Who's going to win: Wales or England? Plus team discussion.

First topic message reminder :

It looks like the England team will be as below, I make it that 9 of Englands 1st team are been rested including the potent strike runners of Foden and Ashton. Possibly more as Wood impressed in the 6 nations and could be considered a 1st team player. It seems Wales will be naming a first choice team. Will it be a disaster if Wales loose this game against a experimental England team 'B' team?

Armitage Irish - 2nd choice (Foden 1st Choice)
Banahan Bath - 2nd choice (Ashton 1st choice)
Tuilagi Leicester - 2nd choice (Tindall first choice)
Flutey Wasps - 2nd choice (Hape 1st choice)
Cueto Sale
Wilkinson Toulon - 2nd choice (Flood 1st choice)
Care Quins - 2nd choice (Youngs first choice)
Corbisiero Irish -2nd choice (Sheridan 1st choice)
Hartley Saints
Stevens Saracens - 2nd choice (Cole 1st choice)
Shaw Wasps - 2nd choice (Lawes 1st choice)
Palmer Stade
Croft Leicester
Moody Bath
Haskell Unattached

Gibson wrote:Wales.

Flibbertygibbert!!!!

There was you with yer roses and vino and warm with promise, and the minute me back's turned yer off a flirtin.

Yer a fair uncommon cuckold Gibbo and no mistake.

"like the cut of me jib"?

You've missed yer stays got land a leeward and sail three points to the wind like a fat-bothered Dutchman.

Stick yer roses ye larboard waister.

Cancel the hats - it's off!!!!

Huwball wrote:My biggest worry is when the Scarlets play with these players.... they usually lose
0

We won more than the Blues or Dragons and the same as the Ospreys.

Anyway my two pennies worth. Been reading what a lot of you have to say. MOG I have to say I'm with you on this one. Grud there's been a lot of mediocre rubbish played by the so called core of the Welsh team over the last to seasons. I like you think that Gatland and co should shoulder a large portion of the blame with the players taking the rest for blindly and obtusely following failed and uninspiring tactics. One would like to think that they were capable of playing what they saw in front of them but I think that particular capacity has been left rusting wherever they've left their capacity for individual thought.

MOG - in addition to the 16 tries in 12 games stat is the 33% and 30% returns on games played these last two seasons. It's pretty obvious what the problem is. Gatland is selecting physical specimens who can defend. I freely admit that we are harder to score against than in the past. However we have become easier to beat because we have lost the art of attacking. It comes from Gatland's bullpoop mantra that teams can't attack from 1st phase anymore. He's got Jones & Hook hoofing the ball or shipping the ball on to the ever predictable Roberts with EVERY play! It would be something if the kicking were effective but more often than not it's rubbish and our 10 might as well walk up to an opponent and give them the ball with a pat on the back. Roberts is SO predictable he's enveloped as soon as he gets the ball. He's now a target for slowing up the ball rather instead of being a gain line breaker. The end result is either that Wales end up defending against teams running the ball back at us or resetting slowly and some 10 yards behind the gainline. No wonder we get so lateral - we're always on the back foot! Add to this the depth at which our 10's stand in preparation for a potential kick and you can see where the mess in midfield is coming from. This results in a tremendous burden on the pack who have the unenviable task of trekking backwards to enter rucks to wrestle back the ball. Inevitably we get turned over a lot! I mean have you ever tried hitting rucks when a team mate got over the gainline and when a team mate got smashed behind the gainline? Which is easier

I hope to Grud that Gatland has changed the approach and I hope to Bejesous that he's put the emphasis on thinking rugby!

As it stands the team for HQ isn't too bad. Not what I'd chose, but there are a lot of players there with a great deal to prove. Namely Bennett, Phillips, Roberts, AWJ and some who need to remember how they play best (Stephen Jones).

The full back question brings me back to a point I've been banging through for a long time now. For the next few years whilst the likes of Steffan Jones (dragons) develop our best man for the job is Jamie Roberts. This will help solve the midfield issue in the long term also where we can choose from JD2, Scott Williams, Henson, and more. When I think of Jamie Roberts I think of a guy who's fantastically strong defensively, pretty quick, solid under the high ball and a great strike runner. Now does that or does that not fit the bill for a full back? The only thing that isn't clear is his kicking ability, but then again Alfie learned to kick well enough to become a good full back. Think of Roberts at full tilt coming into the line from full back! much better than a crash ball johnny in the centre all the time.

