Six Nations 2013 Build Up Thread

[RugbyFan182]

First topic message reminder :

We are less than 30 days from the BIG one. This years RBS Six Nations 2013 is one of the most anticipated in Years. With the decline of GS champs(Wales) in the AI's, the French described as "the best team in the northern hemisphere", England beating the World Champions and Ireland ripping Fiji and the Puma's a new backside so convincingly. What will these ferocious battles hold? How will this dangerous concoction unfold? Discuss.

February 2: Wales v Ireland, 1.30pm and England v Scotland, 4pm

February 3: Italy v France, 3pm

February 9: Scotland v Italy, 2.30pm and France v Wales, 5pm

February 10: Ireland v England, 3pm

February 23: Italy v Wales, 2.30pm and England v France, 5pm

February 24: Scotland v Ireland, 2pm

March 9: Scotland v Wales, 2.30pm and Ireland v France, 5pm

March 10: England v Italy, 3pm

March 16: Italy v Ireland, 2.30pm, Wales v England, 5pm and France v Scotland, 8pm

4 points for winning predictions and +1 for correct points difference between teams, 5 for a correct draw call and 0 for a loss.



Majesticimperialman - 9/12 +1 for correct points difference between Eng and Scotland.
RugbyFan182 - 8/12
SirBiggles - 8/12
Mystirokey - 8/12
Cyril - 8/12
Duty281 - 8/12
FecklessRough - 4/12
Bsando - 4/12
RiscaRev - 4/12
RuggerRadge2611 - 4/12
Luckless Pedestrian - 0/12
MaesticMafia - 0/12
RubyGuby - 0/12



Get Your round 2 predictions in now!

February 9: Scotland v Italy,2.30pm(Edinburgh)

France v Wales, 5pm(Paris)

February 10: Ireland v England, 3pm(Dublin)

[Jimpy]

What has changed that makes a team that have lost 7 in a row into potential winners or 2nd placers in the 6 Nations?
Is it the return of some key-players who were injured? Are Ireland, (France?)and England viewed as weaker than Samoa or Argentina?
Is it the nature of the 6 Nations - old enemies that are very much known quantities?

I think Ireland are the key to the tournament - Wales and England in particular will be measured by success or failure against them.

Players coming back and particularly Adam up front alongside Hibbard will provide a solid foundation - The AI's were injury ravaged performances under shambolic management and we got what we deserved. All our players will be back come the England game in Cardiff and people are forgetting about that. At the end of the day we lost to Australia at home by a couple of points, just like yourselves. If you want to convince yourself that this is a rubbish welsh team then just go ahead and do it. That is the same arrogance that had you preparing your Grand Slam DVD's before the Ireland game and that if anything should have taught you a thing or two about what it takes to win a Grand Slam. This welsh side has beaten every other side in the 6 nations in their last competitive games. Last 2 v Eng, last 3 v Ire and more against Scot and Italy. Carry on with your perception. We will keep a welcome in Cardiff in March when you come to visit the current Grand Slam holders - don't go planning your dvd's quite yet

Oh God, are you still alive?

Nobody I don't think, has said Wales are a rubbish side, that appears to be your inferiority complex shining through. And I havent really seen any arrogance coming out of England either. When it comes to winning GS, i'll think you'll find England are right up there, so giving your advice isn't really necessary.

[RubyGuby]

BlueNote, my concern is that we won't create anything. Four defeats in the autumn was bad enough, but we only scored three tries and one of those was from an interception.

Priestland had a big part to play in all that IMO he was dreadful and should not have been considered

[lostinwales]

Issues with Wales - turning narrow defeats into victories is one, the other biggy for me is leadership. I dont think Howley is the guy to turn things around through the force of his personality, and if Warburton manages it on the pitch then he should be a shoe in for Lions captain.

What I suspect will happen is that Wales will have an awful 6N this year, a slightly better one next year and by 2015 will be really competitive again.

