Your most disappointing 6N, TRC or Tour ?

Big Ewis · Oct 13, 2013

what's the most disappointed you've ever felt during/after your national side's Tour somewhere, or 6N/TRC tournament ? (no RWC, it's less interesting to read...)

For my short rugby 'fanhood', I'll have to clearly say the 2013 6N for France. Not even because we actually got the Wooden Spoon lol, but the first two matches. My spirit was broken.
After a fantastic 2012 November Tour, we lose in Italy. And then the most boring-yet-somewhat-suspenseful 6N match: we host a sinking Wales in Paris, and concede a try in the last 10min and lose by 10.
I remember seeing Michalak during the post-match interview with the mic saying: "we suck, we don't know how to play" and basically throwing the mic in the guy's direction and walking away.

I felt almost sick with disappointment that day

Draggs · Oct 13, 2013

France v Wales 2009. 2008 was the first year I really started watching rugby, so I was convinced we were going for another slam. That match just killed me. I hardly said anything for the rest of the day. France v Wales RWC was bad in a different way.

LittleGuy · Oct 13, 2013

2007 RWC was a major flop for Canada.....2008 Autumn tour had two disastrous games(but was salvaged by a win against Portugal and a better game vs. Wales) 2009 Tour to Japan was absolutely awful, probably my most dissapointing viewing as a fan the first match in particular.

These would be tour's though I can name off some one off tests that were much more dissapointing.

Aspry · Oct 13, 2013

Probably that dark afternoon in Soweto

nickdnz · Oct 13, 2013

The 2009 Tri Nations. We'd come off a 1-1 series loss to France and South Africa just won the Lions series. Lost three times to South Africa - once at home cause of Januarie of all people. McCaw was just coming back form injury and Carter was injured up until the last game against SA. There was so many up and unders and 50m+ penalties that New Zealand just seemed so ill equipt to deal with it. It pretty much spelt the end of Rokocoko's career on the wing.

Draggs · Oct 13, 2013

TRF_nickdnz said:
The 2009 Tri Nations. We'd come off a 1-1 series loss to France and South Africa just won the Lions series. Lost three times to South Africa - once at home cause of Januarie of all people. McCaw was just coming back form injury and Carter was injured up until the last game against SA. There was so many up and unders and 50m+ penalties that New Zealand just seemed so ill equipt to deal with it. It pretty much spelt the end of Rokocoko's career on the wing.

The Ricky try was Dunedin 2008.

nickdnz · Oct 13, 2013

TRF_Draggs said:
The Ricky try was Dunedin 2008.

Ahh of course. Never mind haha..

I had it mixed with the Hamilton match where Frans Steyn was kickin 60m kicks - for some reason they just merged into one.

Draggs · Oct 13, 2013

I do love that Ricky try. One of the best ever, so graceful for a little chubby man.

j'nuh · Oct 13, 2013

Ignoring your no WC rule.

Just because it was so obviously the 2011 World Cup.

2010 was awesome. Those two wins against Australia, especially the one at home, made that year. Youngs, Flood, Ashton and Foden formed a mostly an incredible backline. Cole and Corbs breaking out, and Thompson in decent form. Palmer was dependable, and Shaw was an inspiration in how long he lasted. And even early 2011, things were going our way. Wood was making a name for himself for example, and we won the 6N. But things did seem off. That flair mostly disappeared, then we were dicked by Ireland in the final match. Youngs/Flood started to fall apart and Ashton/Foden had little to play off anymore.

And then everything just fell apart after the 6N. We hit one of the lowest points of that four year cycle, at what was supposed to be the culmination of years of work. Everything was wrong, from selections, to tactics, to off-field attitude, to players' form. I was disappointed at the start of the tournament, but it turned into anger by the end.

smartcooky · Oct 13, 2013

1998!!

No further explanation needed

N

nickdnz

International

TRF Legend

Oct 13, 2013

#11

smartcooky said:

1998!!

