6 Nations HYPE Thread

[Leonormous Boozer]

No real rugby this week apart from the Frenchies so I thought I'd start a thread where we can get all of our proud nations arguing pedantic points and starting to dislike one another before the tournament begins. I'll give my prediction to start!

Week 1 Winners
England - Ireland - Wales

Week 2 Winners
Ireland - England - Scotland

Week 3 Winners
France - Ireland - England

Week 4 Winners
Ireland - England - Wales

Week 5 Winners
Scotland - Ireland - Wales

Final Table
Ireland
England
Wales
Scotland
France
Italy

I don't think its much of a stretch to believe that Ireland can win in Paris and then go three for three at home, looking at the countries that I think have potential to win, Ireland, England and Scotland, Ireland have by far the least important injuries. Praying that we stay fit, we never do, I think we can make it to Twickers with a stronger front row, back row, half back pairing and centre pairing because England are missing. I'm definitely getting overexcited by Ster's formidable form and Munster's first team looking like Euro contenders too nut history would suggest that provincial form doesn't translate to international form with '09 being the only real exemption. My reasoning to think we'll overcome that is that under Nucifora and Schmidt the provincial system appears to have become an extension of the national system with all the provinces doing certain things, primarily defence, exit plays and the breakdown, exactly how Ireland execute them, its the New Zealand system with an Irish spin on it and I expect its going to peak now before troughing a little bit in next year's championship.
Scotland's injury list looks far too long in certain areas to win away from home or beat England, their front row will be unrecognisable to anything they'll play again before and including the RWC and they I predict they'll get choked out of games, this tournament has come at a bad time for them.
England's tournament will go very like last year's I think, swapping Scotland for France for them to smash to bits, they'll get to cap some new/inexperienced back row and back three players and I wouldn't be surprised to see a few experiments in the back three and at 13, three in a row is a huge ask and I think the final hurdle is their most likely downfall despite being bookies favourites for all their matches and the championship.
Wales fans will be happy with some progress and they won't be embarrased in any round, hopefully (for the Welsh) it'll give them a foundations that will allow them to compete with the strongest sides in the run in to the RWC.
France and Italy to be a shambles.

My biggest hope for the championship is that we hammer the shite out of Scotland, last year was a mess that never should have happened and, at the risk of sounding like ROG, they're getting too big for their boots.

Come at me! Or give your own opinions, straying off topic here will only be achieved if you do it on purpose!

 

[Amiga500]

It'll be nice to watch a match where my team won't be a disorganised rabble.

 

[Amiga500]

My biggest hope for the championship is that we hammer the shite out of Scotland, last year was a mess that never should have happened and, at the risk of sounding like ROG, they're getting too big for their boots.

Far too big for their boots.

Have they forgotten their role is to be the plucky losers?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Far too big for their boots.

Have they forgotten their role is to be the plucky losers?

Exactly. Ireland shouldn't lose to Scotland this millennium!

 

[Groundhog]

@that god forsaken collection of demi-statelets to the east hereafter referred to as 'third place at the very most' (with respects to our English WC voting brothers, an admirable second awaits)

If you thought the English were arrogant prepare for a cockyslap.

 

[FrenchFan]

England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Fritaly

The FFR will do well to avoid the wooden spoon. Brunel got himself the coaching ticket of a tier 2 nation. Some of the games involving France and Italy - the Fritaly latin fraternity - will be decided at HT. Those 2 unions shud join forces and share the wood.

