Planet Rugby Forum

Jeff the Bear wrote:I like it. Intergalactic bully boys who try and 'assimilate' anyone with a foreign passport in a hope that they will add to a collective that can't come up with any good ideas themselves.

Resistance is futile (just don't tell Prof Ohm)

ManInTheBar wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:I like it. Intergalactic bully boys who try and 'assimilate' anyone with a foreign passport in a hope that they will add to a collective that can't come up with any good ideas themselves.

Resistance is futile (just don't tell Prof Ohm)

You will all be one with the Borg

Jeff the Bear wrote:I like it. Intergalactic bully boys who try and 'assimilate' anyone with a foreign passport in a hope that they will add to a collective that can't come up with any good ideas themselves.

"We are the Chariot. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own."

Conversely, you send out a team of redshirts who will hopefully get blasted within seconds of coming up against our (illegal) aliens.

TranceNRG wrote:Looking forward to this game. England have been very good whereas Wales have been OK but they are at home. Hopefully will be a great game.

But Wales have deliberately been picking some Aberaven 3rd stringers. Once we have to face the real deal we don’t stand a chance.

Remember a long long time ago when a youngling Jiffy Snr got the call up



He was supposed to bring balance, not join rugby league

pjm1 wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:I like it. Intergalactic bully boys who try and 'assimilate' anyone with a foreign passport in a hope that they will add to a collective that can't come up with any good ideas themselves.

"We are the Chariot. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own."

Conversely, you send out a team of redshirts who will hopefully get blasted within seconds of coming up against our (illegal) aliens.

If the Borg are relying on Welsh technological distinctiveness they are not the master race I took them for

ManInTheBar wrote:

pjm1 wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:I like it. Intergalactic bully boys who try and 'assimilate' anyone with a foreign passport in a hope that they will add to a collective that can't come up with any good ideas themselves.

"We are the Chariot. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own."

Conversely, you send out a team of redshirts who will hopefully get blasted within seconds of coming up against our (illegal) aliens.

If the Borg are relying on Welsh technological distinctiveness they are not the master race I took them for

Fair point, and the English already have some great Scottish inventions. You win that one.

My favourite member of the Borg:

Old archive footage of Howley and Edwards looking for Gatland in Ebbw.

P in VG wrote:My favourite member of the Borg:

Yes. She's Welsh though. Susan 7-11, named after the store her Dad ran.

Copied from another thread, the random musings I have about this game...

Pros
- Wales under Gatland are good at getting themselves up for big matches
- Wales have looked bad in two terrible games, but they can't possibly be that bad again
- England haven't always been amazing in Cardiff under pressure

Cons
- The bookies have made England the odds-on favourites
- England have already beaten a tougher opposition away
- England are getting stability among form players/combinations
- England's recent record vs Wales is very good

Overall, it has potential to be a great match, and one that I always traditionally look forward to (as a Welshman in England). If both teams play as well as they can, it will be a close game. However, based on tournament form so far, I'd be very surprised if England didn't win.

P in VG wrote:My favourite member of the Borg:

She can assimilate me any time she wants, so long as she wriggles at the same time

Good post. A few other Pros & Cons from a Wales perspective (from mine they would be Cons & Pros, of course)...

For Wales
- England's defence has not been properly tested by a good offloading game (France tried and failed to execute) - which may be a real way around & through this system
- England have not had to face a team in 2019 playing an actual, real live fullback

Against Wales
- England have other weapons in the armoury than just a blitz defence (good kicking game, big boshers, pacy outside backs)
- Knowing how to beat a system in theory isn't the same as actually doing it in practice

As you say, an absolute belter in the making!

Da iawn diolch wrote:Copied from another thread, the random musings I have about this game...

Pros
- Wales under Gatland are good at getting themselves up for big matches
- Wales have looked bad in two terrible games, but they can't possibly be that bad again
- England haven't always been amazing in Cardiff under pressure

Cons
- The bookies have made England the odds-on favourites
- England have already beaten a tougher opposition away
- England are getting stability among form players/combinations
- England's recent record vs Wales is very good

Overall, it has potential to be a great match, and one that I always traditionally look forward to (as a Welshman in England). If both teams play as well as they can, it will be a close game. However, based on tournament form so far, I'd be very surprised if England didn't win.

You forgot that England have the world's best winger and the first name on any All Time Greats teamsheet

Halfpenny apparently going to be available.

Pretty much nullifies Englands main attacking option as kicking to a back three containing him and Liam Williams is suicide.

Strong(er) advantage to Wales now,.

pjm1 wrote:Good post. A few other Pros & Cons from a Wales perspective (from mine they would be Cons & Pros, of course)...

For Wales
- England's defence has not been properly tested by a good offloading game (France tried and failed to execute) - which may be a real way around & through this system
- England have not had to face a team in 2019 playing an actual, real live fullback

Against Wales
- England have other weapons in the armoury than just a blitz defence (good kicking game, big boshers, pacy outside backs)
- Knowing how to beat a system in theory isn't the same as actually doing it in practice

As you say, an absolute belter in the making!

