Winners and Losers

Now the Six Nations has ended - lets review the Winners and Losers:

Top Team: France
Congratulations to France! A well deserved Grand Slam. By far the most entertaining team in a close tournament.

Coach of Tournament: Andy Robinson
To recover and rebuild a team after the heartache in Cardiff and Rome and 6then draw with England and win at Croake Park takes some doing. Even more so given the depleted resources at his disposal. How England could do with him. Robinson may be a soulless miseryguts but he's a great coach and proved it turning the basket case which is Scottish rugby into winners. Well done.

Time to Retire Award: Shared - Martyn Williams and John Hayes
Age is a great humbler and neither player is the player they were. Retire now boys and let the fans remember the good times.

Underachiever Award: Jamie Roberts
A shadow of the player who enthralled us with the Lions. Very disappointing Autumn with the lack of form showing through to the six nations. Desperately over-rated.

Moment of Stupidity Award: Shared Alun Wynne-Jones & Mike Blair
Wynne-Jones for the costing Wales any hope of a win in Twickenham and Mike Blair for that drop out in Cardiff. How they will be haunted.

Give That Man a Medal award: Andy Powell
Buggygate did more to bring rugby back to the masses than the dull stuff on offer in many games. MBE for services to Rugby.

British Player of Tournament: Dan Parks
Written off as an uninspiring has been. Parks was extremely solid - the rock which kept Scotland moving forward. A great signing for next season for my stuttering Cardiff Blues.

Team Rankings:

France - 9/10 - Grand Slam and deservedly so
Ireland - 6/10 - Over-rated and over confident. Great to see them humbled at croaker.
England - 6/10 - Could of been so much more. Need to relax more and allow players to deviate from the script.
Wales - 4/10 - One decent win and a lucky win over Scotland. Abysmal defence and line out. Gatland at risk if Wales get stuffed by Boks and All Chokes in June.
Scotland - 7/10 - Given the injuries and talent pool, a reasonable season. Who would have thought they were 10 minutes from a Triple Crown.
Italy - 5/10 - Offer little but Mallet at least making them competitive.

Hypothetical Lions Squad:
No British Lions Tour this summer but a quick look at the home nations form team:

15 Bryne - marginally gets the nod as Kearney not fully fit.
14 Bowe - very solid again
13 Hook - mercurial figure. Hero to villain in minutes but totally unpredictable.
12 O'Driscoll - No one challenging
11 Shane - Now 33 and getting better with age. A great tournament again
10 Parks - More come backs than Sinatra but very solid.
9 O'Leary - Pick of Home scrum halves by some distance
1 Jacobsen - Caused lots of problems
2 Hartley - controversial perhaps but Flannery doesn't get the call for cynical trip against France
3 Cole - still learning but a great emerging talent
4 O'Connell - Supreme aaginst Wales - the Governor
5 Borthwick - Coach's captain but much maligned and played very solidly
6 Ferris - Ulster's flyer caused problems for every team
8 Beattie - A close call with Easter & Heaslip but gets the nod for his performance vs England
7 Barclay - forward of the Tournament for me

3 Welshmen, 3 Englishmen, 5 Irishmen, 4 Scotsmen - how much has changed in 12 months!

Final Flourish

The final Six Nations weekend is upon us and the last chance for players and coaches to get anything positive out of the championship. All three games are pivotal to their coaches future plans.

Wales v Italy
A pretty crap campaign will come to a victorious end for Wales at Cardiff. Italy do not travel well and have been further unsettled by injuries. Kaine Robertson starts on the wing and they are recalls for Bortolami and Josh Sole in the pack. The key for Italy will be to try and unsettle Wales upfront. Craig Gower is a very talented footballer and will get their pedestrian backs moving enough to cause a few heartstopping moments for the Welsh defence. What of Wales? Well for starters, Gatland will be hoping to go 80 minutes with 15 men on the paddock. Indiscipline has cost Wales dear and the bare minimum required is to avoid further Yellow cards. Bryne showed some form against the Irish and will be confident again. Debutant winger Tom Prydie is a real talent but is untested at top level having only played the bare minimum of 1st class games. Mike Philips is recalled at scrum half and Gethin Jenkins returns to give Wales back some much need power in the front row. The excellent Bradley Davies is improving every game as a ball carrier and carries on with Charteris in the boiler room. At back row, I struggle to understand the selections. What is the point of bringing Delve in for 1 game to drop him? I am delighted to see Warburton at open side but I would have put Ryan Jones at 6 and left Delve at 8. Still Wales will deliver the goods and paper over the cracks in another disappointing season. Wales by ten points.

