Guinness SIX Nations 2021

CONSI

I think Italy need to look at their recruitment. Great that they are bringing youth through but they need to bolster it a bit more, every nation does it, look at us, South Africans and Kiwi's.

Italy should look at our teams, who are good solid players who just might not break through to international level in Ireland but who could help Italy and get 70/80 international caps at the same time.

Example would be Rory Scannel, Tommy O'Donnell, would have been great internationals for Italy and probably have 70 caps each. Scannel has 3 irish caps in 2017.. and is only 27...Tommy has 13 ireland caps...would i even put jack o'donoghue into that, 27, 2 ireland caps from 2017...but cant seem to make that break through...they need to try and pick off these players and work with the other unions...

sydthebeat

CONSI wrote: »

I think Italy need to look at their recruitment. Great that they are bringing youth through but they need to bolster it a bit more, every nation does it, look at us, South Africans and Kiwi's.

Italy should look at our teams, who are good solid players who just might not break through to international level in Ireland but who could help Italy and get 70/80 international caps at the same time.

Example would be Rory Scannel, Tommy O'Donnell, would have been great internationals for Italy and probably have 70 caps each. Scannel has 3 irish caps in 2017.. and is only 27...Tommy has 13 ireland caps...would i even put jack o'donoghue into that, 27, 2 ireland caps from 2017...but cant seem to make that break through...they need to try and pick off these players and work with the other unions...

with the project player time period being extended from 3 to 5 years at the end of this year, its highly unlikely you'll get a project player who will end up on 70/80 international caps. Plus, the project player is something they have made serious cock ups with over the years.... who remembers Kelly Haimona ?

They would be better off looking for the "italian granny" player a kin to Jake Polledri or Odogwu and coaxing them to play.

fonecrusher1

Is Italy entitled to remain in the competition for another 21 years because its great to watch your national team smash a load of points out of them again like they do pretty much every year ... 100% no its not.

I can understand people defending Italy, its well mean't. We all want them to do well. Its also delusional to not accept they mostly offer nothing remotely competitive to the other teams these days. In some ways the empathy is half genuine and half enjoying having them there so we can smash a load of points off them each year. Its great and all and sometimes they'll give us a scare but mostly it means nothing beyond the points grab. Its usually just a break between competitive games.

Nobody wants them kicked out. Well I don't. But the ah sure just leaves things as they are talk is just BS.

Funny how more and more top former rugby internationals, pundits and rugby correspondents are also starting to suggest the whole thing is getting ridiculous. Yeah sure what would they know.

Italy 6N 2021

PF: 55
PA: 239
DIFF: -184
Last win 2015

After 21 years. Yeah nothing to see here at all. Give me a break.....

sydthebeat

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Is Italy entitled to remain in the competition for another 21 years because its great to watch your national team smash a load of points out of them again like they do pretty much every year ... 100% no its not.

I can understand people defending Italy, its well mean't. We all want them to do well. Its also delusional to not accept they mostly offer nothing remotely competitive to the other teams these days. In some ways the empathy is half genuine and half enjoying having them there so we can smash a load of points off them each year. Its great and all and sometimes they'll give us a scare but mostly it means nothing beyond the points grab. Its usually just a break between competitive games.

Nobody wants them kicked out. Well I don't. But the ah sure just leaves things as they are talk is just BS.

Funny how more and more top former rugby internationals, pundits and rugby correspondents are also starting to suggest the whole thing is getting ridiculous. Yeah sure what would they know.

Italy 6N 2021

PF: 55
PA: 239
DIFF: -184
Last win 2015

After 21 years. Yeah nothing to see here at all. Give me a break.....

as Italy as part owners of the competition, then they absolutely are entitled to remain in the competition as long as they want... Unfortunely you wont be getting your break any time soon.

fonecrusher1

sydthebeat wrote: »

as Italy as part owners of the competition, then they absolutely are entitled to remain in the competition as long as they want...

No they're not. They're part owners because they were allowed to do so in 2000. And I highly doubt there would be no scope whatsoever for their removal regardless of what they did.

Purely as a completely theoretical example: Do you think if Italy decided they only wanted to play all their games at home nothing would happen? I highly doubt it. Or lets say they decided they wanted to field 16 players for each game...

