Six Nations 2012.

Big Dog wrote:How much longer are they going to allow Italy to be the whipping boy of the 6 nations?

They've beaten Scotland more often than not in recent years, it's probably just Scotland's decent record against England that has condemned the Italians to a couple more wooden spoons!

Like Scotland they're competitive up front but don't have much of a cutting edge. If England play as badly in Rome as at Murrayfield I wouldn't rule out a bit of history being made.

Sorry Mick, was offline. As Merls says, it was cold, and also a bit slimy (the England shirts had the dye of the sponsors' paint all over them) but the pitch didn't rule out running rugby. It's just that there wasn't a lot of line-breaking, and both defences were fairly sound.

Not sure which way the SN might turn this year.

It would be a start for England if they could hold off Italy in doubtlessly sunny Rome.

Another undewrwhelming Lilywhite performance.

Overall, I'm glad the England pressure in the last quarter did not convert into many points. It would have tempted some spectators (and players. handlers?) to believe all was well.

Problems aplenty, not all teething problems of an overhauled and inexperienced side.

Unless there is something in the planning, orders, tactics or whatever that is not evident to those outside the inner sanctum,. Youngs looks out of his depth as an international Number 9. He is ponderous, deadly slow on the feed, and lacking ideas. (Excellent sure-footed tackler and 100%er, though.) I'm not sure DIckson is the answer either - but at least when he came on he showed dynamism, intent and willingness to explore the options intelligently (he doesn't LOOK like a scrum half, so long and slim he has to crouch for most fetching & feeding actions - but got the line going and drove England forward, which Youngs had singularly failed o do - again.) Odd this, because Youngs is normally quick on his feet and on the uptake too. A couple of times he has come on as a replacement utility back and played a starring understudy role. Maybe that's his best function.

Odd also for an England team, the forwards look a bit sluggish in set plays, and the front row in particular (until the last quarter) fragile in the scrum. (What is Rowntree supposed to be doing?) The hooker (Hartley) was absolutely BA on the throw-in too ..... back to the "halcyon" days when a young Thompson was throwing either to the opposition, or crooked. It may be that the codes or summat weren't working, the second rowers may have been dozy, but it was in any case an abject lesson in throwing in to the lineout.

Despite scoring the try from the chargedown (again), Chargedown Charlie looked a pale imitation of Toby Flood, whose distributional skills were missed.

So what cheer?

A win is a win, I suppose. Italy missed Fidel John The Baptist when his ribs got knackered and he went off. But they are still a decent team nowadays, despite woody's disparaging remak near the top of the thread.

And the back five were generally good, in defence especially, not too bad in attack either whenever they could get the ball. ~ Strange turnaround for an England team.

However, England can expect to get flattemed three times if they don't pick up from these underwhelming performances (and I would say make a couple of pivotal changes - at 2 and 9).

Frogs vs Paddies called off almost at kickoff. Has anything like this ever happened before in international rugby?

Ireland should be awarded the match, no excuse for a stadium like that not to have undersoil heating and even more shambolic to call it off right before kick-off.

...As well as playing a midwinter match that late in the evening... though the people involved in broadcasting rights are probably more to blame than anyone else for the timing. Considering the way the camera lenses were freezing over, the decision, though no doubt unpopular, was, perhaps, the right one.

Joyzus, Blighty only just got out of gaol v the Spaghetti-eaters.

This is funny...

Must say, though - had it happened to a soccer match in South Africa, England or South America, the outcome may have been much more disastrous.

skully wrote:Joyzus, Blighty only just got out of gaol v the Spaghetti-eaters.

A win is a win is a win skulls - no matter how ugly.

I know ... it's sad ... but the playing conditions were atrocious ... and England did gift the Italians two tries ...
Good to see them regroup and come back to win ... ugly as it was.

Ugly, scrappy wins will be better for England in the long run.....As long as they keep improving.

On paper, well, on the beeb site, which is all I can see of it, it's two played, two won. Fantastic. Nothing else to be said. On paper.

A website isn't on paper ...

Yorkie Jill wrote:On paper, well, on the beeb site, which is all I can see of it, it's two played, two won. Fantastic. Nothing else to be said. On paper.

Add "against Scotland and Italy, neither of which made the RWC play-off rounds", and you may want to burn off the right half of the paper.

well it has been a nice intro to the tournament.

Maybe I printed it off, Peter.