Ireland v Scotland
Well to shut me up, the Irish blew Wales away last weekend despite being on the defensive back foot for most of the game. I can't see Scotland making much of an impact but there are reasons for optimism for Andy Robinson. Barclay, Brown, and Beattie will give the Irish back row a run for their money and Parks will cause problems for Sexton. The Irish front row will also find Jacobsen and Murray much more of a test than the powder puff Welsh front row. Ireland have the Croake Park crowd to spur them on and I think despite Scotland's best efforts, a comfortable home win. Ireland by five points.

France v England
I backed England to cause an upset and spoil the French party and I still stand by that. England have a fantastic record in Paris and have at least 1 great game in them in very championship. The French are notorious chokers when going gets tough. Whilst I believe England will win, I really think it would be a very bad thing for both England and rugby as a whole. I'm not talking about my natural Celtic hatred of the Rose but it will send a false message on the state of English rugby. France have been the one good thing of this tournament. They absorbed everything Ireland could throw at them and then blew them away with power. They avoided the banana skin in Murrayfield and clinically dealt with Wales. Despite the close score in Cardiff, you always felt France could step up a gear if needed. They have played some great rugby. Parra has been supreme at scrum half, Bastaread has shown real power and Harinordoquy owned the back row. France deserve the title and a Grand Slam. What of England? I am delighted to see Foden and Ashton who are both extremely exciting prospects. The question is what ball will they see? The recall of Tindall is hardly a positive step forward. Flutey has gone AWOL for most of the tournament and Flood is hardly a world beater at fly half. The England pack remain strong and have grown in confidence. Dan Cole getting better by every game, Borthwick and Deacon very strong and in good form and a very solid back row. Haskell is not the player of 12 months ago, Easter will be steady and solid and Worsley despite his IQ will defend strongly and cause the French problems. Care is the pivotal player. Will he be allowed to play? The problem I have is the negative coaching and game plan mentality of Johnson. Everything is planned to a game plan and its dull stuff. There is no spark of creativity allowed in the Johnson world. A comfortable win in Paris, will make him believe his plan is right and that would be the wrong thing. England will right the wrongs and put France to the sword once again. A sad day for those rugby fans who like to see flair and creativity versus dull grinding. It isn't good for England either. England need to find a way to encourage players like Care, Flutey, Ashton, Foden not stiffle them. England by three points.

Very Dull Weekend

What dull stuff was served up by the Home Nations in Saturday's matches. Ireland clinically finished off a toothless Welsh team whilst Scotland and England played out a very dull bore draw.

Ireland v Wales
Wales proved toothless in attack and defence against a solid Irish team at Croke Park. The Welsh side looked tired and several players should be dropped. You can't have 70% possession and get stuffed that badly. Sure - Byrne's yellow card was harsh but Wales conceded a penalty in their own 22m area a couple of minutes later which was a definite yellow. Lets look at the Welsh Pluses and Minuses:

Plus points:
Bradley Davies - growing in confidence match by match. Wales best ball carrier!
Gareth Delve - a good solid return to the shirt. Encouraging.
Jamie Roberts - his best performance this season. Several powerful runs.
Lee Byrne - I thought he had his best six nations performance whilst he was on the field. Solid kicking, took lots of high balls.

Minus points:
Line Out - what a shambles. Gone back 10 years
Defence - terrible. Weak tackling and poor positioning.
Martyn Williams - retire Martyn whilst we still remember the good times.
Stephen Jones - Surely we have a better fly half? Aimless kicking and unimaginative in attack.