[maestegmafia]

BlueNote, my concern is that we won't create anything. Four defeats in the autumn was bad enough, but we only scored three tries and one of those was from an interception.

Priestland had a big part to play in all that IMO he was dreadful and should not have been considered

So what do we go for now?

hook and Biggar aren't playing open running rugby, both play well for teams that don't score a lot of tries.

[nobbled]

What has changed that makes a team that have lost 7 in a row into potential winners or 2nd placers in the 6 Nations?
Is it the return of some key-players who were injured? Are Ireland, (France?)and England viewed as weaker than Samoa or Argentina?
Is it the nature of the 6 Nations - old enemies that are very much known quantities?

I think Ireland are the key to the tournament - Wales and England in particular will be measured by success or failure against them.

Players coming back and particularly Adam up front alongside Hibbard will provide a solid foundation - The AI's were injury ravaged performances under shambolic management and we got what we deserved. All our players will be back come the England game in Cardiff and people are forgetting about that. At the end of the day we lost to Australia at home by a couple of points, just like yourselves. If you want to convince yourself that this is a rubbish welsh team then just go ahead and do it. That is the same arrogance that had you preparing your Grand Slam DVD's before the Ireland game and that if anything should have taught you a thing or two about what it takes to win a Grand Slam. This welsh side has beaten every other side in the 6 nations in their last competitive games. Last 2 v Eng, last 3 v Ire and more against Scot and Italy. Carry on with your perception. We will keep a welcome in Cardiff in March when you come to visit the current Grand Slam holders - don't go planning your dvd's quite yet

Oh God, are you still alive?

Nobody I don't think, has said Wales are a rubbish side, that appears to be your inferiority complex shining through. And I havent really seen any arrogance coming out of England either. When it comes to winning GS, i'll think you'll find England are right up there, so giving your advice isn't really necessary.

Be fair Jimpy - Ruby was just responding to the questions I asked in my post - he may have assumed a I was having a dig - I wasn't - and he answered sensibly and coherently, with a little bit of needle regarding the DVD (fair play in my opinion) - I think we can be a wee bit too sensitive at this time of year!

[RubyGuby]

And Jimpy I think its about 10 years or so since you won a GS, now come on, you can't be pulling that 1966 stuff all the time. Lancaster has done a great job for England and he is an astute and very likeable coach. England have a solid look about them and they have a good chance of winning this tournament. I actually think their most difficult games will be France and a full welsh team in Cardiff come March. I remain of the opinion that this is a very powerful welsh team as illustrated by last years GS in whcih we actually didn't perform that well. With a forward platform and a far better 10 we have a good chance in this tournament. A good win first up and we have a chance of winning the thing. Defeat against Ireland and we will finish 4th or 5th. The 6 Nations is a strange tournament and I should remind you that in 2007 a rubbish welsh side played England in the final game in Cardiff after Wales had lost every other game and were facing a whitewash. A crap welsh side against a decent England. After 20 minutes Wales were 18-0 up and after a brave fight back from England the rabble welsh team went on to win. That side is incomparable to the current welsh team. One possible scenario this year and a likely one in fact is that if Wales lose to Ireland at home and have a poor tournament due to injuries and management that last game will provide the players (and Lydiate and co will be back) with a day of redemption. It may well be 2011 all over again for England, that's the great thing about this championship - enjoy it but please respect EVERY team as last year you got out of jail against Scotland and Italy but everyone seems to just repress those matches to the recesses of their psyche - How convenient.

[maestegmafia]

Tuilagi is out injured

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21231695

[BlueNote]

Luckless, I tend to think that's down to the coaching more than anything. We seem to do a lot less moves than other teams; we still seem to think our individuals are so good they can create something one on one (or more likely one on two)when given the ball (usually standing still), rather than work to create space. Maybe it's a hangover from the days of Shane. It juts doesn't seem very co-ordinated or coherent.

I also thought we were lazy in the AIs, people just didn't work hard enough to get back in position and support the ball carrier. In the Aussie game in particular, I noticed that they worked a lot harder than we did.

