The Silver Fern

From a mate

Deb and me were there for the previous lowest point in Welsh rugby - the Debacle in Nantes in 2007. Yesterday’s nadir was more surreal.

Picture the scene. Having left the ground early we are on the train back to Aberdare, with one AirPod each, watching on my phone, as England rack up more points, and all hopes of Welsh British Lions evaporate.

The only consolation is that we have a £1 bet at 80-1 for England to score 5 or more tries in each half. But with 78 minutes gone England need to score 2 more tries. Impossible? No. Pollock scores and England hurry the conversion so the game kicks off again with about 20 seconds left. I nudge Deb and say “Deb, England need to score from this kick-off for us to win £80.” A few moments later Double-Barrelingham-Smith scores England’s 10th try and the near empty carriage erupts with me screaming with joy.

The guard comes up to us and says “What’s happened? Are Wales back in the game?”

An unenthused Deb replies “No.”

England 42 Italy 24. Not a great game but it's beautiful spring afternoon in London.

@Dodge said in 6N 2025 England V Scotland:

@MiketheSnow said in 6N 2025 England V Scotland:

@Catogrande said in 6N 2025 England V Scotland:

@Dodge

Sums up my view completely, just a complete hotch-potch of selections and tactics. If the plan is to box kick all bloody day, then pick a 9 that can execute it well but if you pick two running 9s then why play kick the leather off the ball for most of the match? And as you say if you are going to kick then
A. Kick well.
B. Chase well
C. Do not kick to big top class dangerous runners like VDM and Kinghorn with two thirds of your back three being midgets.

It's not fucking rocket science, everyone and I do mean EVERYONE can see the issues but not Borthwick and his team. How blind or deluded do you have to be?

Croeso i Gymru
Welcome to Wales

its always irritated me that you change the spelling of the name of your country based on the word before it.

Irritates you!

The most moronic thing

Local town to me

Penywaun
Pen-y-waun
Head or top of the meadow

In Penywaun

Ym mhenywaun

Closer to Chinese than Welsh

Farrell is English isn't he? Might be a good coach for England. Ireland are apparently so good they don't need one.

Oh and Ramos is a turnstyle

@Catogrande it was a hamstring injury to all three muscles?

@Billy-Webb said in 6N Scotland v England:

@Dodge said in 6N Scotland v England:

I am so so sick of us being shit and physically unable to actually play rugby - passing and catching seems to be beyond most of them.

Saw a tweet from Healey that summed it up for me, with all the time they’ve spent together why do they play like strangers, why is the timing so off? More simply though, why do they look as though they’re concentrating too hard to remember every action of a specific script rather than see a chance and play for it? These guys were presumably the best players at their school, the best players at their clubs, why can’t they pass and catch?!

I get the frustration. I completely empathise with it.
Life as a rugby fan eh?!

Depends on your timeline, but as a Bok fan I fear England in the next RWC.
Given the playing personnel, and importantly the coaching personnel which now includes Felix (bloomin genius) I believe England will be a real force. It will just take a bit of time to move on from Jones and learn new playing structures.
Patience... from fans especially, and you may well get rewards.

[Disclaimer: I hope I am utterly delusional and England sucks at RWC 2027] 😛

Dunno about this. They will always have players, I think they are lacking real leadership.

And I don't see the leadership coming through. That RWC winning team was chock full of them. Where is the next Johnson, Wilkinson, Greenwood or Dallaglio?

I'm just not seeing it.

A realistic view of England's performance

Four talking points after England's narrowest-ever win over Italy Four talking points after England's narrowest-ever win over Italy

Steve Borthwick sure has his particular way with words. Save for the well-taken Elliot Daly try that saw the ball flash through numerous hands from one side of the Stadio Olimpico to the other, England were dull as dishwater trying to get across the gain line on Saturday.

@nostrildamus said in Eddie goooone?:

Um when they consider you one of them it is different..

Doubt any self-respecting Japanese would include fast Eddie in any of their groupings.

Here's the decision on that red card:

Zach Mercer red card dismissed

The Montpellier Hérault Rugby No 8, Zach Mercer, has had the red card shown to him during his club’s Heineken Champions Cup, Round of 16 match against the Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park, dismissed following an independent Disciplinary Hearing.

