Controlled England wait on late chances and fine calls to beat Wallabies
The score-line may have been flattering, the manner questionable, but England are now on a run of five wins since the Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat over Australia.
It was a game that hinged on England being the beneficiaries of a series of tight calls from the TMO and the impact of what has become arguably the greatest set of substitutes in world rugby. England looked the more composed side from the off, playing the percentages and letting the more enterprising Wallabies make the mistakes in the inclement conditions. They edged out to a 6-0 lead through Owen Farrell’s boot, though the Aussies were aggrieved to have a Michael Hooper try rubbed out in the first half and be the recipients of two yellow cards (one rather harsh, the other less so). Yet the hosts didn’t make them pay.
In fact, when the game got back underway, it was the Wallabies who showed more intent. They probed, they broke the line and they should have been ahead. They just couldn’t make a breakthrough in a manner that was conclusive to the TMO. A turnover and England had the buffer they needed. Australia looked to have been through with the line at their mercy, the ball was knocked on and Ben Youngs hoofed the ball downfield. It was now Australia at the mercy of the touch-line and it wasn’t in a merciful frame of mind. Elliot Daly made the most of Kurtley Beale’s complacency and kicked his way over the line to give England a 13-3 buffer. Australia weren’t done, with a penalty going over giving them hope, but another disallowed try killing it.
Substitute Danny Care was then ruthless. His chips through gave Jonathan Joseph and Jonny May the opportunity to show their smart finishing abilities and slide over for tries, before the scrum half bagged himself one with the last play, taking the game to a glossy 30-6. Now Twickenham waits for the visit of the All Blacks next Autumn. They may need more than a touch of luck for that one.
Premiership Round-up
There were back-to-back surprises at the start of the weekend, which were nearly followed by a further two, as the Autumn Internationals made their effects felt on the competition. Gloucester produced a terrific final half-hour to climb up the table with a 23-17 win over Saracens at a raucous Kingsholm and Worcester managed a win over more illustrious opposition themselves, beating Northampton 30-15 to chalk-up a first victory of the season.
Tigers were made to work exceptionally hard for a 35-27 win over a Sale side without Steve Diamond on the touchline. The Manchester men got a try-scoring bonus-point. Wasps gave the Ricoh a reminder of what they can do with a massive 40-10 win over previously high-flying Falcons. There were also wins for Bath against London Irish 22-18 and Exeter 31-17 over Quins.
Scotland give the All Blacks a scare
A victory over the All Blacks was there for the taking for Scotland, who performed admirably, but ultimately had only themselves to blame for a 22-17 loss. It goes down as another spirited defeat, but the performance should give them huge confidence against the Wallabies this weekend, and going into the Six Nations next year.
The highlights are well worth a watch.
What went on elsewhere?
Wales looked lacklustre and fortunate to get away with a 13-6 win over Georgia, having made 14 changes from the side that lost to Australia the previous week. There were also some dubious front row replacement tactics in the final stages, resulting in uncontested scrums which nullified Georgia’s main weapon.
Ireland pulled off an equally fortunate escape against Fiji 23-20, Argentina saw off Italy 31-15 and France succumbed to South Africa 18-17.
Villain of the week
I’m all for a bit of communication/banter between players, coaches and fans – it’s one of the finest things about sports like rugby. However, whilst I don’t know what was said between Michael Cheika and the England fans, it didn’t look particularly good natured and made me fear for the game’s future.
Hero of the week
England’s women won big against Canada at the weekend and at the heart of that was a 20-year-old debutant. Jessica Breach scored six tries – one off a record.
Try of the week
Purely from a controversy perspective and an admiration for the commitment shown by Elliot Daly, I shall plump for that one this week.
Skip to about 29:30 in the highlights video above for the try.
Discussion points
– Is the England bench the difference between themselves and the teams ranked below them?
– What were your views on the ‘marginal calls’ that had the Australians so rankled?
– Who would you pick in the (presumably experimental) team against Samoa?
– Can Gloucester push on after their win against Saracens?
– What does the walloping Wasps win over Falcons do to the premiership?
by Joe Large
Where to start with Glos? Kingsholm is beginning to return to its fortress reputation but can we win away? Ackermann has made a real difference, bringing the sort of qualities that we have always admired in Baxter. At last the team is playing to a standard greater than the sum of its parts rather than below as has been the case for a few years now. I guess home and away form is a matter of confidence as much as anything and you can see that confidence building throughout the team, so I reckon that Glos can push on. Newcastle away will be a good test of where the team is now. Very hopeful for a top 6 finish this season and then top 4 next. Still being a Glos supporter does lead you to expect that your hopes will be dashed upon a rocky shore at some stage so who knows!
