The Six Nations 2011

I'm hoping for an England Grand slam, as rugby is the only game we are any good at.  As you say though France are our main compettion,

Far more worried about the Irish than the French even after the weekend's result. France seem to shit it every time they play England wheareas the Irish are used to beating us. Never underestimate the hatred a Scotsman harbors for the English either! Grand slam is there for the taking but it'll take a shitload of hard work for the players, and frayed fingernails for the supporters!

Yep, but thankfully it's not at Croke Park any more.

As a neutral I'm looking forward to France v Italy. My two favourite anthems (don't get me started on the English anthem) and for some reason they really hate each other. Bristly!

It's not been any great shakes for us so far. Even getting that win against Italy in the first match didn't really feel like a cause for celebration, since it was such a jammy result.

 

That's class!

 

I think it takes a more optimistic person to react that way, so although I get where you're coming from, it's still good in that it shows faith in the team.

 

My Alvy Singer-level pessimism was in full swing, after about an hour. The kind of pessimism that usually leads to disgruntled shouts of "SORT IT OUT, LADS!"

Well what is there to say about "God Save the Queen"?

 

It's a shit anthem.Everyone else in the tournament has a better anthem than us, tunes you can't help but sing along to even if you don't know the words (Whales, Whales, bloody big fishes are Whales). For their home games Ireland have TWO anthems better than ours! Scotland's anthem is about kicking the shit out of the English and I still love it!

 

And why does everyone else in the UK get to break free from the bonds of our German overlords, but England remain trapped, slavishly praying to a non-existent deity for the safety of a bunch of weak-chinned, inbred lizard people? Anything but "God Save the Queen".

 

 

In regards to Ireland's current performance: Italy definitely upped their game for that match, but they had nothing else left when they played us. Brian O'Driscoll in the last three or four minutes of the game was phenomenal, still the best centre in the NH by far. The Irish scrum held it's own against the French which no-one would have predicted, and their back row is always class. There's definitely good points to look out for, but I agree they're not playing to their potential at the moment. Still very worried about that game though...

 

 

 

 

 

 

O'Gara certainly changed the course of the second Lions test in South Africa!

 

 

 

*Glisten puts on his angry face, waves his fist threateningly at the heavens and stumbles off grumbling about anthems and backs who can't tackle*

 

VICTORY!!!

Ditto!

O'Gara showed why he should still be starting every game. I'm not totally sold on Sexton.

Sexton seems a little flakey but the only way to build confidence is by playing him. It's a tricky one, dragging him off at the first sign of a dodgy game isn't going to do his confidence any good either. I guess you'd want O'Gara to be giving him the kind of support that Wilkinson gives Flood for England, not sure that's the case though.

Totally, but at the same time there's giving someone time to grow into it and there's trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The guy has a lot of talk and hype around him and he needs to start showing he deserves the Green Shirt consistently because, right now, he inspires very little confidence. Use the pot or vacate it, Sexton.

You gotta take care though. It's possible to break players, England coaches used to do it all the time. Ireland don't have the luxury of a huge player base to pick from, who are the other genuine flyhalf contenders? I think Ian Humphries is a decent enough player (especially when sporting a massive beard), has Paddy Wallace ever played at fly half?

 

What a mental weekend!

 

Commiserations to the Irish, save for a huge legal loophole/pisspoor officiating you would have won that game.

 

It was squeaky bum time for me during the Calcutta Cup clash, just as expected. Very glad to see the back of that one, although it doesn't get any less stress inducing next week.

 

Game of the weekend definitely Italy v France, you could tell right from the anthems that Italy were about to go nuts, and they didn't disappoint! Think any neutral has got to be extermely happy for them.