I've not got tremendous hope for the RWC. As ever I'm crossing my fingers that we'll do well but I have massive doubts about Gatland and this team. With a bit of luck we'll do an England 2007. Players mutiny, get to the final and the union ditches the coach afterwards. Anyway, post RWC this is the team I'd like to see going into the 6N:

Roberts
Brew
JD2
Priestland
North
Hook
Webb

Faletau
Warburton
Lydiate
AWJ
Davies
Jones
Rees
Jenkins

James
Hibbard
Ian Evans
Turnbull

Knoyle
Ashley Smith/Beck (pick on form)
1/2P

One for the future with some gnarly old heads in the front row

Wales by 40 points

Perhaps a tad unrealistic there view....

I reckon there'll onyl be one score in it, but can't call whot he winner will be, something like a 4-5 point margin though. Fingers crossed Wales are on the winning side!

England, but itll probably be close

viewtothegym wrote:WALES TO WIN by 15-20 points

Oops.

PJHolybloke wrote:

Gibson wrote:Wales.

Flibbertygibbert!!!!

There was you with yer roses and vino and warm with promise, and the minute me back's turned yer off a flirtin.

Yer a fair uncommon cuckold Gibbo and no mistake.

"like the cut of me jib"?

You've missed yer stays got land a leeward and sail three points to the wind like a fat-bothered Dutchman.

Stick yer roses ye larboard waister.

Cancel the hats - it's off!!!!

PJ me darlin. The lurve is still there. Albeit tainted now. My original unedited comment, got a Welsh posters reaction to it - deleted. I felt bad. I felt durty and unwashed. Its all about balance. And online survival. As if I really give a flyin-phhok.Mon Argentina.Mon Samoa. Dump the Welsh and the English out and lets have a proper party.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:England, but itll probably be close

Genius that guy

Gibson wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:

Gibson wrote:Wales.

Flibbertygibbert!!!!

There was you with yer roses and vino and warm with promise, and the minute me back's turned yer off a flirtin.

Yer a fair uncommon cuckold Gibbo and no mistake.

"like the cut of me jib"?

You've missed yer stays got land a leeward and sail three points to the wind like a fat-bothered Dutchman.

Stick yer roses ye larboard waister.

Cancel the hats - it's off!!!!

PJ me darlin. The lurve is still there. Albeit tainted now. My original unedited comment, got a Welsh posters reaction to it - deleted. I felt bad. I felt durty and unwashed. Its all about balance. And online survival. As if I really give a flyin-phhok.Mon Argentina.Mon Samoa. Dump the Welsh and the English out and lets have a proper party.

You're not the Mesiah, you're a very naughty boy. But forgiven you are - now that party......

PJ.

BTW, I was only joshing bout England & Wales, but you know that already. Just in case sensitive others don't. Want a great showing from all the NH teams. Really do. Gutted to hear about Stoddart. The boy was coming into some decent form pre RWC. Now this. Reminds me of Geordan Murphy pre 2003. I wish the lad a full recovery for his club and his country.

rugbydreamer wrote:Perhaps a tad unrealistic there view....

I reckon there'll onyl be one score in it, but can't call whot he winner will be, something like a 4-5 point margin though. Fingers crossed Wales are on the winning side!

Think he was trying to get a response from nottins, it worked. Yours was closer thought Dreamer; plus we got the 'moral victory' lol.

Moral Victory

nottins_jones wrote:Moral Victory

Get used to them...

nottins_jones wrote:Moral Victory

Well done. Still lost at Twickenham. Again.

I seem to recall England celebrating their loss at Twickenham again NZ, which I believe is the point you're missing here Nottins.

TheGreyGhost wrote:I seem to recall England celebrating their loss at Twickenham again NZ, which I believe is the point you're missing here Nottins.

Which game was this ? Or are you mking things up again ? I thought so.

Good point GreyGhost.

nottins wrote:

viewtothegym wrote:WALES TO WIN by 15-20 points

Oops.

Did that make you feel good, Nottins?

nottins_jones wrote:Good point GreyGhost.

England made a few more good points though