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I’m clearly biased but I don’t think any of the calls were wrong on Saturday. I thought Hoopers yellow was a bit harsh, but everything else was right.
Was Hooper in front of the ball for his ‘try’? Yes. Did Robshaw retract behind the offside line before tackling the Aus player? Yes. Was the ball clearly on the line for Daly’s try? No. The ref got them all right then, surely?
For Samoa, I’d definitely like to see a Care, Farrell, Slade 9-10-12 combo have a go to see how they get on. Other than that I probably wouldn’t make many changes. Potentially give a Genge, George, Williams front row a look?
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Genge, George, Williams front row is the likely RWC line-up with Mako and Sinks? Concerned we’ll learn very little about these guys versus Samoa, missed opportunity to not give them a real test against the wallabies from the start… likewise a younger quicker smarter player at 6 (despite Robshaw’s try saving miracle), and get some cap experience to the third choices at 9 and 2 so they arrive at the RWC with experience to back up the incumbent … hopefully we see this against Samoa?
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I don’t think Hartley and Cole are going anywhere pre-RWC but I’d like to see their back ups get a little more game time.
Same at 6 really. Robshaw is very likely to start in 2019 but when he is out we don’t necessarily have an obvious replacement outside of displacing locks. Mercer has potential but just that really.
After last nights announcement, I have a feeling Brad Shields will end up being Robshaws back up come the RWC.
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“Same at 6 really. Robshaw is very likely to start in 2019 but when he is out we don’t necessarily have an obvious replacement”
On this I would say there are replacements, but as yet Eddie has not selected them? Jackson Wray, Don Armand?
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I would definitely like to see Armand get a run out, Wilson is the other one that looks decent. Wray I always feel is a step off physically from test level.
As I say, I don’t think any of those will get much of a look but Shields may well do.
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You’ll find younger and quicker back rows than Robshaw but you won’t find that in combo with smarter. The amount of clearing up and grunt work that Robshaw got through on Sat was huge. As someone else said recently he’s a ‘glue’ player that keeps sides together.
Obviously someone new needs to be bought along though. Not sure Armand is that person – only 2 years younger than Robshaw. But Wilson is a possibility – seems like a v intelligent player. Much as I like Jackson Wray, no England coach seems to, so he seems like an outside chance. There’s also Clifford who, if he ever stays fit can play across the back row.
Personally I’d like to see Simmonds given a go there. Watching on Sat he seemed too small for 8 – or at least for the way England play. He gives away 3 and 4 stone to Hughes and BV respectively. Even the archetypal mobile 8 Kieran Read is 4 inches taller and a stone and a half heavier. Let’s give a shot at 6 and see what he can do
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Agree here Pablito. Robshaw is very experienced and smart, so what he may lack in pace and ball carrying he makes up for with his graft/game reading. He had a very good game Sat and was popping up on more than one occasion to disrupt the Ozzies. I am sure I recall him knocking on at one point but then being straight back and in the ruck causing Oz to infringe thus stifling the advantage in what was a good attacking position for Oz.
My view is this; we know what Robshaw does, tried and tested. So as with you I’d like to see someone else given a couple of games to potentially be as smart but offering a bit more in attack. Maybe Simmonds to start v Samoa and again v Italy first six nations?
But then you have the Itoje/Lawes/Launch decision! Players I would want on the field at the same time and even the best magician couldn’t hide one of them between the other two in the second row!
I don’t want to see Underhill sacrificed right now to accommodate anyone else as whilst he is not the finished article and needs to work on ball carrying and jackaling I honestly feel he will develop and cement the 7 shirt as long as he gets the games.
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Robshaw has lost so much pace there’s no way we should be considering him for for 2019, plus he’ll be well into his 30s and he’s no Dallaglio or Hill… Lawes, Armand and Wilson are the stand out 6s in the prem… i’d be reluctant to add another Kiwi to the team…? Controversial, but Eddie has a track record of picking an 8 at 6, and given that Hughes has been our best player in the AIs expect a Billy / Hughes 6/8 experiment… plenty of gain line impact and great hands… with Underhill chopping all comers down at 7, there’s an interesting balance… Plus, Billy has played plenty of 6 for saracens…
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What!? Is there any evidence that Robshaw has lost any pace? He was one of our better players on Saturday and was missed greatly throughout the 6 nations. Why would England dismiss their best option at 6 because he’s going to be 33 at the next WC? That really isn’t too old these days at all.
