Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
Latest activity
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Help Support The Rugby Forum :
Forums
Featured
2024 Guinness Six Nations
[2021 Six Nations] France vs Wales (20/03/2021)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Not Eddie Jones" data-source="post: 1028115" data-attributes="member: 81025"><p>The biggest key isn't so much the number of away games (as people say, Italy ain't been owt but a walkover in ages), but whether the away opponents are also ***le challengers themselves. In the 10 completed tournaments since France last won the ***le in 2010, England (4), Wales (3) and Ireland (3) have been the winners. Every other year England play Wales and Ireland away. That means in order to win the Slam on those (odd-numbered) years, they have to beat the two other ***le-challenging teams away from home. That's a tall order, and England haven't managed it during that period 10-year period. Their one Slam in that time came when they played both Ireland and Wales at home. It's the same problem for Wales: every other year they have to play Ireland and England away. They managed to beat them both away only once in those 10 tournaments (the 2012 Slam), whereas their 2019 Slam they beat both their fellow challengers at home. Ireland have it a bit more awkward, each year having one of Wales and England at home and the other away. While this means they don't have to beat both their fellow challengers away from home in any given year, they also didn't get to play them both at home in any given year. </p><p></p><p>Of course, all this changes as the challengers change. Back when England won the Slam in 2003, France and Ireland were the main challengers, and they had France at home that year and Ireland away (although I should be careful about mentioning that!). If France now ascends and Ireland and/or Wales drop off, the schedule will present different challenges for Slamming. So it's not the 3 away games that are key so much as who the non-Italy away games are against.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Not Eddie Jones, post: 1028115, member: 81025"] The biggest key isn't so much the number of away games (as people say, Italy ain't been owt but a walkover in ages), but whether the away opponents are also ***le challengers themselves. In the 10 completed tournaments since France last won the ***le in 2010, England (4), Wales (3) and Ireland (3) have been the winners. Every other year England play Wales and Ireland away. That means in order to win the Slam on those (odd-numbered) years, they have to beat the two other ***le-challenging teams away from home. That's a tall order, and England haven't managed it during that period 10-year period. Their one Slam in that time came when they played both Ireland and Wales at home. It's the same problem for Wales: every other year they have to play Ireland and England away. They managed to beat them both away only once in those 10 tournaments (the 2012 Slam), whereas their 2019 Slam they beat both their fellow challengers at home. Ireland have it a bit more awkward, each year having one of Wales and England at home and the other away. While this means they don't have to beat both their fellow challengers away from home in any given year, they also didn't get to play them both at home in any given year. Of course, all this changes as the challengers change. Back when England won the Slam in 2003, France and Ireland were the main challengers, and they had France at home that year and Ireland away (although I should be careful about mentioning that!). If France now ascends and Ireland and/or Wales drop off, the schedule will present different challenges for Slamming. So it's not the 3 away games that are key so much as who the non-Italy away games are against. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Featured
2024 Guinness Six Nations
[2021 Six Nations] France vs Wales (20/03/2021)
Top