Heavyweight clashes divide opinion.Too often in the ring you’ll see two giants
lumbering around prodding each other like a couple of sexually frustrated
silverback gorillas, whilst at light or middle-weight levels you’ll see a
couple of fighters dancing and weaving about the ring, attacking with speed and
precision, enthralling the crowd.But
once in a while, you get a real rumble in the jungle, the kind of fight which
keeps the heavyweight bouts at the top of the bill.Two powerhouses smashing seven bells out of
each other with unbelievable force and a ferocity that can’t be matched– and we
have the Battle of the Titans in the Sharks v the Stormers this weekend.
The Sharks got off to a solid start last weekend, putting
away a stubborn Cheetahs side, but they were outscored by 3 tries to 2 and
coach John Plumtree won’t be impressed with the way his side switched off and
let the home side back into a game they should have buried.At least they won though, which is more than
can be said for the Stormers – they were well under par last week and were
soundly beaten by a Bulls side that doesn’t look too strong on paper, but
outplayed their illustrious opposition none the less.The key for the Stormers against the Sharks
will be precision – with the possession they enjoyed against the Bulls, they
should have been more clinical and accurate in maintaining it; it’s unlikely
they’ll get any more change out of this Sharks defence (assuming the home side
don’t have another concentration meltdown of course).
Last year these two sides were the best two in South Africa
by a decent stretch – the Stormers won the conference but it was the Sharks who
went all the way to the playoff final (beating the Stormers in the semi) before being stuffed by the Chiefs in New
Zealand.Matches between these two sides
are often staggeringly close – they’ve played each other 18 times and won 9
each, with an average score of 22 – 20 in favour of the Stormers.The Sharks, though, are on a 2 game winning
run against their opposition and will be confident that the Durban factor will
kick in and help them take the game home.
Sharks Team News
Sharks coach John Plumtree has made one change, with big
carrying Jean Deysel coming in for Jacques Botes, who drops down to the bench.
Starting Line up: Ludik;
Pietersen, Jordaan, Steyn (C), Mvovo; Lambie , Reinach; Kankowski , Deysel, Coetzee;
van der Merwe , Bresler; du Plessis, Burden , Mtawarira
Ryan Kankowski.The
talented number 8 has always been a class act for the Sharks, with his supreme
speed and athleticism marking him out as a serious attacking weapon.But in the likely slugfest which will ensue
against the Stormers, the home side will want to see him take it back to basics
and make sure he wins his collisions and gets to the breakdown quickly to
secure possession.The Sharks can’t
afford to hand the ball over to this Stormers backline.
Stomers Team News
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has made two changes to the
starting line up while Grant comes in on the bench after completing his
Japanese club commitments.Fullback Joe
Pietersen and tighthead prop Frans Malherbe come into the starting line-up from
the side that went down 25-17 to the Bulls last Friday.
Starting Line up: Pietersen;
Aplon, de Villiers (C), de Allende, Habana; Jantjies, Groom; Vermeulen, Elstadt,
Kolisi, Bekker, Steenkamp, Malherbe, Fourie, Kitshoff
Subs: Bezuidenhout, Cilliers, Armand, Carr, Schreuder, Grant, van
den Heever
Key Player
Elton Jantjies.The
fly half had a stinker last week, with his goal kicking radar completely off,
but he’s been given a show of faith by Allister Coetzee and so he’ll need to
repay it.It won’t just be his goal
kicking that’s under scrutiny – he’ll need to show far more poise and invention
when the Stormers get themselves into promising positions to be able to pull
the trigger and get through this Sharks defence.
Key Battle
Francois Steyn v Jean de Villiers. OK, so they’re not opposite numbers per se,
but they will be seeing a lot of each other.As captains of both sides, the tactical battle they’ll wage will be
nearly as interesting as the physical one, with men powerful carriers with good
rugby brains.They’ll be wanting to
unsettle one another with some big hits early on to try and influence their
opposite’s decision-making process when it comes to the big calls they will
undoubtedly have to make later in the game.
Prediction
Not only are the Stormers on a losing run to the Sharks and
were defeated in their opening game, I just don’t think this Stormers side looks
as strong as it has in years gone by.Write the Stormers off at your peril, but I think this Sharks side look
really good at the moment and they’ll be too strong in Durban.Sharks by 6.
Let’s see where the other action is taking place in this
week’s round of Super XV:
Blues v Crusaders:The blues grabbed a great win last week
and have another chance to cause an upset when the Crusaders come to
visit.Despite the Blues’ win, and the
fact that this is the Crusaders’ first game, I think we’ll see too much class
from the Canterbury outfit.Crusaders by
8.
Waratahs v Rebels:The Rebels are much improved this season
but so are the Waratahs.Their
performance against the Reds was filled with promise and they’ll be too strong
at home.Waratahs by 10.
Reds v Hurricanes:Hurricanes suffered a shock defeat last
week and it doesn’t get any easier when they head to Brisbane this
weekend.The Reds haven’t got out of
second gear yet but it’s only a matter of time.Reds by 10.
Chiefs v Cheetahs:The Chiefs played the game of the weekend
(and an early candidate for game of the year) last round and showed some
stunning attacking fluency in the backline.The Cheetahs impressed with their resilience and accuracy against the
Sharks but travelling to Waikato is never easy at the best of times, and the champs
will be too strong. Chiefs by 15.
Bulls v Western Force:The Force have had, as many predicted, a
bad start to the season, but few would have seen their defeat to Super XV
novices the Southern Kings coming.Confidence
will be at a low and it’s a long tour round South Africa, whilst the Bulls surprised
many last week by comfortably dispatching the Stormers.Bulls by 20.
