Discussion
PhilboSE said:
I was there. It was bizarrely muted in the stadium, just a roar when we scored and then nothing else. Had a row behind me who just talked (loudly) through the whole match, and not even about the game. Odd.
Leaving the stadium everyone seemed a bit flat. Yes we won but it wasn’t convincing, tries from both teams seemed to come out of almost nothing. In between the teams nullified each other in midfield and we offered very very little in attack. Game seemed slow and very stop-start. Italy targeted Marcus Smith under the high ball and he was ok-ish under it, but didn’t create anything from it.
Overall, a good workmanlike result but achieved with very little flair or invention. Not many positives to take from the game apart from the points.
I thought the same in terms of the atmosphere. The crowd didn’t seem the usual corporate lot, or at least not as much of it. I know they were originally struggling to sell out this one. You’d think a broader mix would be good but it felt like there were a lot of day trippers. Leaving the stadium everyone seemed a bit flat. Yes we won but it wasn’t convincing, tries from both teams seemed to come out of almost nothing. In between the teams nullified each other in midfield and we offered very very little in attack. Game seemed slow and very stop-start. Italy targeted Marcus Smith under the high ball and he was ok-ish under it, but didn’t create anything from it.
Overall, a good workmanlike result but achieved with very little flair or invention. Not many positives to take from the game apart from the points.
As you say, there were periods of really dull play. Lots of side to side. And then suddenly a try from out of the blue.
I have to say that I’m getting sick of the whole Twickenham experience, especially the persistent gouging at every turn.
llewop said:
PhilboSE said:
balise said:
What was the consensus on the ref? He seemed very picky which didn’t help with the flow of the game.
Need to see the game again to make a judgement (you miss a lot in the stadium) but it did seem a game with no flow. He seemed to give a few penalties against England for not releasing when a maul was forming…His reaction to Mitchell 'if he won't listen to me" was petulant and confirmed the thought that it was all about him and not the flow of the game that the best refs can manage.
basherX said:
I thought the same in terms of the atmosphere. The crowd didn’t seem the usual corporate lot, or at least not as much of it. I know they were originally struggling to sell out this one. You’d think a broader mix would be good but it felt like there were a lot of day trippers.
As you say, there were periods of really dull play. Lots of side to side. And then suddenly a try from out of the blue.
I have to say that I’m getting sick of the whole Twickenham experience, especially the persistent gouging at every turn.
Twickenham is the worst ground in the 6N imo. It is weirdly soulless despite passionate and vocal fans, it is a pig to get to, ticket prices are ridiculous, the ground setup is really poor compared to more modern stadiums for getting a beer or having a pee.As you say, there were periods of really dull play. Lots of side to side. And then suddenly a try from out of the blue.
I have to say that I’m getting sick of the whole Twickenham experience, especially the persistent gouging at every turn.
Give me Rome, Cardiff or Dublin any day of the week. They are always experiences, not just going to see a rugby match.
Murrayfield is just old now, but at least it is easy to get too and you can get into Edinburgh easily post match. Stade de France is always an experience too. Not always a good one, but it is always exciting. Twickenham is just boring for some reason.
Interesting weekend, Ireland simply weren't good enough against an on song French team who very much deserved the result.
Scotland laboured a bit but then came through quite well, could they build on this and be a big banana skin next weekend against France minus Dupont?
I quite enjoyed the England game but then anything is an improvement on what we have seen in their last 10 matches. I thought Italy did well, front ing up for the whole match and that one try was brilliant. England got a decent result, but still not convincing. Smith was an absolute liability when he came on early but did make up for it a bit in the second half. Definitely only a bench player.
Twickenham did seem quiet but it is a sunday so not many will be on the lash for the day.
Scotland laboured a bit but then came through quite well, could they build on this and be a big banana skin next weekend against France minus Dupont?
I quite enjoyed the England game but then anything is an improvement on what we have seen in their last 10 matches. I thought Italy did well, front ing up for the whole match and that one try was brilliant. England got a decent result, but still not convincing. Smith was an absolute liability when he came on early but did make up for it a bit in the second half. Definitely only a bench player.
Twickenham did seem quiet but it is a sunday so not many will be on the lash for the day.
Biggles Flies Undone said:
Twickenham is the worst ground in the 6N imo. It is weirdly soulless despite passionate and vocal fans, it is a pig to get to, ticket prices are ridiculous, the ground setup is really poor compared to more modern stadiums for getting a beer or having a pee.
Give me Rome, Cardiff or Dublin any day of the week. They are always experiences, not just going to see a rugby match.