I like Bernard Jackman's take on the new staff. He is spot on in saying the players know the staff are not up to the job.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2018/0104/931128-slapped-together-france-no-threat-to-ireland

5th or 6th place for the union charade. And a pool exit in Japan next year.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

1. Ireland
2/3/4. England/Scotland/Wales in any order
5. France
6. Italy

 

[ratsapprentice]

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

http://www.the42.ie/jones-schmidt-ireland-donald-trump-3814946-Jan2018/

Its like a bad American High School movie, the loud mouthed, all action bully v The methodical, down to earth and well liked protagonist! I must say Jones annoys me so much because he's the least genuine man in the world but I'd love him if he was in charge of a team I support. He's like Cheika and I love Cheika!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

How the **** are Ireland not favourites?!
There's some easy money to be made there

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

How the **** are Ireland not favourites?!
There's some easy money to be made there

It's not as if we don't have injuries! Ruddock, O'Brien, Heaslip and Leavy hasn't got a lot of rugby under his belt, our second choice 10 has 75mins at 10 this season, with Payne and Ringrose gone we're one injury away from not having an international class 13, depth at lock is non existent so we'll have to go injury free there too.
Ireland in Paris is a 50/50 game, I'd say that's less likely to go our way than England in Murrayfield, both sides have Wales at home and the head to head is in London!
If Aki, Henshaw, Toner, Henderson and Ryan can all stay fit we have as much of a chance as England but I don't think we're favourites after the last two years. England have lost two less games than us since we announced ourselves as a top side against NZ in 2016, they were games that England would never lose and Ireland have always tended to throw away so I think we might be favourites for Twickers but a lot more likely to lose elsewhere.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Is Heaslip still a big loss in this day and age? I thought he'd started to drop off?


I've been saying it for a while, but our luck will run out soon enough. We've been winning ugly for a while, and while that's good for results and bragging, we're not learning anything from it. Results are great but you want performances too.
There have been a few games we could/should have lost but for the bounce of a ball or a contentious decision.
We seen to be happy winning ugly, and not trying to improve.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Is Heaslip still a big loss in this day and age? I thought he'd started to drop off?


I've been saying it for a while, but our luck will run out soon enough. We've been winning ugly for a while, and while that's good for results and bragging, we're not learning anything from it. Results are great but you want performances too.
There have been a few games we could/should have lost but for the bounce of a ball or a contentious decision.
We seen to be happy winning ugly, and not trying to improve.

He had a hell of a resurgence last Autumn and in the 6nations, in that form he'd still be our best option at 8, whether he gets back there after a 12+month lay off is to be seen but he is definitely good enough to be considered a "loss"!

Winning ugly could still win this championship. Ireland shouldn't lose at home against injured Scotland and Welsh sides but winning in Paris is something we've managed twice since 1972, get through that and they'll be looking good for a grand slam but first match up against an unpredictable team could cost us a championship, round 1 has been the weakest round in the last two tournaments for Ireland as well. If Brunel implements Top 14 rugby I think we'll win but it could cost a few bodies. Jones seems incredibly determined to win, sees Schmidt as his biggest competitor and sees France as a slip up for us, I think he knows he's the favourite and wants to get in the head of his biggest rival.

 

[RedruthRFC]

http://www.the42.ie/jones-schmidt-ireland-donald-trump-3814946-Jan2018/

Its like a bad American High School movie, the loud mouthed, all action bully v The methodical, down to earth and well liked protagonist! I must say Jones annoys me so much because he's the least genuine man in the world but I'd love him if he was in charge of a team I support. He's like Cheika and I love Cheika!

I'd say that Jones is at least as frustrating as coach of the team you support as he is as coach of an opposing team. If he was coaching an opposition team, I'd be happy enough to shrug of his media mind games as typical BS and move on with life. As an England supporter, I'm keen for any information I can get about the team, so it's frustrating when he contradicts himself, leaving in what he says to the media. Saying that, I can't help but find his sense of devilment endearing, maybe the cheeky smile is disingenuous, but I struggle to see him as a bully.

 

[big ginger 8]

Heaslip was going well enough before injury, when we weren't aware of the full extent of the injury a number of people annoyed he wasn't included in the Lions.

I'd wonder if 'the three provinces' was a bit of low key trolling from Jones.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

One big hope for the tournament is that Italy aren't a complete bunch of muppets. If they are, the calls to replace them will gather momentum.

Why have the wooden spoon game as the last of the tournament?

