6 Nations Predictions

conf101

What do you think will be the final standings in the 6 Nations?

I reckon:

Wales
France
Ireland
England
Italy
Scotland

Noopti

hmmmm.....I'll go with my heart mainly

1. Ireland
2. France
3. Wales
4. Scotland
5. England
6. Italy

twinytwo

conf101 wrote: »

What do you think will be the final standings in the 6 Nations?

I reckon:

Wales
France
Ireland
England
Italy
Scotland

I think that it will end something like

1)France/Ireland
2)France/Ireland
3)Wales
4)England
5)Scotland
6)Italy

i base this on the fact that
A) France are missing some vital players plus we have them at home
England could have the best team in the world and we still wont lose to them not in croke park.
C Wales are overrated
D Im hoping this is not the year italy surprise the whole world
E Martin Johnson dosent know what he is doing
F POC, Wallace and the like are on fire at the mo
G That the lads will find the form theyt had in the 07 six nations
H That kindney is worth his salt

Podge_irl

France
Wales
Ireland
England
Italy
Scotland

Bryan Habana

I think there's very little in it between Ireland, France and Wales. France are very inconsistent but playing Ireland always seems to bring out the best in them

1. France
2. Ireland
3. Wales
4. England
5. Scotland
6. Italy

thomond2006

1. Wales :mad::mad:
2. Ireland
3. France
4. Scotland
5. Italy :rolleyes:
6. England (would make my year :D:D:D:D:D)

I think Wales will just shade Ireland. Scotland could surprise. England have no centres, no leadership and Cipriani get charged down every week (Hopefully Johnno will put Balshaw into the EPS :D). France are building an 100 man squad. Italy will struggle. Ireland will improve. Wales are excellent but could lose to France in Paris and will lose out on Grand Slam.

anonymous_joe

I think in terms of relative strength the teams are:

1. Wales
2. France
3. Ireland
4. England
5. Scotland
6. Italy

In terms of results:

1. Ireland
2. Wales
3. France
4. Scotland
5. England
6. Italy

Dunnie1982

Wales
Ireland
France
England
Italy
Scotland

Italy are a slowly improving side & I think they will perform better than Scotland this year.

Wales
Ireland / France
England
Scotland
Italy

Homicidal_jesus

Wales/Ireland
Ireland/Wales
France
Scotland
England
Italy

I'd say the inexpierence of the english team will leave em down big time!

Declan Kidney is a legend woo!

corny

1. France 8
2. Ireland 8
3. Wales 6
4. England 4
5. Scotland 4
6. Italy 0

France will win on points AGAIN. Ireland will be going into the final game with a grandslam in sight but lose to the Welsh. Wales will lose to France and Scotland! The English will be dismal but eek out wins against the Italians and Scots. The Scots will do Ok and the poor Italians will lose all their games.

johnfás

1. France
2. Wales
3. England
4. Ireland
5. Scotland
6. Italy


Sorry :pac:

GiftofGab

England V Italy..............England win

Ireland v France.............Too close to call, my heart says Ireland (playing at croke park) but I think France could snatch this one again

Scotland v Wales...........Wales win

France v Scotland.........France win

Wales v England........Wales win...Martin Johnson is terrible, the 6 nations will justify this.

Italy v Ireland.......Doubt italy will be a rollover but Ireland to win playing ugly

France V Wales.......Again too close to call, would say wales but its Paris so its tough. I'll have to say a very close Wales win

Scotland v Italy.....An improved Italy side to win this

Ireland v England.........No way Ireland would lose to England in Croker

Italy v Wales.....Wales win, again I'll say an ugly win

Scotland v Ireland......Ireland to play terrible but just about get a win

England v France....England to up their game but still lose to the French

Italy v France.......France win

England v Scotland........England win

Wales v Ireland......Sorry guys but i since wales are playing at home, I think its too tough of a task for Ireland to come away with a victory. Wales to win this one.

As the table stands:
Wales
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland

toomevara

GiftofGab wrote: »

England V Italy..............England win

I reckon I'll put a few quid on the eyeties for this one...something tells me England are going to start slow this year...

chupacabra

1. Wales/Ireland
2. Ireland/Wales
3. France
4. Italy
5. England
6. Scotland

Fingers crossed it will come down to a Grand slam decider in Cardiff.

anonymous_joe

chupacabra wrote: »

1. Wales/Ireland
2. Ireland/Wales
3. France
4. Italy
5. England
6. Scotland

Fingers crossed it will come down to a Grand slam decider in Cardiff.

I reckon Wales or Ireland will win it, (heart has me leaning towards us :pac:) and no grand slam.

Dante

Ireland to fail as always....


