Six Nations Time Again!

mike65 · 09-02-2003 12:28pm #1

I wish they'd start it on January but hell its here now, so a poll. Who do you think will win this year?

Will it be a toss up between England and France or maybe Ireland. Can the underacheivers make a mark a surprise the favourites?

It would be great to Ireland do it this year on the back of the provintial
sides European/Celtic League success' but I suspect they'll fall down in one game, against you-know-who.

Mike.

Sangre · 09-02-2003 3:55pm

England, probably the best team in the world at the moment.

daveirl · 09-02-2003 9:52pm

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bucks73 · 10-02-2003 11:37am

I voted for Ireland because they have the two hardest games at home and I fancy them to win both.

Because they have a couply of games before playing France hopefully they can build up a head of steam and then they have England last.

If they dont win it they should come second as England should beat France this weekend.

PH01 · 10-02-2003 11:42am

I'm voting for Ireland because of the off chance that they could roll over England and France as we're playing them at home this year. But it's a long shot. They're going to have to play out of their skins to beat England and France. That could happen.

Scotland, Wales and Italy shouldn't pose any problems for Ireland, though Ireland isn't comfortable wearing the favourites tag - so there is a likelyhood of a f***-up here. which would be a real pisser if we beat England and France.

hallelujajordan · 10-02-2003 1:37pm

I voted for Ireland . . . On our day we are capable of turning over either France or England in Dublin . . . . doing both in one year though . . . I'll wait and see ?

Washout · 10-02-2003 1:47pm

Cant see England been Beatren im afraid to say..

Interesting comment by Warren Gatland on handing the captaincy to Brian O Driscoll.... He thinks Brian should be allowed to concentrate more on his game without the extra baggage of captaincy.

Id disagree As captain he can lead by example

Trojan · 10-02-2003 2:10pm

I'll leave it to my old friend and well known Ireland fan, Thomas Castaignede writing in The Guardian.

Al.

mike65 · 10-02-2003 7:01pm

Which tosser voted Italy!!??

Mike.

Sangre · 10-02-2003 10:54pm

Some tosser no doubt..

kingconor · 11-02-2003 2:24pm

England will win the tournament, hope they don't win the grandslam though!!

PH01 · 12-02-2003 9:13am

Originally posted by Trojan
I'll leave it to my old friend and well known Ireland fan, Thomas Castaignede writing in The Guardian.

Al.

Thomas Castaignede, talk about confidence in Ireland!? Yes, it's possible to turn-over England & France in Lansdowne Rd, but it's going to need a mammoth effort.
It would make my , as well as everybody else on this little island, year if they pull it off.

It wasn't me! · 12-02-2003 6:07pm

Then again they did beat Australia, the world champions. There's something not many teams have done!

Again, will the idiot who voted Italy please stand up so you can be slagged off the board!

Hairy Homer · 12-02-2003 7:03pm

As long as we beat the hairy-arsed kilt wearers on Sunday, I really don't mind if we lose gallantly to both France and England. Eleven years of losing to the Scots (and being faithfully reminded on each occasion the Monday after by a Caledonian 'friend') has instilled some small bias, I'm afraid.

And I would LOVE to see Italy beat Wales.

Could happen. If they can keep 15 players on the field for more than half the match.

It wasn't me! · 13-02-2003 9:48pm

That's a big, dirty, hairy, smelly "if" though; the violent bastards!

mike65 · 15-02-2003 2:46pm

G'wan Italy!

Mike.

MarVeL · 15-02-2003 8:24pm

Nice one Italy. Though I still have trouble believing that was a Welsh team. Apparently Hanson said after the match that those are the 32 best players in Wales that are in the squad. Very sad state of affairs that.

daveirl · 15-02-2003 8:35pm

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MarVeL · 15-02-2003 8:50pm

If you lok at the barbars try against the All Blacks you get a taste of what Wales must have been. Unfortunately I never saw them at their best but the current team cannot be regarded as successors in any way if that level of play was anything to go by. No wonder they demolished the Arms Park :-)

The England- France game was fairly rubbish, I thought. The only good point was Wilkinson's kicking. I was going to add in the Egland defence but it looks like they would have blown it if France had brought anyone able to kick the ball. Neither side looked anywhere near as scary as they did in the Autumn internationals and, unless Ireland have lost as much since then as well, we have a very good chance this year.

There now I've gone and jinxed it, ye can all blame me
:-)

mike65 · 15-02-2003 11:14pm

Sad to say I'm just old enough to remember the glory days of JPR Williams and company in the late 70s/very early 80s, then it all went horribly wrong for Wales, but quite why I dont know.

France were poor but they might be great in the next game, thats the way they are! Englands attack was'nt briliant either but they defended really well I'd say.

Ireland should have been quite happy with what they saw. Can they beat the Murrayfield jinx though.

Mike.

bucks73 · 17-02-2003 9:52am

I dont know why anyone should be surprised with Wales losing in Italy. The club sides are absolute crap so there is no reason why their national side will be any better. Llanelli arent a bad side but they rely on their pack too much.