It always amazes me that, in this professional era, there
are still rivalries that exist where the games are contested by teams who seem
to just pure, straight hate each other.I think this is bizarre because, these days, teams are so full of
players who aren't from the relevant local areas or even, in some cases, the
same country.As an English example, I
present the bitter rivalry between Leicester and Northampton.Geordan Murphy is a prime example of an
Irishman who probably had nothing to do with Northampton until he played against
them as a young man for the Tigers.Yet
he's always been on the front line of these battles chucking punches and
pulling every dirty trick in the rule book to get one over the opposition.What had Northampton ever done to him?! And the same goes for any player who wasn't a
local for the club they play for.Yet as
soon as that shirt goes on, all the blood, hatred and passion that define
decades or centuries of sporting rivalry are instantly absorbed by the
wearer.It's bloody brilliant.And the same goes for the Reds against the
Waratahs; Queensland v New South Wales.You can always count on one thing in these games – there will be blood,
no matter who's underneath the jersey.
The hotly-tipped Reds had been humbled at the hands of the
Brumbies in their last outing, the opening Round of the Super XV season, but it
meant they had one week of match fitness over their opposition, who once again,
were being talked up as potentially the surprise package this year.It's now time for the Waratahs to deliver on
that yearly promise, however.
Despite being one game less-experienced than their
opponents, it was the Waratahs who came out looking the more fired up.They dominated possession and territory early
on, although they weren't particularly threatening the Reds defence, and were
rewarded with a well struck penalty by scrum half Brendan McKibbin.A bumper crowd were excited to see ex-Brisbane
favourite Israel Folau touch the ball, although he appeared to be trying too
hard and threw a couple of overly-optimistic offloads to cough up
possession.It all seemed so promising,
if slightly static and clumsy, for the men in blue, but then it all went
horribly wrong.
In their first meaningful attack of the game, Quade Cooper
sent winger Dom Shipperley, quickly becoming the scourge of the Tahs after his
stunning last minute winner last year, down the right flank, and the
fleet-footed speedster took advantage of the positionally naïve Folau to power
over in the corner, with fullback Mike Harris knocking over a superb
conversion.No need to panic, you could
almost hear Tahs captain Dave Dennis saying, since it was the visitors who had
had nearly all the play up until that point. But unfortunately they did, with prop
Sekope Kepu chucking a ridiculous long-range offload in midfield that was
plucked off by a gleefully grateful Ben Tapuai, who went over for the Red's
second score.Harris converted again,
and the Reds had gone from being 3-0 down to being 14-3 up within 5 minutes,
and it was looking as though the Waratahs might be in for a bit of a thumping,
especially when Harris added another 3 points to that tally.
But credit where credit's due, the men in blue dug in and
stopped the rot, going close themselves through big Kane Douglas after he
charged down Quade Cooper's kick, with the lock showing an impressive galloping
speed before just knocking on under pressure from the Red's playmaker.McKibbin missed a couple of pots at goal
before half time to leave the Tahs 14 points behind, but it was more of the
same in the second half, with the visitors dominating field position – and eventually
the pressure told.Firstly, a mad
ricochet from an offload fell into the arms of fly half Bernard Foley – who'd
looked sharp all match – and he drew Ben Lucas before chucking a pass out to
Folau who stumbled over for a great debut try.Foley took over the kicking duties, and all of a sudden the visitors had
a belief flowing through the team, helped by the introduction of Super Rugby
debutant Ben Volavola, who started to cut the Reds' defence up at will with
some mazy footwork – and this kid is a fly half as well (watch out Quade).The perfect example on this was on the 58th
minute when Volavola skinned Harris on the outside and gassed his way over into
the corner, with a great conversion from Foley tying the game up.
It was here though, that the Tahs' dominance stalled.With their pack tiring after 60 minutes of
gut-busting effort, the Reds began to enjoy more of the ball and started to creep
into the opposition half.A penalty for
hands in the ruck was knocked over by Mike Harris before the home side scored
the try of the game to seal off the encounter.Flanker Ed Quirk, outstanding all game (despite looking like he'd spent his pre-match warm-up guzzling a keg of Tooeys), shrugged off a tackle from a
weary Douglas and skipped out of another couple of challenges on a 40 metre
bust before he was just scragged down by Folau 2 metres short.Before the Tahs had time to realign Quirk had
popped the ball up to the onrushing Tapuai, who dotted the ball down for his
first double in Super Rugby.Harris
missed the conversion, but the victory was sealed.A promising start for the boys in Blue, but
the Reds just had too much in the locker.Round 1 goes to Queensland.But
it's not a knockout by any means – bring on Round 2.
Let's take a look at what happened in the rest of the
fixtures in what was a cracking weekend of Super Rugby:
Highlanders 27 – 41 Chiefs:An absolutely stunning game of
rugby.Two teams who could both
challenge for honours went toe to toe with some breathtaking passages of play
(see below).The Chiefs edged it in the
final twenty and they scored tries through Tim Nanai-Williams (with a stunning
double), Patrick Osborne, and Aseali Tikoirotuma, whilst the home side had
Hosea Gear, Kade Poki and Ben Smith to thank for their scores.
Rebels 13 – 30 Brumbies:A superb second half display saw the
Brumbies score 18 unanswered points on their way to comfortable victory over
the Rebels in Melbourne.The Rebels had
led 13-12 at half time after a Scott Higginbotham score, with the superb Jesse
Mogg and the returning Clyde Rathbone responding for the visitors, before the
Brumbies cut loose with tries from captain Ben Mowan and substitute Robbie
Coleman.
Bulls 25 – 17 Stormers:
The Bulls picked up an impressive victory at home against the Stormers as
they look to make a statement this year.The team from Pretoria scored their points off the boot of Morne Steyn,
with a late try from hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle, whilst the Stormers crossed the
line via Jean De Villiers and Andries Bekker.
Kings 22 – 10 Force: The
Kings opened their Super Rugby account with a shock win over struggling
force.The tournament newbies went ahead
through a Sergeal Petersen try before the Force hit back with scores through
Pekahou Cowan and Alfi Mafi.Kings then
scored 17 unanswered points, with Petersen adding another score, to seal the
victory.
