The French are coming, you say? Jesus, Mary Joseph and the wee donkey.
Ireland vs France tomorrow is – in the view of many people – the match to decide the destination of the 6 Nations championship and put the winners on course for a Grand Slam. These are not so common in Irish rugby history to be sniffed at, so while other nations experiment with an eye on the autumn’s RWC, Ireland keep with the tried-and-tested and changes are very much enforced. Sheehan’s hard autumn and winter has finally caught up with him, so Herring gets a chance with the returning Kelleher looking over his shoulder. Bealham continues in place of Furlong.
Ireland had a nice tune up last week – as they say in GAA circles “to blow out the dirty petrol” in preparation for sucking diesel. The game vs Wales was won to all intents and purposes after 30 mins. Wales fought back after half time but Ireland – if not completely at ease – rode out the storm and closed the game out with a BP try. In many ways, reminiscent of Ireland’s trip to Paris in 2022: in command at half-time, France rode out Ireland’s 2nd half comeback and won comfortably enough.
France had a nasty scare last week and any complacency is probably now long dispelled – so we can assume no chance for Ireland to catch France cold. It could also be said that given the big changes in the Welsh panel that maybe the win last week wasn’t as impressive – did Gatland really decide to let this one go and give AWJ and Tipuric a farewell at home before making changes for the remainder of the tournament? Who knows? Maybe we overthink these things.
The big doubt about Ireland, expressed in many places, is that their “kryptonite” is a big pack. Leinster have come unstuck repeatedly against big packs (La Rochelle x 2 and Bulls) and the signing of Jason Jenkins was intended to give them a heavier presence. Ireland won out vs South Africa in the autumn, but they lucked out with SA’s choice of experimental halfbacks and no reliable kicker. So the jury remains out. Beirne and Ryan are not a traditional type of second-row pairing, and in many ways Beirne is something of a hybrid. Many would put him at 6, and have Henderson, who is more of a traditional second row – to bring heavyweight ballast. Of course, back row is where Ireland are pretty well stocked, so the question then becomes how to fit in a player with Beirne’s gifts into the team and not disturb a settled and effective backrow.
On the other games, Scotland followed last year’s win over England with a fairly dreadful performance against a Wales team that had been soundly defeated by Ireland – and here we are again. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, does it? Scottish fans will hope not and that they can build on the promise of last week. Huw Jones looks to back to the form of 2017/2018. Wales will be looking to start a bit quicker and maybe still be competitive at half-time. The regions had shown an upswing in the matches in the weeks running up to the 6N, notably the Ospreys in the Heino.
England vs Italy – England have tended to make hard work of this in recent years but they were forewarned by the Italy / France game. One would expect a backlash from last week’s defeat from England.
From the crystal ball of Mystic Triskaidekaphobia
Onna telly this week
Friday 10th February
| England v Italy (U20s) | 19:00 | BBC iPlayer |
| Scotland v Wales (U20s) | 19:15 | BBC iPlayer / S4C |
| London Irish v Northampton | 19:45 | BT Sport 3 |
| Ireland v France (U20s) | 20:00 | BBC iPlayer / RTÉ2 |
Saturday 11th February
| Ireland v France | 14:15 | ITV1 / RTÉ2 |
| Scotland v Wales | 16:45 | BBC1 / S4C |
Sunday 12th February
| Exeter v Sale | 13:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| England v Italy | 15:00 | ITV1 / RTÉ2 |
Ovally Balls 
It’s a real shame about the weather, these sides are both great to watch
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WTF Cooney? But the Glasgow lineout was dodgy.
Glasgow doing scary things now!
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Phew, Ulster turn it over.
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Ticht
It’s a real shame about the weather, these sides are both great to watch
Yep, usually a match in these kinds of conditions is dire, but this is a good one. Very evenly matched.
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I didn’t know Wee Duncy was still playing.
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Glasgow got a wee bit lucky there, Sutherland has battered Berghan in the two scrums they’ve faced each other so far
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Oh hell, Glasgow go over. That’ll be the match.
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And it’s converted! 17-8.
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There is no way that was near straight
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Ulster salvage a LBP. Good match under horrible conditions.
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Rubbish Ticht, I could see it was straight from here!
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Ticht – I thought so too, but Glasgow have been closing the distance on the line-out all night without penalty.
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Yay! Bristol did a win.
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Switching over to BT sport from Via whatever is light turning on the lights (both on Virgin tv stream).
We get shit service from our league on that front
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Refit, did you see it?
I’m interested in how Bradbury is playing, I just don’t get the time to watch as much rugby as I used to
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Ticht – just the one try that BT showed at the end of the Glaws match. Bristol seem to have been stuck playing other teams in the middle/bottom of the table recently, so they’ve not been on TV much :(
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The first try was quite nice
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Lurve the way the Glasgow players have a pink heart on their anuses.
I have no context for this so I’m just going to assume that Thaum has access most people don’t.
Maybe they we’re all born that way! Someone should turn it into a film.
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I’m watching the BT Sport film featuring BOD trying to get to the roots of Ireland and Ulster, if that is the right way to put it
It’s a really good film so far
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Craigs – it was the kit.
Ticht – think I saw that quite a while ago. He sort-of but doesn’t-really get it.
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“He sort-of but doesn’t-really get it.”
It’s weird that me, from the East Coast of Scotland, gets it better than he does
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Suffice it to say that DBIR has a (not entirely irrational) prejudice against the Six Counties. Tommy Bowe was okay because while he is an Ulsterman, he’s from Monaghan.
The troubling and vindictive vendetta against Cooney is less easy to understand as the man’s from Leinster, and then went to Connacht before moving to Ulster.