Murrayfield is just old now, but at least it is easy to get too and you can get into Edinburgh easily post match. Stade de France is always an experience too. Not always a good one, but it is always exciting. Twickenham is just boring for some reason.
Mostly agree (apart from France) - I have never really enjoyed the Paris rugby match experience and think that it shares similar problems with Twickenham - in that it is further out of town, there's not a lot when you get there (Twickenham is better than Paris here), and after the match, the crowd disperses into the city and it's like there was never a game on. Give me Rome, Cardiff or Dublin any day of the week. They are always experiences, not just going to see a rugby match.
Murrayfield is just old now, but at least it is easy to get too and you can get into Edinburgh easily post match. Stade de France is always an experience too. Not always a good one, but it is always exciting. Twickenham is just boring for some reason.
Give me Nantes, Bordeaux etc in the RWC over Paris for a rugby match any day...
The thing that makes the others (cardiff, edinburgh, dublin, rome, etc) work is that you spend the whole weekend surrounded by fans wherever you go, and you just don't get that same feeling in London or Paris imho.
Tom8 said:
Interesting weekend, Ireland simply weren't good enough against an on song French team who very much deserved the result.
Scotland laboured a bit but then came through quite well, could they build on this and be a big banana skin next weekend against France minus Dupont?
the problem is that Lucu is a bloody good scrummy too so I can't see there being a huge drop-offScotland laboured a bit but then came through quite well, could they build on this and be a big banana skin next weekend against France minus Dupont?
DodgyGeezer said:
Tom8 said:
Interesting weekend, Ireland simply weren't good enough against an on song French team who very much deserved the result.
Scotland laboured a bit but then came through quite well, could they build on this and be a big banana skin next weekend against France minus Dupont?
the problem is that Lucu is a bloody good scrummy too so I can't see there being a huge drop-offScotland laboured a bit but then came through quite well, could they build on this and be a big banana skin next weekend against France minus Dupont?
I feel a bit disappointed that the tournament is all but decided* going into the final weekend (* let's face it, the chances of Scotland beating France in Paris are pretty slim).
If they had set the final day's fixtures to pair up the teams based on their World Rugby rankings, we'd have a far more exciting Super Saturday:
ITA v WAL (for the Wooden Spoon)
ENG v SCO (with England heavily motivated to get a bonus point win)
IRE v FRA (with no BP for England, this would be like a 6N Final)
If they had set the final day's fixtures to pair up the teams based on their World Rugby rankings, we'd have a far more exciting Super Saturday:
ITA v WAL (for the Wooden Spoon)
ENG v SCO (with England heavily motivated to get a bonus point win)
IRE v FRA (with no BP for England, this would be like a 6N Final)
MadCaptainJack said:
I feel a bit disappointed that the tournament is all but decided*
Well, 4 teams can mathematically still win, so that’s not bad. The trouble with pairing up for the last round is that you’re only a couple of unexpected results earlier in the tourney away from it all going to cock. Madness60 said:
llewop said:
PhilboSE said:
balise said:
What was the consensus on the ref? He seemed very picky which didn’t help with the flow of the game.
Need to see the game again to make a judgement (you miss a lot in the stadium) but it did seem a game with no flow. He seemed to give a few penalties against England for not releasing when a maul was forming…His reaction to Mitchell 'if he won't listen to me" was petulant and confirmed the thought that it was all about him and not the flow of the game that the best refs can manage.
I had the Ref Link on at the game and Brace came across as one of those refs that like to hear the sound of their own voice and want to stay involved. I remember an interview with Wayne Barnes who said he considered his best games were those where no one noticed he was there whereas Brace is the antithesis of this and has form to prove it.
Pernickity, petty and inconsistent. One of England’s many problems is they produce many of the best referees in the game but, due to the way they are selected, must be refereed by some of the worst.
Biggles Flies Undone said:
basherX said:
I thought the same in terms of the atmosphere. The crowd didn’t seem the usual corporate lot, or at least not as much of it. I know they were originally struggling to sell out this one. You’d think a broader mix would be good but it felt like there were a lot of day trippers.
As you say, there were periods of really dull play. Lots of side to side. And then suddenly a try from out of the blue.
I have to say that I’m getting sick of the whole Twickenham experience, especially the persistent gouging at every turn.
Twickenham is the worst ground in the 6N imo. It is weirdly soulless despite passionate and vocal fans, it is a pig to get to, ticket prices are ridiculous, the ground setup is really poor compared to more modern stadiums for getting a beer or having a pee.As you say, there were periods of really dull play. Lots of side to side. And then suddenly a try from out of the blue.