Cheetahs 22 -29
Sharks: The Sharks held off an impressive Cheetah's fightback on their way
to grabbing a win in Bloemfontein.The
Cheetahs struck first through Phillip Van Der Walt before the boot of Pat
Lambie and scores from Lwazi Mvovo and Marcell Coetzee took the visitors out of
sight – or so they thought.The hosts
responded with scores of their own through Pieter Labuschagne and Johann Sadie,
but ultimately fell just short.
Hurricanes
20 – 34 Blues: The Blues grabbed a stunning, and surprising,
victory over the Hurricanes in Wellington, gaining a bonus point in the
process.A Julien Savea touchdown and a
contentious penalty try for the Canes weren't enough to subdue the visitors who
scored 4 tries through Frank Halai (2), Charles Piutau and a powerful effort
from Rene Ranger.
The way a tragedy generally works is to build you up to a
state of hope, almost elation and then, with crushing inevitability, swoop
towards unavoidable disaster; and for the Leicester fans trudging away from
Welford Road on Saturday night, they must have felt as if they'd just seen a sporting
interpretation of Romeo and Juliet unfold before them.OK, this wasn't so much a Shakespearean
emotion as it was a shaken-up on, but the melancholy feeling at the end would
have been just the same.
For the Fez-heads however, this was ominously good.Eleven points down at the break and completely
out of the running, an outstanding role-reversal saw them smash four tries past
the sorry Tigers, with England winger David Strettle giving more than a subtle
nudge to Stuart Lancaster as he demonstrated his finishing abilities with
aplomb.In a pulsating game in which
both sides showed decent degrees of attacking intent, there was only ever one
side who seemed destined to walk away with the win – and bizarrely, that
certainty switched teams at half time.
In snowy conditions, expectation may have been at drifting
towards another attritional kick-fest, which characterised the teams' previous
meeting this season – a 9-9 draw at Wembley Stadium – and that certainly seemed
to be the case as the visitors ground out a penalty for Charlie Hodgson to
convert after 4 minutes.But that start
proved to be a tad misleading.George
Ford, who gave the very definition of a hit and miss performance, was creating
gaps with his footwork and exploiting them with his hands – twice old stager
Geordan Murphy galloped clear to send the Crumbie terrace wild – but unfortunately
the teenager had forgotten his kicking boots, missing two straightforward kicks
at goal.It must be a concern for both
Leicester and his future employers, Bath, that his kicking has degenerated so
obviously this season.
When Ford did get the Tigers on the board with a simple
kick, it was swiftly followed by a close-range score from flanker Julian Salvi,
following a fine lineout drive and a big charge by the not-inconspicuous prop
Longovi'i Mulipola.This was followed
swiftly by one of the tries of the season – remarkable considering the
conditions – that started from a scrum on the Leicester 22.Ford, under pressure, danced past the
onrushing Will Fraser and put Murphy into the gap.The Tigers legend found Thompstone on the left
who, in a great show of strength, held off James Short with a hand-off for a
full 15 metres before being hauled to ground.When the ball was recycled, Ford dinked the ball beautifully over the
top for centre Dan Bowden to follow and touch down.Crowd ecstatic; Leicester out of sight,
surely?Another penalty on the stroke of
halftime by Hodgson didn't do anything to change that expectation.
The second half itself began a fairly quiet affair.The calm before the storm.Both sides kicked for territory, but it was
the old master Hodgson who had the better success in gaining field position and
it was from a promising station in the
Leicester 22 earned by his boot that the Saracens revival began.David Strettle attacked the blindside of a
ruck and, with a fizzing injection of pace, left Matt Smith and Sam Harrison for
dead before looping round to score under the posts.That Saracens were actually even in the game
had left the Welford Road faithful stunned, but before they had time to absorb
the fact that they were in for a scrap, Short exploded down the right wing
before bamboozling Geordan Murphy with some footwork and going over in the
corner, taking the score to 18-17 in favour of Sarries.Game on.
It was almost game over 2 minutes later, however.A great thrust by replacement scrum half Neil
De Kockgave Saracens front foot ball
and Joel Tomkins showed off his passing game as he rocketed a miss-pass to
Strettle, who scored Sarries' 3rd try in 6 minutes.The game had been turned well and truly on it's
head by this point, and a penalty from Ford did little to stem the tidal wave
of pressure from the men in white.Chris
Wyles was the next beneficiary of an unusually generous Leicester defence,
swatting off Bowden on his way over into what was quickly becoming a very
welcoming left hand corner for the visitors.It took the score out to a thumping 32 – 20 scoreline and, although the
Tigers were awarded a penalty try after a deliberate knock on by Strettle,
there was no denying that Saracens were the scene stealers on the night.
The win sees Saracens open up a five point gap in second
place, meaning a home semi-final is now theirs to lose.
Let's see what happened around the rest of the grounds in the Premiership:
Sale Sharks 21 – 30 Harlequins:
Despite going down early to a Cameron Shepherd try, Quins rallied through Tom
Williams, Nick Easter and Charlie Matthews, before Richie Vernon and Sam
Tuitupou added scores that made the outcome seem closer than it really
was.The win keeps Quins top and Sale bottom
of the Premiership.
Gloucester 29 – 23 Worcester Warriors:An incredible last minute penalty try
gave the Cherry and Whites a win over the Warriors after Errie Claassens was
adjudged to have tripped Jonny May on his way to the line, despite it appearing
though cover was coming across.Gloucester had been behind due to visiting scores from Josh Matavesi and
Alex Grove, with a score from Henry Trinder the home side's response.
Northampton Saints 25 – 23 Bath:
Two tries from Elliot Daly saw Saints edge a tight encounter at Franklin's
Gardens.The visitors grabbed a penalty
try and a score from Semesa Rokoduguni before Elliot grabbed his second with
just 7 minutes remaining to snatch a victory.