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Jacob Jeffery
Yep, England just keep nicking these Pacific Islanders don’t they? Presumably Shields aims to settle in England after the WC, providing he makes the English squad of course, as he might find it a bit tough finding a job back ‘home’ with his latest CV. A case of money over brains?
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Don P
That’ s a joke presumably!
Do i need to revisit the Rape of the PI issue again? Surely not! You are not comparing like with like (NZ’s record with poaching PI’s compared to England who are only just starting to). Either that or your nose is as long as Pinochio by now!
My last count was 18 PIs i recall and Tuigamala is another who i failed to mention 1st time around.
Just to put you back in the real world for a few invaluable seconds…. attempt to find 19 PI’s who have played for England and i’ll buy you a bottle of whiskey. There’s a challenge for you!
You truly are the biggest cobble out there.
Utter shite.
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I’d agree, had Hooper not been in front of the kick, or kept moving forwards, he might not have made it to the ball. Had Moore not been in front of the ball player Robshaw might have prevented the ballcarrier making it over the line. Therefore both disallowed.
Daly was running in at half pace for his try, if Beale hadn’t been protesting the ball was out, he may have tackled Daly.
You make your own luck, all those little decisions were as much to do with Australia’s loss as a lucky bounce of the ball….
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I’d like to see something like this picked for Samoa:
Genge, George, Williams, Launchbury, Lawes, Simmonds, Underhill (if recovered), Hughes, Care, Farrell, Lozowski, Slade, May, Daly, Watson.
Marler, Hartley, Cole, Isiekwe, Itoje, Youngs, Roko, Joseph
I just think it’s the perfect opportunity to give some “fringe” players a chance to shine. If Underhill can’t play, I’d move Itoje into the 2nd row, Lawes to 6 and Simmonds to 7.
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Genge so deserves a start or a place on the bench the guy has been immense for Leicester and the try he scored at the weekend for a prop was outstanding.
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Eddie really has to address the issues concerning the back row balance. Obviously, a fit and firing Billy will make a huge difference but we still need another hefty carrier to augment him and Hughes.
If Armand and Wilson are deemed not good enough then how about giving Maro a run of games at 6 and bringing in another second row?
Aternatively, give simmonds a go at 8 and move Hughes along one. That would answer the question re Simmonds lack of beef. I think we are waking up to the fact that EJ is innately a conservative coach. Don’t expect many radical innovations because that is not the nature of the man.
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Calls weren’t marginal:
Hooper’s ‘Try’ – If he was any further offside he’d off been at The Stoop.
Daly’s Try – The ball clearly didn’t touch the line.
Second Australia ‘Try’ – Moore
was offside and the TMO couldn’t see the ball being grounded so couldn’t conclusively answer the question, I think this was a try.
Hooper’s Yellow – Seemed harsh and out of nowhere.
Beale’s Yellow – No attempt to catch the ball with both hands, ball went to ground, letter of the law deems justified.
No England Yellow – The ref really should’ve pinged England after giving them a warning but didn’t, badly inconsistent.
As for Cheika he has gone from a guy I quiet liked at The World Cup to a grade A douche bag, his interview at the end about ‘No Blame Culture’ screamed everything he was trying not to say and it’s us Poms who are the whingers!
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Hooper took a team yellow after two collapsed mauls and three offside inside the 22, the last two of which were by Hooper himself
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Imo Daly’s try was marginal. It made me think of Wimbledon and the times when using Hawk-eye that you see a ball with only a fraction of a blade of grass between it and the line. Would’ve been helpful on Saturday.
Otherwise other calls were less difficult.
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Mr B ean?
So why all the controversy then? Wasn’t Hooper was put on side by his team mate? & If the ball ‘clearly’ DIDN’T touch the line then why the endless replays? It looked to have touched the chalk. Regds Beale, he MAY have had a shot @ catching it, but the ref (a Kiwi to boot of all nationalities!), CHOSE to see it otherwise, whereas he again CHOSE to let the cheating Itoje slap the ball from the 1/2’s hands & Robshaw charge Beale late & with NO arms & get off with, funnily enough, NO yellows. Perhaps he was suffering from HTP syndrome & as you yrself point out, he was ‘badly inconsistent’. Along with the dubious 2nd disallowed Oz ‘try’, he turned the game for you. If these sits had ALL been reversed, what would you, presumably as a non-‘Pom whinger’, have opined then? Lastly, in respect of Ceika’s now being ‘a grade A douche bag, couldn’t the same have been said about EJ last week? You seem to have had a need to DEFEND England fella. Well placed it seems ol’ Bean.
