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2024 Guinness Six Nations
[2021 Six Nations] Wales vs Ireland (07/02/21)
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<blockquote data-quote="big ginger 8" data-source="post: 1018376" data-attributes="member: 53057"><p>Defending someone is not wanting to lynch them right this instant. Very cool.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Looking at this match my position on Farrell isn't changed massively one way or the other...which likely means I wouldn't be too cut up about him but whatever.</p><p></p><p>Haven't watched the match back and don't plan to but just looking over the positive and negatives (yes there were actually were some things that weren't DARKNESS! NO PARENTS!!! level depressing). Already talked about individual players so going to place that to one side.</p><p></p><p>Positives:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There was a lot of fight shown after an initial drop in heads. It should be expected but it doesn't always happen, especially when a team goes down a man early on. Shows a good level of buy-in and maturity.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Our rucks are probably what impressed me the most. We had massive problems turning over the ball in opposition 22 last year. I can't remember any such instances at the ruck today. Wales aren't the greatest turnover team in the world but they did have two 7's for most of the game. Healy, Henderson and VDF all had vicious clear outs. Big ups to the players and POC there.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The lineout. But we ****** up one on their five and a maul transfer on their 22? Yeah, but given the level we were at last year it's still a big improvement. Also taking into context that we lost our safe option at 2 and our caller in the first 30? minutes. In fairness again, it's not an area I think Wales are particularly great but we did also get two steals and the maul actually moved forward a few times which it didn't really do last year. Only a very small positive but hopefully a good sign.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The scrum was solid. PotM Wyn Jones should have been penalised twice for collapsing inwards but no issues here not that I would have expected any.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">We looked to vary our first receiver and had more forward options of nine rather than having an obvious target like we used to. Our attack wasn't overall a postive but these were good to see. The multiple lines and occasional good handling allowed our centres and Keenan to get on an outside shoulder a few times.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The defence with 14 men was good apart from the try but a lot of that is on Wales.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Apart from one knock on and one knock back (which we won) our fielding was much more confident. A lot of that is on Keenan's shoulders.</li> </ul><p>Most of those are only small positives but the rucking is an absolutely massive one for me. We used to be the best rucking team in the world and our gameplan will not work if we cannot keep the ball for long passages.</p><p></p><p>Negatives:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The level of discipline is rubbish. The penalty on Beirne was wrong but we just keep shooting ourselves in the foot. It's been going on since Schmidt's last year and it needs to be sorted yesterday. We don't have the attacking explosiveness to dig ourselves out of the hole it creates.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The over thirties didn't bring the cool heads we wanted and were responsible for a heap of individual errors. Absolutely unacceptable.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It's wonderful having two are three lines of attack but it's not going to work if our ten is doing his best Ross Byrne impression and not moving forward. Not sure if that's on Sexton and his dodgy hammy as Burns, for all his mistakes, was actually moving forward and bringing occasional attacking threat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">We still want to revert to bombs, when we're just outside the opposition 22, far too often. Looks like a dreadful mixture of coaching directive and player habit.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">For all the good things they were doing our forwards at times looked quite lost. Hard to tell how much being down a man compounded it but we seemed to have random player shortages and players ahead of the ball without good reason far too often.</li> </ul><p>Overall I've pretty mixed feelings about this game. Being a man down for a majority of the game, losing your pack leader early on and losing your second best player at a key juncture actually do make a difference. Still this is a game we should have won. Some of the issues are ones that have been going on for ages now and haven't been fixed and that's not good enough. Some of our other long term issues have shown some improvement though. This game isn't a massive positive but it also isn't a unbelievable negative, for me.</p><p></p><p>Anyone expecting massive change from outside the squad except in the case of injury is going to be massively disappointed. It's never been the way any of our coaches have operated. If any such changes do come it'll be for Italy since there's the week off.