Exeter Chiefs 47 – 16 London
Welsh:London Welsh were hammered in
their 6th successive Premiership defeat, which sees them remain vulnerable
towards the bottom of the table.The
Chiefs registered scores through Jack Yeandle, Tom Hayes, Damian Welsh, Sireli
Naqelevuki and Jack Nowell, with Welsh only crossing the whitewash through a
solitary Phil Mackenzie try.
London
Irish 30 – 19 London WaspsA strong second half performance saw Irish move away
from the relegation battle and towards safety on Sunday.Shane Geraghty put the Exiles ahead before
that man Christian Wade got Wasps back into it, taking a 16-14 lead into half
time.Homer's boot and the pace of Marlon
Yarde did the rest of the damage,with
the young speedster finishing off a great team try to clinch the win.
So after another weekend of drama, RuckedOver takes a look
at the standout performers from the latest round in the Six Nations and who
from the British and Irish teams has got one hand on a ticket to Australia this
summer.
1. Gethin Jenkins
– Finally, we saw the old Geth show up.Taking apart Castrogiovanni in the scrum is no mean feat, but to combine
that with some great work in the loose – winning 2 turnovers – was sensational.A special mention to Ryan Grant (who made 15
tackles) and Thomas Domingo (who had the nudge on Dan Cole) as well.
2. Benjamin Kayser –
the French hooker was a victim of Saint-Andre's bizarre decision making on
Saturday, but his work in the lineout was flawless and got about the field
impressively.From the Lions candidates,
it was Tom Youngs' 30 minute cameo which caught the eye, as he showed off his
defensive and carrying abilities.
3. Adam Jones – A
great recovery from the Welsh veteran tighthead.After Cole suffered similar struggles against
the French scrum as Jones did a fortnight ago, the hairy one gave an utterly dominant
performance against Lo Cicero to get Wales a foothold in Rome.
4. Richie Gray –
Perhaps not the most standout performance, but a colossal effort in
defence.How someone can be so mobile at
his size is beyond me.
5. Jim Hamilton –
Making up an all-Scottish second row is Big Jim.He may look like a troglodyte but he
demonstrated his rugby brain by wreaking havoc on the Irish lineout and causing
problems in the loose, too.
6.Ryan Jones – The Welsh captain gave
another assured display on the flank which demonstrated his leadership and
grafting qualities.Unspectacular?
Sure.But never takes a backward step,
and may now in fact have taken a significant step forward towards Lions
selection.
7.Chris Robshaw – Yet another standout
performance from the England captain.Just edges out Scotsman Kelly Brown (another fantastic defensive
performance) because of his abilities in attack.He simply does not make errors – he takes high
balls, he carries strongly, he tackles well and he's a jackal over the ball at
the breakdown.His captaincy claims for
the Lions rise with every match.
8.Louis Picamoles – A destructive
performance from the big number 8, especially in the first half where he
carried powerfully and smashed Englishmen back in the tackle.Tom Wood, still playing out of position, ran
him very close however with an all-action performance for England, although he
does lack that "Le Oomph" of his French counterpart.
9. Greg Laidlaw – Unnervingly
accurate with the boot, the Scotland scrumhalf's accuracy when going for goal
proved to be a key difference between the 2 sides.Morgan Parra was also impressive but I can't
allow him in the team of the week after the appalling impression of an Italian
footballer when Owen Farrell brushed past his face.
10. Dan Biggar –
Not a great weekend for the 10s, but the Welsh fly half certainly didn't make many
mistakes and used his intelligent kicking game to frustrate the Italians
throughout their contest.Francois
Trinh-Duc was also solid for the French and seemed to be doing a decent job
until he was hauled off for no apparent reason.
11. Alex Cuthbert
– Didn't see a lot of the ball but certainly took his try well, spotting the
gap and powering over into the corner.There's no doubting his raw talent but how does he perform under
pressure?
12.Wesley Fofana – So, so good when he gets
the ball in space which, unfortunately, isn't too often.It's easy to dismiss his try as being down to
awful English defence but that's a little harsh – his footwork and speed were
simply superb.Luke Marshall also turned
heads with a couple of scything runs on debut against Scotland, whilst Brad
Barritt continues to impress with his solidarity week on week.
13. Manu Tuilagi –
The tank is back.Destroyed Bastareaud
in the 'Battle of the Beasts' and took his try well with a great show of pace –
all whilst his ear was hanging off the side of his head.Strong performance from the Leicester man and
a reminder of what England miss without him.
14.Craig Gilroy – It wasn't a particularly
fruitful weekend for wingers as they saw little ball but, like Cuthbert, the
young man from Ulster took his one opportunity well, spinning over the line to
score a try from close range.
15.Leigh Halfpenny – An absolute rock at the
back yet again.His goal-kicking is
almost tedious in its accuracy and the last time he missed a tackle for Wales
was apparently back in the 2011 Six Nations.Unbelievable consistency.
Well, another round down, and another step towards the Grand Slam for England, another skip towards redemption for the Welsh and the Scots, and another leap into a parallel universe for Saint-Andre's tactical decision making. The three matches over the weekend had it all - blood (in the shape of Manu Tuilagi's semi-detached ear), sweat (all that hair from Castrogionvanni and Jones in the Italian-Welsh scrum must get stifling) and tears (from any French supporter as Frederic Michalak replaced Francois Trinh-Duc).
So, before we are deafened by the sound of French wailing, let's take a look at who flopped and who came up trumps this weekend...
Italy
What happened?
Everyone was wandering if we were going to see the Italian
side from the first week or the second week against Wales and, unfortunately
for the home fans, it was the latter.The Italians seem to have lost some confidence and struggled in
horrendous conditions in Rome, playing without pace – drifting sideways with a flat
attacking line that was about as threatening as wet sponge.Even in the set piece, where the Azzurri
would have hoped to have gained the upper hand, they were under the cosh.Although they ended up with an even count of
scrum penalties, don't let that fool you – Wales were dominant, with Lo Cicero
enduring a torrid time on his 101st cap and Castrogiovanni not faring much
better, receiving a yellow card for his efforts.In the backs, fly half Kris Burton looked
lost at times, but in fairness he was given very few options by his centres or
back row.The positives?Defensively the Italians were largely solid,
but they themselves were rarely threatened it monsoon-like conditions that
stifled any thoughts of attacking rugby.