You can say a lot about Wales, but having a good offloading game isn't one of our assets.

tc27 wrote:Halfpenny apparently going to be available.

Pretty much nullifies Englands main attacking option as kicking to a back three containing him and Liam Williams is suicide.

Strong(er) advantage to Wales now,.

England's kick game hasn't exactly been just leather it and hope the full back can't cope. It's been a genuinely smart game of kicking. But naturally Wales ability to cope with kicks will be another level regardless, even without Halfpenny.

tc27 wrote:Halfpenny apparently going to be available.

Pretty much nullifies Englands main attacking option as kicking to a back three containing him and Liam Williams is suicide.

Strong(er) advantage to Wales now,.

Halfers coming back in brings us close to a full-strength backline. Providing our 9-10 gel (I'd assume the Blues pair will start for this reason), we could expect parity. But I don't think, based on the past two England games, this will be where it's won and lost.

Relative to the England pack, the Welsh front 8 aren't as good at carrying in heavy traffic and generating front-foot ball.
- The front row should hold their own in the scrum, but I don't think any are as dynamic in the loose as Mako/George/Sinckler.
- The second row is closer to parity without Maro, but the Italy game shows us that the step down from AWJ is massive, meaning that Ball/Hill need to be at their most impactful not to get left behind.
- The back row dynamic will depend largely on selection, but I'd still expect England (having the form back row in the tournament) to have an advantage here. It's impossible to make a clear case for 3 out of Navidi/Tipuric/Moriarty/Young, but I suspect the latter will warm the bench. In defence I'd say it was broadly honours-even, but Billy is a massive asset to England in attack, with two flankers who are excellent at recycling ball quickly.
- The lineout scares the crap out of me, because it hasn't gone well for either Welsh hooker thus far.

Short of you leek-botherers cloning AWJ, are you seriously suggesting a lock partnership of His Royal Taffness + Beard/Ball is 'approaching parity' with any combination of Launchbury/Lawes/Kruis??

I'm not hugely confident of an England win, btw - just pointing out utter bollocks when I see it.

Is 0.5p going to be match fit? How long since he played?

Benthos wrote:Short of you leek-botherers cloning AWJ, are you seriously suggesting a lock partnership of His Royal Taffness + Beard/Ball is 'approaching parity' with any combination of Launchbury/Lawes/Kruis??

I'm not hugely confident of an England win, btw - just pointing out utter bollocks when I see it.

If you look at what he wrote (and I presume you're referring to this comment 'The second row is closer to parity without Maro') he's saying our second row combination isn't as good...although slightly improved, comparatively speaking, for your loss of Itoje. I don't think that's an outrageous comment and seems to be agreeing with you in the main.

I think most welsh fans would say we wouldn't swap Alun Wyn for any of your locks, even if there's not that much in it, but any of your locks would make the welsh team ahead of Beard/Ball/Hill. Solid but unspectacular players.

Fenman wrote:Is 0.5p going to be match fit? How long since he played?

He's been out since he was 'legally' charged down in the Autumn. You'd have to think that even with a game in his legs this weekend he'd struggle for a game as intense as England in a further week.

penguin wrote:

Benthos wrote:Short of you leek-botherers cloning AWJ, are you seriously suggesting a lock partnership of His Royal Taffness + Beard/Ball is 'approaching parity' with any combination of Launchbury/Lawes/Kruis??

I'm not hugely confident of an England win, btw - just pointing out utter bollocks when I see it.

If you look at what he wrote (and I presume you're referring to this comment 'The second row is closer to parity without Maro') he's saying our second row combination isn't as good...although slightly improved, comparatively speaking, for your loss of Itoje. I don't think that's an outrageous comment and seems to be agreeing with you in the main.

I think most welsh fans would say we wouldn't swap Alun Wyn for any of your locks, even if there's not that much in it, but any of your locks would make the welsh team ahead of Beard/Ball/Hill. Solid but unspectacular players.

Yeah, fair enough - you're right.

Sorry, posting on a shagged S4 in a Tesco car park, and I responded to a point yer man didn't actually make.

Although. .. I'm not sure whether I'd bother wasting bandwidth on a statement along the lines of 'when he doesn't bother to wash his chudsack my attractiveness to the opposite sex approaches parity with Brad Pitt's'...

Benthos wrote:

penguin wrote:

Benthos wrote:Short of you leek-botherers cloning AWJ, are you seriously suggesting a lock partnership of His Royal Taffness + Beard/Ball is 'approaching parity' with any combination of Launchbury/Lawes/Kruis??

I'm not hugely confident of an England win, btw - just pointing out utter bollocks when I see it.

If you look at what he wrote (and I presume you're referring to this comment 'The second row is closer to parity without Maro') he's saying our second row combination isn't as good...although slightly improved, comparatively speaking, for your loss of Itoje. I don't think that's an outrageous comment and seems to be agreeing with you in the main.

