Thetownend.com

I know there are a few on here who like their rugby...and a few who don't.  Anyway, it all kicks off again this evening with Wales vs England and I'm really looking forward to it.  First time in a while that England are going to have a decent shot at winning it, I think.  Hope they don't disappoint.

Man to watch: Chris Ashton.  The boy has some pace.

Definitely looking forward to this year's tournament. Like you say Ardiles, a real chance to win it this time.

Hopefully we can pick up some form and carry it through to the World Cup later this year, but even then I still don't think we'll be strong enough to beat the Kiwis and the Springboks.

Cymru am byth!

Certainly seems to be quite open this year, there's no one country that stands out above the others.

Also like the look of Ashton so far Ardiles, one of the Rugby League converts that seems to have really taken to Union.

I for one cant wait. Both sides have had injuries and I think a lot will depend on how the replacement players play. Will Wood make the step up ? Will Haskell resist the urge to give away penalties ? Will the Welsh front row, missing 2 of the best props in the world, stand up to the massive English pack ? Will Hook be able to influence the game from full back ?

Heart says an English win, head says it could all come down to the tiniest of margins, maybe a yellow card or a silly mistake could make the difference either way

  Read an article recently, about how crowds in club rugby are dropping, the main reason given is that it's pretty boring to watch....bunch of big blokes scrumming down, lineouts for the tall blokes, and some penalties for the kickers.....nevertheless if you change the dull bits you end up with rugby league.  It also mentioned the lack of good individual players that crowds could relate to, because they are squeezed out by big hit injuries, or conservative coaching.

 I used to love a good 6 nations game, but it's been a bit tawdry in recent years.

We won't win it. It will all be over tonight. In fact the Welsh won the grand slam in 05 and 08 so they're due another one this year. Plus we never win in Cardiff.

I've seen us win in Cardiff, stuffed them as well.

Is that Wales forever or something like that?

Either way your nation will be conquered tonight.

Don't give them the thrill of calling them a 'nation'. A glorified county is what it is

i am fucking buzzing for this tournament.

(be prepared for this to be commented on whilst i'm blubbing later)

Welsh look more up for it, should be a good game

Principality.

I would just like to remind you this is a football club forum. So take your fucking funny shaped ball, your happy clappy sandel wearing spastic fans and FUCK OFF!

That's sandals with an 'a' The good news is I can now try out the Ignore button

:D :D

From the man wasting valuable forum space telling us about getting off with some dog at a bus-stop ...... or summat...

Go stick a rugby ball up your arse Lumps.

...and I'd like to remind you of the 25% football, 80% bollocks strapline, Gaz.  If we can have a kiddy popularity contest thread, we can have a rugby thread too.  Don't be so touchy!  (Smiley thing, smiley thing.)

PS  One down, four to go.

hurray england, fuck off wales

Hurray football, fuck of rugby

It's the big one today...England vs France.  Temperature raised further ahead of this one by the French coach's comments.  Not really sure what he was hoping to achieve by saying what he said...but I hope Ashton answers with a swallow dive or two over the try line.

Lievremont: Bit of a dick (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/9403441.stm)

I think I'm going to be too absorbed with our our game to bother with Italy vs Wales, but Scotland vs Ireland tomorrow could be entertaining.  Expect Ireland to win that one...but maybe not by much.

Looking forward to the game today... i don't really like France in general, so any victory over them in anything is welcome. I think we'll win by 2 scores. It's nice to see us playing some running rugby, the new faces seem to lack any fear and it makes for a far more entertaining spectacle.

good grief, you really are a cave dweller arent you? go and do some finger painting and the leave the adults to have a conversation

England 17-9 France.

Have it!  I needed a pick me up.

i checked the town score just as it went to 1-1 and then found out we'd imploded.
today i was focused on rugby

Great win for Italy today! Does England a huge favour too.

Just need the Welsh to win now. Still worried Ireland will take the title by beating us next week.

For some reason Ireland always win in Wales.....in fact Wales have only won once in the last 30 years.

True, but what really matters is winning the Grand Slam in which case it is irrelevant what other teams do. Great win for the I-ties though.

Any win for minnows in rugby is always good. slowly, they are bringing the developing nations up to standard. VERY SLOWLY




All credit to Italy tho, France are no pushovers.

Italy came of age today.  Brilliant result for them.  I hope they carry on improving in the same way that Argentina did once they established themselves.

Tomorrow's a massive game.  Especially in our house.  There's nothing more the wife would like than for Scotland to spoil the party!

As Charvis said before the Wales v Ireland game yesterday, Italy get a scalp every year or so - it was coming. And like Charvis I agree that Italy deserve it because they are a plucky team who work hard and are not that far off the others.

Bring on 3 o'clock

Not really the start I was after.  This could be a bum squeaker.

Unless by scalp you mean 'lose by not as much as they were expected too', that charvis statement is bollocks.

Ermm, they beat France?

Are you on drugs?

I'll take that.

I would argue that occasionaly beating wales and scotland at home do not constitute as scalps. That's what I meant, not that they beat france yesterday, which is impressive

Wales have won the tournament twice in the last 10 years Dave, Italy could only dream of that. Besides, the word scalp simply means victory.

Anyway, back to England - typical rubbish performance I expected against Scotland. If the jocks had more quality we'd have been done today.

Too many unforced errors, better teams would've punished us.

Think we'll beat the Oirish next week though.

agreed. hopefully that's our shittest performance out of the way...

Did anyone hear Inverdale on Radio Five earlier (maybe about 1pm?)  Really went off on one with a compare & contrast of Declan Kidney's acceptance of Wales' dodgy try that effectively robbed Ireland of a shot at the Grand Slam (along the lines of 'We're not happy, but there are people dying out there in Japan, and some you win, some you lose') and Arsene Wenger after Arsenal lost to Man U (who was all for calling in the UN and calling for a No Fly Zone over Manchester).

Whenever you try comparing football and rugby culture, especially when it comes to respect for officials, you run the risk of being accused of class snobbery - because of the association of rugby with middle class values and football with the working classes.  But if you can see past that, I think there's a lot of sense in what Inverdale said...he was very clear that Wenger had demeaned himself and the game.

Dave's comment in the other thread that 'football is shit' struck a chord.

Phew! That's about it really. Bring on Ireland.

Can't decide if England are shit or if Ireland are just playing really well.

Think it's probably a combination of the two

I think everyone is much of a muchness this year. Ireland look way better than England, but lost to Wales, who lost to the same England side. Even France look a bit meh.

I'm really going off sport in general.  As Dave Allen once said, this is not our Annus Horribilis.  It's an Annus Anus: an arsehole of a year.

What are the point differences? If we lose by 20 could the Welsh realistically win the thing if they smash France?

Possibly, but they'd have to completely twat them Wales are only +25 at the moment and England look like being about +45ish at the end of this

Ah good. Only thing would be with nothing to play for how much do the French want to screw us over...

France have a point to prove after theit Italy defeat.  I think they'll win.  The Six Nations crown will seem am little jaded if we do win it.  Shame we had to have this heading in to the World Cup.

Obviously I'm hoping they've been knocking back the Bordeaux since lunch and are just looking for a casual kickabout, but I've got the feeling that Ossie might have it right

Well, the French are doing us a favour here.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/sixnations/2011/0322/england_video.html

Apologies if this has been posted anywhere else already, someone e-mailed it to me today.