For Ireland - O'Leary and O'Connell were supreme and completely outplayed the Welsh. Earls and Bowe do not have the dancing feet of the Welsh wingers but are strong and powerful in attack. Other than Delve, Ireland's back row had so much additional power it was embarrassing. You have to look at Wales and question how many would get in the Ireland team? Bradley Davies might shade O'Callaghan, Adam Jones over John Hayes. Roberts we know works well with O'Driscoll - so would replace D'Arcy but other than that no one good enough. Lots of rebuilding to do and it has to start with the coaches. Robyn McBride always struggled as Welsh hooker and the forwards aren't going anywhere right now. Some bravery required.
Wales still have to face Italy - thank god - its at home. Biggar in for Jones, Philips on bench at least although Richie Rees has done nothing wrong behind a beaten pack. I would stick with Delve, bring Ryan Jones back at 6, and blood Warburton at 7.

Scotland v England
A draw probably a fair result. Another poor English performance. Jonny had another lamentable game with the ball in hand and other than his goal kicking, he wouldn't make a 3rd XV. Care was much more solid but the English backs lack, pace, invention, and talent. Flutey has become invisible. Armitage runs from trouble, Monye is too stupid, Tait, too slow. England's front row handled the Scots well and had very strong 2nd row but the back row also very worrying. Haskell has gone backwards. Worsley offered nothing. A long hard lesson needs to be learned if England are to progress. Johnson seems to manage like an American Football coach. All set plays and game plans. Its not working and ends up as very dull stuff to watch.

For Scotland, a brave performance considering the small talent pool and injury ravaged squad. Barclay and Beattie were the pickof the forwards on display. Parks again very solid. But at the end of the day, it was dull turgid stuff turned out by both teams. The All Blacks will hardly be scared of facing any of these teams and the future for British Rugby looks bleak at the moment.

France v Italy
One sided rout as expected. France are a delight to watch after the turgid b**llocks served up by the home countries. Lets hope they win a grand slam. For Italy, they have a chance to win two matches by defeating the wounded dragon. In some ways that might be good for Wales and the tournament. Lets hope things get better next week - they can hardly get worse....

The 4^th week of matches has two crackers scheduled to make Saturday a rugby fans juices flow. The all-Celtic clash in Dublin should be full of passion and intensity whilst North of Hadrian’s fine wall – The wounded Rose has to face the sweaties in the last chance saloon in Old Reekie. Let’s look ahead to this weekend’s clashes:

Ireland v Wales

The Irish come straight from their Twickenham triumph to face Wales at Croke Park. Croaker has not been the fortress the Irish were hoping for and Wales will be looking for another win following their 2008 triumph here. The game makes a significant landmark for two of the Northern Hemisphere’s finish players. Brian O’Driscoll joins a very select band of rugby centurions, whilst Martyn Williams restored to the welsh captaincy surpasses Colin Charvis’s record for a Welsh forward. The form book favours the Irish who yet to fire on all cylinders this season and Declan Kidney names an unchanged side for the visit of the valley boys. That means no place for Leo Cullen in 2^nd Row once again, and the stuttering Sexton starts again ahead of O’Gara. There will be no surprises from the Irish. Solid forward platform and strong defensive backline. Wales are trying to shake off their tag of being a second half team. A half decent first half would help. Matthew Rees is back at Hooker and that should mean the Welsh line out returns to some element of stability. Wales should just have the edge in front row. Adam Jones is due a big game and Cian Healy struggled to contain Dan Cole last week. The excellent Bradley Davies forms a new 2^nd row partnership with Luke Charteris which look a little lightweight compared to the brace of Munstermen in the equivalent row in the Irish pack. Ireland on top in the boiler room. The Irish should also have the edge in back row. Martyn Williams has a poor record as Welsh skipper and hasn’t looked sharp other than 60 minutes against England. The enigmatic Gareth Delve comes in for Ryan Jones. Delve has been one of the best No.8s in the Guinness Premiership with both Bath and Glaws but has struggled with injuries and has rarely started for Wales. He is a great ball carrier and this could be his game. Elsewhere Ferris and Heaslip will cause real problems and Ireland will win the pack battle. Wales have the edge in half backs, Ireland in the centres on current form. Roberts and Hook have shown only brief glimpses of their talent and Wales need both to have big games. Shane and Ha’penny are much smaller than Bowe and Earls but have pace and nimble feet on their side. Byrne should be peppering Murphy with high balls. Ireland are clear favourites chasing a triple crown and Wales have nothing but pride to play form. Wales have the potential to upset the pikies but IRELAND by Six Points.

