Super Saturday build up thread

sydthebeat

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

Just reading back on a few websites about the 90s etc, and where teams won a match but finished bottom of the table, based on points difference, they were awarded the wooden spoon.
So for example, a year where two teams only won 1 match, it was points scored versus points conceded which decided who got the wooden spoon.
I think it has always been the lowest performer, not necessarily the team that loses all their matches.
In other words, there is a wooden spoon every year, not just on years when a team loses all their matches.
I think to lose all the matches back in the 90's was also called a whitewash.

yeah but like i said originally, i recall teams going into the final day on no wins being able to avoid the wooden spoon, even though they came last... it was just the use of the term

if you read around more youll find that the term wooden spoon is used predominantly in france and italy to describe a team with no wins. (mention here and here)

maybe its that version of it that im recalling

Digifriendly

Digifriendly wrote: »

I maybe wrong but all the time I have been watching 5N/6N 'wooden spoon' meant finishing last and 'whitewash' meant losing every game.

I dunno, I think if you win a match and finish last that's fair enough. It's a tough tournament - I wouldn't be suggesting an award for it. It's a borderline rude to be honest. It was Ireland for a long time.

penybont exile

troyzer wrote: »

It's crucial of course.

Seriously though, a few of my Welsh fans are saying the same. They're not confident at all.

Well ...... I'm pretty confident we'll get the job done and by Saturday evening we'll be toasting GS #12

VayNiice

troyzer wrote: »

There are a lot of nervous Welsh fans on Gwlad.

Really? They all seem very confident on my reading.

The common trend on the Welsh forums when we play them seems to be that the Irish do everything they can to bend the laws e.g hands on the deck, LH boring in, constant side entry etc etc. Apparently we build our game plan around cheating and playing the referee. As if they're a bunch of saints.

Leinstertomas

VayNiice wrote: »

Really? They all seem very confident on my reading.

The common trend on the Welsh forums when we play them seems to be that the Irish do everything they can to bend the laws e.g hands on the deck, LH boring in, constant side entry etc etc. Apparently we build our game plan around cheating and playing the referee. As if they're a bunch of saints.

Hear similar things from Scottish fans who tell me that we "live offside like the southern hemisphere teams" and seem convinced that there's hardly any difference in quality between the two teams. I tell them that if that's the difference between good and bad teams maybe they should start doing same

stephen_n

Leinstertomas wrote: »

Hear similar things from Scottish fans who tell me that we "live offside like the southern hemisphere teams" and seem convinced that there's hardly any difference in quality between the two teams. I tell them that if that's the difference between good and bad teams maybe they should start doing same

How ironic, coming from Scots fans :pac:

Anjobe

VayNiice wrote: »

...the Irish do everything they can to bend the laws e.g hands on the deck, LH boring in, constant side entry etc etc. Apparently we build our game plan around cheating and playing the referee.

Isn't that how every top RU team plays? It is not a good thing that different referees and their varying interpretations of certain laws can have such an influence on a game, but its the way it is and teams must to be able to adapt (and play the referee).

Former Observer

Know a few French rugby fans and for them, the Wooden Spoon means only one thing: losing all your games. I was taking the piss out of them a few years back when they came last and that's how we got to talking about it. To be fair, that was always my understanding of what it meant too but it didn't stop me from proclaiming that they'd won it nonetheless.

Zzippy

troyzer wrote: »

England by 20.

Ireland are playing for bragging rights at this point. And as a man heading to Cardiff, nothing would bring me more pleasure than silencing the crowd who came in hoping for a slam and left in third place.

Apparently winning the GS means a €3m bonus for the winning union. If there is no GS, that money is shared out between all 6 unions. Ireland are playing for more than bragging rights, they are playing for €600k extra for the IRFU.

I would have no problem with that money being on offer to the squad as a bonus for denying the Welsh a slam

troyzer

Zzippy wrote: »

Apparently winning the GS means a €3m bonus for the winning union. If there is no GS, that money is shared out between all 6 unions. Ireland are playing for more than bragging rights, they are playing for €600k extra for the IRFU.

I would have no problem with that money being on offer to the squad as a bonus for denying the Welsh a slam

Don't let facts get in the way of a good narrative Zippy.

Bragging rights are all that's on offer. Definitely.

locum-motion

Zzippy wrote: »

Apparently winning the GS means a €3m bonus for the winning union. If there is no GS, that money is shared out between all 6 unions. Ireland are playing for more than bragging rights, they are playing for €600k extra for the IRFU.

I would have no problem with that money being on offer to the squad as a bonus for denying the Welsh a slam

troyzer wrote: »

Don't let facts get in the way of a good narrative Zippy.