The Winners
·Andrea Masi – once again the pick of the backs
for the Italians.Aggressive and direct,
he made yards whenever he had the ball and played with passion throughout.
·Manoa Vosawai – the big number 8 had some big
shoes to fill in Parisse's absence, but gave a strong account of himself with a
number of strong carries, despite his handling not being quite up to scratch.
The Losers
·Andrea Lo Cicero – The veteran prop was smashed
in the scrum in a way he probably hasn't experienced since he was a
teenager.Maybe age is finally catching
up with him.
·Kris Burton – Although not helped by those
outside him, Burton cut a striking resemblance to a rabbit in headlights
against Wales, not knowing when to kick or when to prance around in front of an
onrushing defence
·Sergio Parisse – The inspirational captain was a
huge loss to the Italians after he was caught swearing at the referee
(allegedly) in English during a Top 14 game – see below.He may have to learn Swahili if he doesn't
want to get noticed in the future.
What's Next?
The Italian Job doesn't get any easier as they travel to
Twickenham to take on an England side who have got into the habit of
winning.There won't be a huge amount of
expectation within the team, but hopefully coach Jacques Brunel will use this
as an opportunity for the Italians to try and be more adventurous.Their defence was reasonably solid against the
Welsh – one fluke try and another conceded when down to 14 men were their only
line breaches – but it was their attack that let them down.Once again, as against Scotland, they had the
lion's share of possession (56%) and territory (58%) but didn't do anything
useful with it, drifting laterally on slow ball.Against England the back row needs to be far
more aggressive on the clear out to ensure quick ball and, when they have that,
they may as well chuck it about a bit – they have nothing to lose, and who
knows, they might stumble on a winning formula, especially with the likes of
Masi, Benvenutti and Venditti lurking out wide, just waiting to get the ball
into space.
Wales
What happened?
Well, it wasn’t the scintillating display of “total rugby”
that Welsh fans may have been hoping for, following their pressure-releasing
victory over France – but it was a win.The fact that barely 3 passes were strung together before someone dropped
it or fell over was both irrelevant and understandable, given that conditions
in Rome were less Mediterranean and more Merthyr Tydfil.In one sense, that should have helped the
visitors, but there were plenty of positives regardless of the handling
problems for the men in red – the scrum was surprisingly dominant, the defence
was rock solid and their kicking game was, for the most part, very
accurate.And in conditions like that,
they were three very important positives to take.Although they created little, aside from a
well-worked try for Alex Cuthbert, it’s difficult to point it out as a negative
as flinging the ball about in that rain would have been as helpful as
installing a condom machine in the Vatican.
The Winners
·Adam Jones – I’ve been critical of the half
man/half yeti, but he turned in a dominant scrummaging performance of old
here. Take a look at his dismantling of Lo Cicero below.Would still like to see him put
himself about more in the loose, but certainly made up some ground on Dan Cole
on Saturday.
·Gethin Jenkins – Awesome performance from the
Toulon man.Massive performance against
Castrogiovanni, he also helped his side defensively with a couple of technically
perfect turnovers
·Ryan Jones – 6 Months ago, he was nowhere near
the Lions plane – now he’s being mentioned as a potential starter.Nothing flash, just hard graft in the rain.Made his tackles and safe in the carry;
exactly what was needed.
The Losers
·Jamie Roberts – This was the kind of game that
the big man should have excelled in, but it’s hard to recall a moment when he didn’t drop the ball.A big game from the centre is long overdue.
·Jonathan Davies – OK, I know he’s not a
commentator by trade, he’s an analyst, but I am still in disbelief at how bad
he was when he took over from the chunder-struck Andrew Cotter.Miserable, high-pitched and incredibly,
incredibly biased, it was a venomous cocktail for the ears.
What’s next?
With the revival bang on track, the Welsh will head up to
Murrayfield with a healthy amount of confidence – but they’ll be facing an
equally confident Scottish outfit in what is already looking like it could be a
cracker of a match.Howley has some
interesting selection decisions to make – is this the time to bring back Sam
Warburton, and what about Alun Wynn Jones?I would suggest yes to both.Now
confidence is up in the team, it will be easier for Warburton to lead and stamp
his undoubted class on proceedings.Attacking play is also a bit of an unknown – against France, they were
stifled by a lack of confidence, and against Italy they were restricted by the
weather.It will be interesting to see
whatthey can conjure in decent
conditions – hopefully they will be able to bring their powerhouse wings, North
and Cuthbert, into the game more.
England
What happened?
For the first time this championship, England didn’t really
play well enough to have the English press gushing with effusive praise.Instead, now, they are just gushing about how
a Grand Slam is now well and truly on the cards and, in doing so, have almost
guaranteed a battering at the hands of the Welsh at the Millennium Stadium.Still, a win is a win, and a decent one
considering this was a French side which looked a far coherent and aggressive
outfit.England have been used to
beating other sides in the loose through speed and aggression – simply running
other sides off the park – but the French fought fire with fire and, for 50
minutes, were probably edging it.At
just 12-10 to England, the game could have gone either way, but Saint Lancaster
intervened with some shrewd substitutions and the increased tempo took the game
away from Les Bleus, allowing England to come away with a semi-comfortable
win.The positives?Manu Tuilagi looked back to his best in his
first start since the All Blacks game, and Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood seriously
underlined their Lions credentials once again.The main losers are listed underneath, but check out the video below of
Tuilagi’s try to see Mike Brown take the semi-loser spot.Have you ever seen someone look more
miserable at seeing a teammate score...I think he may have wanted the ball himself...
