2013 6 Nations

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Another year, another 6 Nations. So roll up ladies and gents - tell us about your team and your hopes and fears for the next few weeks.

I'm counting down the days. We should on for a good one!

[Beatrixparty]

Time to revive this old thread. I do love the 6N

[Childrenofthestones]

OP, tell the truth. Did you start this thread so that we could have just one that wasn't being over run by women?

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Yep agree - very disappointing but Wales were simply fantastic. I don't think England are as bad as most seem to make out now.

Agree Ashton has had his chances. He and Brown were just so sterile and ineffectual.
Loosehead = Corbiosero

All in all, for a young and relatively inexperienced team, things aren't as bad as some would make out, but yesterday's game was a wake up call to all that got carried away with the hype.

Bring on the summer and Aus!

[Dadthelion]

Well, England were blown away and Wales were magnificent.

Ashton shouldn't have played.
Shouldn't play a winger at fullback.
Play a proper No. 8 and move Wood back to flanker.

Find a decent Loosehead.

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

So here we are. The final showdown is here - it's gonna be a belter and it's just too close to call. I'm just so frickin excited!

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Well shonun what dya make of that? Scotland: 26% possesion and 29% territory and they still won. Find me another test match ever won on those metrics. Great performance by all accounts.

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

"Robshaw not a specialist open side" hmmmmm....... think people might be changing their opinions fairly soon, if not already

[shonun]

predicted winners:
wales by 15+, growing in confidence as the game goes on, with italy missing parisse's cleaning-up and go-forward
england by 3-6 in a high scoring match, showing composure against an improved french side
ireland by 10, bouncing back from home defeat and keeping alive a mathematical chance of 6 nations victory

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Two weeks is too long to wait.......

Suspect Italy Wales will be a bit one sided, but apart from that, we've got two huge games to look forward to this weekend. Suspect Scotland are going to push Ireland very hard and England France today is going to be HUGE

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

I think the Wales will walk it now that Parisse has been banned. Real shame for the tournament.

Very excited about the England France game. Will be quite a bit of crash bang rugby I think. I still think we'll win - but it's gonna be a tough one.

[Contradictionincarnate]

very excited about the Italy came but don't think its going to be cut and dried at all!

[Fortyshadesofgreen]

Hmmm.... I am going to go for France to beat England as the French will pick a proper team and stop putting players out of position. Will be close but I think the packs will be evenly matched and the difference will be in the centres. Only if the French pick half backs who are in form and playing in position though !

Going to go with the head and say the Jocks to turn us over in Murrayfield. I think it will be a close game though. Murrayfield is usually a happy hunting ground for us, but I think that Scotland will come at us all game long and with increasing confidence will shade the game.

And Wales to beat Italy but again in a close game in Rome. If the Welsh pack don't front up though, then Italy by 5-8 points.

I am trying to forget about the game on Sunday, but England played the conditions much better than we did and shaded the win. I am still not happy about the reffing of the breakdown, but again England played the ref better than we did too especially in the first half.

I know he sin binned Haskell but in the circumstances he couldn't do anything else, he didn't release the tackled player, then to make sure the ref saw that, he dragged the tackled player with him as he wriggled out and then just to make sure he had been seen, he played the ball.....

[shonun]

Ire-Eng could never be flashy given the conditions. was surprised by the Irish handling errors but pleased Eng are learning to win ugly as well as flashy (like a certain side from 10yrs ago). Ireland and Wales (and maybe Scotland) can still win it though... especially with Frances unpredictability, surely they cant play badly 3 games in a row? With a 2 week break for them to get confidence back, if the weather is good then Eng-Fra should be exciting, but the French do have a strange fear of Twickers so i go for Eng to win a high scoring game.

[mikey9]

Pffooot - England deserved that just - seemed to deal with most things Ireland could throw at them ecxcept:

• Lineouts - not contested in any way - and then poor at dealing with the Irish rolling maul
  
• Scrum - just held firm when it matterred - which was enough today.
  

Surprising to see none of the usual Irish back flair - yes I know it was miserable and wet - but that doesn't usually stop them.

Nothing like the preceding 5 games - but there has to be a drudge match somewhere.

That must be the hardest game over with - although whenever I say that......(France and Wales......hmmmmm?)

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Well, that was a grind - but a win against a very strong side. Onwards.....

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Yep - the Scots seem to be pulling it together with some lovely attacking rugby. Scotland tries in previous 6N tournaments:

2010 3, 2011 6, 2012 4, compared with 2013 6 after 2 games.

Very good for the competition! Fearless rugby is just so good. And fearful rugby is just so dire (eg Wales AND France for first 60 mins of yesterday's game)

[mikey9]

Wow - Scotland

• Scored multiple tries
  
• didn't fail at the last pass
  
• didn't crumble when the pressure was on
  
• scored loads and WON CONVINCINGLY!!!
  

That is defo not in the script - but did get me shouting at the telly.....

------
And - after all the drudgery - the Wales France game finally took off for the last 10 mins - and what wonderfull fininshing from G.North. The way he rode the oncoming tackle JUST enough to ensur ehe could get in the corner - - have been waiting to see that lkind of finishing for some time ;-)
ANd what a result...

Only England Ireland - and what a classic that promises to be - over the ironing tomorrow on iPlayer

;-) Happy chappy here.
Now off to see if Cavendish won the TOur of Quatar to kick of 2013 the year of British drug free cycling victories

[GiveMeSomeSpace]

Well done Scotland & Wales. Much better performances for both teams. Shame to see Italy playing in a lower gear. But........

....... how awful were France. Tournament favorites 8 days ago and now bottom of the table and only team without a win. They are all over the shop. If there is one thing you can predict about the French, it's their unpredictability!

[shonun]

bod is awesome, and seems to just get better and better... that beautiful pass to zeebo... i fancy manu to keep him quiet more than 12trees tho.
am visiting my new niece on sunday, thing is my 17month daughter sleeps from 1230 to 3pm, so my brother has promised to record it so we cann watch on delay, anthems and everything while the wives and daughters hang out... he'd better not mess up the sky plus doodah, or there will be hell toupé!

[amillionyears]

[Daddelion]

Who said that?

[amillionyears]

ooh, so it does!

Dont mind me.
Thanks.

[amillionyears]

Am just testing this to see if it appears on MN active convos.
Daddelion will understand.

[Daddelion]

The big difference is Bod. He's a legend and a talisman.

England will need to stop him to win the game.

[Fortyshadesofgreen]

Injury worries for us ahead of the showdown with England. With little Keith and D'arce with late fitness tests then we may have to reshuffle with McFadden and Bod in the centres - thats not a bad shout though - even better for me would be BOD 12 and Cave 13 - thats provincial bias though

The doomsday scenario for me is D'arce is crocked, Earls is selected at 13 with BOD 12 and Manu will have his hat trick in the first half.....

God how we will miss POC and Fez....