Wales
France
Ireland
england
Scotland
Italy

chupacabra

DaaaaaaaaaaN wrote: »

Ireland to fail as always....
Italy

Have hope my son.

twinytwo

DaaaaaaaaaaN wrote: »

Ireland to fail as always....


Wales
France
Ireland
england
Scotland
Italy

Maybe not.... most pride in the world.. best supporters in the world and on their day best team in the world. Im hoping that they will knock out the cobwebs and return to early 07 form

Trotter

Wales
France
Ireland
Scotland
England
Italy


I wish that was different...

Diabhal Beag

France
Wales
Ireland
Italy
England
Scotland

bleg

ireland
wales
england
france
scotland
italy

Homicidal_jesus

This has to be one of the toughest 6 nations to predict!!none of the teams are on form its just going to come down to who takes the chances on the day i think

Which of course will be ireland:D:D:D:pac:

Ponster

Wales
France
Ireland
England
Scotland
Italy


Wales who are aiming for their 3rd Grand Slam in 4 years will probably have to just settle with winning the 6 Nations.
I can't see anyone else being strong enough to beat them esp. with this years fixtures.


France by the way don't even consider themselves runners this year.

Plus 10

The most open 6 nations in years - Ireland have a great chance with the traditional big 2 at home

England - 8
Ireland - 8
France - 6
Wales - 6
Scotland - 2
Italy - 0

Why England? Italy at home (the only of the big 4) - France at home & fancy them to beat Wales. 4/1 with some bookies

token56

Plus 10 wrote: »

The most open 6 nations in years - Ireland have a great chance with the traditional big 2 at home

England - 8
Ireland - 8
France - 6
Wales - 6
Scotland - 2
Italy - 0

Why England? Italy at home (the only of the big 4) - France at home & fancy them to beat Wales. 4/1 with some bookies

I'd agree for the most part, although Reckon Wales will finish ahead of France so

England
Ireland
Wales
France
Scotland
Italy

Paul Sackey for most tries

Ponster

Hmmm... I'm with Paddy Power in thinking that England still don't have a team capable of challanging for the 6 Nations.

> Paul Sackey for most tries

18/1

Worth a € or two

aassddff

Bleg has it bang on, anyone seeing England winning the 6 nations must have bben asleep for the last few seasons

Diamondmaker

From reading here I feel there will be a lot of dissapointed Irish, especially me with all the damn 5ish pm ki offs IM gonna have to stay up all night toi watch us dissapoint. Im gonna be a zombie for the entire 6N and have to live with our dissapoinitng results.

I think we will slip up with one of our home games and misfire with Wales on the road and wil not put the required points on the Scots and and the Azzuri to even make a tilt at 2nd pace. Both perfomances will be slated by George Hook as we barely get away from those 2 games with a win.

Ireland 3rd, but Im not even gonna get into calling the rest of the 6N, too open this year, I may as well go do the lotto.

What sort of odds would you get for placing the while field in a 6N any way ??

Padjoe

According to the bookies it really is wide open

Wales 2/1
France 3/1
England 10/3
Ireland 10/3
Scotland 14/1
Italy 50/1

England @ 10/3 is really bad value.

Reckon if we come away with a win against France we have a great chance of coming away with something.

Heres hoping.......;)

corny

Padjoe wrote: »

According to the bookies it really is wide open

Wales 2/1
France 3/1
England 10/3
Ireland 10/3
Scotland 14/1
Italy 50/1

England @ 10/3 is really bad value.

Reckon if we come away with a win against France we have a great chance of coming away with something.

Heres hoping.......;)

Beating the French will set us up for the game against Wales i think. Italy, Scotland and England wouldn't be good enough for Ireland on a high after beating the French because 'its all about momentum'. You can just hear EOS 'its all about momentum' can't you!

conf101

I definitely reckon if we beat France it'll be a major confidence boost and would give us great momentum for the rest of the competition. I'd love to see Ireland Wales in Cardiff to be a Grand Slam deciding match but I just don't see it happening!

Orizio

Wales
Ireland
France
Scotland
England
Italy

Chucky the tree

twinytwo wrote: »

best supporters in the world

:pac::pac:

[Jackass]

The 2 massive games are the first one and last one.

If we beat France in the opener I think we will go to Wales for a Grand Slam decider and lose.

Wales (only cause home v Ireland)
Ireland (only cause home v France)
France
England (only cause home v Scotland)
Scotland (only cause home v Italy)
Italy

Potential banana skin for Wales is away v France, but I don't think France will have much interest in anything other than blooding young players if they lose their opener to us.

ironingbored

I'll be sticking a tenner on:

Scotland to beat Wales narrowly in Edinburgh.
Italy to scrape past England in Rome.
Ireland to beat France in Croker with a last minute ROG DG.

