Wales vs France - Friday 21st Feb 8pm KO.

First topic message reminder :

Wales vs France - Friday 21st Feb 8pm KO.
 
Thought I'd start a thread seeing as our Welsh posters are few and far between this week.
 
 
Big, Massive, Huge game for both teams, how do you see it going?

1. Jenkins
2. Hibbard
3. Rhodri Jones
4. AWJ (c)
5. Coombes
6. Warburton
7. Tipuric
8. Faletau
9. Webb
10. Biggar
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Hook
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

16. James
17. Owens
18. A.Jones
19. Ball
20. Lydiate
21. Priestland
22. Phillips
23. Li Williams

 
 
News
 
- Wales centre Scott Williams has been ruled out of the rest of the Six Nations after injuring his shoulder in the 26-3 defeat by Ireland. (lesson to be learnt there for Mr Williams)
 
- Warburton and Gethin released to play for the Blues this weekend (Please note I used Warburton not WRUburton!)
 
- Guscott - "Wales should 'think about dropping Mike Phillips"
 
- "It's probably one of the worst performances that we've had since I've been involved," said Gatland.
 
- Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips has challenged One Direction's Niall Horan to train with the Welsh squad after the singer criticised him on Twitter.
 
- Ospreys duo Ashley Beck and Dan Baker called up for Wales training.
 
- Centre Jonathan Davies has been ruled out of Wales' Six Nations clash against France on Friday after failing to recover from a pectoral injury.  Osprey Ashley Beck, has also been ruled out.

SecretFly wrote:

gregortree wrote:3-0 will do for me. Or 0-3.
0-0 is highly unlikely. Has that ever happened btw ?

Only in some classic football games.... only in Great football games, gregor....................

Has way back when. But if anyone will draw against France its the shpuds   

I don't mind if it's a draw against France when we meet them, as long as we win....... 

Supposing Ireland beat England and Italy but only draw v France again (third time in a row) That still counts as a grand slam doesnt it?

GunsGerms wrote:Supposing Ireland beat England and Italy but only draw v France again (third time in a row) That still counts as a grand slam doesnt it?

I wouldn't be so sure about that at all Guns... ain't a Grand Slam out and out five wins (no draws)?

Grand Slam is surely winning all your games. Otherwise, were it based on not losing any ie potentially drawing games, you could end up with a team drawing 3 games and winning 2, finishing second or third but having a Grand Slam.

Wales play like they can then i predicte home win . surely they not a bad side out night . really want England to beat Irelandto make the six nations more exciting . anybodys championship

Ireland broke our Slam last year then did nothing for the rest of the tournament....horribly tempted to support England   

Nobody gave a damn about us and France last year - or the idea of wanting us more competitive to "make the 6N more exciting"

I say stuff 'exciting'.  It's an overrated word.  Bottom two last year should have the Lion's share this year...it's only fair....................

GunsGerms wrote:Supposing Ireland beat England and Italy but only draw v France again (third time in a row) That still counts as a grand slam doesnt it?

NO... as I suspect you already know  

But just in case you or anyone else doesn't...

A Grand Slam is ONLY awarded if you WIN ALL your games (hence the term GRAND SLAM). If any team loses or even draws a match the Grand Slam is not achievable for them.

Only one side can ever win a Slam, which is why a draw doesn't count. Otherwise, if France and Ireland win all the remaining matches yet draw the game between them, you cant have both France AND Ireland Winning a Grand Slam...


But as I said first... I suspect you knew that already...   

SecretFly wrote:Nobody gave a damn about us and France last year - or the idea of wanting us more competitive to "make the 6N more exciting"

I say stuff 'exciting'.  It's an overrated word.  Bottom two last year should have the Lion's share this year...it's only fair....................

Don't start on B&I Lions selection again! You Irish can't let it lie!   

Getting back to the title of the post, rather than Ireland and selection of Lions for a non existent tour this year...  
 
I'm more than a little nervous about tonight's game, as we (Wales) aren't a Friday night team. In the past, when we've played on Friday nights we've been b!oody terrible. Ok most of the Friday encounters have been AIs against the "lower ranked" SH sides and although we have won most of them, they have made us look very ordinary...
 
Taking the previous 2 Friday encounters for us against France though, haven't gone our way...
 
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 6N 3  Wales v France 20-26 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Fri, 27 Feb 2009 6N 3  France v Wales 21-16 Stade de France, Paris
 
 
So, I'm worried about this game. I think most of us realistic Welsh fans realised the record 3rd title has been lost, but I'm more concerned that we lose this and we could be facing a very disappointing 2014 6 Nations campaign.
 
