Super XV Big Match Preview - Sharks v Stormers

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

Subs: Cooper, Herbst, du Toit , Botes, McLeod, Bosman , Ndungane

Key Player

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.

Super XV Big Match Review - Reds 25 - 17 Waratahs

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.
 

Aviva Premiership Big Match Review - Leicester Tigers 27 - 32 Saracens

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 Kock  gave 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 Wasps  A 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.
 

Six Nations - Team of the Week - Round 3

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.

 

Who would you have in your team of the round?

Six Nations Breakdown - Round 3

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 what  they 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 2^nd 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.
 

Six Nations Review - Scotland 12 - 8 Ireland

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.