Six Nations

[Adrian]

No lets have a 6 Nations thread and just keep this one to comment on how awful frustrating England are.

[Wowbagger]

Is it telling that when I went to the BBC site to find the result of the Irish - French match, I had to do a lot of delving before I got past England - Italy, Portsmouth 2- 3 Liverpool, and cricket?

I would have thought that Ireland 30 - 21 France was the most significant sports result of the afternoon.

Just watched the Irish highlights. Looked like a very good game. All the tries were high-class.

[αdαmsκι]

Bollocks. If Italy had had a scrum-half ....

That is the impression I've got from reading the reports.

Oh, I won't be watching it because none of the channels I've got access to will be showing the match .

You can't receive BBC1?

In a word, no.  I am i The Netherlands, ya see.  Couldn't get online commentary from Radio5 either as the BBC website knows I am not in the UK.

[gonzo]

In a word, no.  I am i The Netherlands, ya see.  Couldn't get online commentary from Radio5 either as the BBC website knows I am not in the UK.

I don't suppose you get French TV either then?

[JohnP]

will be. Just back from buying a loaf of cinnamon soda bread for half time.

Mrs Thor wants to know where you get the cinnamon soda bread.

Mrs JohnP says "Morrisons".  I'll have a read of the wrapper after coffee & breakfast.



OK

Not 100% traditional but ...

It's part of the Rankin selection from Irwins (or possibly the other way round).

" Paul Rankin has selected only the finest ingredients to create this cinnamon and raisin load including succulent raisins, sweet cinnamon and Irish buttermilk for a contemporary twist on the traditional Irish soda bread."

Yeast free - No Hydrogenated Fat - Lower in Sodium


I'm originally from Lincolnshire living in Hertfordshire so it's close enough to soda bread for me.

Morrisons (WGC) round with the cakes and malt loaves rather than normal breads.

Irwins : Irish Breads, Soda Breads, Potato Farls, Pans, rolls, muffins, Cakes, Biscuits

[αdαmsκι]

I don't suppose you get French TV either then?

Nope, no French channels either, but plenty of German TV who are more interested in showing winter sports (speed skating, ski jumping etc.) than rugby, which kinda makes sense.  Nienke's parents get BBC1 & BBC2 but that's via cable and we're on satellite TV.  I'll just have to carefully arrange visits to her folks at the time when the other matches are being shown . 

[Mike r]

Or you could go to an Irish pub, I'm sure there must be at least one in your area?

[Thor]

will be. Just back from buying a loaf of cinnamon soda bread for half time.

Mrs Thor wants to know where you get the cinnamon soda bread.

Mrs JohnP says "Morrisons".  I'll have a read of the wrapper after coffee & breakfast.



OK

Not 100% traditional but ...

It's part of the Rankin selection from Irwins (or possibly the other way round).

" Paul Rankin has selected only the finest ingredients to create this cinnamon and raisin load including succulent raisins, sweet cinnamon and Irish buttermilk for a contemporary twist on the traditional Irish soda bread."

Yeast free - No Hydrogenated Fat - Lower in Sodium


I'm originally from Lincolnshire living in Hertfordshire so it's close enough to soda bread for me.

Morrisons (WGC) round with the cakes and malt loaves rather than normal breads.

Irwins : Irish Breads, Soda Breads, Potato Farls, Pans, rolls, muffins, Cakes, Biscuits

I'll take a look in my local Morrisons. Thanks 

[mattc]

Yep. I dread seeing England play either Ireland or France after the performances today. Both played well. An excellent match.

I guess you've got to back Ireland & Wales at this stage (with France a strong 2nd, if that makes sense!).

But don't be TOO hard on England - it's very difficult to play at 100% against the reputed "easiest" opponents. They WILL struggle against the strong sides, but I bet they'll play better than yesterday.

[Marco Stefano]

I think we could be pretty hard on England; several tries from Italy's mistakes (poor Bergamasco, if he had been in the pack from the off and a proper scrum half in, the game could have been very close, I think), little control, Sackey playing like a flanker in the last 20 mins just to get his hands on the ball, dumb sin-binnings, etc. From watching Premiership & Heineken Cup games, we have talent but we don't seem to use it in the game.

The huge difference between the two games yesterday was the response to kicking; England & Italy started the dreaded ping-pong, whilst France ran back nearly every Irish clearance, and looked like getting through nearly every time, edge of the seat stuff. Mind you, with Carney at full back and Geordan Murphy on the bench, there's no point in testing the full back with high balls... Great game to watch, loads of skill and endeavour. 

Looking forward to Scotland v. Wales too, could be close.