Scotland v England

They don’t come bigger than this. The rose versus the Auld Enemy for the Calcutta Cup. England were disappointing against Ireland with half backs being the main problem area. Care didn’t take his chances well, and Jonny looks past it. Flutey was anonymous against Ireland and needs to get to the fore to build on a solid platform from the English forwards. Scotland caused problems for both Wales and Italy in front row and also have the British form players of the tournament in Barclay and Dan Parks. England need a strong error free first 20 minutes. They have the clear edge in the backs and are pretty even in the forwards. The recall of Worsley tells us England will play a very defensive games and I think that could be their undoing. I am pleased to see Leicester’s Ben Youngs on the bench as he will liven things during the second half. Scotland’s makeshift back line will not try to run the ball much. Hoof and chase is the order of the day for the jocks. Jonny needs to kick the multiple penalty chances he will be given. Robinson will be desperate for a Scottish triumph. Scotland have been very competitive in all their matches but still have no points in the championship and surprisingly that probably gives them the edge. Scottish pride is badly damaged and England’s poor record in Scotland does not give confidence. Johnson will have ripped them apart after the defeat at Twickenham. Deacon is no Simon Shaw and the English pack will have a very tough time. I am disspaointed that Foden hasn’t been given his chance but I guess it’s not the time to make reckless changes. If England are ahead by more than 3 points at half time then expect an England victory. If it’s close or Scotland have the lead at the break – then Scotland will triumph. It won’t be pretty viewing – a long hard forward grind is what I expect. Whomever scores a try first will win. Despite backing England at the start of the season, I think Scotland will bounce back but it will be very close. SCOTLAND by Two Points.

France v Italy

Pointless exercise in Paris. Italy will drag Les Bleus down to their level, but France have too much power and skill to lose.

FRANCE by Ten points.

Half way through the tournament and my predictions bang on so far.

An intriguing number of games this weekend to review:

Wales v France

I shall be heading down the M4 early today for the Friday night kick off. I have a natural dislike of Friday night club rugby and Friday night Six Nations is just wrong!

France looked very impressing in beating Ireland with some very powerful defence and they look a different class to everyone else. That said, this is France and you never know what will turn up on the day. Surely the French pack will be far too powerful for a Welsh set of forwards missing key players such as Gethin Jenkins, Rees at Hooker and Alun Wyn Jones. Golf Buggy Powell is dropped and Martyn Williams needs to show the form he had against England rather than Scotland for Wales to have any chance. Wales v France usually ends up with either a narrow Welsh win or a total rout by the French. I am delighted to see Richie Rees start at scrum half. Byrne needs a big game after two shockers against England and Scotland. Ha’penny and Shane will cause problems if they get the ball and Roberts and Hook starting to gel in the centre. So not all lost for Wales and they will run France close but no cigar. France by less than 5 points.

Scotland v Italy

Wooden spoon game. A shame for Scotland because they as predicted they have shown some definite improvement and competitiveness under Robinson. How will they recover from the mental angst of losing to Wales in the 80^th minute? They cannot afford to lose backs like Patterson and Evans and they will struggle in Rome. Italy will be buoyed up by the way they disrupted England and will play their usual dull, pedantic forward dominated style. Italy to run riot with a 10-15 point gap over the wounded Sweaties.