I have to say that I’m getting sick of the whole Twickenham experience, especially the persistent gouging at every turn.
Give me Rome, Cardiff or Dublin any day of the week. They are always experiences, not just going to see a rugby match.
Murrayfield is just old now, but at least it is easy to get too and you can get into Edinburgh easily post match. Stade de France is always an experience too. Not always a good one, but it is always exciting. Twickenham is just boring for some reason.
Challo said:
Is Rome easy enough to get tickets? Would love to see a game out there, but to be honest never tried before.
I tapped someone in the local rugby club to blag a couple when we visited. I'd like to think you could pick them up local in Rome too but would be good to hear other answers along that line. Just don't go down the Viagogo type route, their mark up is obscene!Rome is a great experience and enjoyed the stadium sitting end of a row about in line with the try line we only had to move to find a toilet. Regular vendors up and down the stairs selling beer and food. 2018 I'm sure the tickets were around 40 Euro. Scotland knicked it just!
Sn1ckers said:
This.
I had the Ref Link on at the game and Brace came across as one of those refs that like to hear the sound of their own voice and want to stay involved. I remember an interview with Wayne Barnes who said he considered his best games were those where no one noticed he was there whereas Brace is the antithesis of this and has form to prove it.
Pernickity, petty and inconsistent. One of England’s many problems is they produce many of the best referees in the game but, due to the way they are selected, must be refereed by some of the worst.
That was my reading, I always seem to notice Brace reffing. I know it's a difficult job and requires some skill to get the game flowing but he seemed to pick on everything, which slowed it all downI had the Ref Link on at the game and Brace came across as one of those refs that like to hear the sound of their own voice and want to stay involved. I remember an interview with Wayne Barnes who said he considered his best games were those where no one noticed he was there whereas Brace is the antithesis of this and has form to prove it.
Pernickity, petty and inconsistent. One of England’s many problems is they produce many of the best referees in the game but, due to the way they are selected, must be refereed by some of the worst.
Madness60 said:
llewop said:
PhilboSE said:
balise said:
What was the consensus on the ref? He seemed very picky which didn’t help with the flow of the game.
Need to see the game again to make a judgement (you miss a lot in the stadium) but it did seem a game with no flow. He seemed to give a few penalties against England for not releasing when a maul was forming…His reaction to Mitchell 'if he won't listen to me" was petulant and confirmed the thought that it was all about him and not the flow of the game that the best refs can manage.
I had the Ref Link on at the game and Brace came across as one of those refs that like to hear the sound of their own voice and want to stay involved. I remember an interview with Wayne Barnes who said he considered his best games were those where no one noticed he was there whereas Brace is the antithesis of this and has form to prove it.
Pernickity, petty and inconsistent. One of England’s many problems is they produce many of the best referees in the game but, due to the way they are selected, must be refereed by some of the worst.
Don Veloci said:
Challo said:
Is Rome easy enough to get tickets? Would love to see a game out there, but to be honest never tried before.
I tapped someone in the local rugby club to blag a couple when we visited. I'd like to think you could pick them up local in Rome too but would be good to hear other answers along that line. Just don't go down the Viagogo type route, their mark up is obscene!Rome is a great experience and enjoyed the stadium sitting end of a row about in line with the try line we only had to move to find a toilet. Regular vendors up and down the stairs selling beer and food. 2018 I'm sure the tickets were around 40 Euro. Scotland knicked it just!
Finally caught up with the rugby after being away at the weekend
France were a step ahead even without DuPont
Ireland not the team they were - Farrell being on lions duty probably a factor
Scotland should have won at a canter but wobbled
Wales spirited but doomed
Italy still bobbing along at the bottom
England at last showed some attacking intent but were very “Clunky” , the reffing and early loss of Lawrence not helping. Thought some of Englands defending was shocking
Didn’t seem like borthwick had planned for possible injuries to his midfield- no one seemed to know who was playing where when forced into a substitution.
What’s the likely back line on Saturday?
As they were last week with Daly at 13 or Slade back in ?
France were a step ahead even without DuPont
Ireland not the team they were - Farrell being on lions duty probably a factor
Scotland should have won at a canter but wobbled
Wales spirited but doomed
Italy still bobbing along at the bottom
England at last showed some attacking intent but were very “Clunky” , the reffing and early loss of Lawrence not helping. Thought some of Englands defending was shocking
Didn’t seem like borthwick had planned for possible injuries to his midfield- no one seemed to know who was playing where when forced into a substitution.
What’s the likely back line on Saturday?
As they were last week with Daly at 13 or Slade back in ?
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