And I need to get over to the rant thread to kick off about the maul ELVs. A great forward skill that should be brought back.

[Adrian]

And I need to get over to the rant thread to kick off about the maul ELVs. A great forward skill that should be brought back.

Hear hear.

[Si]

It's the old thing with England, because they are England the fans/press seem to think that they have a right to expect to see a world beating team year in, year out. And, following the lead from foottie, the manager doesn't get chance to build a new team as the lack of instant success sees him out on his ear (indeed, even a miraculus 2nd in the world cup against all the odds isn't good enough).

With this sort of expectation they are on a hiding to nothing.

If Johnson could stand up in front of the press and tell it like it is: "Since we won the world cup we've lost many key players. This is a new team that is in the early stages of rebuilding.  It's going to take a while - don't expect immediate success, but give us time and the quality is coming up through the ranks.", then I think we'd all be a lot better off. But that isn't the English way, in our "I want it, and I want it now" society.

 

[Wowbagger]

'Twas ever thus.

I remember when there was a Home International Football Championship - which was discontinued because England felt it was beneath them to compete against the lowly Scotland, Wales, Ireland, N. Ireland. Some years ago there was a similar move regarding English rugby - the first stage of this procedure was to sell the television rights of Twickenham matches to Sky.

No matter which team is dominant in the short term, others will take over in the long term. Is this arrogance something which is peculiarly English? There was never a suggestion that the great Welsh team which dominated 5 nations rugby in the 1970s should withdraw and only play against NZ and Australia (actually I went to watch the Wales v Wallabies match in Cardiff in 1973 and I think it remains the biggest Welsh margin of victory between the two teams. IIRC, Aus went to Twickenham a couple of weeks later and were beaten by England by an even bigger margin!).

[Regulator]

Rugby's not worth watching without the All Blacks or the 'Boks.... 

[clarion]

Rugby's not worth watching without the All Blacks or the 'Boks....  with so many players on the pitch.

Superleague's started!

With a shock win for Wakefield over Noble's Wigan!

[Wowbagger]

Rugby's not worth watching without the All Blacks or the 'Boks.... 

Without a doubt the two best games of rugby I watched involved the All Blacks.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/AwCbG4I0QyA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/AwCbG4I0QyA&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdXqtYVynRU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/JdXqtYVynRU&rel=1</a>

[mike]

Rugby's not worth watching without the All Blacks or the 'Boks.... 

Mrs Mike says much the same.  She's been a much keener watcher of rugby since the shirts & shorts got tighter, I cant imagine why..

[Wowbagger]

Show her the 1973 Barbarians v All Blacks match.

The All-Blacks were completely outplayed in all departments and the shorts were quite obscene by today's standards.

The hair styles are quite amusing too.

Phil Bennett is 107.

[onb]

Rugby's not worth watching without the All Blacks or the 'Boks....  with so many players on the pitch.

Superleague's started!

With a shock win for Wakefield over Noble's Wigan!

Indeed

[Regulator]

Rugby's not worth watching without the All Blacks or the 'Boks.... 

Without a doubt the two best games of rugby I watched involved the All Blacks.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/AwCbG4I0QyA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/AwCbG4I0QyA&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdXqtYVynRU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/JdXqtYVynRU&rel=1</a>

And I give you...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/svCwYFgBZEQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/svCwYFgBZEQ&rel=1</a>

and

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/yvR8CsGcwyQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/yvR8CsGcwyQ&rel=1</a>


 



 

[Wowbagger]

You're not a rugby fan - you just fancy Jonah Lomu!

Edit: and so what? It was only England.

[mike]

Show her the 1973 Barbarians v All Blacks match.

The All-Blacks were completely outplayed in all departments and the shorts were quite obscene by today's standards.

The hair styles are quite amusing too.

Phil Bennett is 107.

I have the video of that somewhere - amazing game.   Two high tackles and a forward pass, and how the hell the number 8 took that pass, I have no idea!

[Wowbagger]

Forward pass? In the run up to Gareth Edwards' try? Go and wash your mouth out!

I've watched that try hundreds of times and never seen a forward pass...

No 8 was Derek Quinnell, whose loins issued some of the finest prime beef ever seen on a rugby field.

[mike]

Forward pass? In the run up to Gareth Edwards' try? Go and wash your mouth out!

I've watched that try hundreds of times and never seen a forward pass...

Quinnels pass to edwards was certainly 'very lateral'

have a look at it, 58 seconds in: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/AwCbG4I0QyA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/AwCbG4I0QyA&rel=1</a>

[Jaded]

That kind if pass was brought to the world by the All Blacks.