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2024 Guinness Six Nations
[2020 Six Nations] England vs Wales (07/03/20)
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<blockquote data-quote="Not Eddie Jones" data-source="post: 990654" data-attributes="member: 81025"><p>The trouble with 'if this had happened, then this would have happened' is that it goes both ways. If Sexton had prevented Ford's try, then it would have been a 5m scrum to England. Our scrum was driving theirs backwards all day and a good source of penalties, so maybe we would have then had a pushover try or a penalty try. You can go on forever with that coulda, woulda stuff. Yes, Sexton shanked a kick he'd normally make, but nothing in the game is automatic. Placekicking is a skill and you have to execute on the day. Sexton didn't and Farrell did. That's what makes sport unpredictable. </p><p></p><p>And talking of unpredictable, there's little in rugby more unpredictable than the ball. It's shape makes it bounce in weird ways, and that's very much a part of the game and part of the kick-through tactic. Those kicks always have a chance of creating tries in the way they did against Ireland, it's not just dumb luck that Sexton couldn't control it, it's a rugby ball, its a little bundle of chaos we let loose behind their defence. </p><p></p><p>What I saw was our scrum dominating theirs, our maul being an effective weapon, our lineout stealing their ball, our players consistently knocking theirs backwards in the tackle, our players consistently getting across the gainline ball-in-hand, our tactical kicking game spot on, Itoje's beautiful rip. At halftime we led 17-0. When 80 minutes rolled around we led 24-5. Even with their clock-in-the-red try making the scoreline a little closer, we still won by 12 points, the same winning margin in our dominant win over NZ. </p><p></p><p>Were England perfect? No. Can they improve? Absolutely. Did they have total control of Ireland throughout that match? Yes, yes they did.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Not Eddie Jones, post: 990654, member: 81025"] The trouble with 'if this had happened, then this would have happened' is that it goes both ways. If Sexton had prevented Ford's try, then it would have been a 5m scrum to England. Our scrum was driving theirs backwards all day and a good source of penalties, so maybe we would have then had a pushover try or a penalty try. You can go on forever with that coulda, woulda stuff. Yes, Sexton shanked a kick he'd normally make, but nothing in the game is automatic. Placekicking is a skill and you have to execute on the day. Sexton didn't and Farrell did. That's what makes sport unpredictable. And talking of unpredictable, there's little in rugby more unpredictable than the ball. It's shape makes it bounce in weird ways, and that's very much a part of the game and part of the kick-through tactic. Those kicks always have a chance of creating tries in the way they did against Ireland, it's not just dumb luck that Sexton couldn't control it, it's a rugby ball, its a little bundle of chaos we let loose behind their defence. What I saw was our scrum dominating theirs, our maul being an effective weapon, our lineout stealing their ball, our players consistently knocking theirs backwards in the tackle, our players consistently getting across the gainline ball-in-hand, our tactical kicking game spot on, Itoje's beautiful rip. At halftime we led 17-0. When 80 minutes rolled around we led 24-5. Even with their clock-in-the-red try making the scoreline a little closer, we still won by 12 points, the same winning margin in our dominant win over NZ. Were England perfect? No. Can they improve? Absolutely. Did they have total control of Ireland throughout that match? Yes, yes they did. [/QUOTE]
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2024 Guinness Six Nations
[2020 Six Nations] England vs Wales (07/03/20)
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