As far as Eng is concerned, right now I'm almost more interested in seeing how some of the younger players develop with a view to Japan than worrying about the tournament overall. No doubt that will change when we get going. Assuming we don't get lots more injuries I can see us improving as the tournament progresses. Italy should be fine, Wales is always a one off but its at home and they have their own injuries, Scotland could be iffy - sounds daft after last year's result - hopefully Hogg will miss out through a broken toenail. For the good of rugby I want to see a strong France again. We should beat them, but we'll need our game heads on - we're going to Paris and no matter how dross they were last year we only beat them by 3 points at HQ. It's a potential trip wire. And so to Ireland - not sure if a GS will be up for grabs but at least one of those sides will be tilting at the ***le. If the Irish are at full strength they may have a slight edge, anything less and you'd have to fancy the English at home.

Prediction: 2nd on points difference.

 

[Groundhog]

http://www.the42.ie/jones-schmidt-ireland-donald-trump-3814946-Jan2018/

Its like a bad American High School movie, the loud mouthed, all action bully v The methodical, down to earth and well liked protagonist! I must say Jones annoys me so much because he's the least genuine man in the world but I'd love him if he was in charge of a team I support. He's like Cheika and I love Cheika!

Is Jones trying to be a sarcastic passive aggressive catty teenage girl or downplay his team's own chances to get the spotlight off them? You can't really do both simultaneously I feel.

 

[RedruthRFC]

How the **** are Ireland not favourites?!
There's some easy money to be made there

I've said the same in another thread. They were 2/1 for the tournament and 5/1 for the Grand Slam when I said that on Saturday. They're now 6/4 and 7/2 respectively, maybe the bookies are buying into the England injury crisis or maybe there's a weight of money from punters who fancied Ireland's chances more than the bookies did. Sure enough I didn't get my money down in time!

The Alpha Bro makes some fair points about Ireland's chances, although the markets have them as a 1/2 favourite in Paris. At the outset of the tournament, I'd say that it represents about the same size of a banana skin as England's trip to Murrayfield.

For me, it all comes down to how much emphasis you place on statistical analysis versus fundamental. The former would tell you that Ireland are more likely to slip up in weeks 1 to 4 than England the latter I believe would have it pretty close. The former would tell you that the home side wins in week 5 (Ireland only won by 4 points at home last time out), I believe that the latter predicts an Ireland win - England struggled for a lack of front foot ball last time around and will be worse off again in this regard without Billy V, Hughes and Sinkler.

Edit: if this year's tournament is going to be as tight as it appears, will we see the first time that bonus points make a difference in the final standings?

 

[Groundhog]

I've said the same in another thread. They were 2/1 for the tournament and 5/1 for the Grand Slam when I said that on Saturday. They're now 6/4 and 7/2 respectively, maybe the bookies are buying into the England injury crisis or maybe there's a weight of money from punters who fancied Ireland's chances more than the bookies did. Sure enough I didn't get my money down in time!

The Alpha Bro makes some fair points about Ireland's chances, although the markets have them as a 1/2 favourite in Paris. At the outset of the tournament, I'd say that it represents about the same size of a banana skin as England's trip to Murrayfield.

For me, it all comes down to how much emphasis you place on statistical analysis versus fundamental. The former would tell you that Ireland are more likely to slip up in weeks 1 to 4 than England the latter I believe would have it pretty close. The former would tell you that the home side wins in week 5 (Ireland only won by 4 points at home last time out), I believe that the latter predicts an Ireland win - England struggled for a lack of front foot ball last time around and will be worse off again in this regard without Billy V, Hughes and Sinkler.

Edit: if this year's tournament is going to be as tight as it appears, will we see the first time that bonus points make a difference in the final standings?

I believe the bonus point trial was scrapped. I read that somewhere at least.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I believe the bonus point trial was scrapped. I read that somewhere at least.

Kept permanently.

A mod might want to change the name of the sub-forum to the NatWest 6n!