England v Ireland

The big one! You cannot over-state the importance of this game for both teams. Are England building a dynasty under Johnson or will he shortly be dispatched to failed coaches club with Rowell, Robinson, and Ashton? My welsh upbringing usually leads me to support any team playing England but as you all know – I am not a fan of the over-hyped, Pikies. Forget England’s aberration against Italy. The Rose will cause problems up front and have the talent in the backs to cause some real damage. Men will be made in this match and reputations can be lost forever. Care v O’Leary is a great battle at scrum half. Dan Cole looks like the new Leonard at prop and Borthwick/Shaw solid in 2^nd row. Back row will be a key battle ground as well with Ireland’s Ferris in top form against Haskell another area to watch closely. England’s problem is Jonny. His kicking from hand has looked awful in both matches so far. He has looked slow and ponderous and he isn’t getting his backs moving. The intelligent coach would be looking to switch Flutey and Wilkinson and play a 1^st 5/8^th and 2^nd 5/8^th combo in old Southern hemisphere style rather than Fly half/inside centre. There is no obvious replacement. With Cipriani on his way to Botany Bay, Hodgson and Goode are not the answer. So England have to get Flutey more in the game. Tait and Armitage need to stop the aimless kicking we saw in Rome and think more and Monye – needs to look for the pass rather than glory hunt on his own. As for Ireland, Bowe D’arcy, BoD look strong. It’s a big game for Sexton at Fly half. Will he have the bottle? I think it’s a brave selection. I’ve never rated O’Gara but he is the safe choice. Sexton could be the hero for Ireland. Murphy si a good full back but he’s not the player of 3-4 yrs ago. In the forwards, Flannery’s cynical foul means he sits this one out. Best is not the greatest replacement but he is better than Hartley. England should have brought Tommo or Mears in for this one. Ireland make a foolish change in 2^nd Row with Leo Cullen cruelly dropped for O’Callaghan. Makes no snese for me as Cullen has been the rock in 2^nd Row and outplayed O’Connell in both games so far. This will be a titanic battle. A England defeat again to the Pikies could well see Johnson on his way to the departure lounge but it won’t happen. England to win a tight game by less than 3 points.

Six Nations Preview

With the passion and the intensity of the Six Nations only 7 days away, below are my usual musings on the winners and losers of this greatest of sporting tournaments. I feel the form book will count for nothing and with the World Cup now only 18 months away, it will be very interesting to see how the Northern hemisphere challenge is building up.

The Autumn internationals didn’t really give us any form guide with many key players missing through injury and the Heineken Cup has shown strong form for France and Ireland with the other three home nations bringing up the rear. The disappointing standard of last year’s competition will be a distant memory as I feel we have the most exciting and close championship for many years with little to choose between the main protagonists. Let’s look team by team at their chances of victory and possibly the elusive Grand Slam.

ENGLAND

Despite an abysmal Autumn Series and the poor form of English clubs in the Heineken cup, England have a lot to be positive about. You never write off the English and the Rose will once again prove the critics wrong. Johnson has an embarrassment of riches behind the scrum with more choice and strength in depth here than most of the others. Will he go with the NZ centre combination of Flutey and Hape? Hipkiss and Tait also are in top form and have strong claims. Monye is always a threat with the ball with Ashton and Armitage offering solid back three talent and steel. Leicester’s Ben Youngs looks a real talent at scrum half and with Jonny back banging over the kicks, England will be very strong assuming they can gain and retain the ball. Ironically given the traditional England strength in the pack, there are real doubts in the forwards. Front row looks a challenge. The stuttering Borthwick looks increasingly like a lemon of a captain and Haskell, Moody and Croft haven’t shown the form of last season so far. The over-rated Easter looks slow and ponderous and it will be interesting to see how they develop as the games go on. England could be 1^st or 5^th in the championship depending on how the early games go. A decisive win over Wales could be followed by domination over Italy, and the settling of old scores over the Pikies and the sweaties with a finale at England’s 2^nd home – Stade de France. Possible Grand slam as England are a confidence team who will get stronger after an early win. Lose to Wales and more heartache will follow against Ireland and Scotland and 5^th place. I don’t see England blowing it and at 4-1 for the outright title they look a good bet. A very comfortable win over Wales will see England brimming with confidence and a Grand Slam.

Prediction: 1^st (Grand Slam).

FRANCE

Bridesmaids again for Les Bleus. Despite great form by their club sides – they have the banana skin of Scotland away to get over. Assuming that goes their way then France will see off Ireland in Paris, get over the ridiculous Friday evening fixture in Wales to go into the season finale on equal terms with England. France have an abysmal record against England in recent years and they will not relish facing an unbeaten England side in the final game. Wilkinson will kick them to defeat and another championship pondering what could have been for the French.

