The Sporting calendar

At long last, they’ve done it!
Against my better judgement they finally managed to win the slam that they have deserved.
They acheived it playing considerably worse than they have done over the past five years or so. The one telling factor has to be their early 2009 get-together, where the whole squad got all their issues out in the open.
This team (I say this because the nucleus of the team has been developed) should have won more games and trophies than they have. Ireland have under acheived on so many levels, the world cup, the six nations, tour matches, whilst having many players selected for the Lions tours.

For the tournament as a whole, I haven’t been impressed with any of the teams, I cannot see southern hemisphere teams looking over their shoulders and keeping a watchful eye on the six nations.
At the next world cup, southern hemisphere teams should carry on winning the competition,not by much, but winning all the same.

Next year’s six nations, I think, should become a seven nations, with the proposed joining of the pumas (Argentina) playing out of Spain. I’d go a step further and allow Georgia or Romania play off for the chance to take up a place in the eight nations!

As for the competition in 2010, I cannot see Ireland retaining their title, as with Wales this time, once the teams solve the puzzle of the reigning champs, they are found wanting. Wales need a stronger set of forwards or they will return to struggling.

England smashed the French hopes of winning the six nations title in 40 all action minutes at Twickenham!

France can be infuriating, all powerful – masterful rugby, or woefully short of ideas and lacking in temperament. It took England all of six minutes to discover which team had turned up.

To say the French selectors had got it wrong would be an understatement, packing their forwards full of weight and sheer power, only to find that England had put out a team of runners with ball in hand.
Right from the off, England looked hungry, hitting hard in the tackle and releasing quick ball (who’d have thought it!) – growing in confidence as the tournament goes on, Ricki Flutey picked up the quick ball, with one glance spotted Chabal in front of him and burst through the French line, releasing Cueto for a try inside five minutes.

England were disciplined (for once) at the break down, but more impressively, started turning the French in the tackle, producing turnover ball. Add to this an uncanny nack of stripping the ball away in the tackle, France were finding it very hard to keep any possession at all.
Where Tait failed to execute a training ground “overlap” against Ireland, the England backs made no mistake this time. Straight from a line out, Flood and Cueto combined to burst through the French line again and set up Flutey for a simple try.

England were making the French look hapless in front of more than 80,000 fans and millions on television, no doubt cheering at their tv sets.

Flutey again was the instigator for the next try, ripping the ball from Chabal in the tackle, England piled forward into the French 22.
Shaw was halted just short of the line and the ball found the impressive Armitage to go over for the score.
England were now attacking in waves, the whole team were hungry for the ball and even when the French got the ball, it wasn’t long before England turned it over.

The superb Harry Ellis, chipped forward into the French 22 causing yet more panic for the defence, Toby Flood was unlucky as he followed up catching the ball and stumbling twice with the line at his mercy (injuring his shoulder in the process) England immeadiately recycled and the ball was soon out wide for Joe Worsley to go over unchallenged.
Half time already? England 29-0 France.

There was no way England could come out for the second half and carry on where they left off, but they did!
Ellis stripped Jauzion of the ball with a brilliant tackle and released Armitage, who powered through the French lines and away down field like a train, setting up Flutey, who managed to scramble over the try line and ground the ball, for his second try of the game.
Armitage and Flutey were everywhere, tackling, popping up on opposite wings as an extra man, over lapping, catching everything.
They both grew in confidence the longer the game went on and were fast becoming unstoppable.

England didn’t just break the game line, they smashed it down and left it 40-50 yards behind them.

As England made some changes, they lost their flow a little and the forwards stepped upto the mark superbly. As France began to exert some pressure at long last, their forwards bulldozed over for a try, then their backs ran in another try soon after, unchallenged as England adjusted their defence, after being warned for encroaching at the breakdown.

Now the England pack came into their own, in one passage of play just inside England’s half, the French recycled the ball nine times and made about 5 yards, as the England pack pushed them sideways and held them up without giving away any penalties.
England’s back row were now starting to organise themselves again, once again making big inroads after breaking through the French line.

As the game came to an end, England played an extra fourminutes pushing forward in waves for a final try, but the French held out.
Final score: England 34-10 France.