[Jimpy]

And Jimpy I think its about 10 years or so since you won a GS, now come on, you can't be pulling that 1966 stuff all the time. Lancaster has done a great job for England and he is an astute and very likeable coach. England have a solid look about them and they have a good chance of winning this tournament. I actually think their most difficult games will be France and a full welsh team in Cardiff come March. I remain of the opinion that this is a very powerful welsh team as illustrated by last years GS in whcih we actually didn't perform that well. With a forward platform and a far better 10 we have a good chance in this tournament. A good win first up and we have a chance of winning the thing. Defeat against Ireland and we will finish 4th or 5th. The 6 Nations is a strange tournament and I should remind you that in 2007 a rubbish welsh side played England in the final game in Cardiff after Wales had lost every other game and were facing a whitewash. A crap welsh side against a decent England. After 20 minutes Wales were 18-0 up and after a brave fight back from England the rabble welsh team went on to win. That side is incomparable to the current welsh team. One possible scenario this year and a likely one in fact is that if Wales lose to Ireland at home and have a poor tournament due to injuries and management that last game will provide the players (and Lydiate and co will be back) with a day of redemption. It may well be 2011 all over again for England, that's the great thing about this championship - enjoy it but please respect EVERY team as last year you got out of jail against Scotland and Italy but everyone seems to just repress those matches to the recesses of their psyche - How convenient.

10 years ago.... 6 years ago.... now come on, you can't be pulling that 1966 stuff all the time...

Actually, i have no problem with the reasoning, I did however object to your rather stupid comments about giving blind men eyes etc. when in an enormous ironic twist, you reversed what had been up to that point, a reasoned debate.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

We have hardly any moves at all, BlueNote. Off first phase it'll be Jamie Roberts or one of the wings on the crash ball, every time. After that, it'll be a forward taking the ball standing still, looking for contact and dying with the ball. It's a huge surprise when someone passes out of the tackle.

And Howley's going with the Lions as 'attack coach'.

[Submachine]

For Irelands part, I think we have an opportunity to play some exciting rugby. Dropping Trimble in favour of Gilroy for the Welsh game leans to a quick running game. If thats the case then Chrish Henry has to be at 7. If Deco makes those cals I will be half way happy.
Would not be surprised to see Dave McSharry get a run at some stage. Looks like a more youthful if a little underpowered darcy.

[nobbled]

We have hardly any moves at all, BlueNote. Off first phase it'll be Tuilagi or one of the wings on the crash ball, every time. After that, it'll be a forward taking the ball standing still, looking for contact and dying with the ball. It's a huge surprise when someone passes out of the tackle.

Spent last 6N and a lot of the AI's feeling your pain Luckless!

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Hope springs eternal, Nobbled!

Submachine, Ireland are always trying things off first phase. I wish Wales did more of this, just to keep the opposition guessing. As it is, they know what's coming.

[nobbled]

Hope springs eternal, Nobbled!

.

I'm hoping that without Tuilagi we might try something different!

[BlueNote]

Luckless, here's hoping he does a 'Scott Andrews' and surprises us all.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Mark Jones is involved in the setup now, maybe he'll have influenced things - although hopefully we won't see our wingers falling over as often as he did in a Wales shirt.

[Glas a du]

Mark Jones scored the best almost try in the history of Wales v France games.

[Glas a du]

See:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=4GMpcfBYOt4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4GMpcfBYOt4&gl=GB

[Luckless Pedestrian]

It was a hell of a run, fair play to him. Was he tackled in the end, or did he just fall over?