No further explanation needed
It was a shambles.

smartcooky

Referee Coach and Advisor

TRF Legend

Oct 13, 2013

#12

TRF_nickdnz said:
It was a shambles.

Yes, it certainly was. And to make it even worse, the two June internationals which were immediately previous to this were...

So how bad was that England team then?

This bad I guess..

Big Ewis

Hall of Fame

Oct 13, 2013

#13

all interesting reads. Thanks for sharing.

More people join in, now. Don't be shy, tell us the shyttiest Tour your team's been on ! Come on, it's fun

...and therapeutic..

lynam1104

First XV

Oct 13, 2013

#14

Lets see, this years 6N, last years summer tour, 2007 WC to name a few.

Big Ewis

Hall of Fame

Oct 13, 2013

#15

lynam1104 said:
Lets see, this years 6N, last years summer tour, 2007 WC to name a few.

lol "to name a few".
"last years summer tour": you mean the tour where NZ needed a desperate Dan Carter DG to insure victory at home ? Forget the 60-0 and the first test.

Feicarsinn

Super Αdmin

TRF Legend

Oct 13, 2013

#16

2007 Six Nations. Best team in the competition. Came off a superb November International series recording comfortable wins over South Africa and Australia. Lose Brian O'Driscoll for pivotal France game. One defensive miscommunication in the very last minute costs us the game, the championship and the Grand Slam. Gutting.

****ing Vincent Clerc.

Big Ewis

Hall of Fame

Oct 13, 2013

#17

Feicarsinn said:
2007 Six Nations. Best team in the competition. Came off a superb November International series recording comfortable wins over South Africa and Australia. Lose Brian O'Driscoll for pivotal France game. One defensive miscommunication in the very last minute costs us the game, the championship and the Grand Slam. Gutting.

****ing Vincent Clerc.

well I don't mean to make this even worse, but "defensive miscommunication", or attacking brilliance by Clerc. He's had his streak against Ireland those years...

But yeh, funny you should refer to that 2006 Autumn series for Ireland, I'm just in the process of acquiring those games...I also want the Ireland Pac. Islanders from that year, but very impressive results at home against Aus and SA. And it's that year in 2007 that Ireland put like 45 on England...

Unfortunately that Pool in the 2007 RWC was just really tough. France at home, and Argentina (which I see had beaten Ireland twice some months prior to the Cup) which ended up taking the third place easily. Ireland deserved a better fate than this.

Feicarsinn

Super Αdmin

TRF Legend

Oct 14, 2013

#18

While taking nothing away from Clerc at all I still feel that it was very naive defense from Ireland that lead to the try. Let's look at the situation just as Clerc waltzes over:

So play is drifting across the field left to right, as denoted by the red arrow on the bottom of the pic. We can see that the first line of the Irish defense is covering their men as they drift across, namely John Hayes (1) has lined up the French forward on Clerc's inside shoulder and Neil Best (2) is tracking Clerc across the pitch. Shane Horgan (3) should be covering the space between these two to cut off the risk of Clerc cutting back inside, particularly as he has his tighthead prop to his left. However Horgan, playing out of position and inside centre due to Brian O'Driscoll's injury, drifts with the line and ends up too far to the right, leaving himself powerless as Clerc cuts back in to grab the try. Very naive, but probably all that can be expected of a winger playing at 12.

Not taking anything away from Clerc of course, he exploited the situation beautifully, but it's one that shouldn't have been there and perhaps wouldn't have been if it had been Gordon D'arcy is Shaggy's position.

Big Ewis

Hall of Fame

Oct 14, 2013

#19

Well I appreciate the explanation, and we can look at plays in meticulous detail to the point of maybe being pedantic, but this just looks like one insane try by Vincent Clerc to me, pierces right through traffic like a Houdini and goes all the way. Sure Ireland didn't react as we'd expect a team to in the last minute, but Clerc just looks virtually unstoppable on that play, I don't think we can blame Ireland all too much:

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