</p><p></p><p>Changes that can happen for France that I'd like to see at least a few of are Kelleher, Beirne at 6 if Ryan is fit, Ruddock if not, Larmour in, Casey on the bench and Baird ahead of Dillane for the bench.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="big ginger 8, post: 1018376, member: 53057"] Defending someone is not wanting to lynch them right this instant. Very cool. Looking at this match my position on Farrell isn't changed massively one way or the other...which likely means I wouldn't be too cut up about him but whatever. Haven't watched the match back and don't plan to but just looking over the positive and negatives (yes there were actually were some things that weren't DARKNESS! NO PARENTS!!! level depressing). Already talked about individual players so going to place that to one side. Positives: [LIST] [*]There was a lot of fight shown after an initial drop in heads. It should be expected but it doesn't always happen, especially when a team goes down a man early on. Shows a good level of buy-in and maturity. [*]Our rucks are probably what impressed me the most. We had massive problems turning over the ball in opposition 22 last year. I can't remember any such instances at the ruck today. Wales aren't the greatest turnover team in the world but they did have two 7's for most of the game. Healy, Henderson and VDF all had vicious clear outs. Big ups to the players and POC there. [*]The lineout. But we ****** up one on their five and a maul transfer on their 22? Yeah, but given the level we were at last year it's still a big improvement. Also taking into context that we lost our safe option at 2 and our caller in the first 30? minutes. In fairness again, it's not an area I think Wales are particularly great but we did also get two steals and the maul actually moved forward a few times which it didn't really do last year. Only a very small positive but hopefully a good sign. [*]The scrum was solid. PotM Wyn Jones should have been penalised twice for collapsing inwards but no issues here not that I would have expected any. [*]We looked to vary our first receiver and had more forward options of nine rather than having an obvious target like we used to. Our attack wasn't overall a postive but these were good to see. The multiple lines and occasional good handling allowed our centres and Keenan to get on an outside shoulder a few times. [*]The defence with 14 men was good apart from the try but a lot of that is on Wales. [*]Apart from one knock on and one knock back (which we won) our fielding was much more confident. A lot of that is on Keenan's shoulders. [/LIST] Most of those are only small positives but the rucking is an absolutely massive one for me. We used to be the best rucking team in the world and our gameplan will not work if we cannot keep the ball for long passages. Negatives: [LIST] [*]The level of discipline is rubbish. The penalty on Beirne was wrong but we just keep shooting ourselves in the foot. It's been going on since Schmidt's last year and it needs to be sorted yesterday. We don't have the attacking explosiveness to dig ourselves out of the hole it creates. [*]The over thirties didn't bring the cool heads we wanted and were responsible for a heap of individual errors. Absolutely unacceptable. [*]It's wonderful having two are three lines of attack but it's not going to work if our ten is doing his best Ross Byrne impression and not moving forward. Not sure if that's on Sexton and his dodgy hammy as Burns, for all his mistakes, was actually moving forward and bringing occasional attacking threat. [*]We still want to revert to bombs, when we're just outside the opposition 22, far too often. Looks like a dreadful mixture of coaching directive and player habit. [*]For all the good things they were doing our forwards at times looked quite lost. Hard to tell how much being down a man compounded it but we seemed to have random player shortages and players ahead of the ball without good reason far too often. [/LIST] Overall I've pretty mixed feelings about this game. Being a man down for a majority of the game, losing your pack leader early on and losing your second best player at a key juncture actually do make a difference. Still this is a game we should have won. Some of the issues are ones that have been going on for ages now and haven't been fixed and that's not good enough. Some of our other long term issues have shown some improvement though. This game isn't a massive positive but it also isn't a unbelievable negative, for me. Anyone expecting massive change from outside the squad except in the case of injury is going to be massively disappointed. It's never been the way any of our coaches have operated. If any such changes do come it'll be for Italy since there's the week off. Changes that can happen for France that I'd like to see at least a few of are Kelleher, Beirne at 6 if Ryan is fit, Ruddock if not, Larmour in, Casey on the bench and Baird ahead of Dillane for the bench. [/QUOTE]
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2024 Guinness Six Nations
[2021 Six Nations] Wales vs Ireland (07/02/21)
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