Prediction: 2^nd

IRELAND

The Irish flattered themselves last season in a poor championship. A stuttering win over England in Dublin but you wouldn’t take away the Grand Slam prize from the Irish – they were the best team in a poor competition. They will once again be feisty and unpredictable but the fixture draw doesn’t favour another championship. O’Driscoll still looks as good as ever, but the pack is starting to look a little bit like “dads army” again. The Irish have a habit of staying too long with the same players. Kearney and Bowe look very strong and capable but not sure the Irish know who to put with BoD. Earls had a shocking Lions tour and still hasn’t proven himself. Darcy looks at the end of his career, likewise the overrated O’Gara is definitely past his best. Difficult away trips to Paris and HQ won’t worry the Irish but the luck won’t be with them. Three wins leads to mid table.

Prediction 3^rd

WALES

No form in the Autumn and the club sides not playing well. Wales are struggling to adapt their natural urge to run the ball with the defensive demands and tactical kicking of the modern game. The welsh will bring all their usual hwyl and passion but to little avail. Too many injuries and poor form mean Gatland would be better blooding new players and building for the future rather than trying to hang on the past glories. Byrne will be the rock at the back with the dazzling feet of Shane and Ha’penny on the wings. Jamie Roberts has looked completely out of form other than one display for the Baa Baas. Will he rise to the challenge or fluff it again? Shanklin is at the end of his career and Bishop and Jonathan Davies have yet to convince in the shirt. I would like to see Hook given his chance again at inside centre with the excellent Dan Biggar forming a new half back combination with Richie Rees. Instead my betting is we will see Cooper and Stephen Jones. Why? Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones will cause front row problems for anyone. Ryan Jones is back at the top of his game but who will be with him in the back row? Great servant Martyn Williams has been for the Welsh, he is definitely past his best. The one dimensional Powell had his 15mins of fame and offers little in imaginative back row play. The young Warburton looks like they perfect replacement for Williams but will be get picked? 10 mins a game off the bench won’t build a World cup player. Wales have beaten England 3 times on the bounce and had a memorable win over England 2 years ago at HQ. England won’t screw up again and England and Ireland away will be too hard for the Welsh who will also be hit with France looking for their third win. Hard to see Wales beating anyone other than Scotland and Italy at home. Public pressure will grow on Gatland and it will be a hard championship for us. Definitely over-rated at 4-1 with the bookies.

Prediction: 4^th

SCOTLAND

A fantastic win over Australia was followed with the old Scotland against Argentina. Definite improvements in Scottish rugby and Andy Robinson will eventually prove his many doubters wrong and be recognised as a great coach. Unfortunately it won’t be at this championship. Glasgow and Edinburgh have both made significant progress and the new laws and style of game favour the dour, flair-less Scottish rugby style. Scotland will challenge France and that still looks like their best chance of any early upset. England must surely overcome the Scottish hoodoo and the jocks have an abysmal record away in Wales and Ireland. Difficult to see them beating anyone other than Italy but they will be close in most matches. A building year and another year of progress with little results to keep the SRU mandarins and Princess Anne happy. A win over France and England and it could be a very different story. It’s always hard to predict but I just don’t see a consistent killer instinct to put teams away.

Prediction 5^th

ITALY

The loss of Parise is a massive hammer blow. He was arguably the best forward in last year’s championship and the loss of him will really rip the soul out of the Italians. The Bergomasco brothers are definitely on the decline and it is very hard to see Italy winning anything yet again. I am not a fan of having them in the Six Nations. Other than nice weekends in Rome every other year, they have brought nothing to the championship. For all the talk of progress and getting better every year – they will threaten no one this season. Their cup final comes on 27^th February with the match with Scotland. Their only chance of any win this campaign. Robinson’s men will sweep them side in a close fought game and its wooden spoon again for the perennial cellar dwellers.

Prediction: 6^th (Wooden Spoon)

Just seven days to go….can’t wait!