[2017 RBS Six Nations] Round 3: England vs Italy (26/02/2017)

[TRF_Olyy]

Bring Sinckler on at 8
Don't trust Clifford or Wood but Hughes has been terrible

 

[The5thOfficial]

I think England were complacent to start with. Just had to turn up, job done. Not! Fair play to Italy. 2nd Half should be interesting!

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Connor oshea getting the plaudits for dave rennies work hahaha tbh though isnt there a rule regarding sportsmanship that this breaks? I thought thats how they approaches it in super rugby

How is playing by the rules and your opponent being an idiot unsportsmanlike?

 

[Mike Rolls]

What on earth is going on? I can't remember the last time that I saw such a clueless performance by England. Never mond a second Grand Slam - at this rate they could lose to Italy for the first time ever!
Mike

 

[Groundhog]

This is the best.

We should get that post printed and framed!

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Also I love that England's south-east landed gentry aren't getting the slaughter they think they paid for.

 

[TobesHodges]

This hasn't been a game of rugby... Chiefs have done it on and off but haven't abused it, do you know what this is going to do for rugby around the world? I just hope most teams around the world don't sink to O'Shea and italys level, if you think this is clever then you honestly don't give a **** about rugby..? I don't care about the score I care about the morality of the game.. I can't be the only one this surely?! This hasn't been a game of rugby..

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

The game should be over as a contest, Italy are ****e!

 

[Peat]

Half time ratings

Marler - Crap - Getting beaten in the scrums
Hartley - Crap - Getting beaten in the scrums, one wtf lineout, zero leadership
Cole - Crap - Getting beaten in the scrums
Launchbury - Curate's Egg - Saves one try getting over their lock, then fails to respond to the rebound quickly enough
Lawes - Decent - Our best carrier so far
Itoje - Good - His steals have kept us in this
Haskell - Anonymous - Wouldn't know he was playing if it wasn't for him doing Hartley's job for him
Hughes - Super crap - Thick and bad hands

Care - Super crap - Wasting our few attacking opportunities
Ford - Anonymous - One kick out on the full is about all he's been asked to do
Daly - Decent - Has been asked to do a lot of defending, has done it, loved that offload to...
Farrell - Crap - Kicking and decision making has failed us. Verging on super crap.
Te'o - Okay - Probably done about as good as he could, two nice bits of play
May - Crap - Had to hold that from Te'o
Brown - Okay - Too much crap going on in front of him to demonstrate how crap he can be

Overall performance - Super crap - You all ****ing know why

Eddie Jones - ??? - We know find out

 

[TW27BA]

Just dreadful. Scotland will be enjoying this.

 

[j'nuh]

In fairness, I think England were wising up to Italy's defensive tactics at the end of the half. If Italy aren't going to ruck, they have no ability to slow our ball down. We just need to commit only one or two bodies and recycle fast. Italy will be in trouble then.

Half time will be a great opportunity for England to have a quick chat about how they are going to counter this. Expecting a different second half.

 

[Mike Rolls]

I think England were complacent to start with. Just had to turn up, job done. Not! Fair play to Italy. 2nd Half should be interesting!

I certainly hope so - and inersting because England work out what to do instead of hanging about looking lost
Mike

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ireland, Welsh and Scottish fans will be fapping to that half for years to come.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Italy are absolutely abusing the sport by abusing this rule, ruined rugby. The IRB will change the law with immediate affect because of this, Connor O'Shea is a ****ing scumbag..

The ultimate in English arrogance.
You Sir, are an absolute disgrace to your country, to rugby, to the average IQ and to humanity.

How about learning the rules.
If the opposition are playing clever then simply opt for the pick and go. England has powerhouse runners. Use them and bust up the middle.
IF Italy could win their own line out, if Italy could kick a penalty, they might be 10-15 points clear at the moment but the truth is Italy are not worthy of this competition and now England are successfully managing to play 'not' just beneath themselves but to play really really stopped' rugby.

What is Haskell doing asking the referee what he's allowed to do??????
PICK AND GO.
Bust them up the middle and make their forwards (who are skulking behind the wrong side of the ruck to upset your psyche) get back in the line to defend before you hit their try line.
It's as simple as that.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

****ing hell that's embarrassing seeing two of our most senior players begging the referee to teach them the laws

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

This hasn't been a game of rugby... Chiefs have done it on and off but haven't abused it, do you know what this is going to do for rugby around the world? I just hope most teams around the world don't sink to O'Shea and italys level, if you think this is clever then you honestly don't give a **** about rugby..? I don't care about the score I care about the morality of the game.. I can't be the only one this surely?! This hasn't been a game of rugby..

Its not as if you can't beat it, England are criminalky stupid rather Italy "ruining rugby"...

 

[Peat]

I think Jones will be furious with the senior forwards.

Utterly culpable for not reacting (or seemingly aware of how to react) to what Italy are doing.

Even Poite was getting irritated with them not understanding it.

Which really won't help us with future decisions...

Yes this is crap to watch. Yes this is probably the death of the law. But fair ****s to Italy anyway.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Agree with Andy Saulls assessment - If no ruck is formed England don't need to use the ball, so we should just keep I there and take the 5-3 win with all the accompanying glory!

 

[Groundhog]

Not able to watch the game but it sounds dreadful.

Here's the facts though : if by the sound of it no rucks are being formed because Italy don't committ to the ruck and it's taken England's leaders 30 minutes to work it out, then they should all be got rid of. Seriously, this is not the first time it's happened.

Re. Italy you can't blame them for the existence of the rule but it's a fairly ****ty way to take the game.

I imagine a team who's existence in this competition is under huge scrutiny really couldn't give a **** how they do it, they need a performance. This tactic is very easily dealt with if they're intelligent.

 

[McTallshort]

Didn't Italy try something like this before with the line-out drive? The opposition would catch the ball and try and set a maul but Italy wouldn't engage. The maul would start and the Italian's would just go in and collapse it quite legally.

Nice to see teams throwing new tactics about and exposing the laws