After that I haven't a clue who's gonna win it. Very tight this year.

barnesd

It's hard to predict exactly where everyone will end up but Wales to win, France to come 2nd, Italy to come last. Ourselves, England and Scotland stuck on the middle.

Orizio

Italy v England is on in Twickenham not Rome.

Gijoe

does anyone else think tha Wales are completely over-rated? i can easily see Scotland beating them, Wales in Paris is a definite French win in my eyes.

If Ireland beat France they could get on a role but Wales could turn them over in Cardiff. Scotland away is also guna be a tough game for Ireland.

heart says Ireland, head says France this year.

[Jackass]

Gijoe wrote: »

does anyone else think tha Wales are completely over-rated?

Not really. Since the world cup they have been by far the form home nation. A grand slam and a win over SH opposition when everyone else was being thumped.

I think the standard of all the home nations has been poor for the last couple of seasons in a relitave terms to how we used to compete with SH teams, but Wales have stood out the most for me as the one to watch.

Padjoe

Gijoe wrote: »

does anyone else think tha Wales are completely over-rated? i can easily see Scotland beating them, Wales in Paris is a definite French win in my eyes.

If Ireland beat France they could get on a role but Wales could turn them over in Cardiff. Scotland away is also guna be a tough game for Ireland.

heart says Ireland, head says France this year.

I don't think Wales are overated at all but let see how they handle the 'favourites' tag.

Think you're very right about Scotland though. They could be a total stumbling block for both Ireland and Wales as will Italy.....

Plus 10

Wales - yes they have got some good results but based on the players they have they have overachieved and are now over rated

Their France game is a bit more than a banana skin - in fact I can't see them winning n France
Their game away to Scotland is a potential banana skin
Ireland will give them a good game in Cardiff and the England game is 50/50

Cant see them winning it

twinytwo

[Jackass] wrote: »

Not really. Since the world cup they have been by far the form home nation. A grand slam and a win over SH opposition when everyone else was being thumped.

I think the standard of all the home nations has been poor for the last couple of seasons in a relitave terms to how we used to compete with SH teams, but Wales have stood out the most for me as the one to watch.

Last years six nations was a complete farce... as for th AI's they got thumped worse than we did.

barnesd

twinytwo wrote: »

Last years six nations was a complete farce... as for th AI's they got thumped worse than we did.

If you're attempting to devalue their win last year then you have to ask yourself why didn't we win it? And they didn't really get thumped at all in the AIs, they gave NZ a better game than we did, beat Aus and should have beaten SA. They're a better team than us at the moment.

[Jackass]

Well they actually looked like beatin NZ at stages, fair enough they played an expansive game and got caught out in the persuit of a famous victory...ours was a boring, killing the game performance, damage limitation and hope for a lucky break, not looking to create much....Wales got a good win v OZ also.

As for last 6 nations, it was a farce....and we put in our worst performance in a decade, or close enough to a decade anyway. Would it have been so bad if we had blooded players then? Would it be so bad if we did it now? We'd be a lot happier for the experience this time next year than if we still have the limited number of players to call upon with proven credentials.

twinytwo

barnesd wrote: »

If you're attempting to devalue their win last year then you have to ask yourself why didn't we win it? And they didn't really get thumped at all in the AIs, they gave NZ a better game than we did, beat Aus and should have beaten SA. They're a better team than us at the moment.

Eh why didnt france england or scotland win it?? they all played ****e including us...You can play a good game all you want but its the score that counts and they got beaten by more than we did. Both Aus and SA were shocking

Webbs

twinytwo wrote: »

Eh why didnt france england or scotland win it?? they all played ****e including us...You can play a good game all you want but its the score that counts and they got beaten by more than we did. Both Aus and SA were shocking

Using that logic then Agen ( a second division French team) would be a better team than Ireland as they beat Georgia by more than Ireland did around the time of the last world cup!

Oh and Connacht would be better than England as they lost to SA by less points the last time they met

tommy57

if you go by the form of respective teams clubs it would be.

1. Ireland
2.england
3.wales
4.france
5.scotland
6.italy

but i think it will be.

1.france
2 ireland
3 england
4 wales
5scotland
6 italy

Sportingweb South Africa

The Saffers think we can do it anyway:
http://www.sportingweb.co.za/sportingweb/view/sportingweb/en/page169?oid=12951&sn=Detail

Sportingweb South Africa wrote:

The 2009 6 Nations tournament gets going on Saturday and Simon Emery reckons Wales and Ireland will fight out the title with improvment expected from the Scots.



Ireland
Although the Irish have been fancied on a few occasions they haven’t managed to put it all together in the last few years culminating in a very poor World Cup in 2007. However the demise of Eddie O’Sullivan has enabled the ex-Munster coach Declan Kidney to overhaul an Irish side that looked at serious odds with itself. The head scratching and finger pointing appears to be a thing of the past and instead Ireland look poised to mount a concerted challenge this year. A decent end to last year with an excellent 17-3 win against the Puma’s has me believing that this Irish side has regained their confidence and swagger once more.