The Winners
·Chris Robshaw – I have watched every game this
Six Nations and I cannot recall one mistake.The dodgy captaincy decisions seem a lifetime ago now.He a quick thinker and a quiet leader, and
has now delivered 3 excellent performances this tournament.
·Manu Tuilagi – Effectively made Bastareaud his
b*tch.Walked all over him, twice, and
then showed great hands to pick up a ball of his boot straps and surprising
acceleration to leave Vincent Clerc for dead.
·Stuart Lancaster – Smart substitutions at smart
times.Has absolute conviction in all
that he does.He made a call starting
Lawes at 6 that didn’t work, so he brought Haskell on.Tom Youngs and Vunipola were particularly
impressive when they entered the fray, whilst Danny Care and Toby Flood both
came on at the right time to maintain the tempo.Smooth move, Stu.
The Losers
·Courtney Lawes – Obviously wanted to make a big
impression, but the only impression he did was one of a headless chicken on
pro-plus.Ran around, looking to smash
people, and missed most of the time, which gave the French impetus and set
Fofana on his way for his try.
·Chris Ashton – When did he forget how to tackle?
I swear he was never this bad before?His first miss on Fofana was simply down to a lack of commitment.Has to sit down and revaluate what he wants
to prove in an England shirt.
·Owen Farrell – Ok, he didn’t play that badly,
but I personally hated some of the gobby stuff he got involved with – it just
looked pathetic.People say, “Oo, that’s
his competitive edge”.Jonny Wilkinson
in his younger days was probably the most competitive bloke around and he didn’t
get involved in any of that – he just smashed the living daylights out of
people.Do that instead, Faz.
What’s next
A home game against Italy should, with all due respect to
the Italians, represent their easiest challenge so far.The Italians don’t travel particularly well
but can always make life difficult, so Lancaster will have to ensure his team
are ready to fly into the breakdown again with the same intensity of their
first two games.He’ll also have to
decide between keeping the bulk of the side the same for continuity, with Wales
coming up the following week, or make changes to give the players a rest.I reckon he should stick with the former,
aside from bringing back Ben Morgan if fit and also perhaps giving Twelvetrees
and Tuilagi a run out in the centres – Barritt certainly deserves a couple of
weeks off after some rock-solid performances.The key is to keep the side confident and cohesive as they approach the
final two games – so expect to see more of the same from England.
France
What happened?
Well, finally Philippe Saint-Andre picked his best players
in their best positions and, lo and behold, the French turned in their best
performance of the Championship so far.For the first 50 minutes they matched, if not edged England, in the
breakdown and were relentlessly physical.But then Saint-Andre ruined it all, taking off the excellent Parra,
Domingo, Trinh-Duc and Kayser and replacing them with players who just couldn’t
maintain the high levels of intensity that had been set.Coupled to this was the ineffectual way they
dealt with slow ball throughout the match – going backwards 20 metres before
eventually deciding to kick it – but some aspects did show up well.Picamoles but in another titanic display
whilst Fofana scored a mesmeric try that the great Serge Blanco would have been
proud of.Now Saint-Andre just has to
remember to keep his best players on the field...
The Winners
·Louis Picamoles – epic in defence and
attacks.Some huge carries but also cut several
Englishmen in half with massive hits. Good to see him show what he's capable of on the international stage (check out his tribute below).
·Morgan Parra – the ‘little general’ directed his
pack well in the first half and seemed to be having a reasonable day with the
boot before Michalak was inexplicably thrust on to take over kicking duties.
·Wesley Fofana – Although he was mainly quiet,
that try was just poor class.Sure, we
can point the finger and some pretty wet tackling, but the shimmy, the
acceleration, the hand offs and the pace were a joy to behold.Jeremy Guscott was positively swooning
afterwards.
The Losers
·Matheiu Bastareaud – Brought in to do a job on
Tuilagi, but ended up as a doormat for most of the game.When he had the ball, he either spilt it or
was gang-tackled by group of ravenous English defenders.
·Philippe Saint-Andre – Again.I’m not an international coach but can anyone
explain what is going through his mind when he brings off the calm Trinh-Duc
and excellent front rowers Thomas Domingo and Benjamin Kayser?They weren’t chasing the game, but by making
irrational substitutions, he just caused panic.
·Morgan Parra – Don't ever, ever dive around on
the rugby pitch clutching your face again.It’s an embarrassment for you and your country.
What’s next?
Well, now the French are on their worst run in the 5/6
Nations since the 50s, they have the small task of going to Dublin to take on
the Irish.It’s difficult to see how the
French can bounce back from this, but Saint-Andre could start by picking the
same team that pressurised the English and making sure he keeps his best
performing players on.Makes sense, right?After that, he should just leave it to the
players – there is enough class out there to get a win against a fragile Irish
side and they will be working on their pressure defence this week – whether the
Irish start Jackson or O’Gara, they are both prone to crumbling under the close
attentions of hungry back row forwards.
Scotland
What happened?
A victory for the Scots against the Irish in one of the most
one-sided contests between two ‘top-tier’ sides in recent memory.The only problem was that they were the side
getting spanked for most of the game.They
ended a first half on just 25% possession and 14% territory, and yet were only
3 points down at the break.It looked
ominous when they conceded a try at the start of the 2nd half, but somehow,
in a tenacious way that the Scots excel at, they dragged themselves back into
the game through a potent mixture of powerful forward play, accurate goal
kicking and er...Ronan O’Gara, who aided the recovery with some bizarre
decision making for the visitors.The
Scottish scramble defence, resilience and forward power later on in the game
were all there to view in abundance, but there must be concerns about how
little possession and territory the Scottish team has been living off in their
first 3 games.A more clinical side
could, potentially, give them the hiding their stats deserve.
The Winners
·Ryan Grant – Strong work in the scrum (see below) and
massive work in the loose, making a superb 15 tackles, missing none.Threw his hat into the ring for Lions
selection.