:pac:

sydthebeat

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

No they're not. They're part owners because they were allowed to do so in 2000.

so???
they are part owners, thats irrefutable.

there is no overarching body that can kick them out.

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Purely as a completely theoretical example: Do you think if Italy decided they only wanted to play all their games at home nothing would happen? I highly doubt it. Or lets say they decided they wanted to field 16 players for each game...

that kind of rubbish doesnt deserve a response.....

fonecrusher1

sydthebeat wrote: »

that kind of rubbish doesnt deserve a response.....

I think you missed this :pac:

And its no more rubbish than you saying Italy are entitled to stay in the competition as long as they want no matter what they do.

Says who?

sydthebeat

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

And its no more rubbish than you saying Italy are entitled to stay in the competition as long as they want no matter what they do.

Says who?

the owners of the competition......

you know, then ones that ACTALLY have the power to control who plays and who doesn't ....

and you know as well.... the one where Italy themselves are part of

you may as well be yelling at clouds here

fonecrusher1

sydthebeat wrote: »

the owners of the competition......

you know, then ones that ACTALLY have the power to control who plays and who doesn't ....

and you know as well.... the one where Italy themselves are part of

you may as well be yelling at clouds here

lol i'm not yelling. I just want you to support what you are saying with solid evidence. Show me a publicly available agreement saying Italy are entitled to stay in the 6N as long as they want no matter what they do?

sydthebeat

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

lol i'm not yelling. I just want you to support what you are saying with solid evidence. Show me a publicly available agreement saying Italy are entitled to stay in the 6N as long as they want no matter what they do?

are legal agreements publicly available??

https://www.solocheck.ie/Irish-Company/Six-Nations-Rugby-Limited-358420

feel free to pay and have a look yourself and find out how limited companies work

they would literally have to vote themselves out of the competition

prawnsambo

Well that was bizarre.

hahashake

Only way much further down the line I can see Italy going into promotion/relegation playoffs is in the unlikely scenario that Spain and/or Germany have a massive improvement in both their team and domestic interest.

pickarooney

Italy have always got their best players from Argentina. With the rugby championship being a waste of money and with no travelling fans, why don't we do everyone a favour and simply merge Italy with ARgentina?

fonecrusher1

sydthebeat wrote: »

https://www.solocheck.ie/Irish-Company/Six-Nations-Rugby-Limited-358420

feel free to pay and have a look yourself and find out how limited companies work

they would literally have to vote themselves out of the competition

Complete and utter rubbish is what you're talking.

sydthebeat

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Complete and utter rubbish is what you're talking.

wow.. well thats put me in my place :D

Digifriendly

Podge_irl wrote: »

And I'll repeat what was no doubt asked at the time - who the **** was confidently predicting they would win a GS within a decade? Because I have never heard anything even close to that ever being said.

Well let me tell you it was said and the fact that I distinctly remember it 21 years on is not to be doubted I can assure you. At the time it probably did not seem a wild prediction as a lot can happen in a decade.

awec

syd and fonecrusher please stop replying to one another.

Podge_irl

Digifriendly wrote: »

Well let me tell you it was said and the fact that I distinctly remember it 21 years on is not to be doubted I can assure you. At the time it probably did not seem a wild prediction as a lot can happen in a decade.

Said by who though?

It was an utterly bonkers prediction and completely out of touch with reality. Whoever said it had not the slightest idea what they were talking about and their view is irrelevant.

sydthebeat

Podge_irl wrote: »

Said by who though?

It was an utterly bonkers prediction and completely out of touch with reality. Whoever said it had not the slightest idea what they were talking about and their view is irrelevant.

probably george hook then

Brief_Lives

France: Brice Dulin; Damian Penaud, Virimi Vakatawa, Arthur Vincent, Gael Fickou; Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Mohamed Haouas; Bernard Le Roux, Swan Rebbadj; Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (captain), Gregory Alldritt.

Replacements: Camille Chat, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Uini Atonio, Romain Taofifenua, Dylan Cretin, Baptiste Serin, Anthony Bouthier, Teddy Thomas.

Scotland: Stuart Hogg; Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Sam Johnson, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Rory Sutherland, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Matt Fagerson.