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Does anyone else think that Marler starting and M Vunipola off the bench is a much better way of doing things?
Marler is clearly the stronger scrummager and is superb defensively and in the rucks. I’d much rather see the carrying impact of MV come on at 50 or 60 mins after Marler has had a good go at their front row.
Also MV has seemed a little off the pace since the Lions
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I wouldn’t mind seeing Mako rested for this weekend and Marler/Genge given a go.
I think when fully fit, Mako is the best LH we have so he should play, irrelevant of style. Then for me, the bench option is where you want impact then Marler may miss out completely with Genge offering such strong carrying late in the game.
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But currently with MV I don’t think we are gaining in the loose what we are losing in the scrums. He made 0 metres on Saturday – even Marler managed 1 when he came on
But it wasn’t just that he and Cole had a number of decisions go against them, even when allowed to scrum, they did not gain the upper hand vs the Aussies – parity at best. On the other hand Marler when he came on started causing the Aussies problems immediately
I’d always want my starters to be the best at their specific roles. MV might be a great carrier of the ball, but he is not the best scrummager – and that is the first job of a prop.
Also seems to me that MV could do with a bit of a rest to get back to his destructive best
We need to see Genge against some more international opposition for sure
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I’m not sure meters made stats tells the whole story. Whilst I want Mako to put in some barreling runs, in the Argentina game he made basically no meters but his slight of hand on one occasion helped created a try and another helped create a line break. I get your point though, he wasn’t great on Saturday.
I had a conversation on Saturday about this – are the scrums now becoming far less important? When was the last time the scrum has a genuine impact on the game? I can’t remember watching a test where it did in the past two years really?
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No, you’re certainly right that meters made isn’t the whole story and it’s true that he was used well against Arg (possibly overused in that decoy/passing role) – but if you pick someone for their carrying ability, you need them to carry.
As for scrums, I think still crucial – you have to win your set pieces. Hence Aus getting Ledesma in as a scrum coach
As for having an impact, do you not think it would have had an impact on the Aussies morale and fatigue levels if, every time they or England dropped the ball, they knew they were going to get monstered in the scrum?
And of course, you could ask Georgia and Wales how important they felt the scrum was
At the very least a scrum going forward gives a great platform for a first phase attack, which seems to be all the rage at the moment.
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I don’t particularly disagree, I was just struggling to recall many fixtures in the last while that the scrum had genuine influence on the result.
As I say, I think Mako can do more and I’d certainly rest him this week. It’d do him no harm to have a week off.
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Scrums still defo important, I think the reason they may not appear such a key part at International level is that:
a) a lot of packs are evenly matched
b) new rules of engagement mean less chance for one pack to get the big initial shove on so scrums can stay static like an arm wrestle.
c) i suspect tactically teams don’t want to blow all their steam at scrums and preserve a forwards energy and choose particular scrums to put in the power effort. Good example of this was in Scotland V NZ…….NZ defending a 5m scrum and put every ounce of effort in and turned over. Yet other scrums during the match they were more reserved with ‘the shove’
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I’d agree that all three of your points play a part but I think 90% of the reason is: “b) new rules of engagement mean less chance for one pack to get the big initial shove on so scrums can stay static like an arm wrestle.”
Which is why in previous years I’d be of the same thinking, with Marler starting. I’m just less convinced now that it’ll have a huge impact on the game and therefore, assuming Mako gets his carrying mojo back, I’d start him every time.
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Rugger80 re; your point c) you’re right that teams don’t want to “blow their steam” at scrums, but they do have to at least match the oppo, so it becomes a psychological battle as well as one of technique and strength. Your example from the Scotland game is a case in point of the Scotland pack getting it wrong.
Truth is, that scrums are more important in some games than others. Most notably when there are a lot of them (due to the weather or one or both teams ineptitude with ball in hand), or one team has a particular and/or marked dominance
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Robshaw seems a decent chap, and it’s nothing personal, but here are some interesting stats for those that feel he is the ‘best’ 6 we have…
from ESPN
Player Metres Tackles
Lawes 17 9
Robshaw 10 11
Hughes 56 7
Itoje 26 16
Launch 14 19
how is Robshaw our best player??? Itoje contributed more and he was a sub….?
