England vs Wales - Sat 5.30pm - A New Hope

[Mellsblue]

S. Barnes in the S. Times is making the argument that Farrell actively avoids passing off his left hand… which is worrying in and of itself but also for chap stationed on the right wing hoping to get himself into test rugby…

Comes to something when the England captain can’t pass and the Welsh captain can’t throw

Sums up the two teams in comparison to the fare served elsewhere over the last couple of weekends.

[fivepointer]

Overall that was a pretty low grade performance but there are some crumbs of comfort. We won. That didnt look likely at one stage but the way we came back and controlled the last 15 minutes was very good. For the first time in quite a time we actually finished strongly. Our line out worked, both on our ball and challenging the Welsh throw. There were some fine individual performances - Earl, Daly, both centres had their moments and Cole and Ford made a difference from the bench.

[p/d]

I thought Cole’s defensive dance down the left flank very uplifting….. probably for all the wrong reasons

[Oakboy]

Overall that was a pretty low grade performance but there are some crumbs of comfort. We won. That didnt look likely at one stage but the way we came back and controlled the last 15 minutes was very good. For the first time in quite a time we actually finished strongly. Our line out worked, both on our ball and challenging the Welsh throw. There were some fine individual performances - Earl, Daly, both centres had their moments and Cole and Ford made a difference from the bench.

I wonder if SB and Wigglesworth agree with you. It will be interesting to see the selection for the Ireland game when, presumably, the best available 23 will be on duty together with SB's big match tactics.

Will he really go into that with Youngs and Care as the two SHs? Will Ford start with Smith on the bench? Will Tuilagi start or is he still out injured again? If Daly and Steward start in the back three, who will join them - Watson?

Will Saturday's six front rowers go again. Is Chessum fit to start with Itoje? What about the back row? Surely, Willis has to start but the other two?

You say 'some crumbs of comfort', 5p, but overall, might preparation have gone backwards overall after that performance?

[Mellsblue]

Ye gods. Would you let us recover from yesterday’s omnishambles before reminding us we have Ireland next weekend!

[16th man]

Ye gods. Would you let us recover from yesterday’s omnishambles before reminding us we have Ireland next weekend!

In theory, this is where we would say "we've got another week in camp to work on it", but right now I don't think we're seeing any evidence that the team is getting better.

Though, if the approach has been flogging the players for fitness boosts, then the tapering period into the actual tournament must be due to start soon, so hopefully it will start to look like the only time they see an actual ball all week isn't in the warm up to the test match at the end of it.

[Oakboy]

Ye gods. Would you let us recover from yesterday’s omnishambles before reminding us we have Ireland next weekend!

You mean scraping a win over half a Welsh team followed by losing to Ireland's reserves would be a smidge underwhelming?

[Oakboy]

Ye gods. Would you let us recover from yesterday’s omnishambles before reminding us we have Ireland next weekend!

In theory, this is where we would say "we've got another week in camp to work on it", but right now I don't think we're seeing any evidence that the team is getting better.

Though, if the approach has been flogging the players for fitness boosts, then the tapering period into the actual tournament must be due to start soon, so hopefully it will start to look like the only time they see an actual ball all week isn't in the warm up to the test match at the end of it.

I though I was guilty of straw-clutching . . .

[Banquo]

S. Barnes in the S. Times is making the argument that Farrell actively avoids passing off his left hand…

Yessssss!

(its been blindingly obvious he's weak left to right for ever....I may have mentioned it once or twice)

[Mellsblue]

S. Barnes in the S. Times is making the argument that Farrell actively avoids passing off his left hand…

Yessssss!

(its been blindingly obvious he's weak left to right for ever....I may have mentioned it once or twice)

But so weak he’s actively avoiding doing it…!!!

[Spiffy]

S. Barnes in the S. Times is making the argument that Farrell actively avoids passing off his left hand…

Yessssss!

(its been blindingly obvious he's weak left to right for ever....I may have mentioned it once or twice)

You are right. But it is difficult to understand that one of the world's most praised players (though not here ), aged over30 and in the professional era, has this basic problem and can't seem to fix it. It is not rocket science. I remember endless passing drills at school rugby level where we ran up and down the pitch at speed, passing repeatedly off both hands until it became more or less second nature and required no thought. (It might nave been an advantage that there was no proper gym, weights etc, (rural Ireland) so that every training session was outdoors and involved a lot of ball play.)

[FKAS]

Quite a few red zone pens, including an off the ball shot. He's been generous giving a warning.

Surely a scrum would be the option here?

Watching the game back this was incredibly frustrating. All of the momentum was with England, Wales were on a warning. To penalties 5m to choose from to either split the backs either side of the scrum or go to the lineout. We kick a simple 3 and go in for halftime because that's what Faz wants. Weird he didn't even talk to the forwards to see if they fancied it.

[Mr Mwenda]

So I missed the game as I was completely out of my bin by that stage. Are there no glimmers of positivity in winning a game with barely any players on the pitch?

[Puja]

So I missed the game as I was completely out of my bin by that stage. Are there no glimmers of positivity in winning a game with barely any players on the pitch?

It was pleasing that we regathered ourselves in adversity and hunted down and 8 point lead to win. Usually we fall apart under pressure, but here we kept our heads and played the rest of the yellow time tactically and to our strengths.

Other than that, the only major positive is the prospect of Farrell being banned.

Puja

[FKAS]

So I missed the game as I was completely out of my bin by that stage. Are there no glimmers of positivity in winning a game with barely any players on the pitch?