Bragging rights are all that's on offer. Definitely.

Since you're contradicting each other, would either one or both of you like to produce some sort of evidence. You both seem kinda sure you're right, but you can't both be.

troyzer

locum-motion wrote: »

Since you're contradicting each other, would either one or both of you like to produce some sort of evidence. You both seem kinda sure you're right, but you can't both be.

Whoosh.

troyzer

https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1106198771506077696?s=20

Nermal

Roof open or closed?

KBurke85

Nermal wrote: »

Roof open or closed?

Request has gone in for roof to be closed

https://twitter.com/noriordan/status/1106200928099749888

locum-motion

troyzer wrote: »

Whoosh.

What does that mean?

Are you now saying that your last post was a joke that went over my head?

troyzer

locum-motion wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

Whoosh.

What does that mean?

Are you now saying that your last post was a joke that went over my head?

Yes. Zippy comprehensively demolished my argument using cold logic, facts and numbers.

I had no counter argument so I jokingly pretended that facts don't matter.

locum-motion

troyzer wrote: »

Yes. Zippy comprehensively demolished my argument using cold logic, facts and numbers.

I had no counter argument so I jokingly pretended that facts don't matter.

Sorry, I see it now. Made more sense when I went back and read your previous post.

twinytwo

I have a sneaky feeling wales will take this one. SOB is done at this stage(happy for him to prove me wrong tomorrow).

Our one off runners/mass phase wont work against wales we lose the ball they transition go wide and kill us like they almost did last year.

The one thing we wont do (which we should)is drop the ball behind their defensive line.. that amd we will keep kicking to williams.

troyzer

twinytwo wrote: »

I have a sneaky feeling wales will take this one. SOB is done at this stage(happy for him to prove me wrong tomorrow).

Our one off runners/mass phase wont work against wales we lose the ball they transition go wide and kill us like they almost did last year.

The one thing we wont do (which we should)is drop the ball behind their defensive line.. that amd we will keep kicking to williams.

They won't be able to work out wide like last year. Ireland's defense has hugely tightened up.

I presume Wales have probably had the sprinklers on from the second that letter was received and won't turn them off until around 1 minute before kick off so.

Gatland is standing in a fine mist chuckling away to himself as a type.

Former Former

What is the rationale that a wet pitch favours Wales more than us?

Former Former

Former Former wrote: »

What is the rationale that a wet pitch favours Wales more than us?

I think this is Joe's version of mind games.

KBurke85

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/status/1106523118020055040

troyzer

KBurke85 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/status/1106523118020055040

Better find my raincoat.

pc7

troyzer wrote: »

Better find my raincoat.

Some of our gang already there, said rotten weather wise but already heaving with lots of Irish. Can’t wait to join them!

Larbre34

Former Former wrote: »

What is the rationale that a wet pitch favours Wales more than us?

No, its just to p1ss all over Gatland, literally, for no other reason.

In all seriousness, if the pitch is going to be watered anyway, and the heat and humidity adds to the fatigue of the players, you might as well have the roof open and contend with the wet ball anyway albeit in fresh cool air.

crisco10

Must say, I'm worried for Ireland in this one. Just think we don't have the form/invention to overcome the Welsh defence (which is always pretty epic against us).

And I also expect Wales to seriously turn up on the day, as BOD said on off the ball earlier this week, no Wales player will play less than a 7/10 so we'll need to be at 8+ across the board.

Jump_In_Jack

Former Former wrote: »

What is the rationale that a wet pitch favours Wales more than us?

From another thread saw a post saying Schmidt was critical of the way the pitch was very wet last time with the roof closed so the inference was that the Welsh purposely let the sprinklers on extra-long to wet the pitch and they prepared to play a tactical game for a wet pitch, whereas Ireland had prepared expecting a dry pitch knowing the roof would be closed.
Therefore, Schmidt was probably still a bit pissed off by that experience and hence why he said earlier in the week that he would prefer the roof closed but then actually refused the request to close it later on as a bit of mind games back at the Welsh.
He doesn’t trust them.
Hopefully it wasted some of their time if they were planning to do simething like that again.
At least now both teams will be prepared for a wet pitch.
It’s a shame that it couldn’t be played under a closed roof though, assuming the pitch wouldn’t be tampered with, as there should be more passing if no wind or rain.

Here’s a very interesting quote from Schmidt saying exactly that.

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.balls.ie/amp/rugby/joe-schmidt-roof-closed-wales-ireland-six-nations-roof-closed-407436

joseywhales

Deleted User wrote: »

I think this is Joe's version of mind games.

Well we play a possession game, slippy ball might make it into a territorial game. Wales best weapon is their defense, they might be better without the ball on a wet day.