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The phrase “Lies, damned lies and statistics” springs to mind. As for ” he’s no Dallaglio or Hill” he is as good as either of them, and would be one of the first names on my team sheet although how EJ manages to get three world class locks on the field at the same time without playing one of them at six is a puzzle. Would love to see Care given a start with Faz at 10 on Saturday, with Marler George and Williams in the front row and Genge on the bench to play at least thirty minutes.
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JIMP
Presumably these are based on 1 game, the last?
Itoje also contributed a penalty for a deliberate slap down (like Beale apparently) & butchered a cert by running W 2 E! To be WC, surely he’d have to make an AB team. He’s unlikely to do so with such a lack of control & a fundamental understanding of how to offload by stepping in, to ATTRACT defenders & then passing out, to his wide men.
Also wasn’t Kruis another ‘WC’ player not so long ago.. & he couldn’t even make the bench?
Perhaps you could define WC, before bandying this term about so lightly.
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‘misunderstanding’
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So, just checking, but slapping the ball down is something a world class AB player would never do?
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You’ve got it in 1 Scraggy.. but I was reffing to a specific incident in the game last week. You’re being defensive.
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No, just politely asking the question. I still consider Kieran read to be WC though. I think that the gist of it is that your logic doesn’t really stack up.
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Staggy
Don’t think you were being polite, but whatever. My pt was that, in the England v Oz match, it seems increasingly suspect that fouls like those committed by Itoje & Robshaw go UNPUNISHED, in respect of yellow cards, whereas those Oz WERE punished, with 2! How this bias will benefit England come Japan in 2019 with millions tuned in, appears dubious to state the least. And as you know, NZ picked up 2 ‘y’s as well. Perhaps they don’t understand the rules of rugger either. Still, would the latter’s yellows likely have made your day, the result apart i.e.?
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Don, you’ve got my name wrong, and you’ve accused me of being defensive and rude for questioning a point that you made, without having answered my query. You are now talking about something completely different from what I originally referred to. Little point continuing this discussion is there?
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Staggy
I answered elsewhere that Read ought NOT to have done so, although I was unable to review this incident, so I took yr word. I didn’t see it during the game in real time either. Maybe you did? I think you WERE being defensive because, as I have already stated, I commented on 2 specific incidents in the ENGLAND game, whereas YOU subsequently brought up an entirely different issue from ANOTHER game. So, yes, this appeared defensive to me, but if you state not, then I’ll take yr word for it. If you deem that there is ‘Little point continuing this discussion’, then that’s ok too. Besides, there’s little left to discuss I guess. Au revoir.
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Rugby has laws not rules Don, and to suggest that a NZ ref refereeing England-Australia shows bias is pure paranoia.
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Andy
Ho hum. You’re being pedantic.
I doubt that the Kiwi ref showed ‘bias’, but rather he seemed cowed by the occasion as indicated by his 1 sided HTP decisions, as I’ve described & which surely influenced the game. Also, as far as I recall, cards were only issued to the SH last (& prev?) week end(/s). Is this ‘paranoia’, as you put it, or a concerning trend? If England were to tour down under & received similar card treatment, would you see this as an issue, or that they ONLY repeatedly infringed? I wonder.
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As for ‘Villain of the week’, I don’t know if I fear for the game so much, but it’s unedifying to find that jingoism & frankly little short of hatred is alive & well ‘in England’s green & pleasant’ stadium. Reminds me of Argentina v NZ during the last WC when the English horde hijacked others’ game by singing their Negro spiritual throughout & also booing McCaw, even during his after match speech. Impressive!
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Don P
Or maybe……shock…….horror……all the cards are and were deserved!
The reality might just be that ‘professional fouling/cheating’ as a policy probably over a time period of 20 yrs has caught up with them (Nz, Oz and SA in particular)
Refs are calling them to book and the SH teams are just being slow to adapt and respond.
How about that for a synopsis?
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Don P? As in Donald the president?
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Being a bit personal innit JIMP?
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A question: Itoje got penalised for interfering with the ball at the back of an Aussie maul. From what I could see he had joined at the back and reached over to try to claim it off Genia. Why was he penalised? Surely, provided you join the maul properly you can contest for the ball?
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Not sure the ball is allowed to be slapped down from the hands of the opposition players. If it weren’t for that I think it would have been perfectly legal.
Not sure how there can be any comparison between that and the Beale deliberate knock-on – Don P must be drinking again.
