Comments on: Six Nations 2019: England v Italy Rate the Match

By: Don P

Don P — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:49:12 +0000

Better get down to that local pronto & revive
them then Andy.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:34:31 +0000

Even fonts run dry sometimes Don, and age dims the memory!

By: Don P

Don P — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 05:10:58 +0000

I’m also biased & 1 eyed too Andy, don’t forget. However, I did assume you’d asked a rhetorical ? About Steffon Armitage, as you usually appear as something of a font of knowledge on all things rugby. Anyway, I thought England missed a trick by not finding a way to accommodate Armitage, who I think was Euro player of the yr x2.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 21:01:34 +0000

Actually it was a perfectly genuine question Don. I had completely forgotten the furore about Armitage. A fine player whose face didn’t fit. Why earwigging? I read most posts on here because people have taken the time to write them and their opinions are of interest. You are sometimes too cynical.

By: Don P

Don P — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:07:47 +0000

Answered ‘Gosper’, already. Was it really humour, or retro justification? Agree these things are sometimes hard to tell. However, I think people should be accountable for what they state, so sure, I challenge them. Pity the heat in the kitchen as yr accusation likewise seems, er, defensive (although not thin skinned I’m sure) & somewhat general. Fear of failure of course, in answer to that ? The nxt is rhetorical. Regds..’personal attack & pts scoring’ & ‘there’s no one else here that does that’, are you pulling my wot’s it LW? Apart from you perhaps? Re-read yr own. ‘Toxic’ for e.g. Isn’t that a tad personal? Toxic even? You’re arguably right though about the ‘bog’ probably needing a moderator. So could the blog maybe, but oops, there I go again, being thin skinned, or is it ‘just a bit of light humour’ too? Takes 2 to tango LW. Have a good one & yeah, we can leave it @ that. Best.

By: Hendog

Hendog — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 12:36:51 +0000

I agree that Simmonds would have been a great option across the back row. But I don’t think he is now in the running and remains untested at 7. So for Scotland I would go for Shields with Wilson going in at 8 is Billy comes off. I think Shields offers more than Hughes in his carrying, lineout, and versatility across the back row.

But for the WC, I would consider playing Curry, Underhill and Billy with Wilson on the bench….

By: Lord Warwick

Lord Warwick — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:00:24 +0000

Do you mean Gosper, Fletch?

I don’t think it was a jibe really was it , just a bit of light humour, you do appear to be incredibly thin skinned Don.

You keep mentioning fear, but without really stating fear of what. So why do you think there are policies in place. Why do some countries have central contracts?

It’s hard to gauge what you think as every post seems to be a belligerent personal attack and point scoring exercise. There’s no one else that posts here that does that….

Time to leave you to you’re own toxic devices I think. The bog could probably do with a moderator, but that’s enough for me….

By: Don P

Don P — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 09:09:02 +0000

*Gosper*

By: Don P

Don P — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 09:07:30 +0000

But as Godper states, LW, commercial interests dictate. Don’t agree that they should, but there it is. Besides, don’t the ‘foreign’ stars also attract fans, pass on skills, influence (except yrs) mindsets. And, anyway, do you think the whole England team would migrate abroad, if they were gd enough in the 1st place of course? As you state, these arguments have been done to death, but so what? If you repeat something often enough it must be right? Phooey. Like I venture, much of this stuff is fear based thinking & as such DOES parrallel Brexit. Can’t see it though can you? Too conditioned, too brain washed, too out of perspective, but v typical. This rigid attitude holds yr rugby back, like Fartell’s boot. Bet you wouldn’t have minded seeing him going abroad 2nd to last up. @ leAst the AB’s have Carter a 6 mth offshore break & gave McCaw etc sabbaticals. Can you imagine the RFU allowing that. And besides yr jaundiced views seem happy for the SH being drained by the NH buying power, particularly with yr Joe Cocka, Hansen jibe. A commendable, ‘I’m all right Jack’, d/std attitude perchance? Impressive.

By: Lord Warwick

Lord Warwick — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 07:57:06 +0000

As I said this has been done to death in the past. Every international ruling body would like to retain as many players in the domestic game as possible .It’s not about France being an hour away, it’s about a lot more than that. Having internationally recognised players in domestic clubs attracts attendance numbers which financially benefits the club. It attracts young and new people into the game. They aren’t going to travel to see them in France every week.

Having senior international players in the domestic teams allows them pass on expierence and knowledge to younger emerging players that aren’t going to start their careers in France.

And finally, continually linking anyone thinking differently to Brexit is tenuous at best, but in reality completely irrelevant.

By: Don P

Don P — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 06:17:44 +0000

Foreign based indeed. L Love a duck & FCOL, Fr is an hr away by plane! Similar to say, Newcastle. All that need be done is to have an approp release clauses in players’ contracts. And or raise the salary cap. So this protection bizzo is simply an out moded, fear based thing, or IOW, baggage. Bit like the Brexit vote. As for the state of Fr rugby, well nationally, form can be cyclical & with their lousy coaches & picks for do long, their results over the last decade or so are hardly surprising. If they’d had a Joe Scmidt, for instance, do reckon he couldn’t have done an ‘Iteland’ with them? Still enough talent there. Also, Ireland’s record prior to JS had been ordinary. Likewise with Wales, whom have allowed ‘foreign based’ players & whom just derailed England in case you hadn’t noticed. Besides & ‘talking’ of these ‘foreign born’ players, don ‘t you think that the players, I’ve already mentioned, & including Solamona, who I forgot, are not already suppressing ‘native’ players’ opportunities? These aforenamed constitute 1/2 a rugby team! Therefore regarding protection, how’s that protecting yr game? Especially when the effect is already showing with the number of English clubs having been tipped out of Euro over the last 2 yrs! Blimey, LW, nxt thing, you’ll be ‘telling’ me that the AB’s have the same policy! In conclusion however, yr thinking is countlessly ltd, hide bound & dated.. again, much like the thinking behind the Brexit vote.

By: Paulo

Paulo — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 18:30:13 +0000

Yeah, I reckon you have to use either Curry or Underhill in a match day squad but not both. It’s so tough though because they are both class acts. Simmonds just seems like a good bench option because he covers 8 but I’ve always thought he would make a good 7 as well with his body type and pace. Who would you pick for your back row bench cover?