Same with Scotland. Their club/region sides are nearly as a bad as the Italian teams. The only chance they have of winning a 6N game is at home when the crowd is up and they get their rucking and mauling going. As for creativity and imagination they have very very little.

Sposs · 17-02-2003 10:10am

Gwan The paddies

Good win,brilliant defense lets hope we can keep it going!!!!

mike65 · 22-02-2003 11:32pm

So Italy sprung no shocks then, but Ireland looked a bit dodgy for a while...England on the other hand
are getting away with murder at the moment! Another shoddy display going foward, and Wales really should have done better when it mattered.

Mike.

Pigman II · 22-02-2003 11:50pm

England will win it. For Ireland, every second year it's 'oh look, we have England and France at home! Perhaps we'll win it this time?' and without fail we end up losing either or both of em and throwing it all away. This year won't be any different.

When England come away from a match they WON against France not happy but actually moaning about their performance you just know we're heading for a pasting.

daveirl · 23-02-2003 1:21am

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spanner · 24-02-2003 9:13am

in order to beat england we need the pack at full strength, all well and good pushing the italians up the pitch however againist england we will be doing well to stay still, we need wood back if we r going to stand any chance againist england, humphreys may not have had a great game but againist england i think he should play simply because he is a better kicker than o gara and we will need all the points we can get in that game, i think o gara is a better decision maker however he doesnt handle well under pressure

jonno · 24-02-2003 10:25am

I reckon Ireland have a good chance simply because the two biggest games are at home. As well as that, the French havn't looked the best and England are bad travellers (I hope

)

I think the winner of the Ireland Vs England match will win it out. Francer have already dropped points.

Hairy Homer · 24-02-2003 4:07pm

Originally posted by spanner
in order to beat england we need the pack at full strength, all well and good pushing the italians up the pitch however againist england we will be doing well to stay still,]/quote]

The reason we pushed the Italians 60m up the pitch in a rolling maul was because they were insisting on playing Rugby League. There were only four Italians in the maul at any one time. Where were the others? Fannying about in a defensive line waiting to pick up runners coming in 'on angles'. If England do the same thing, we'll shove them back in the rolling maul too, Reggie or no Reggie.

I think it's great to see Irish teams using the maul. Munster scored a great try in the Celtic League final by stopping at second phase right on the 22 and mauling it over the line from there.

Not that the maul is a great sight in itself but under the old rules it at least had the benefit of tying in the forwards so there was space for the backs to play. Once teams realise that the Irish will steamroller you in a maul from half way if necessary, they'll learn that they have to get all eight donkeys with their heads down to have a chance of stopping them. which will leave all the more room for O'Driscoll, Hickie, Murphy et al to run at them.

Just the way it used to be.

If you want to play Rugby League, piss off to Wigan.

humphreys may not have had a great game but againist england i think he should play simply because he is a better kicker than o gara and we will need all the points we can get in that game, i think o gara is a better decision maker however he doesnt handle well under pressure

Hear Hear.

woosaysdan · 24-02-2003 5:10pm

what kinda odds can you get on ireland to win the six nations?

mike65 · 24-02-2003 6:16pm

what kinda odds can you get on ireland to win the six nations?

Pretty poor ones I'd say!

Mike.

spanner · 24-02-2003 9:50pm

Originally posted by mike65
Pretty poor ones I'd say!

Mike.

not so i say, i think ireland should see off france ok for the simple

fact that france have little to play for and they arent into playing

for pride like the home nations are, also they aint good travellers

as regards to england we need to come out and give it everything we got, raw passion and power irish style, we need to bring the game to them and hit them hard for 80 mins

god id take on the english now myself ...... ok maybe i wouldnt

also we need kieth wood back, he is the roy keane of rugby(without the ego)

spanner · 24-02-2003 9:55pm

Originally posted by Hairy Homer
Not that the maul is a great sight in itself but under the old rules it at least had the benefit of tying in the forwards so there was space for the backs to play. Once teams realise that the Irish will steamroller you in a maul from half way if necessary, they'll learn that they have to get all eight donkeys with their heads down to have a chance of stopping them. which will leave all the more room for O'Driscoll, Hickie, Murphy et al to run at them.

Just the way it used to be.

If you want to play Rugby League, piss off to Wigan.

TO RIGHT
we need to get them on the back foot so as to make a

platform for odriscoll and hickey, anyone whos played in the backs

not me by the way ) knows that its much better running onto a

ball than taking it stationary position

Bounty Hunter · 24-02-2003 10:11pm

England away from home aren't as difficult a prospect the wales match is a example of this,and ireland have them at home where we denied them their grandslam last time.

If it comes down to the last match of the tournament in dublin winner takes all, i would find it very hard to bet against ireland

and IMO it will come down to that

Six Nations Time Again!

Who'll Win The Six Nations? 32 votes

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