[2019 Six Nations] Italy vs Wales (09/02/2019)

Purely based on form, England should win. Wales have the potential, but have under performed massively so far.

 

Totally agree... thankfully two weeks is a long old time in test match rugby.

 

While I agree, England have played their key players in both games, where as Wales have rested some of theirs for 3 weeks. After week 1 & 2 if I was Gatland I'd be worried.

 

Well, although I’m not Gatland... I am at the very least concerned. The only thing that is giving me hope at the moment is that we are perenial slow starters because Gats and his conditioning team beast the players for the first 2/3 weeks of camp with very little actual rugby. Once they deem the players have achieved adequate fitness, the training becomes more game plan orientated.

 

True, but the simple fact is that you have played the two easiest teams without a bonus point. If Wales win they are on for GS, but their performance has to be the best of the 6N's based on the first two rounds.

 

Yup!

 

No need for threats

 

its a cunning plan I tells you, you'll play the same way and we'll be ready for use, oh I can see it now lovely boy, your eddie saying what the **** is going on mun, they were **** the first two games, reminds me what my old dad said to me when I asked him why there was so many mountains in Wales , he sits me down on his knee and sez.
well son we've taken so much land off the English we had no where to put it so we had to tump it up.

 

I think this game at least has shown who shouldn't be playing against England. In particular I can see Aled Davies and Beard missing out - Beard still has bags of potential but he had a poor game so I doubt he'll start. Aled for me adds nothing that the other two don't do much much better. I'd personally start Gareth Davies with Tomos Williams off the bench vs England.

The back row was probably the best thing about Saturday's game, which likely leaves Gatland with a little bit of a selection headache.

I'm interested to see how England play against us - they got their tactics spot on in their first two games. In particular very strong aggressive defence which hounded and hampered Ireland and France's attacking game all day coupled with a very clever kicking game.

Their kicking game has brought them a silly amount of success, mostly due to them doing their homework and taking advantage of the opposition weaknesses in the back three.

Against Ireland they targeted Earls who isn't the best in the air, and took full advantage of the fact that Henshaw hasn't played 15 in years, and definitely isn't a test level fullback! It worked brilliantly, led to at least one of their tries and really stifled Ireland's game from the first minute.

France's back three (and at times their whole team) really didn't look like they were communicating at all, so England's smart kicking was just pulling them out of position constantly. In defence as well, France's wingers were up in the line to mark May and Ashton, which just invited the kicks in behind time and time again - something that Farrell is fantastic at.

England just needed to pin them back or hoist the ball up, and more often than not they'd get the ball back, either via a French mistake or by forcing France to give away a lineout in and around their 22.

I'm hoping that our back three should be cohesive and experienced enough to deal with this part of England's game - at least better than Ireland and France have so far. That said, I do remember one of England's tries against us last year coming from a pin point off the cuff Farrell grubber which took full advantage of both Adams and Anscombe losing their defensive shape and leaving acres of space for May to run into. We do that again and England will punish us.

If the kicking game doesn't work as well, I imagine England do have a plan B suited around our weaknesses anyway. Plus I'm expecting England's defence to be just as aggressive as it was vs Ireland and France anyway.

Overall, I'm not super confident of a result anyway. I do however think we'll raise our game as we generally have vs England in the last few years, even when a one sided English victory was on the cards. Either way I'm both excited for this game and dreading it at the same time. Only the two weeks to wait...

 

hmmm England new how Ireland and to some extent how France would play too, How do England think we'll play, I agree with you that our back three must be switched on , but I don't think Farrell will have the armchair ride playing us,
Also Beard I posted earlier that he may sit this one out but, definitely one for the future. the English have found two flankers straight out of the top draw, will cause us some problems me thinks, so maybe Young or Wainwright on the bench.
Navidi stood up well the weekend , but he needs support is Moriarty too much of a one man band, Tipric is not one of my favourites as a seven lacks the power against formidable backrowers. also I would bring bigger back to give us those little kicks of his when the English blitz us get away with that often enough and the eng forwards will start to question themselves.