6N 2022

[GB72]

This is going to get messy. The various unions cannot afford another 6 Nations behind closed doors and so I suspect something will happen. Cannot see any more sporting bailouts and to have to take those losses again may be too much for a sport that already has funding issues.

Then we have the added issue of non vaccinated players not being allowed to play rugby at any level in France.

 

[Liverbirdie]

We are due to go to Paris end of March for the France England game
Fingers crossed, but who knows what the regs will be then

How did you get tickets for an away game, Phil?

We get the odd ticket for home games through the england XV membership, but would love to go to one of the away games, as well, especially Paris.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

We booked a package through gullivers travels, Eurostar hotel & tickets , my carer has used them before.

?

 

[D-S]

Thats much further.

Well about about 7 miles further.

 

[IanM]

Remember, it was Cardiff Council stopping English (and Scottish) tourists.

This is rugby fans wanting to watch games. An online petition to remove Drakeford is doing good business, although it has no actual meaning

Newport County fans went En masse to Walsall (think it was) last week as they are not allowed to go to home games!

 

[IanM]

Ps. Stopping rugby in Wales would result in civil disorder

 

[Carlwm]

Lots of folk from Chepstow nipped over the border for New Years Eve. Same would happen for the rugby regardless of where games are played.

Not sure why folks needed to go to England for New Year's Eve. Pubs were open all over the festive period and all the ones I went to had a pretty laissez faire approach to the new guide lines. "Generally observing the rules" as it were.

 

[IanM]

It depends where you were! Tenby is a long way to the Border.... I'm near Chepstow, one half of the town is in England!

I get the sense that folk who are afraid to mix in sports crowds won't go, those who don't mind will go... commenting/pondering on why we don't have a UK wide approach to this is outside the scope of the forum! (and that's probably a good idea!)

 

[SocketRocket]

Well about about 7 miles further.

Tongue was in cheek ?
Met up with some friends in the White Lion recently, I do like Thornbury high street.
Do you play at Thornbury GC?

 

[D-S]

Tongue was in cheek ?
Met up with some friends in the White Lion recently, I do like Thornbury high street.
Do you play at Thornbury GC?

I
I live in Thornbury but I don't play there, might take up one of their flexible memberships as a second club next year.

 

[SocketRocket]

I
I live in Thornbury but I don't play there, might take up one of their flexible memberships as a second club next year.

Where do you play

 

[D-S]

Where do you play

Bristol and Clifton

 

[SocketRocket]

Bristol and Clifton

Very nice, played there a few times.
You've got some good clubs in your area, I used to play at Clevedon when I lived in Portishead many years back before moving to Malvern.

 

[Foxholer]

...
Then we have the added issue of non vaccinated players not being allowed to play rugby at any level in France.

The French approach is the right one imo. This should be a non-issue, given the 'close proximity' nature of the sport! Slightly sympathetic wrt players genuinely unable to be vaccinated - because of medical exemption - but there should be very few, if any, of those in 6N Rugby, so my view is that it's no different to having a playing-preventing injury.

 

[GB72]

Full corwds back in Scotland and so just Wales to go before we can look forward to a proper tournament.

 

[Val]

Ps. Stopping rugby in Wales would result in civil disorder

If you watched the regions many would say it stopped years ago ?

 

[Val]

The big build up this week, Eddie and his team coming for everyone ?

My favourite 6 weeks of the year, can't wait. Ticking off the Dublin trip for the first time this year as we do the grand slam of games.

 

[IanM]

If you watched the regions many would say it stopped years ago ?

Drove to Ashburnham (90 mins) with my rugby mad Welsh buddy. All the way he was bemoaning the demise of "proper club rugby" and its current regional incarnation.... and he was saying how stuffed Wales would be getting in Dublin on Saturday!!

 

[BrianM]

Apart from Italy, I believe that at the moment we are clutching at straws about who could win the tournament….
Every team on their day could beat anyone?
Really enjoy the Six Nations but always routing for Scotland ?

 

[Carlwm]

As a Wales fan, it pains me to write this but my ranking for this years tournament would be:

1. France
2. Ireland
3. England
4. Scotland
5. Wales
6. Italy

France have the strongest half-backs and seem to have developed a Shaun Edwards inspired back-bone. Any team that beats them will have a decent shout at becoming champions

Ireland have a strong enough squad to be in the mix but over-reliance on their pensioners might hamstring them slightly. They'll try and bully teams into submission and that'll probably be enough for three or for wins but they haven't had much of a plan B in recent times so anyone matching them physically will have a strong chance against them.

England are usually there or thereabouts and I think losing "talisman" Owen Farrell might help them. Marcus Smith looks like a real star and George Ford is back in decent form again. Scrum half and front row look a little under-powered though. However, a lot of the squad are inexperienced internationally and if a number of those step up to the mark, it might well be Lloegr's year.

Scotland will scare the bejesus out of some teams, I reckon, and look like a parks team against others. Their usual schtick since Gregor's been in charge. It's a decent looking set of players but I expect that they will shoot themselves in the foot in at least a couple of games.

Wales are a real curate's egg at the moment. We looked relentlessly ordinary during the Autumn Internationals. Hopeless against New Zealand, though that was outside the international window so we were a long way from a proper first team, competitive in defeat against South Africa but managed two - unconvincing - wins against Fiji and Australia. We look very weak at scrum-half and centre, the front five is unsettled - plenty good players but not necessarily fitting into a decent unit - and a whole bunch of our talismen are injured. Unless we can invoke last year's rules and mostly play against fourteen every match, I think we're going to struggle.

Italy are likely to be better than they have been. Coach Kieran Crowley has based his squad on Benneton, who've been having a decent season in the URC and been pretty ruthless in culling some experienced war horses in favour of fresh talent. However, this might be a year to early for them and another whitewash beckons albeit having run their opposition closer than in the past few seasons.