[Breadvan]

And Jimpy I think its about 10 years or so since you won a GS, now come on, you can't be pulling that 1966 stuff all the time. Lancaster has done a great job for England and he is an astute and very likeable coach. England have a solid look about them and they have a good chance of winning this tournament. I actually think their most difficult games will be France and a full welsh team in Cardiff come March. I remain of the opinion that this is a very powerful welsh team as illustrated by last years GS in whcih we actually didn't perform that well. With a forward platform and a far better 10 we have a good chance in this tournament. A good win first up and we have a chance of winning the thing. Defeat against Ireland and we will finish 4th or 5th. The 6 Nations is a strange tournament and I should remind you that in 2007 a rubbish welsh side played England in the final game in Cardiff after Wales had lost every other game and were facing a whitewash. A crap welsh side against a decent England. After 20 minutes Wales were 18-0 up and after a brave fight back from England the rabble welsh team went on to win. That side is incomparable to the current welsh team. One possible scenario this year and a likely one in fact is that if Wales lose to Ireland at home and have a poor tournament due to injuries and management that last game will provide the players (and Lydiate and co will be back) with a day of redemption. It may well be 2011 all over again for England, that's the great thing about this championship - enjoy it but please respect EVERY team as last year you got out of jail against Scotland and Italy but everyone seems to just repress those matches to the recesses of their psyche - How convenient.

I was at that game. THE deciding factor in the Welsh win....Steven Jones injury the week before. Much to the delight of the old scrumv board I remember, he was replaced by Hook who ran the show that day. Absolutely sublime to watch that day and the rest of the team fed off his enthusiasm and play. If SJ had played, I'm still convinced Eng would've won. Hey ho....

[RubyGuby]

The irony was on the back of that result Jenkins kept his job and the rest is history

[gregortree]

Ruby, what happned next time they met ?

[Breadvan]

Ruby, what happned next time they met ?

Now now....

Another thing...what disapointed me the most was our inept second half display after getting within 3 points at HT. Guess that just highlighted how inconsistent we were under Ashton.

[RubyGuby]

Ruby, what happned next time they met ?

after that game we went on to win 2 Grand Slams defeating England at HQ in 2008 and 2012

[mystiroakey]

CAN I JUST SAY I LOVE THE 6NATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

[gregortree]

ha ha, did you miss one out ?
I think it was Twickenham, August 2007.

Ah yes, here it is. 4 August 2007 Twickenham. England 62 – 5 Wales.

Match report here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6928485.stm

[maestegmafia]

ITALY

Key Player: It is always hard to look past their talismanic skipper Sergio Parisse as his status as their most indispensable player has been the case for the past few years, but keep an eye on Robert Barbieri. He has already bagged six tries for Treviso this term in the PRO12 and could pack a punch in the Azzurri's back-row.
Rising Star: Edoardo Gori is one of Italy's shining lights at scrum-half and could finally get their backline firing which has traditionally lacked tries. He started against Australia and New Zealand during the autumn internationals and did not look out of place against the illustrious opposition.

Crunch Clash: Their round two clash against Scotland has already been labelled the 'wooden spoon' decider by some cynics but it could define Italy's Six Nations. A win at Murrayfield could give them the momentum they need to get a Welsh or Irish scalp in Rome in the following weekends.

Coaching clinic: The jury is still out on Jacques Brunel. He will be looking for two wins at least in this season's competition to underline the progress his side has made.

Verdict: It is likely to be another fruitless Six Nations for Brunel's men. Until they get some continuity and real class at fly-half then they will not be worth more than a win or two. They have some undoubted talent in their ranks, but even the likes of Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni may not be enough to lift them out of fifth or sixth place.

Odds: Italy are 200/1 to win the tournament with Bet365 and 4/9 to be the recipients of the wooden spoon. If you fancy a punt on Barbieri to be top try-scorer then he is a huge 250/1.


Improving Azzurri Eye Fresh Scalp

Enrico Borra for ESPN - January 30, 2013

There was a time when Italy's Six Nations rivals used to land in Rome, enjoy a few days of warm and sunny weather, have a peaceful weekend in the Eternal City, play a bit of rugby and grab a couple of points for the Six Nations standings. Those days are gone.