A fantastic performance from England (regardless of my bias) which has done both Ireland and Wales a big favour for next weeks final round of matches, with France out of the running for the six nations title, it’s a straight fight between them at the millenium stadium.

Once again, a series of needless penalties has cost England a game they should have won.
Just as in the defeat by Wales, England has players sin-binned for foul play. Had it not been for O’gara’s 2 out of 6 kicks record, Ireland would have won by a far greater margin.
The game itself was a stop/start affair, low scoring but more a battle for the serious rugby union fan, with forwards dominating.
England struggled to get into the Irish 22 in the first half, as the kicking game on both sides was sadly lacking any quality.

Oh how England miss Johnny Wilkinson!
It was all too clear where Wilkinson would have dealt with a rushing defence coming towards him by dropping a few kicks to touch behind the oncoming defenders, mixing it up a bit, turning them to face their own posts, making them think twice about rushing any England attacking move, it wasn’t until late in the first half (when Ellis dropped a kick in exactly this way) that England managed to get anywhere near exerting some pressure on the Irish.

Sadly for me, Ireland came back out and started doing exactly this!
Turning our backs to face their own posts and applying pressure which gave them opportunities to score, kicking behind our defence into the corners.
When England lost Sackey and Flood to injury, replacements goode and mathew taite looked lively and England started to mix it up a bit more.
Once again the referree gets a mention, again for his inconsistancy.
Not to the degree of Kaplan from the Wales defeat, but he still made some glaring mistakes.
More than 4 times the ball was knocked forward in the tackle and he missed it (twice when it happened right in front of him)
He missed several clear offsides by both teams, tackling the man in the air is dangerous play, which is causing confusion in this year’s tournament. He didn’t even give a put in at a scrum!
The ref saved the best for late on in the match. Ireland going forward, England stopped them with a tackle, but Ireland were slow to react and had no scrum half at the breakdown, the ref clearly called that “the ball is out” – England defence hesitated, he called again, “the ball is out!” so goode ran round and picked it up, he blew for a penalty and gave the irish the scrum for offside!

I repeat the call for the referees need to be advised and looked at, they cant see everything granted, but they need to apply the same rules consistantly for the sake of the game. A good ref is one that’s not noticed!

As for the tournament – on this performance, the welsh will have little to fear against the irish, but france could sneak it. As for Scotland, I predict that after this tournament they will be looking for a new coach!

France 21-16 Wales
The french broke welsh hearts in paris, ending their 2009 grand slam hopes and their record winning streak of games.
Both sides gave it their all, right down to the last 3 minutes with the french desperately defending just 3 yards from their own try line, they held out for a result that I wasn’t expecting.

One or two of the welsh players looked to be carrying injuries to be fair, but combined with a ref who was strict at the breakdown and a french team who didn’t let their heads drop when they went 13-3 behind in the first half (pulling it back to 13-13 on the stroke of half time) for me, it was at the breakdown where the game was decided.

Wales were penalised for offsides, playing the man when the ball had gone and coming in from the side, at the tackle, which undoubtedly upset their rhythm, but they still looked dangerous on the break.
There’s no doubting they have talented backs, but their forwards went missing when France pulled the scores level on the stroke of half time.

Rugby union should always consist of forward and back play, referrees who only have time for “exciting rugby” are destroying the game, and the governing bodies should be instructing refs to be consistant, a fact that was apparant to all when Wales beat England at the millenium stadium two weeks ago.

Wales should now wrap up the triple crown, providing they can get past the Irish!

For the first time ever, the six nations tonight sees a friday night kick off! (BBC2 8pm)
Wales take on France in Paris, as they aim to complete another grand slam.

The french team are unpredictable, which team will turn up?
Will we see the fast flowing french game at its best?
Or will we see the spluttering french team that sat back against Scotland two weeks ago and came close to collapsing?

The bigger worry has to be wether or not the ref will be from the southern hemisphere… as against England at the millenium stadium two weeks ago, the refs seem to have different interpretations of the rules and apply them differently to the northern hemisphere refs.

How exactly do the french fans manage to smuggle in the traditional cockerill?