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…but I’m nearly 15 years older, I suppose,
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Ticht, there is more equivalence in Scotland than there is in the ROI.
Plus, I don’t think BOD is that bright, except in a rugby way.
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Isn’t the Cooney thing a personal bad blood with Sexton?
They’ve made the decision that Sexton is more important than Cooney
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“Ticht, there is more equivalence in Scotland than there is in the ROI.”
I was born in a town which hosted Orange Walks, but I moved to the east coast at age seven. I went back to see grandparents so I knew all about the walks
but I when I was old enough to know the difference I felt very lucky to move to a place that it wasn’t an issue at school
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Ticht
Isn’t the Cooney thing a personal bad blood with Sexton?
Aye, probably. It’s the thing that makes the most sense. Petty on Sexton’s part, imo.
I went to watch the Orange parades as a small child and enjoyed the pipe and drum bit. Had no idea at the time that they went on to march through Catholic areas as a provocation, and would definitely not have approved of that had I understood what it was all about.
Am glad I went to a ‘mixed’ school where half of my best friends were Them-‘Uns. That is the key, I think: ending segregated education.
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And NN the now!
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I completely forgot George Ford had gone to Sale.
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Three tries in under 7 minutes in Cardiff v Treviso. Two to Cardiff, one to Treviso.
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WTF happened to Embra? Scarlets (Scarlets!) score 6 tries against them?!?!
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Cricket going well. Wales by 10.
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Mr Angry playing like he’s never been away…………….perfect 1st half from him.
Leics 24 – 10 Saracens
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Finished 24 -18 – cracking game for the neutral……………………
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Just watched replay Slade. Great fun. Tiggers backline of Youngs, Pollard, Gopperth, Scott, Brown, Ashton and young Potter. Combined age of about a millenium. Apparently, the last time Brown, Ashton and Youngs started on the same team was for England in 2012. Brown looked like he could still be playing for them, didn’t put a foot wrong, and made some cracking breaks. Made Steward look sloppy under the high ball. Ashton and Young both pretty tidy too.
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Brown, Ashton And Youngs sounds like an old 70s heavy rock trio.
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WHY OH WHY don’t we seem to be able to maul over the line any more? Goes for Ireland too
Probably because we (Ireland) are – on the whole – a lighter(sic), mobile pack. Henderson is a genuine THL like Willemse – but Ryan is not – he’s bulked up, but it’s been rather forced. Beirne could (and probably will at sometime) play 6 – none of the back row are real heavyweights. (This is of course all relative – I passed Beirne as he was going in to Musgrave Park one evening and got a pain in the neck looking upwards)
For all that we won 32-19 vs France – we were banging away at the line on several occasions and only O’Mahony’s smart latch on Porter got any change. Take a look – Porter is over the line but extended and can’t continue to drive, O’Mahony sticks his shoulder into Porter’s arse and drives him downwards and underneath the defenders – if he’d latched higher and tried to drag him across the line, the French defence get underneath and we’re held up.
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Munster had a handy win vs Ospreys. 9 tries – 3 for Coombes. Carbery had something of an off day with the boot.
General opinion was that Ospreys phoned it in to an extent – as you might if it’s unclear when/where your salary/contract is going….. pretty sure ProD2 looks quite inviting just now and injured players won’t get any offers…..
After the rotten start as players tried to learn the new systems and then the disruption as a bunch of them got dragged off to SA on the Emerging Ireland tour – it’s beginning to come together. Second rows are beginning to drift back – Wycherley played on Friday, Okeke and Snyman are doing some kind of training (of course, Beirne got injured with Ireland, so net benefit is zero)
Funny to think that a team coached by Stephen Larkham played heavy kick / maul pressure and Rowntree has them now playing in “hurry up” mode.
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Brown, Ashton And Youngs sounds like an old 70s heavy rock trio
Ashton-Gardner-Dyke wasn’t it?
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Brown, Ashton And Youngs sounds like an old 70s heavy rock trio.
From Surrey. Morphed into an offshore hedge fund advisory on graduation.
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Superb piece of rock trivia there from Trisk. If I ever need a team for a pub quiz……….
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Correction to my earlier comment – it’s Edwin Edogbo that’s back to training (who is a 2nd row). Daniel Okeke is a BR (who was also out with a knee injury earlier in the season)
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Not good, that video clip…………………….
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Slade, I’ve seen worse. Not off hand, but outside of obviously horrible crap, there’s an entire genre of cringeworthy music out form days of yore.
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If I ever need a team for a pub quiz
I’m probably your man – I used to write Qs for 15-to-1 and Going for Gold. Appeared – long, long ago on Univ Challenge. I was – at one time – fairly familar with Kevin Ashman who notoriously got 42 in Mastermind , 21 in specialist subject and 21 in the GK round. Pretty much kiilled the show in truth – struggles on but no longer the huge interest it once generated.
I’m the guy who gets the quiz master anoyed by pointing out that the question is in fact not correct or has other potential answers….
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@trisk
Ashman is also a regular on Eggheads on Channel 5. He needs to work on his bedside manner and be more like Barry.
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@OT – perfectly nice guy – must admit it’s years since I came across him. Not exactly, life and soul of the party but perfectly possible to have a beer or two with him.
Maybe they ask him to up the “automaton” aspects – he was a civil servant….way back when, as am I now :)
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BB, I have no idea what happened to Embra and I have no intention of finding out. I recorded the game but scrubbed it without watching first thing Sunday morning.
Then I chucked the Virgin Media tv box into an oil drum and set it on fire before throwing it into the sea, just to be sure.
Early rumours, “They” are saying Leon MacDonald, coach at Auckland Blues, is being lined up to replace Gregor Townsend after the RWC.
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I think “they” might be talking out their arses
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