 
Also really cross as I remember Roger Lewis say that the Friday night games was an experiment and wouldn't be continued... So how come we are playing FRANCE again on a Friday night... Only seems to be us who bend to the French desire for Friday games... Don't think anyone else has done so (have you ?)...

England played Wales on a Friday night in Cardiff (in 2011) so I think the Friday evening kickoff is as much a Welsh thing as a French thing.

I actually quite like Friday games.

Thanks Cyril... I'd forgot that one....

Which was..

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 6N 1 Wales v England19-26

...again a loss for Wales, adding to my point.. Wales just are not a Friday night game team...

I had heard that it was the French who was the driving force behind Friday night games, and the WRU agreed to experiment it.. apparently the French have an appetite for Friday nights more than Sat or Sun. But I also remember Lewis stating that it was seen as a success (he would say that) but the experiment was over and there would be no more. Yet we b!oody have them...

I'm kinda glad that I don't have to wait until tomorrow for some rugby action now. And I'm also eagerly anticipating everybody signing on to V2 to support France and tell all of us how the ref is Wales' 16th man!

[quote="The Saint"]I'm kinda glad that I don't have to wait until tomorrow for some rugby action now. And I'm also eagerly anticipating everybody signing on to V2 to support France and tell all of us how the ref is Wales' 16th man![/quote]

the ref is Alain Rolland !!

I know. It doesn't matter who he is though, every single ref in the world is in Wales' back pocket if you listen to the muppets on here. Apparently we spend 80 minutes offside and never pass the ball backwards!

You must be joking Saint... You do know who the ref is don't you....
 
Monsieur Alain Colm Pierre Rolland
 
So yep... your right he's the French Welsh 16th man...  



Doh!!! beaten to my sarcastic remark...  

Alain Rolland is the best ref in the NH after Owens..................

GunsGerms wrote:Alain Rolland is the best ref in the NH after Owens..................

Yes, but is he Irish or French?

Perhaps he could do the final game instead of Walsh?

Properly neutral ref for the 'finale'.

I know he's made it clear he's retiring this season, but anyone know if this is actually his last game in charge....

...because if it is, we are in for the Alain Rolland show... It will be sod the rugby, its my swan song so you lot just listen to me and my whistle...

  

...also, I think I may put a fiver down on him red carding someone, to go out with a bit of controversy..

Rolland isn't registered for any more Six Nations games this tournament (after tonight).

Not sure about after that.

I'd love to be able to find stats on refs against game results, because I cant remember a game Wales have won with Rolland officiating... Anyone know if those sort of stats are available on line anywhere...

Cyril wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:Alain Rolland is the best ref in the NH after Owens..................

Yes, but is he Irish or French?

Perhaps he could do the final game instead of Walsh?

Properly neutral ref for the 'finale'.

He is a mortgage broker and he played for club side Mosley so you can bet your house he is probably English too.

Ok... cant find stats, but looks like Wales have won 1 game with Rolland in charge at least...
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Rolland#Refereeing_career

Rolland retired as a player at the start of the professional era and began refereeing, with his first Test appointment coming on 19 September 2001 when Wales beat Romania 81-9 at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

I must be wrong, he cant be anti Welsh   ....  

I think the idea of biased referees is such nonsense, they do a professional job. They might be incompetent or miss things because of human error but I don't believe any are actually biased.

Wyn Jones to score first try 40/1!Get in there!

IronMike wrote:I think the idea of biased referees is such nonsense, they do a professional job. They might be incompetent or miss things because of human error but I don't believe any are actually biased.

I believe they go out on the field trying to be unbiased, but human nature as it is, there will always be something in the back of the psyche which will sway a decision one way or other... Again, its human nature, and until the day of the fully automated robotic referee (which I hope will never be seen in my lifetime) its part of the game we all have to live with...
 
After all, its swings and roundabouts... one day the ref favours you, another day they don't...
 
That's why it would be interesting to see if there where any stats held for refs on the games they've officiated, and see if there's a "hidden" or unknown bias some refs have against some teams.

right... my lift has arrived.. Off to Cardiff for the game... Good luck to all this weekend...

No9 wrote:I know he's made it clear he's retiring this season, but anyone know if this is actually his last game in charge....

...because if it is, we are in for the Alain Rolland show... It will be sod the rugby, its my swan song so you lot just listen to me and my whistle...

  

I thought he was retiring last season, but he's still around. It's long overdue now, as he used to be a good referee but now he's crap IMO.