The pack worked better before Stuart got on the wrong side of sir at scrum time. We dominated the lineout, should have dominated the scrum and they only looked like scoring when we had players in the bin. Defence repelled two or three rolling mauls 5m out and the one occasion I remember Wales picking and going at our line we held them out.

Attack was pretty scruffy. The handbrake was doing his thing. Ford looked more composed and I'm still not 100% sure Marchant knocked a crossfield kick on in goal. Had the TMO been asked to review it I think it might have been given. Was a 50/50 type call. There's definitely some improvements but also a lot of frustration as with the backline on offer we should have really done a lot more damage, particularly in the first half which finished with us taking 3 points with a pen 5m out and Wales on a warning instead of looking to go for it with the scrum (at that point) and the lineout on top. Don't know what Farrell was thinking. Discipline needs to be improved.

[Mr Mwenda]

Don't know what Farrell was thinking.

Reading through the thread it seems possible that he wasn't at all.

[Mikey Brown]

So I missed the game as I was completely out of my bin by that stage. Are there no glimmers of positivity in winning a game with barely any players on the pitch?

I missed it too. Made it up to about 60 minutes now and it doesn't seem like the people on here were joking about how dull it is. The fact I was pondering whether to even bother probably says something.

A shame to see JVP's injury. That looked pretty awkward on the replay.

Thoughts in no particular order before we get to the fun (relatively) part of the game.

Earl looks lively and physical. Vunipola does not. Lawrence doesn't look fully fit? Arundell without the core skills as a wing and no ball to actually run with has obviously been a complete waste of time. Daly looks good however, but at least gets to stand to the left of Farrell. Steward's tackle on Adam was idiotic. Marchant is good at restarts.

Struggling to say anything much about the tight five. Not sure what that means.

I was under the impression from elsewhere that Farrell had been having quite a good game until his moment. I'm not even saying he was terrible but this was quite objectively a mixed bag of a performance, to say the least. Pretty solid in the first half and had a few nice kicks, busted a gut to chase across and make a key tackle at one point, but dreadful in this second 20 so far.

[Puja]

So I missed the game as I was completely out of my bin by that stage. Are there no glimmers of positivity in winning a game with barely any players on the pitch?

I missed it too. Made it up to about 60 minutes now and it doesn't seem like the people on here were joking about how dull it is. The fact I was pondering whether to even bother probably says something.

I was under the impression from elsewhere that Farrell had been having quite a good game until his moment. I'm not even saying he was terrible but this was quite objectively a mixed bag of a performance, to say the least. Pretty solid in the first half and had a few nice kicks, but dreadful in this second 20 so far.

Have you got to the bit where he tries to pump the ball to dummy and instead just drops it yet? Cause that was my favourite.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

So I missed the game as I was completely out of my bin by that stage. Are there no glimmers of positivity in winning a game with barely any players on the pitch?

I missed it too. Made it up to about 60 minutes now and it doesn't seem like the people on here were joking about how dull it is. The fact I was pondering whether to even bother probably says something.

I was under the impression from elsewhere that Farrell had been having quite a good game until his moment. I'm not even saying he was terrible but this was quite objectively a mixed bag of a performance, to say the least. Pretty solid in the first half and had a few nice kicks, but dreadful in this second 20 so far.

Have you got to the bit where he tries to pump the ball to dummy and instead just drops it yet? Cause that was my favourite.

Puja

Yeah, I felt that was taking the cliche about him not being able to pass left to right a bit too far.

[Mikey Brown]

Update: Biggar is a cock.

[Banquo]

Update: Biggar is a cock.

..on the park. Lovely guy off it, strangely, and sort of sadly.

[Banquo]

I missed it too. Made it up to about 60 minutes now and it doesn't seem like the people on here were joking about how dull it is. The fact I was pondering whether to even bother probably says something.

I was under the impression from elsewhere that Farrell had been having quite a good game until his moment. I'm not even saying he was terrible but this was quite objectively a mixed bag of a performance, to say the least. Pretty solid in the first half and had a few nice kicks, but dreadful in this second 20 so far.

Have you got to the bit where he tries to pump the ball to dummy and instead just drops it yet? Cause that was my favourite.

Puja

Yeah, I felt that was taking the cliche about him not being able to pass left to right a bit too far.

you know what they say about cliches?

mind, I was not aware of the left to right thing being commonly said in general commentary....

[Mikey Brown]

Have you got to the bit where he tries to pump the ball to dummy and instead just drops it yet? Cause that was my favourite.

Puja

Yeah, I felt that was taking the cliche about him not being able to pass left to right a bit too far.

you know what they say about cliches?

mind, I was not aware of the left to right thing being commonly said in general commentary....

Oh god not on TV commentary obviously, you'd only expect a "rare mistake from Farrell there" if anything at all. I just meant it's been an observation on here for years, and I'd seen it mentioned in this match thread before watching the game. I was expecting a poor/slow pass, but that was a real beauty.

It's crazy that he now has this Marcus Di Rollo-esque blooper reel and pundits don't acknowledge it in the slightest.

[Mikey Brown]

Update: Biggar is a cock.

..on the park. Lovely guy off it, strangely, and sort of sadly.

I mean Farrell and Sexton seem to be perfectly nice guys off the field too, but I guess that on-field persona is inseparable from the kinds of players they are.

[Banquo]

Update: Biggar is a cock.

..on the park. Lovely guy off it, strangely, and sort of sadly.

I mean Farrell and Sexton seem to be perfectly nice guys off the field too, but I guess that on-field persona is inseparable from the kinds of players they are.

Biggar is genuinely nice and generous with his time. dunno re f and s, tho never really noticed sextons on field persona, certainly compared to the other 2.