·Kelly Brown – Another powerful performance from
the bloodied skipper.Making 20 tackles,
the Scottish captain was a barrier that the Irish just could not break down.Special mention to big Jim Hamilton as well
for an equally big performance.
·Greg Laidlaw – He might not be flash, but he
sure is reliable.Took the points every
time they were on offer, and in this game, that was the key.
The Losers
·The centres – Not because they necessarily
played badly, but because Matt Scott and Sean Lamont barely touched the ball
for 80 minutes and must, quite frankly, have got bored.
·First half Scotland – What a terrible
performance.Not only did they not get
out of their own half, but they were just plain lucky that they came up against
an Irish side who couldn’t finish a Sunday dinner
What’s next?
A tantalising home tie against the Welsh beckons, and at
Murrayfield, the Scots will be quietly confident.They should, however, be concerned that they
don’t seem to be able to maintain any sort of useful possession at the moment,
and a lot of their tries have come from breakaways.Scott Johnson and Dean Ryan have to find away
to get their pack more effective on the opposition ball – picking their moments
to pile in and secure the turnovers.At
the moment, they seem content to just let the opposition go through the phases,
but that won’t work against the more accurate teams.It still seems a waste for the back 3 that
Scotland possess to go without any quick ball – the forwards will need to make
sure they work to provide that against Wales.
Ireland
What happened?
This was the question on everyone’s lips after the game at
Murrayfield.How the hell did a side so
dominant in terms of possession, territory, line breaks, defenders beaten and
metres made get turned over?It was as
if, after making so many breaks in the first 20 minutes, they thought the game
was already won, without recalling that you actually have to get the ball over
the line for any of your endeavours to count for anything.Aside from the finishing, the Irish did have
some positives – their backplay was finding holes even without Sexton and D’Arcy,
the carrying around the fringes was effective and Luke Marshall looks like he
could genuinely contend for the green 12 shirt.All that was not enough though to cover for the fact that their place
kicking was poor, their execution and decision making poorer, their set piece
unreliable and worst of all, their leaders conspicuous by their absence when
they were needed the most.
The Winners
·Luke Marshall – Decent debut when all is said
and done.A couple of great breaks early
on and looked very lively, although his pass to Gilroy butchered a try.
·Sean O’Brien – A standout in an average Irish
pack once more, a great break led to Gilroy’s try; although he needs to curb
his lateral running at times
The Losers
·Rory Best – Struggled in the lineout which cost
the men in green valuable position time and again.
·Paddy Jackson – Harsh on his debut, but in the
cold light of day, his missed kicks cost his side dear – and they were ones he
would have got for Ulster.
·Brian O’Driscoll – With two debutants inside
him, he should have stepped in when things weren’t going their way.Instead, he was virtually anonymous and was
well shackled throughout.
·Ronan O’Gara – Absolute madness.His contribution, when he was required to
bring calmness to proceedings, was to scuff a questionable cross field kick 30
metres from his own line straight into the hands of Tim Visser, and then to
launch an impossible pass at Luke Marshall when the Irish had a try scoring
chance at the death.
What’s Next
The Irish have perhaps the perfect antidote to their blues –
Les Bleus.The French are coming to town
in less than a fortnight and coach Declan Kidney will need to ensure that his
side work on the basics this week – support play, handling, set piece etc.Too many times these skills were notably
lacking at key times – such as when Keith Earls broke down the left and ignored
the open O’Driscoll on his inside shoulder.Kidney also has several selection dilemmas: with Sexton unlikely to be
fit, does he still stick with young Jackson after his shakey start?O’Gara didn’t suggest he’d be any more
solid.Does he keep O’Callaghan in to
combat the feisty French pack?This may
be a game the Munster veteran would excel in, so he can also expect to keep his
place.The Irish coaches will be hoping
for accuracy – the Irish fans will just be hoping for a win.
Lies, damned lies and statistics.And then this.If you were to take a perusal over all the
match stats – aside from the score of course – even Alistair Campbell and a
glamorous assistant would have difficulty in convincing you that Scotland were
the victors.Ireland had 71% of the
possession, 77% of the territory, made 5 line breaks to Scotland’s 0, beat 13
more defenders and made over 3 times more metres with the metres with the ball
in hand.But the only stat that matters,
as the pundits say, is the one on the scoreboard – and at the end of 80 minutes
at Murrayfield on Sunday, that read 12 – 8 in favour of Scotland.
The big question that the Irish would be asking by the end
of the game was ‘How?’, but they might have been better off asking
‘where?’.Where was the clinical edge
we’d seen in the opening half against Wales? Where was the aggression that was
on show at the Millennium Stadium and even against England in parts?Where were the leaders when that feeling of
dread began to set in?Unfortunately for
the Irish, it was the Scots who had the answers as they delivered a performance
that was as gritty, physical and resilient as it was unimaginative.
From the off, it looked like we were going to be treated to
an Irish blitz as they ripped through the Scottish defence in the first moments
of the game.All the pre match pressure
had been on young Ulster debutant fly half Paddy Jackson, but it was another
Ulster debutant, Luke Marshall, who caught the eye, breaking clean through the
Scotland defence on 2 separate occasions – firstly giving Keith Earls a dart
for the line on the left, and then scything through but fluffing his pass to
winger Craig Gilroy on the right.Then
it was Earls’ chance to squander an opportunity, as he blasted up the pitch
following a simple switch with Jackson, but ignored the open Brian O’Driscoll
on his right, instead attempting to take on Stuart Hogg on the outside –
possibly not the smartest move given that Hogg was probably the quickest man on
the pitch.
And so, despite all their dominance and golden
opportunities, the closest the Irish had come to scoring was a shanked penalty
from young Jackson before he finally got them on the board with a simple kick
on 35 minutes.Halftime came, and the
Scots could barely believe they were only 3 points down.They hadn’t had the ball in the Irish half –
understandable considering they were living off 20% possession – and yet
instead of being dead and buried, they were very much alive in the
contest.