I think most welsh fans would say we wouldn't swap Alun Wyn for any of your locks, even if there's not that much in it, but any of your locks would make the welsh team ahead of Beard/Ball/Hill. Solid but unspectacular players.

Yeah, fair enough - you're right.

Sorry, posting on a shagged S4 in a Tesco car park, and I responded to a point yer man didn't actually make.

Although. .. I'm not sure whether I'd bother wasting bandwidth on a statement along the lines of 'when he doesn't bother to wash his chudsack my attractiveness to the opposite sex approaches parity with Brad Pitt's'...

False.

So if 1/2p is back does Bandy drop to the bench?

For this Englishman he is the player I fear the most

ManInTheBar wrote:So if 1/2p is back does Bandy drop to the bench?

For this Englishman he is the player I fear the most

If 1/2p plays then you might see North dropped and Liam Williams to wing...it's one possibility. North did score 2 tries against France but got a ticking off from Gatland about his defence for Huget's try.

penguin wrote:

Benthos wrote:Short of you leek-botherers cloning AWJ, are you seriously suggesting a lock partnership of His Royal Taffness + Beard/Ball is 'approaching parity' with any combination of Launchbury/Lawes/Kruis??

I'm not hugely confident of an England win, btw - just pointing out utter bollocks when I see it.

If you look at what he wrote (and I presume you're referring to this comment 'The second row is closer to parity without Maro') he's saying our second row combination isn't as good...although slightly improved, comparatively speaking, for your loss of Itoje. I don't think that's an outrageous comment and seems to be agreeing with you in the main.

I think most welsh fans would say we wouldn't swap Alun Wyn for any of your locks, even if there's not that much in it, but any of your locks would make the welsh team ahead of Beard/Ball/Hill. Solid but unspectacular players.

My point in a nutshell. I don't know what's controversial about that at all.
AWJ is better all-round than Kruis or Lawes at his best, but everyone else is a massive step down.

c69 wrote:1/2p should not play IMHO.
We need an attacking edge and 1/2p does not bring that to the party

No, even if match fit I'd still go with North, Adams and Williams...fingers crossed.

penguin wrote:

ManInTheBar wrote:So if 1/2p is back does Bandy drop to the bench?

For this Englishman he is the player I fear the most

If 1/2p plays then you might see North dropped and Liam Williams to wing...it's one possibility. North did score 2 tries against France but got a ticking off from Gatland about his defence for Huget's try.

Has Gatland ever dropped North when he's been fit? I'd be stunned if he didn't start.

Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Da iawn diolch wrote:

penguin wrote:

ManInTheBar wrote:So if 1/2p is back does Bandy drop to the bench?

For this Englishman he is the player I fear the most

If 1/2p plays then you might see North dropped and Liam Williams to wing...it's one possibility. North did score 2 tries against France but got a ticking off from Gatland about his defence for Huget's try.

Has Gatland ever dropped North when he's been fit? I'd be stunned if he didn't start.

Not sure, but with Adams now giving real competition it does become a possibility...if they are concerned about defensive positioning due to England's kicking then 3 guys who have all played 15 and are better under the high ball than North might tempt Gatland. I hope not, but I'm just saying it's a possibility.

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Yeah, bad luck. He was immense against Ireland.

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Booooooooo

penguin wrote:

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Yeah, bad luck. He was immense against Ireland.

Out for the whole 6N - b%llocks

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Damn. That really is a massive blow.

Devastating news. Was looking forward to 3 Welsh accents in the front row. Now there will only be two

ovalball wrote:

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Damn. That really is a massive blow.

A great opportunity for Genge to get the run he missed out on due to injury in the AIs, but a damn shame. With Marler retirement our loosehead stocks are suddenly much lower than they were 6 months ago.

Moon to start, Genge to rampage off the bench and Hepburn into the squad?

4071 wrote:

ovalball wrote:

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Damn. That really is a massive blow.

A great opportunity for Genge to get the run he missed out on due to injury in the AIs, but a damn shame. With Marler retirement our loosehead stocks are suddenly much lower than they were 6 months ago.

Moon to start, Genge to rampage off the bench and Hepburn into the squad?

Is there a more twattish prop pairing than Genge and Sinkler is world rugby?

penguin wrote:

Fenman wrote:Is 0.5p going to be match fit? How long since he played?

He's been out since he was 'legally' charged down in the Autumn. You'd have to think that even with a game in his legs this weekend he'd struggle for a game as intense as England in a further week.

The one where the Australian keyboard warriors claim he dived.......

P in VG wrote:

4071 wrote:

ovalball wrote:

tc27 wrote:Mako out - a huge loss for England.

Damn. That really is a massive blow.

A great opportunity for Genge to get the run he missed out on due to injury in the AIs, but a damn shame. With Marler retirement our loosehead stocks are suddenly much lower than they were 6 months ago.

Moon to start, Genge to rampage off the bench and Hepburn into the squad?

Is there a more twattish prop pairing than Genge and Sinkler is world rugby?

Samsung Lee and a.n.o.?