The carry from Itoje when he had JJ and May outside was a missed opportunity, but I’m sure he will learn from it. He’s still only 23, is still to reach his peak physically, and already has so much experience. There is still plenty of time for him to reach “WC” status and more.
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Jake
So ‘If it weren’t for that (being illegal) I think it would have been perfectly legal’. That makes sense alright.
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Exactly Don, I’m glad you agree with me.
Itoje had entered the ruck legally and had not changed his bind. So if it weren’t for the slap down then it would have been a good bit of play.
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Scrappy
The commentator said that had Itoje kept the ball in hand it would have been okay. Because he effectively ‘dropped’ it and the ball hit the ground he was ruled against.
Not sure of the law here but once the ball hit the ground maybe it was ajudged ‘knocked on’ or ‘interferance at base of the scrum’ (not sure). All i know is what the commentator said.
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I think it was because Itoje changed his bind. Initially joined at the back, changed his bind to move further up, before knocking it out of the 9’s hands.
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Blimey. NZ got more lineage than both Wales & esp, Ireland! Palmer of the S Times reckoned that the AB’s were ‘rattled’ even though they were ‘just about clinical enough, @ least for the 23 2nd 1/2 mins that delivered their THREE scores, (IOW tries) . Perhaps then he woke up? Down to 14 (what is it with the NH, do they need to see the SH fail that badly?) for 20 & with 3 1st choice AB’s in the pack, they did what they had to do. End of.
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A more sensible villain would be Cheika.
A man who ought to know better.
1. Disrepecting the ref and england players publicly…..no one said it can’t be done in private. Once a national coach that kind of child-in-the-pram tempramentalism is out the window.
2. A public spat in an arena with a fan (presumably english). Once again whatever the rights and wrongs….who said what first which is irrelevant….it’s not done to get involved (unless you coach football).
Rise above it next time as its in the pay grade. The fan’s salary won’t be what Cheika’s is.
Besides Warren Gatland behaved impeccably down under despute being on the recieving end of appalling personal slurs and character assassinations. He just got on with it and won. Gatland complained afterwards when he had won!
Don’t see Cheks doing much of that…not against the english anyway!
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Gatland won? What? 1 test & lost 50% of his tour games. Didn’t win v Oz again recently either apparently… or the prev 13. ‘Utter shite’ indeed.
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I like to think of it as a win (certainly a moral victory) for totally destroying his NZ critics by actions rather than word or soundbite through the media.
He and his family were lambasted over everything from their allegiance to NZ to why they didn’t drink steinlager. Pathetic!
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I’ll go further. Gatland’s on tour behaviour was impeccable (as was that of his players).
He didn’t…
1. Throw personal barbs at kiwi coaches or personnel
2. Wasn’t caught in a public toilet mid-tryst with some local girl at any airport unlike a certain kiwi player.
3. Used what resources he had to maximum effect.
4. Might end up coaching the ABs in the future. Or should!
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A shame he so cynically manipulated the front row “injuries” to preserve the win against Georgia though. Fell a mile in my estimation.
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Andy
Definitely not toiletting though…..! Think Gatland managed to remain toilet incident free!
Think my moral compass can work out which teams are behaving themselves on and off the pitch at the moment though! Thats toiletting issues aside!
The amount of in-game reds and yellows are really stacking up against the SH.
Maybe Hutch could produce a bar chart that reveals the disparity in cards (reds and yellows) afflicting the international teams. My guess is that it would provide FASCINATING reading…!
So my rugby instinct tells me………..!
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‘Cheika..ought to know better’. Like EJ previously when uttering ‘eff’ words & chucking his pen & notes on the deck in front of a cast of 80m I suppose. Yeah right! What planet r u on?
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You’re moral compass is skew whiff. Something maybe that has to do with coming from the SH and the magnetic poles being different. No way is swearing at YOURSELF (EJ) and being frustrated with your OWN team the same as taking on a fan on the way to your 1/2 time team talk.
Come on Don T (Trump) get real. More is expected of you than this! You are capable of more intellect and objectivity than this paltry stuff!
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Alex – I don’t think he is. Wouldn’t waste your time with his irrational comments.
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Staggy
You’re being general.. & just a tad sarcy? Need to be specific fella. Precisely which are ‘irrational comments’? Because someone has different, albeit sometimes, direct views from yrs, it doesn’t nec make them irrational. Besides, do you actually AGREE with any of Alex D’s ‘OBJECTIVITY’?! Getting worrying.
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