6 Nations 2019 Build Up thread

joseywhales

Rule:"Away team has final decision over whether the roof is open or closed"

Away team: ok will have it open please
Home team: "This is a disgrace why do they get to choose, we have to stop this, typical that the away team want it open"
Away team: "????"

If Home team did not like the rule why do they wait until just before a game to complain about it, there is another 10 months in the year to change the rule?

lalababa

Buer wrote: »

No, they're not poor. The point is that they were guys who were regularly scoffed at by punters previously in their careers. Gatland has made them into the players that they are. Hadleigh Parkes was a journeyman nobody in NZ. Josh Navidi was seen as an average Pro14 flanker up to his mid-twenties for the Blues. Tomos Williams isn't even a certain starter for Cardiff still but started the 6N opener in Paris.

Gatland has made these players what they are and gets them to perform to a higher level than they have ever reached or shown the ability to reach.

Other top nations have players who aren't widely classified as top level but not near to the same level as Wales. In Ireland nearly all of our frst choice players are proven performers who have performed at a high level consistently for their province in top level club games for a sustained period with only a couple of exceptions.

Am and was a great fan of Navidi. Could not understand why he was so late comming into the international set up? He was at least 2 years playing great rugby(like MOTM stuff) before even being invited into the Welsh camp??
Maybe there was a wealth of players in his position?

Zzippy

The roof thing is pure Gatland. Create a kerfuffle over something to distract attention from the game itself, take pressure off his players. He's a master of manipulating the media. All the pressure should be on Wales, a grand slam on the line, but instead he's focussed the media attention on Joe Schmidt, made him out to be a curmudgeon spoiling good rugby, responsible for getting the fans soaked (so the atmosphere will be even more hostile) and given his players a psychological boost - more motivation to beat the feckin Irish. Genius...

Jump_In_Jack

penybont exile wrote: »

The roof is not a huge issue for me ..... but I agree with Gatland when he says that it should be Wales' call ......

Maybe the away team should have the call on whether they want to do the meet the president red carpet nonsense that goes on at the Aviva prior to every game ......

If the other team wants it closed can’t Wales refuse to close it?
Isn’t it by default to be played without a closed roof as that’s the norm for the sport unless both parties agree to have it closed?

Dickie10

gatland pulled another masterstroke , every one on hear ranting about the roof open or closed on the eve of the game, ireland are crazy to want the roof closed. the place will be some cauldron of welsh support now, imagine the noise

Wheres Me Jumper?

Zzippy wrote: »

The roof thing is pure Gatland. Create a kerfuffle over something to distract attention from the game itself, take pressure off his players. He's a master of manipulating the media. All the pressure should be on Wales, a grand slam on the line, but instead he's focussed the media attention on Joe Schmidt, made him out to be a curmudgeon spoiling good rugby, responsible for getting the fans soaked (so the atmosphere will be even more hostile) and given his players a psychological boost - more motivation to beat the feckin Irish. Genius...

quite a lot of managers do play these games when they know their side is inferior, and under intense pressure.

fortunately the game will be decided over 80 mins on a rectangular field, not in newspaper articles/tv interviews.

Dickie10

wales are defintly not the inferior team tomorrow remember which team got tanked by england and which team beat them??

Amprodude

Suarezistheman wrote: »

I wonder will the Italians beat the French

No

Akrasia

Wheres Me Jumper? wrote: »

quite a lot of managers do play these games when they know their side is inferior, and under intense pressure.

fortunately the game will be decided over 80 mins on a rectangular field, not in newspaper articles/tv interviews.

Actually, Gatland has had the lines on the pitch re-drawn. It'll actually be a Parallelogram

Amprodude

I'd like to see Gatland being put to the sword by schmidt once again.

Wheres Me Jumper?

Dickie10 wrote: »

wales are defintly not the inferior team tomorrow remember which team got tanked by england and which team beat them??

"we beat them, and they beat the other, so therefore we will beat the other also"

sport doesn't work like that. although as a 10 year old i used to think it did.:)

penybont exile

OldRio wrote: »

I suppose the days of common courtesy is beyond some.

Well obviously a significant percentage of the Irish fans who are still in the bars when MD struts his stuff should take note ....

UnknownSpecies

Dickie10 wrote: »

wales are defintly not the inferior team tomorrow remember which team got tanked by england and which team beat them??

And which team are the current Grand Slam holders? Neither team is inferior to the other at the moment. Both capable of a result

The Rape of Lucretia

UnknownSpecies wrote: »

And which team are the current Grand Slam holders?

So the team was good last year ?

OldRio

penybont exile wrote: »

Well obviously a significant percentage of the Irish fans who are still in the bars when MD struts his stuff should take note ....

I do agree but my remark was aimed at your post, as you know. Whataboutery is so tiresome.

UnknownSpecies

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

So the team was good last year ?

The team is still good. My point was that Wales beating England doesn't automatically make them superior to Ireland. As if that one game trumps the credentials this team has.

sydthebeat

UnknownSpecies wrote: »

The team is still good. My point was that Wales beating England doesn't automatically make them superior to Ireland. As if that one game trumps the credentials this team has.

We'll know in 6 hours who the better team is....

Amprodude

sydthebeat wrote: »

We'll know in 6 hours who the better team is....

Could be a draw?

ClanofLams

Suarezistheman wrote: »

I wonder will the Italians beat the French

They have a decent chance. Think they will beat the ten point spread at least

I'm going with a narrow Italian win.

Ireland to win by more than a score (10+) with Wales flattering the scoreline later on.

England to beat Scotland so badly that Townsend will find himself answering tough questions in the post match presser.

Eod100

Italy have stretched out to 11/4, worth a punt but I'd be surprised if it happened tbh

Mr_Man2121

Italy to win

Ireland to win by 7 points or less

Scotland to win with a last minute drop goal

Eod100

Zzippy wrote: »

The roof thing is pure Gatland. Create a kerfuffle over something to distract attention from the game itself, take pressure off his players. He's a master of manipulating the media. All the pressure should be on Wales, a grand slam on the line, but instead he's focussed the media attention on Joe Schmidt, made him out to be a curmudgeon spoiling good rugby, responsible for getting the fans soaked (so the atmosphere will be even more hostile) and given his players a psychological boost - more motivation to beat the feckin Irish. Genius...

Won't the players feel pressure is on them irrespective of focus on the roof though?

Zzippy

Eod100 wrote: »

Won't the players feel pressure is on them irrespective of focus on the roof though?

Yes but if all the media focus for 2 days is on the roof it reduces the focus on them. Small margins...

kuang1

Zzippy wrote: »

Yes but if all the media focus for 2 days is on the roof it reduces the focus on them. Small margins...

This is exactly it. I thought we'd be hearing those 2 words "grand slam" a hell of a lot more than we have.

Well done to Gatland for that.

sydthebeat

Mr_Man2121 wrote: »

Italy to win

Ireland to win by 7 points or less

Scotland to win with a last minute drop goal

Slap an ACCA on that !!

RugbyLover123

I’ve never seen a worse defender then the Italian 11.

crisco10

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

I’ve never seen a worse defender then the Italian 11.

Shocking. He never wanted to mark the French winger. He was dying to step in on medard.

mangobob

Fupping hell. Thats brutal luck. Brilliant from Italy all the same.

Ha. Rare to see a try actually denied by the posts.