Another positive take on the tournament is that the Irish sides are doing well in the Heineken Cup, notably Munster and Leinster, while Ulster are once more on the up after a few seasons in the doldrums and have also appeared refreshed by the Irish renaissance.

With regard the team itself the Irish front row still has me slightly worried although they were much improved in their year end outings. In the 2nd row an in form Paul O’Connell is crucial and if on song I doubt there is a better lock forward at lineout and in the loose in Europe, his leadership in the pressure situations will also have to be spot on.

What makes me very confident though is the array of exceptional loose forwards Ireland has at its disposal. Wallace, Quinlan, Heaslip and Healy are the untiring work horse’s that have allowed Munster and Leinster to do so well. They’re incredibly strong men whose high work rates par Ritchie McCaw and Schalk Burger, a delight to watch.

In the back’s Ireland have an array of attacking players and it’s notable that Gordon D’Arcy has been included in the 30 man squad, a gifted side stepper whose form had left him in mid 2007 and was then aggravated by a broken arm in 2008. Besides O’Driscoll, Bowe, Earls and Dempsey, Ireland have 2 of the most promising backs I’ve seen in recent times, Luke Fitzgerald and Rob Kearney.
Ireland’s biggest weakness though remains at fly half and with it their lack of any up and coming talents. Ronan O’Gara in my mind has never been much more than an average player and I’m concerned that he might have already reached his sell by date, what’s more of a worry, he’s also the only experienced fly half in the top flight and should he get injured Ulster’s Paddy Wallace is a woeful replacement.
In summing up I make Ireland incredibly good value at 4.34/1 with World of Sport for this year’s tournament. The fact that they play what could be a French side in transition in week one is a good thing while they also play an under pressure England at Croke Park in their 3rd game. Their title aspirations could once more go down to the wire as they meet Wales in the final match of the series in Cardiff on Match 21st however I’m confident that this Irish team playing to their true potential will be able to enter the Dragon’s lair and snatch a famous victory.

Forecast: Winners

tommy57 wrote: »

if you go by the form of respective teams clubs it would be.


1. Ireland
2.england
3.wales
4.france
5.scotland
6.italy

How do you work that one out?
Wasps make up a huge amount of Englands players.

Their teams that have done well are hardly a hotbed of talent.

Harlequinns will give a few but most are very inexperienced and some not good enough.

jam_on_toast

George Yummy Stone wrote: »

The Saffers think we can do it anyway:
http://www.sportingweb.co.za/sportingweb/view/sportingweb/en/page169?oid=12951&sn=Detail

.

Thats a fairly good account of the irish team i reckon. interesting to read an outsiders point of view.

LeeroyJones

the boys at skysports.com had this to say:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12506_4887528,00.html


Talk of a golden age in Irish rugby has been on-going for a good few years, however ultimately three Triple Crowns is a poor return for the quality of players available.

A change of coach from Eddie O'Sullivan - who deserves praise for turning the fortunes around to start with - to Declan Kidney, though, could prove the difference.

Kidney has a proven track record for Munster, including leading the side to the Heineken Cup in his final season, and much is expected this time around.

However the Irish have been dogged by inconsistency in the championship - going too often from the sublime (running riot v England in 2007) to the ridiculous (stuttering v Italy in 2008).

With the likes of Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll and David Wallace, the Irish have some experienced match-winners - while in Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald and Jamie Heaslip they have some of the brightest young talent in the northern hemisphere.

Strengths: Ireland's players go into the game full of confidence and with a number of players in top form. Munster and Leinster have shown in Europe this season to reach the last eight, while both teams are pushing for the Magners League title.

Star man: Brian O'Driscoll - By his own admission, the Irish skipper may no longer be able break the line with the same regularity as in his pomp, however he remains the one man defences will be keeping an eye on. Injuries have also hampered him, however he has the potential to win a game in the blink of an eye.

Surprise package: Thomas O'Leary - The Munster No.9 has been in superb form in the Magners League and Heineken Cup this season, however he now needs to show he can produce the goods on the international stage. A fearsome tackler and an incisive runner, O'Leary has sometimes been let down by his pass though.

Point to prove: Paul O'Connell - The second row is another who has impressed so far this season, however the Munster man has extra reason to want to see Ireland succeed. The powerhouse second row is in line to lead the Lions in the summer and a run of impressive displays could go some way to securing the captaincy.

Prediction: Joint 3rd - Despite the changes, there is still work to be done. There are fitness fears over O'Driscoll, while the Irish front row could come under increasing pressure. The fixtures do favour Ireland, however trips to Wales, Scotland and Italy will still be testing