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E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
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They’ve picked some 19 year old ahead of Basteraud which makes me feel better with Anscombe but this kid will probably score a hatrick
 

ehalse

SC Supporter
Jan 31, 2005
71
21
To be fair the kid has some decent heritage!

I feel it’s a strong wales team that should do well. Not sure how well the french will start. Fingers crossed!
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
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To be fair the kid has some decent heritage!

I feel it’s a strong wales team that should do well. Not sure how well the french will start. Fingers crossed!

Yeah Emile. Like you say, good stock.

The French are so unpredictable but actually, looking at last year they were pretty consistent.

Lost by 2 points at home to Ireland in the opening game from a injury time worldy drop goal

Lost by 4 points to Scotland away (Murray field is a tough place to go these days)

Beat England at home

Beat Italy

Lost to Wales in Cardiff by 1 point.

We have to start well. If we can get a 6-10 point lead at HT we should be ok.
 

DaiT

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2011
374
698
FFS EY17YID just tell me we are going to win. We dont want to be overconfident though. Are you quietly confident? Just give me the nod bach. Diolch.
 

E17yid

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Jan 21, 2013
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FFS EY17YID just tell me we are going to win. We dont want to be overconfident though. Are you quietly confident? Just give me the nod bach. Diolch.

It’s a 50:50 game.

I’m quietly confident with a big emphasis on the quietly.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
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Any Welshman who’s given it the biggen thinking we’re goung to walk this are mental. We won by 1 point at home last year and the last time we played in Paris we lost so recent history would slightly favour the French.
 

Arnoldtoo

The thinking ape's ape
May 18, 2006
35,335
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Any Welshman who’s given it the biggen thinking we’re goung to walk this are mental. We won by 1 point at home last year and the last time we played in Paris we lost so recent history would slightly favour the French.

The bookies - or the punters - can't really choose between the two, but I honestly think you'll win by 10.
 

E17yid

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Jan 21, 2013
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The bookies - or the punters - can't really choose between the two, but I honestly think you'll win by 10.

Yeah I saw the odds the other day. Even money fit both pretty much. Like I said it’s a 50:50 game. I can see either team winning by 3-10
Points but no more than 10.

If it was at home and we had a full team (tbf, our injuries are not as bad as they have been) I’d fancy us more but away, with a few players out, it’s going to be tough. Then you factor in we’ve got a few players who ain’t played a lot of rugby recently (Moriarty, Liam Williams) and some others who aren’t in good form (Parkes and Davies) and I can’t shake this little niggling bad vibe I have about the game.

Oh and the last time we played in Paris was the infamous 100min game which we lost and who was ref that day and who’s the ref tomorrow? The worlds favourite QC ref.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
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Daly over brown at full back is a huge call. He is in really poor form and bad under the high ball. Irish will be licking their lips.



England starting XV (485 caps)
15 Elliot Daly (Wasps, 25 caps), 14 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers, 40 caps), 13 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 17 caps), 12 Manu Tuiagi (Leicester Tigers, 27 caps), 11 Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 29 caps), 10 Owen Farrell (Saracens, 65 caps), 9 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 80 caps); 1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 51 caps), 2 Jamie George (Saracens, 32 caps), 3 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins, 17 caps), 4 Maro Itoje (Saracens, 26 caps), 5 George Kruis (Saracens, 27 caps), 6 Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons, 8 caps), 7 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 5 caps), 8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 36 caps).

Finishers (206 caps)
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps), 17 Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 5 caps), 18 Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs, 15 caps), 19 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 68 caps), 20 Nathan Hughes (Wasps, 18 caps), 21 Dan Robson (Wasps, uncapped), 22 George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 51 caps), 23 Chris Ashton (Sale Sharks, 42 caps).
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
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It's amazing how disjointed the England team looks now considering how solid we looked about 18 months ago. Shows how much can change in a relatively short period.

Theoretically it looks like a strong team, although the 6/7 combination is very inexperienced at this level.

I like having Farrell back at 10, but whilst Slade and Tuilagi should in theory be a great combo, I suspect they've never played together, and it's a huge match to be testing out a new combination.

As @teok says as well, Daly at full-back is a massive call. I suppose the theory is that as neither him or Brown are playing particularly well, you include Daly for his potential to land those big kicks. I expect to see him absolutely peppered with high balls tomorrow though and that is a massive concern.

At least there are a few more potential line-breakers than we've had for a while, and it's also a relatively strong bench, but I still can't see anything other than an Irish win.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
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They might target Daly with high balls but they don’t tend to give the ball away cheaply, they like to keep the ball and suffocate teams that’s why you’ve got to beat them at the breakdown. They might fancy themselves to win the ball back if they target Daly with high balls but it’s risky. Daly has a big fuck off boot on him too. Mind you when you have two good kickers in Murray and Sexton you can mix it up. Perhaps they’ll put up a few early testers his way and see how he handles them.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
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It's amazing how disjointed the England team looks now considering how solid we looked about 18 months ago. Shows how much can change in a relatively short period.

Theoretically it looks like a strong team, although the 6/7 combination is very inexperienced at this level.

I like having Farrell back at 10, but whilst Slade and Tuilagi should in theory be a great combo, I suspect they've never played together, and it's a huge match to be testing out a new combination.

As @teok says as well, Daly at full-back is a massive call. I suppose the theory is that as neither him or Brown are playing particularly well, you include Daly for his potential to land those big kicks. I expect to see him absolutely peppered with high balls tomorrow though and that is a massive concern.

At least there are a few more potential line-breakers than we've had for a while, and it's also a relatively strong bench, but I still can't see anything other than an Irish win.

Completely agree about Daly v Brown. I think they'll target him right from the off. As you say though, in what could be a tight game, you really have to use the option of Daly's long range kicking. I do wonder though if that wouldn't be better used from the bench if we're still in it with 15 minutes to go. I also hope we get to grips early with how Owens is going to ref the breakdown.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
10,836
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Mike brown was dropped by eddie and has come back to find his best form for years (it shows that some of his managerial stuff does work). Then not picking him?

Daly is a brilliant player but he is a winger/centre. If he has a bad start we don't have an actual full back in the squad (this is where I really scratch my head with eddie withy these calls). Nowell could theoretically play there but he is pretty much no experience and is another converted winger.

The other weird call is no launchbury (arguably our best second row). I really must miss what kruis does in the scrum or some thing because there is no way he is a better all round player than either launchbury all lawes.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
16,984
30,494
Henshaw at 15 is interesting. Leavey must be injured then if Der flier is in

15. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)
14. Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
13. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)
11. Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
10. Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
9. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)

1. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2. Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) 112 (c)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)
4. Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
5. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
7.Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)
8. CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster)

Replacements
16. Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
17. David Kilcoyne(UL Bohemians/Munster)
18. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)
19. Quinn Roux(Connacht)
20. Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster)
21. John Cooney (Ulster)
22. Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Munster)
23. Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
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Ireland really do have such a stable and balanced team at the moment.

If they can keep that 23 more or less fit then they should win the Grand Slam, and you really do have to put them in the top 2 when it comes to the World Cup.
 
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