The climatic madness that brought heavy rain, fog and even unprecedented snowfall in one of the world's hottest rugby capitals last year also pushed the Azzurri to a surprising level of competitiveness. When the 70,000-plus seats of the iconic Stadio Olimpico erupted into life for Jacques Brunel's men, any sense of 'holiday' for the visiting team abruptly turned into a complete hell. Now those same nations know very well that to steal two Championship points from Sergio Parisse's hands in Rome, they must survive one of the most physically exhausting battles possible on the international rugby stage.

And it may not be enough. Last year, the Italians succeeded on shipping the wooden spoon to Edinburgh for the first time in five years, winning the much anticipated last-place clash by a narrow margin in front of a new Six Nations attendance record for the Italians (72,354). That game was in fact one of the most dominant displays the Azzurri put together against their historic rivals.

In the same tournament they went closer than ever to collecting the first win against England. In November, history repeated itself with the surprising performance against world champions New Zealand, in front of another sold out Stadio Olimpico which witnessed one hour of very committed and wise play.

The fact is that Rome is now a fortress hard to silence and 'capture' and Brunel will use the three home games granted by this year's fixture list to force some historic results. It probably will not come against France when Les Bleus come to town on Sunday to begin its charge for the trophy. But instead, this year's illustrious victim may very well be Wales or Ireland. Or maybe both of them.

Declan Kidney's men and England are the only teams in the Six Nations pot that Italy have yet to beat. Keep an eye out because this may very well be the year where Jamie Heaslip and his colleagues will fall in Rome. Support from the rugby-desperate Italian fans will be given in swathes yet again. There are already more than 150,000 tickets sold for the three matches scheduled at the Stadio Olimpico during the next seven weeks, about 65,000 of which will be granted a seat for Sunday's local derby against France.

"Win as much as you can is at the base of every professional sport and we will try to win as many games as possible," revealed a very upbeat Brunel recently. "We want to get to the point where beating a team such as France would be a normal possibility for us. We are full of confidence."

To do so, Italy must find consistency first. The number of unforced errors has rapidly decreased during the last twelve months but a lack of accuracy in the execution of the game plan is still jeopardising the Azzurri's otherwise notable performances - just look at the narrow win against Tonga and the first 40 minutes that cost them an historic win against the Wallabies.

Brunel demands attention and precision and the players must deliver from the kick-off to the final whistle. Under the influences of the French coach, Italy have turned a very defensive-oriented mentality into a more intriguing approach: they are still trying to get the most out of their scrum and lineout but they have finally started to use possession to threaten opposition, ball in hand, and that is undoubtedly very good news for Six Nations fans.

What the Azzurri are still missing is the tactical kicking game. The ability to explore the unattended areas of the field with the boot is an area the Italian fly-halves and fullbacks need to improve the most. It would give some different options to their back line and also empower their huge pack.

Brunel is building a new winning mentality into a group of players who are well used to each other and that is becoming evident game after game. He has discovered some promising talents and a few other young players will be thrown into the arena in the next few weeks. He wants his men to perform under pressure, keeping every opponent close from a score point-of-view until the end of the game and that is why Twickenham will be the biggest test of this year's Six Nations.

If Italy are able to fly back from London with a reasonable score (the last two visits ended 59-13 in 2011 and 36-11 in 2009) they will have moved another step forward in the right direction. In building a new credibility on the international stage, they would be taking another huge step closer to their goal of making the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals.

[RugbyFan182]

wow that comment was massiveeeee

2 days 17 hours and 11 mins

How we all feeling about the weekends games??

[Glas a du]

OMFG have you seen the team FFS. WTF.

[red_stag]

OMFG have you seen the team FFS. WTF.

Not announced til 12:50 I thought?

[Pete C (Kiwireddevil)]

Just a heads up folks, we have a caption competition running (and it even has a small prize on offer) here https://www.606v2.com/f32-international, so please get your thinking caps on & your entries in

[RugbyFan182]

Got a feeling a big bust up is gonna happen in the Wales v Ireland game tommorrow....Oh yeah the Six nations starts tommorrow people!!!

