel France are producing, why oh why can't they play this kind of braindead nonsense when we play against them?

because Wales gained parity with France up front. Something Ireland were not able to do until France thought they had the game won and started making changes.

I read an interesting article about a strength and conditioning guy Shaun Edwards brought in. The player said it was the most enduring training they ever underwent. You could clearly see the positive results of it during this Six Nations. It will be interesting to see how Wales fare against the likes of New Zealand and South Africa. Can they take it to the next level?

ironingbored

At the beginning of this match I was hoping for a France win. I now realize that this was out of frustration and envy at the position Wales had found themselves for the second time in 4 years. Once it was clear which team both wanted and deserved it more I was shouting for Wales. Brilliant dispay full of commitment, courage and pride. How I wish Ireland could demostrate the same qualities. So worthy winners Cymru!

Having said that how come France always seem to spoil our party? They were dreadful today although I think wales made them look so. Martyn Williams immense. Player of the tournament.

Marty DiBergi

MooseJam wrote: »

well done Wales, hope Eddie was watching

Anyone else think that the union code is more and more like the league? There were large tracts of yesterdays match that you would be hard pushed to distinguish the differences.Good luck to Wales. I think the reign of EOS will be seen in time as a period of under achievment-a bit like Jack Charlton's era for the soccer.

toomevara

Marty DiBergi wrote: »

Anyone else think that the union code is more and more like the league? .

Ummm no,in league,if you watch any, you rarely see the mind numbing, multi-phase, go nowhere nonsense thats been symptomatic of union in the last few years. League players are taught to maximise possession in a set...through pace ,physicality, invention and guile..Union more like league...we should be so lucky!

davyjose

springtex wrote: »

This is now the first half of the 21st century. Ireland won their only Grand Slam in the first half of the 20th century or to make it easier to work out 60 years ago. Wales have now won 10 or maybe 11, twice in the last four years. What message does that convey about Irish rugby apart that your pundits on RTE are losy losers? All the rest of you guys who are generous in your applause and appreciation - thanks.

It's got nothing to do with that. You've got the same core of players that couldn't beat fiji 6 months ago, and now they win the Grand Slam. Fair play to Wales, but at the end of the day I think that Grand Slam's are for truly great sides - apparently I'm wrong though.
And people here might be congratulating Wales, but deep down everyone of them feels that the Irish team of the last 3 or 4 years were better than Wales were over the same period of time.

Edit: And Springtex, if this team does prove to be a great team who dominate over the next few years, like France and England (and Wales) have done in the past, I will stand corrected. But if it's another fluke, like '05 where they did nothing before or after, I'll stand vindicated.

springtex

davyjose - you've opened the door here. If it takes a great team to win the Grand Slam does that explain why Ireland haven't won it since 1948 and despite having what I consider a perhaps great team for the last 5 or 6 years.

I too believe that the 2005 GS was a fluke and really set us back some. We believed we were better than we were.

This GS has been far from a fluke and after the first 60 minutes in the opening game against England we by a long mile have been the best team in the competition. There has been a tendency by the media and pundits to down grade our success because when playing us the other teams just didn't turn up but what if they were not allowed by us to turn up?

This team is far from being a world beater but for the first time in probably 20 years is playing with confidence and that has been a result of a great coaching set up. Also they have developed the ability to close down a game, sadly lacking until this season. The defining moment for me yesterday was whenthe French pack were pushed off their own put in close to the Welsh line with about 10 minutes to go. Beautiful. There are other reasons like player power for lack of success in the RWC but I won't go in to that.

It's just like a new CEO turning around a failing business where the potential is there but not being acieved. Anyway we'll see, this time unlike 2005 I'm quietly confident

davyjose

springtex wrote: »

davyjose - you've opened the door here. If it takes a great team to win the Grand Slam does that explain why Ireland haven't won it since 1948 and despite having what I consider a perhaps great team for the last 5 or 6 years.

Yes, and they were still unable to win anything. So ,perhaps there's an element of sour grapes (ok, no perhaps about it), but for that reason it hurts me to see other teams do what we should have done.
Listen, I do think the current Wales side is the real deal, and a Championship was well deserved, but for my money, personally, a Grand Slam was flattering. Look how long it took the pre- 2003 WC England side to win one. Anyway, this might sound hypocritical but I don't care, right now I offer my sincere congratulations to Wales.

toomevara

springtex wrote: »

This GS has been far from a fluke and after the first 60 minutes in the opening game against England we by a long mile have been the best team in the competition. t

Agree the slam was far from a fluke and fair play to Wales, deserved to win it on the balance of the competition. But I have to say, and I've been whinging on about this ad nauseum for weeks, the standard of this years 6n has been appaling, Wales were the best of a bad lot, and to their credit they at least went out to play rugby, to create and score...rather than destroy and be negative.

But look at the opposition...

Italy, no halves, no kicking game...frankly amazing they did as well as they did and a testament to their never say die pack.

Scotland....utter rubbish, negative, destructive rugby...wouldn't score in a brothel with a fistful...total puke rugby. Chuck 'em out, put the Argies in...

Ireland...rudderless, leaderless, shapeless and, well...utterly hopeless...

France....suicidal selection process, multiple teams.. Lieveremont finally played his best XV against Wales but they hadn't played together the whole season, and God did it show.

England...Braindead, one up rugby, no invention and no direction at ten. we flattered them on saturday.

So yep, fair play to wales for being organised, coherent well coached and inventive...but reckon the All Blacks or the Boks would eat them alive....

NotWormBoy

toomevara wrote: »

France....suicidal selection process, multiple teams.. Lieveremont finally played his best XV against Wales but they hadn't played together the whole season, and God did it show.

Whilst this is all true, I think its doing a bit of a disservice to France - I got the impression that the coaching staff and the general public weren't actually too bothered about winning the 6N. Like you said, they had multiple teams - tried out a rake of new players, to be honest I'd have been happier if we'd done that. Instead, we went out to try any do well at the expense of team development - look where that got us. France went out to play rugby too, sometimes a little too much rugby, but they were great fun to watch, for the most part. They knew it was a development year and played and selected as such.

Spot on about the rest though.

I felt a bit sorry for Scotland. Not too much, since they were pretty bad, but they started out positively against France - tried running it and flinging it about, but sadly didn't have the skill and so reverted to the tight game.

Ah well.