Following the break, it looked as if the Irish may have
finally found their clinical edge as Sean O’Brien became the latest Irishman to
make a clean break, taking play close to the Scottish line before the ball was
recycled and Craig Gilroy pirouetted his way over the line.Some handbags ensued which led to the
normally irritating Wayne Barnes coming out with a classic reprieve for any of
the backs who had waded in – “Don’t get involved when the forwards are doing
that.You’ll just end up getting hurt
and probably sinbinned” – but the end result was that Ireland were 8 – 0 up
(Jackson missing the conversion) and seemingly safe, given how little Scotland
had created.
But instead, Scotland somehow clawed their way back into the
contest. A couple of rare forays into
Scottish territory gave Greg Laidlaw two pots at goal, which he duly slotted,
and then a lineout in a promising position – marshalled by the superb Jim
Hamilton – got Scotland chugging forward in a maul towards the Irish line
before it was eventually hauled down by Peter O’Mahony.Laidlaw again added the 3 points, and all of
a sudden the home side were 1 point ahead.But instead of regrouping and realising all they had to do was sustain
the pressure, the Irish panicked, and none more spectacularly than veteran
Ronan O’Gara – on for Paddy Jackson to ‘steady the ship’.The Munster man scuffed a bizarre cross-chip-kick
in his own half into no-man’s land, with Tim Visser hacking on and from there
the Irish conceded another penalty, effectively handing Scotland the game.
O’Gara then threw an impossible pass to Marshall in the
final play of the game when the Irish were pressurising and, to the disbelief
of the Scottish crowd, the end result said Scotland 12 – Ireland 8.Lies, damned lies and statistics – it’s just
the score that counts.
Scotland Player
Ratings
Hogg – 6 – No open space and no ball for him this week, but
was decent under the high ball whenever he was tested.Just came up short with a monster penalty,
too Maitland – 6 – The flying Kiwi covered well in defence on
Earls’ break in the first half, but that was about his most significant
contribution Lamont – 5 – Made his tackles but had next to no involvement
with the ball in hand, although that was hardly his fault Scott – 5 – Like his centre partner, was a solid presence in
the middle but had no ball with which to impress. Visser – 5 – Saw very little of him, but good awareness to
hack through on the build up to the final penalty. Jackson – 6 – Generally defended his channel well, although
he was caught out by Luke Marshall early on Laidlaw – 8 – Another impressive performance from the
scrum-half.Controlled his forwards well
and hit his kicks. Grant – 7 – Part of a decent scrummaging effort and gave a
full account of his mobility in defence, making a superb 15 tackles, missing
none Ford – 7 – Partly responsible for an impressively solid
lineout and tackled well in general, although he will be disappointed he let
Gilroy wriggle through Cross – 6 – Quiet game for the man in for Euan Murray.Impressed in the scrum but didn’t offer too
much elsewhere. Gray – 7 – Another gut busting defensive effort by the giant
blonde beanpole, making 11 tackles and contributing a dominant lineout. Hamilton – 8 – A much better performance by Big Jim.Led the lineout superbly and got in the Irish
faces, never letting them settle Harley – 6 – I’m still yet to be convinced.Got around the park well but didn’t make as
big an impact in the contact as you would hope with a blindside flanker Brown – 8 – A phenomenal defensive display from the
skipper.20 tackles made and none missed
tells a story.Man of the Match. Beattie – 7 – Got through his share of the defensive duties
and also made some yards when Scotland started getting the ball more later on.
Subs:
Hall – 7 – Aggressive carries from the hooker caught the
eye, strong work in the loose
Low – No time to make an impact Kellock – No time to make an impact Denton – No time to make an impact. Weir – 7 – Impressive cameo from the stocky fly-half –
injected tempo and urgency into proceedings
Ireland Player
Ratings
Kearney – 6 – A couple of promising surges reminded us what
the Leinster full back can be capable of Gilroy – 7 – Superbly taken score and surprisingly
proficient under the high ball. Always looking for work. O'Driscoll – 5 – Where was the leadership?The old magician should have grabbed this
game by the scruff of the neck but was largely anonymous. L. Marshall – 7 – Impressive debut. A couple of superb
breaks early on showcased his eye for a gap, even if his passing could have
been better. Earls – 6 – One superb break was ruined by ignoring his
support.Unfortunately he was fairly
quiet afterwards. Jackson – 5 – A difficult debut.Missed his kicks which ended up being
crucial, although he did show some nice touches with the ball in hand. Murray – 6 – A couple of promising darts but made the wrong
decision to slow ball down on a couple of occasions. Court – 5 – Struggled in the scrum and didn’t show up
particularly impressively on the carry either.Ireland missed Healy. Best – 5 – Was partly at fault for an unreliable lineout,
although improved in the second half.Didn’t see as much of him with ball in hand as usual. Ross – 6 – Held his side of the scrum up well enough but
still questions about his contribution in the loose remain. O'Callaghan – 5 – Ireland’s most capped lock put in a
performance that was filled with brawn but unfortunately not enough brain.He was another leader who went AWOL at the
key time. Didn’t make a single tackle all game. Ryan – 6 – Not as effective in the loose as in previous
games and was largely outmuscled by Jim Hamilton. O'Mahony – 5 – After two impressive performances the
blindside endured a quiet game, not making anywhere near the impression he’s
made previously on the carry O'Brien – 7 – A great bust in the build up to the try but
often ran too laterally when he should be making yards the direct route. Heaslip – 6 – A little more impressive taking the ball
forward but has captain he has to take responsibility for not keeping his
troops calm and accurate
Subs
Kilcoyne – 6 – Solidified the scrum well enough but couldn’t
get the Irish momentum back.
Toner – No time to make an impact Henderson – No time to make an impact Reddan – No time to make an impact O'Gara – 4 – A shocking cameo.Two scuffed kicks and an awful pass
effectively botched any chance of an Irish comeback. Fitzgerald – 6 – Desperate to impress but by this time, Ireland
were struggling to get the ball in space out wide.