Mercer was sent off by the referee, Andrew Brace (Ireland), in the 50th minute of the match for tackling the Exeter Chiefs back row, Christ Tshiunza, in a dangerous manner in contravention of Law 9.13.

>Law 9.13 A player must not tackle an opponent dangerously
Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.13 relating to dangerous tackling carries the following sanction entry points – Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 6 weeks; Top end: 10 to 52 weeks.

An independent Disciplinary Committee comprising David Martin (Ireland), Chair, Gordon Black (Ireland) and Bogdan Zebega (Romania), viewed footage of the incident and heard evidence by video conference from Mercer, who accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but did not accept that it warranted a red card.

The committee also heard submissions from the Montpellier Hérault Rugby Director of Rugby, Philippe Saint André, from the club’s Defence and Laws Coach, Alex Ruiz, from the club’s Team Manager, Tom Whitford, and from the EPCR Disciplinary Officer, Liam McTiernan. The club’s legal representative, Joris Loupien, was also present during the hearing.

The committee decided that although Mercer had committed an act of foul play, the tackle did not warrant a red card. The sending off was therefore dismissed and Mercer is free to play.

EPCR have the right to appeal the decision.

@nostrildamus said in 6N 2023 England v France:

@Catogrande said in 6N 2023 England v France:

Don’t assume my gender, bitch.

Don't assume @Bones' species!

That is far too difficult to call.

@Crucial said in England v France 6N:

If he was a kiwi I definitely think he’d have a fair few supporters.

New Zealand doesn't have a shortage of highlight reel fans.

@Catogrande said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Victor-Meldrew said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Catogrande said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Victor-Meldrew said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Bones said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@sparky said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Bones Ollie Lawrence has had a decent game

So has Chessum.

Itoje pretty anonymous. Can't work out if he was engine-room mode or just, well, anonymous.

You sure you weren't watching a recording of last week's game? Itoje played well and came up with one or two really big plays.

Nothing wrong with being anonymous if you're in the tight 5 - means you're doing the hard yakka. Thought it was a pretty uncharacteristic game for him though.

Aah! I take your point. Not as gobby as before. I did pose the question on here during the Autumn series that Itoje is not the whooping, hollering dickhead for Sarries that he is for England and whether that was an Eddie stratagem. Maybe Borthwick doesn't go for the same mind games?

Eddie has openly admitted that he encouraged it. Itoje did buy into it though and it only built on what he was doing anyway.
Let’s hope this is a sign that he’s grown up.

@dogmeat said in England v Pakistan:

@Catogrande I think every Black Cap supporter can sympathise with English fans and appreciate them enjoying their success.

As I have said elsewhere though, they do seem to have had every bit of luck go their way. Whilst yeah you make your own luck and Bazball amplifies that, I do fear a readjustment is in sight. Hopefully for the England fans, their team's confidence is so high that they weather the knockbacks better than in the past.

Great performance though. I can easily see a 3-0 result when NZ tour Pakistan too, but unfortunately in favour of the home team.

Our press are considerably less wanky though

@Daffy-Jaffy first Seibold now Hodgson. What’s with the Aussie leaguies for defence coaches?

@nostrildamus said in Australia v England - the decider:

@MajorRage said in Australia v England - the decider:

@Derpus said in Australia v England - the decider:

@ACT-Crusader Something seriously wrong with you if you'd rather England win.

England fans have never:

Punched me on a train after a game Ruined a dinner party over rugby
> 3. Tried to start a fight with me after the ABs lost

Cmon England.

I'd be surprised at number 3 as well..

My experience of England rugby fans over the years has been almost entirely positive. Very little in the way of unpleasantness, just the occasional bit of boorish behaviour. Maybe it’s different seeing things from an opposition viewpoint. I would also say that my overall positive view of England fans is mirrored by all the other countries too. In the main, rugby fans first, jingoistic second.

@mariner4life said in France v England:

The damning thing for Eddie is I think England are playing less than the sum of their parts. That's on him.

Has he ever kept a job this long?

Yet Ian Foster is still in his job.

Some heated discussion:

@catogrande said in Italy v England:

But it’s Youngs that is killing us atm

Youngs might be the least deserving player to play 100 tests since Rob Simmons