Wales England [Banter]

[valley commando]

These latest comments from Eddie Jones reported in Wales on Line and BBC sport -:

Jones has questioned why England have ever been ‘petrified’ of Wales in rugby terms. He’s said England will be the team that improves this week, not Wales. He’s even derided the notion of Welsh home advantage at the Principality Stadium.

“I can’t see that just because we drive down the M4 they get an advantage,†said Jones.

“It’s not different water, it’s not different air. The beer is the same, the pies are the same, the seats are the same, the grass is the same. Everything is the same.â€

Are we then to conclude that there is no difference between England playing at Twickenham and the Cardiff arena?

Up until now I have not said a bad word about EJ but these comments are proof he deserves the nickname Eddie the Ignorant.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

That's just Eddie playing games, protecting his team. Anyone who's ever drunk Brains would have to dispute the beer point though. .

 

[valley commando]

That's just Eddie playing games, protecting his team. Anyone who's ever drunk Brains would have to dispute the beer point though. .

Yes your right Brains is as good as beer gets. What ETI has done is saved Howler from having to do a team talk.

 

[RedruthRFC]

As Old Hooker says, just some silly Jones mind games. Plenty of former England players have explained why Cardiff is a difficult place to play. I'm sure Eddie understands the pressure cooker effect of a stadium full of passionate supporters in a compact city, but it would be a strange thing for him to highlight this to his players in the build up to the game. Even with the new pitch, I'm not sure that he's quite right in saying that the grass is the same!

The only bit I don't like is saying that Wales won't improve - talk about your own side, not your opposition, despite the fact that he might well be right.

The last time I was in Cardiff, I enjoyed some very good hand pulled beers, I don't remember if Brains was among them. I did learn years earlier to give the cream flow version a wide berth though.

The comments further down the article about Zlatan Ibrahimovic made me chuckle. He's used as an example of a player (in a different sport) doing well at 35, then it refers to him as a former international!

This topic puts me in mind of a tale I heard from a friend of Stack Stevens' father years ago. After an all to predictable away loss in Dublin, CB (Stack's father) got through to Stack on the phone and asked what went wrong. The answer was that Stack wasn't the only player who didn't make it to bed the night before the match!

 

[anderton46]

I like Eddie Jones, he seems to get people riled up with comments that are so meaningless. Everything he is saying is technically true.

 

[TommiG88]

Yes your right Brains is as good as beer gets. What ETI has done is saved Howler from having to do a team talk.

Brains, the Welsh version of Doombar. Crappy mass produced beer.

I've had many better beers from Wales than Brains.

 

[valley commando]

Brains, the Welsh version of Doombar. Crappy mass produced beer.

I've had many better beers from Wales than Brains.

Haha

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I don't get the hyperbole in the press about the MilStad atmosphere in the run up to England games.
It's not a cauldron of hostility anymore, it's 70k ****** up "fans" waving blow up daffodils and wearing pink sparkly cowboy hats.
Playing away at Welford Rd or Kingsholm, for their clubs, would be more intimidating.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Brains, the Welsh version of Doombar. Crappy mass produced beer.

I've had many better beers from Wales than Brains.

No arguments from me re: Doom Bar. Such a shame, it was a good brewery when Bill Sharp owned it, successive buy outs have no doubt increased the profitability of the business, but not helped the product. It's so ubiquitous that a couple of mates of mine run an annual competition to find the cheapest and most expensive pint of Doom Bar whenever they leave the county.

To be far to Sharps, as soon as keg beer goes, Wolf Rock takes some beating if you like a fairly strong, fairly dark pint. Similarly, to be fair to Brains, I've enjoyed a few pints of Reverend James over the years.

Maybe we should bump the drinks thread!

- - - Updated - - -

I don't get the hyperbole in the press about the MilStad atmosphere in the run up to England games.
It's not a cauldron of hostility anymore, it's 70k ****** up "fans" waving blow up daffodils and wearing pink sparkly cowboy hats.
Playing away at Welford Rd or Kingsholm, for their clubs, would be more intimidating.

What they're wearing and what they've had to drink is irrelevant IMO, they're still making noise in a compact stadium that seems to hold noise in. Per person, Kingsholme and Welford Road might be louder (although I was surprised how subdued Kingholme was on my last visit), but I can't see it rivalling the sheer volume of the PS, which is what makes an atmosphere hostile to me.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

What they're wearing and what they've had to drink is irrelevant IMO, they're still making noise in a compact stadium that seems to hold noise in.

That's because they never open the bloody roof.

Not that rugby's an outdoor winter sport or anything.

 

[die_mole]

Okay, so international rugby fans are extremely sensitive right?

Like what the hell is flamatory about what he said.

 

[valley commando]

I don't get the hyperbole in the press about the MilStad atmosphere in the run up to England games.
It's not a cauldron of hostility anymore, it's 70k ****** up "fans" waving blow up daffodils and wearing pink sparkly cowboy hats.
Playing away at Welford Rd or Kingsholm, for their clubs, would be more intimidating.

And you are so wonderful, at least we have an identity and more than one song (which incidentally are all Welsh, as opposed to your very un-imaginative negro spiritual cotton picking song which has zero connection with England, apart from your slave master ancestors of course)

 

[corny]

I think EJ is a knob but there's nothing in the comments quoted.

I'm sure both sides will be fully riled by the end of the week though. Makes for a great game for the neutral.

 

[Lé Ddanno]

Okay, so international rugby fans are extremely sensitive right?

Like what the hell is flamatory about what he said.

No. Just him up there what started the thread.

 

[valley commando]

No. Just him up there what started the thread.

What do you mean what started the thread ?

 

[Every Time Ref]

I really hope the official match thread is better than this....

 

[ncurd]

I really hope the official match thread is better than this....

You know its going to be worse far far worse.....

 

[Every Time Ref]

I live in hope

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Sam Davies is the best 10 in the world and will be the Lions 10.

There, got it out of the way. Now it can't be worse.

 

[McTallshort]

And you are so wonderful, at least we have an identity and more than one song (which incidentally are all Welsh, as opposed to your very un-imaginative negro spiritual cotton picking song which has zero connection with England, apart from your slave master ancestors of course)

Of course no Welshman was ever involved in the British slave trade ever....just like the Welsh were never involved in anything the British Empire did....apart from Rorkes drift.