Replacements: David Cherry, Oli Kebble, Simon Berghan, Alex Craig, Nick Haining, Scott Steele, Adam Hastings, Huw Jones.

icdg

Back page report in tomorrow’s London Times that Amazon is set to take five Six Nations matches in the next U.K. TV deal, with remainder staying with BBC and ITV (five each). This would be part of a deal that would see Amazon taking rights to most Autumn internationals. Ironically that might copperfasten the Six Nations remaining FTA in Ireland as Amazon didn’t take Irish mirror rights to the Autumn Nations Cup.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/amazon-set-for-share-of-six-nations-kq0jschxc

thomond2006

I'd be happy enough with a situation where RTE/VM carried the Ireland matches and Amazon had the remainder.

Tommybojangles

A bizarre amount of people seem to have no idea how the 6 nations works or is run, it has no obligation to anyone to 'grow the game' or give opportunities to anyone else.

It's the most profitable and for me best Rugby Competition on Earth and its owners have no reason to f*** with it. Personally I'd love to see Italy win the odd game but it doesn't bother me that they don't, and I really don't understand why people get so worked up about it.

Brief_Lives

Tommybojangles wrote: »

A bizarre amount of people seem to have no idea how the 6 nations works or is run, it has no obligation to anyone to 'grow the game' or give opportunities to anyone else.

It's the most profitable and for me best Rugby Competition on Earth and its owners have no reason to f*** with it. Personally I'd love to see Italy win the odd game but it doesn't bother me that they don't, and I really don't understand why people get so worked up about it.

I am very happy for Italyu to continue in the 6 nations....
If for example, Georgia was accepted into the competition, its an 8 hour flight time, connect through Istanbul. a real pain in the assss...

penybont exile

.....Let's hope the Jimmy's can pay back a 22 year old debt tomorrow evening and turn France over ......

PMC83

Tommybojangles wrote: »

I'd love to see Italy win the odd game but it doesn't bother me that they don't, and I really don't understand why people get so worked up about it.

Mainly because its just a dud week when your team is playing them. All the other matches are competitive to some degree. Italy matches are about who can run up the biggest score against them and its just become crap to watch for everyone.

Bridge93

If the choice is a week where your team gets to try things/players etc until the point where Italy potentially improve, or a week where your team doesn't play at all, I will pick the game with Italy every single time. There is zero chance Italy are removed and replaced by somebody else. There's really no chance we revert to 5 either but it's more likely than Georgia or Romania arriving in.

fonecrusher1

PMC83 wrote: »

Mainly because its just a dud week when your team is playing them. All the other matches are competitive to some degree. Italy matches are about who can run up the biggest score against them and its just become crap to watch for everyone.

Its the equivalent of six lads in a foot race but one of them has a wooden leg.

PMC83

Bridge93 wrote: »

If the choice is a week where your team gets to try things/players etc until the point where Italy potentially improve, or a week where your team doesn't play at all, I will pick the game with Italy every single time. There is zero chance Italy are removed and replaced by somebody else. There's really no chance we revert to 5 either but it's more likely than Georgia or Romania arriving in.

Agreed, Italy are going anywhere in terms of leaving the 6N, but they also are not improving. They are getting worse. A training game every so often is fine, but this is going on for years now and where it was once interesting to see Ireland and the rest 'try things' against them, its just gotten boring. Ideally you want to be able to sit down and watch and enjoy the neutral games, but particularly towards the end of the tournament, Italy are veeeeeerrrry hard to watch. Its starting to hurt the tournaments credibility.

Bridge93

PMC83 wrote: »

Agreed, Italy are going anywhere in terms of leaving the 6N, but they also are not improving. They are getting worse. A training game every so often is fine, but this is going on for years now and where it was once interesting to see Ireland and the rest 'try things' against them, its just gotten boring. Ideally you want to be able to sit down and watch and enjoy the neutral games, but particularly towards the end of the tournament, Italy are veeeeeerrrry hard to watch. Its starting to hurt the tournaments credibility.

Yeah I'd agree with all that. I've always given them the benefit of the doubt and made excuses for them but this year they were just straight up rubbish. I'm willing to give this youth experiment they are doing a few years to materialise but at some point a line will be crossed for myself where I begin to doubt their presence offering anything