6N 2022

The French did look good towards the back of last year. Such an exciting talent pool there. I think they might have a chance at a Grad Slam and beating the poms in Paris to seal the deal would be sweet!
 
Carlwm said:
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.
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A pretty fair assessment. I have Scotland as my dark horse to win it this year. Ireland have been 'decent' for a while now without being outstanding. France will only be hamstrung by a few injuries and a few returning to fitness. Agree that Farrell being absent is a bonus for actually playing some running rugby in the backs. Disagree about scrum half as Youngs has been in fine form at Tigers this year and showing some of his old, sniping self. Not going to happen but I would start Ford at Fly Half to put a tactical stranglehold on the game and finish with the dynamism of Smith against a tiring opposition.

Wales are being hindered by selection policies and currently poor regional teams. They seem to want to copy the Irish model of having teams that only really need to compete in Europe and intenationally but cannot seem to get it right.

Pity Italy have not yet managed to convince players to change their allegiances as they can now do as that would have given them a great deal more strength across the park.

Cannot wait for Saturday, best few sporting weeks of the year.
 
Last edited:
Captainron said:
The French did look good towards the back of last year. Such an exciting talent pool there. I think they might have a chance at a Grad Slam and beating the poms in Paris to seal the deal would be sweet!
Click to expand...

A couple of key injuries and a couple returning to fitness could be the issue (plus there is always the option of the traditional French implosion when they have it all but won).
 
GB72 said:
A pretty fair assessment. I have Scotland as my dark horse to win it this year. Ireland have been 'decent' for a while now without being outstanding. France will only be hamstrung by a few injuries and a few returning to fitness. Agree that Farrell being absent is a bonus for actually playing some running rugby in the backs. Disagree about scrum half as Youngs has been in fine form at Tigers this year and showing some of his old, sniping self. Not going to happen but I would start Ford at Fly Half to put a tactical stranglehold on the game and finish with the dynamism of Smith against a tiring opposition.

Wales are being hindered by selection policies and currently poor regional teams. They seem to want to copy the Irish model of having teams that only really need to compete in Europe and intenationally but cannot seem to get it right.

Pity Italy have not yet managed to convince players to change their allegiances as they can now do as that would have given them a great deal more strength across the park.

Cannot wait for Saturday, best few sporting weeks of the year.
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You may well be right about Ben Youngs. Leicester have been going well ad they wouldn't do that without functioning scrum-halves. Always thought though that's he's been a little too mercurial at the highest level. Capable of brilliance but not consistent enough. Think you're right that England will go better if Ford starts but it's a nice conundrum for Eddie. Either way he'll have a quality 10 on the park.

Welsh club rugby has been in disarray for decades, annoyingly. Warren Gatland was able to see through the carnage and somehow create competitive sides. Not sure Wayne Pivac has the right lieutenants to pull off the same trick. Throw in the number of world class players who are not available and we end up with an ordinary cohort who are indifferently coached. I fear the Italian match will be a wooden spoon decider.
 
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Carlwm said:
You may well be right about Ben Youngs. Leicester have been going well ad they wouldn't do that without functioning scrum-halves. Always thought though that's he's been a little too mercurial at the highest level. Capable of brilliance but not consistent enough. Think you're right that England will go better if Ford starts but it's a nice conundrum for Eddie. Either way he'll have a quality 10 on the park.

Welsh club rugby has been in disarray for decades, annoyingly. Warren Gatland was able to see through the carnage and somehow create competitive sides. Not sure Wayne Pivac has the right lieutenants to pull off the same trick. Throw in the number of world class players who are not available and we end up with an ordinary cohort who are indifferently coached. I fear the Italian match will be a wooden spoon decider.
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Gatland had a very set way of playing and a solid squad to fill the roles that were needed. Now that Pivac is looking to play more expansively, he is lacking some of the resources needed to do that. Plus, you are right, the injury list is shocking.

So long as Pivac does not pressure Reffell to leave Tigers and join the regions then i am happy. We have lost a few players to the carrot or international rugby, Holmes and Costelow the most recent 2.
 
Carlwm said:
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.
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Wouldn't disagree with your table prediction
 
GB72 said:
Gatland had a very set way of playing and a solid squad to fill the roles that were needed. Now that Pivac is looking to play more expansively, he is lacking some of the resources needed to do that. Plus, you are right, the injury list is shocking.

So long as Pivac does not pressure Reffell to leave Tigers and join the regions then i am happy. We have lost a few players to the carrot or international rugby, Holmes and Costelow the most recent 2.
Click to expand...

I'm a huge fan of Dan Biggar. The best stand-off in the British Isles, in many ways but he's not the man you want, if you're proposing to unleash your backs, especially when you'v got a novice & one of the Ancients at 12 & 13. An attempt at an expansive game will make Wales extremely vulnerable.
 
Carlwm said:
I'm a huge fan of Dan Biggar. The best stand-off in the British Isles, in many ways but he's not the man you want, if you're proposing to unleash your backs, especially when you'v got a novice & one of the Ancients at 12 & 13. An attempt at an expansive game will make Wales extremely vulnerable.
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He maybe the best in the British Isles but the best from the British Isles plays in Paris ?
 
Val said:
He maybe the best in the British Isles but the best from the British Isles plays in Paris ?
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Ha ha! :)

I wouldn't want Finn Russell in my team. He's exciting to watch but, much like his national coach was in his day, he can be as much a liability as match winner.
 
My predictions for the weekend:

Ireland - Wales: Hard to type this but Ireland by two scores
France - Italy: France by thirty
Scotland - England: Toughest one to call. England by seven, maybe?
 
Val said:
You wouldn't want the best 10 in the northern hemisphere in your team? ?
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Well, he might be very exciting to watch, especially for a neutral, but I'm not convinced he's in the top ten stand-offs, let alone the best. The ratio between sublime play and ridiculous brain farts suggests his net gain to the team is pretty low.
 
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