George Carlin wrote:Webb was fortunate to be playing for an Ospreys team that ended up in a highlight reel match at the weekend against the Treviso Girls Under 16s 'B' team. I think that Rees is particularly unlucky - he's been consistently good for a while.

There is an issue with Rees and Howley, dates back to I think a Baa Baas game and also Biggar where he threw a wobbly over both not following his mandate, I dont think he has ever forgotten and that includes giving Biggar a run where his options were nil.

IronMike wrote:I think the idea of biased referees is such nonsense, they do a professional job. They might be incompetent or miss things because of human error but I don't believe any are actually biased.

A valid point, but I think Rolland is French.

Good luck Wales! I have you down for the win.
















So don't do anything stupid like losing.

If WRUburton has another shocker will he lose his place against England?

daidimview wrote:

IronMike wrote:I think the idea of biased referees is such nonsense, they do a professional job. They might be incompetent or miss things because of human error but I don't believe any are actually biased.

A valid point, but I think Rolland is French.

Similarly from the average frenchman POV, most Welsh are English !

whocares wrote:

daidimview wrote:

IronMike wrote:I think the idea of biased referees is such nonsense, they do a professional job. They might be incompetent or miss things because of human error but I don't believe any are actually biased.

A valid point, but I think Rolland is French.

Similarly from the average frenchman POV, most Welsh are English !

Those English bar-stewards aren't that handsome...

Cripe, I forgot the match was this afternoon, my time (-5hrs). I kept thinking 8pm tonight. I hope I can get home in time for kick-off. I gotta fix some guys shoulder in a few minutes. Maybe I will just shoot a couple of screws in the shoulder and tell the guy to come back when the 6 Nations is over.

The Saint wrote:I'm kinda glad that I don't have to wait until tomorrow for some rugby action now. And I'm also eagerly anticipating everybody signing on to V2 to support France and tell all of us how the ref is Wales' 16th man!

See you at 8   

doctor_grey wrote:Cripe, I forgot the match was this afternoon, my time (-5hrs).  I kept thinking 8pm tonight.  I hope I can get home in time for kick-off.  I gotta fix some guys shoulder in a few minutes.  Maybe I will just shoot a couple of screws in the shoulder and tell the guy to come back when the 6 Nations is over.  

You sound like you're the Wales team doctor.

BamBam wrote:

The Saint wrote:I'm kinda glad that I don't have to wait until tomorrow for some rugby action now. And I'm also eagerly anticipating everybody signing on to V2 to support France and tell all of us how the ref is Wales' 16th man!

See you at 8   

I'll be clocking off for the evening. Sorry to disappoint you. Don't forget to support the men in red .

doctor_grey wrote:Cripe, I forgot the match was this afternoon, my time (-5hrs).  I kept thinking 8pm tonight.  I hope I can get home in time for kick-off.  I gotta fix some guys shoulder in a few minutes.  Maybe I will just shoot a couple of screws in the shoulder and tell the guy to come back when the 6 Nations is over.  

He'll be fine! Just tell him its either that or he can have it done in the few mins you have left of half time after going for a slash and restocking the beers

Taffineastbourne wrote:Wyn Jones to score first try 40/1!Get in there!

Unlucky   

AWJ ruled out by the looks. Ball starting.

Risca Rev wrote:

Taffineastbourne wrote:Wyn Jones to score first try 40/1!Get in there!

Unlucky  

Why is it funny if he is Rev???

Steffan wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:

Taffineastbourne wrote:Wyn Jones to score first try 40/1!Get in there!

Unlucky  

Why is it funny if he is Rev???

is this true or a sad attempt at humour. Loss of AWJ would be disaster.

In defence of rev. he's laughing at the bet, now AWJ is out, not at his unfortunate injury.   

Rev is not the brightest spark in the box to be fair

The news about AWJ not playing if true really hampers Wales chances of winning

pretty annoyed that coverage doesnt start until 5 mins before kickoff!

The 'loss' of AWJ is not a disaster, IMO, because, I believe, Wales are awesomely equipped to deal with his 'loss'; Jake Ball and Andrew Coombs.

HQ matt wrote:pretty annoyed that coverage doesnt start until 5 mins before kickoff!

The Beeb have been warned about having Jiffy on during the evening as his squealing disrupts bats' ultrasound signals. They've agreed to reduce transmission times to minimise potential issues.

Can't believe the BBC don't start their coverage until 5 minutes before. Still if it means less Inverdale, I'm all for it.

France to shade it by a few points; hope Wales come good though.