[RugbyFan182]

What I need is a Welshman to explain exactly what he thinks of the team announcement for Wales. I read somewhere that its mainly negative, why is that? I believe that the team looks Strong.

[Notch]

I think France will squeeze out England on points difference each finishing with 4 wins.

England to beat the French, but an English slip-up against a fired up Ireland side in Dublin will ultimately cost them a Grand Slam and a championship win!

[mystiroakey]

if it goes down to point s i think england will win by quite a few. We have italy and scotland at home, france dont

[RubyGuby]

What I need is a Welshman to explain exactly what he thinks of the team announcement for Wales. I read somewhere that its mainly negative, why is that? I believe that the team looks Strong.

We're just bluffing mate - we're going to roll you over big time for the 4th win in a row - Zebo and Gilroy against North and Cuthbert it's men v boys - The geriatric centres v JD and Jamie - its going to be ugly for you boys

[AlastairW]

What I need is a Welshman to explain exactly what he thinks of the team announcement for Wales. I read somewhere that its mainly negative, why is that? I believe that the team looks Strong.

We're just bluffing mate - we're going to roll you over big time for the 4th win in a row - Zebo and Gilroy against North and Cuthbert it's men v boys - The geriatric centres v JD and Jamie - its going to be ugly for you boys

[red_stag]

What I need is a Welshman to explain exactly what he thinks of the team announcement for Wales. I read somewhere that its mainly negative, why is that? I believe that the team looks Strong.

We're just bluffing mate - we're going to roll you over big time for the 4th win in a row - Zebo and Gilroy against North and Cuthbert it's men v boys - The geriatric centres v JD and Jamie - its going to be ugly for you boys

I would agree but you've got Howley. That MUST add around 50 - 60 points in our favour?

[maestegmafia]

What I need is a Welshman to explain exactly what he thinks of the team announcement for Wales. I read somewhere that its mainly negative, why is that? I believe that the team looks Strong.

We're just bluffing mate - we're going to roll you over big time for the 4th win in a row - Zebo and Gilroy against North and Cuthbert it's men v boys - The geriatric centres v JD and Jamie - its going to be ugly for you boys

North and Cuthbert might be young lads but looking at the size of them I would hardly call them boys mate...!

[Morgannwg]

We may as well re-name Ireland to Geriatrics...

[mystiroakey]

how can anyone say that isnt over based on that angle..

the only peops could have seen it is the assistant ref and both flagged staright away!!


give the 3 and get on with it

[mystiroakey]

sorry wrong thread..

england 10 scotland 6 in the under 20's

[GunsGerms]

We may as well re-name Ireland to Geriatrics...

Why?

[nobbled]

tomorrow!
Good luck everyone!

[maestegmafia]

tomorrow!
Good luck everyone!

Enjoy the games...!

[Pal Joey]

Thanks to everyone who joined up for our Six Nations tipping comp in SuperBru and best of luck for your teams!

there's still time...

www.superbru.com

Pool: v2 Rugby
Code: jutetees

Everyone welcome.

[RugbyFan182]

4 points for winning predictions and +1 for correct points difference between teams, 5 for a correct draw call and 0 for a loss.



Majesticimperialman - 9/12 +1 for correct points difference between Eng and Scotland.
RugbyFan182 - 8/12
SirBiggles - 8/12
Mystirokey - 8/12
Cyril - 8/12
Duty281 - 8/12
FecklessRough - 4/12
Bsando - 4/12
RiscaRev - 4/12
RuggerRadge2611 - 4/12
Luckless Pedestrian - 0/12
MaesticMafia - 0/12
RubyGuby - 0/12



Get Your round 2 predictions in now!

February 9: Scotland v Italy,2.30pm(Edinburgh)

France v Wales, 5pm(Paris)

February 10: Ireland v England, 3pm(Dublin)

[RugbyFan182]

Predict week 2 results.

4 points for correct team win. 0 points for loss, 5 for a draw due to the rarity of a draw and +1 for correct points difference between teams.

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