Brave Scotland resist Irish comeback
Every European’s favourite rugby tournament returned to our lives this weekend. Sometimes it can take a few weeks for an entertaining game, but not this year. Things began with the biggest of bangs at Murrayfield when Scotland entertained the Irish; a match with a fascinating early Lions subtext. It was the cliché of a tale of two halves, with the hosts dominating the first forty, before relinquishing control and giving up their lead. Going into the last ten minutes the Scots overturned the single point deficit, showing that their mentality has improved in line with their quality around the park, to slot two penalties and go on to win 27-22.
Vern Cotter’s men initially looked under the cosh, giving away plenty of penalties, but then Stuart Hogg came to the fore. Showing his burgeoning reputation as one of the most exciting players in the world, he scored a brace to give his side a 14-0 lead. Keith Earls responded for the men in green, but the conversion was missed and Scotland were even further ahead when Alex Dunbar (a centre) got the ball at the front of a line out and went over completely unopposed for a converted score.
Paddy Jackson pulled a penalty back for the visitors before a much needed break, which his side came out from galvanised. They powered forward and dominated territory and possession, eventually forcing the Scottish resolve to snap. Iain Henderson barged over and Jackson stretched to put the ball down, both of which were converted to give the Irish the lead for the first time. In fact, it could have been more, save for two very timely defensive interventions from Sean Maitland. Still, it looked like the green onslaught had done for the Scots. Captain Greig Laidlaw was adamant his side had had enough of these types of situation, however. The hosts recovered and earned two late penalties to seal the game and send the crowd into delirium. Their first win in the first fixture for over a decade.
The Irish now have to refocus and pick themselves up for what could be a banana skin against the Italians, who themselves looked a different type of threat to how we have known them in recent years. Should they fail to prepare adequately, most people’s title favourites will be down and out before the tournament has begun. Scotland, on the other hand, went in with (cautious) optimism, and now look to have their best opportunity at a real crack at the title in many a year. Let’s wait to see how they come out of Paris first…
England win poorest game in Eddie’s reign
Let’s be honest. England were probably the most dreadful team in the opening round of this year’s championship, yet they still won. France (who look as good as they have this decade) unquestionably deserved to win, dominating most facets of the game. This is the mark of where England are, and where they want to be, in terms of mentality at least. They are winners, and winners win even when they come up against a significantly better team. It was their fifteenth win in a row: a record. We won’t kid ourselves though, as with trips to Cardiff and Dublin, they may not be winners if they serve up turgid muck like they did on Saturday.
It started badly, Camille Lopez and Owen Farrell traded penalties, before Jonny May saw yellow for a dangerous tackle, meaning Lopez was able to kick France ahead. Les Bleus used their forward runners and dangerous three-quarters to have England on the ropes, but the defence held firm. The statistics showed domination, but the red rose was still in it. A further Lopez penalty to one each for Farrell and Elliot Daly meant the scores were, surprisingly, even at the interval. The second half was perhaps a touch more balanced, with the hosts going close for the first time through Daly, but he was shackled and bundled into touch just short. Crucially, Farrell put England ahead with another penalty soon after, but disaster struck as some nifty support lines and offloads sent Rabah Slimani crashing over for a converted score to put England out of penalty range. The hosts unloaded their bench to salvage the game and it worked miracles. James Haskell and Ben Te’o brought he physicality that had been so lacking, the latter getting the score that settled the game and saved England’s blushes.
So much work to do for England that I don’t know where to start. Intensity, physicality and front-foot ball all need to be brought to the table. Without Vunipola and brother, the starting lineup looked short of carriers. For me, Haskell needs to start, moving Itoje to lock (where he is best) and removing one of Lawes or Launchbury, probably the former. As for France, keep their heads and they could surprise us all in the championship; next week is crucial for both them and the Scots. It should be a cracker.
Wales break stubborn Italians
If he didn’t before, Connor O’Shea now knows the size of the task that lies ahead. For the first half, Italy were probably the more effective side, both offensively and defensively, let down by penalties and being kept in the wrong areas of the park. They led 7-3 at half-time. All they needed to do was keep doing what they were doing well, whilst cutting the penalties out. What did they do? The opposite. Wales, whilst not breaking new ground, managed the game superbly in the second half and strangled the Azzurri.
The Welsh had lots of ball and field position, but few ideas in the first forty. The hosts, meanwhile, had little of both, but courageous defence and a new found impetus going forward. It led to a lovely try from Edoardo Gori, owing to some ferocious carrying from captain Sergio Parisse (with a classy bit of skill thrown in) and excellent support from the forwards. After the pause, nothing went right for them though. If a ball could bounce away from them, it would. If they broke through, they knocked on. If they looked like they had thwarted a Welsh attack, they gave away a penalty. The visitors preyed on these inaccuracies, and on the sixty minute mark, after a yellow card to the Italians for repeated scrum infringements, they broke loose. They had built a lead through Leigh Halfpenny’s boot, and then tries for Jonathan Davies and Liam’s Williams (both the product of nice, simple running lines and basic hands) put distance between them. George North ran a length of the field score late on to take the score to a flattering 33-7.
England women bounce back
England beat France 26-13 despite trailing 13-0 at half-time. An Emily Scarratt kicking show was the main inspiration, with both sides scoring two tries apiece.
The Welsh also claimed a win, breaking away in the second half against Italy recording a 20-8 scoreline. Scotland also came the closest they have come in a long time to a win in the Six Nations, just losing out to Ireland 22-15.
Try of the weekend
There were a plethora of options this week, considering we are in week one of the Six Nations, and they came in many different shapes and sizes. Stuart Hogg’s second was a diamond, Alex Dunbar’s was as inventive as a line out can be and Liam Williams showcased lovely hands, whilst George North got a length of field effort. For me, the winner has to be Edoardo Gori’s though. The momentum of the attack was blistering, Sergio Parisse’s showed his class with a cheeky inside pass, and then they set up a spontaneous maul, which Gori crashed over from.
Hero of the weekend
It has to be Staurt Hogg. Absolutely classy. Every time he has the ball, he is electric and anything could happen. He got two tries, and even in the second half (when he was quieter) he always posed a threat.
Villain of the weekend
As far as I was aware, there were no standout contenders this week. One thing that was getting on my nerves was the way players were talking to referees, particularly in the Italy Wales game, and particularly certain members of the Welsh team. They had been warned that if appealing continues, they will be penalised. After that, I distinctly recall a Welsh player swearing towards a referee whilst appealing. Nothing happened. If referees don’t want to be spoken to in an unacceptable manner, they really need to be stricter with it.
Discussion Points
What do England need to fix?
What should Scotland realistically be targeting now?
How has Connor O’Shea changed Italy?
Are France a serious threat, or will their fragile minds come back to haunt them?
Where are Ireland really: All Black vanquishers or Six Nations also-rans?
What can we expect from Wales now the tournament really gets going for them?
It was a tight start to the women’s and the men’s. Who are the favourites after round one?
By Joe Large
I was really surprised that Welsh comment to the ref went unpunished, and I’d suggest that both Angus ‘I play by my own rucking rules’ Gardner and JP ‘I run blocking lines for Wales’ Doyle could’ve been contenders for villain of the weekend.
As a Scotland supporter, I think that they demonstrated that the difference between them and the other home nations in the last couple of years has largely been luck and mentality. The players have been there for a couple of years, it’s just taken them longer to mature and they’ve needed to get the benefit of the doubt that Wales enjoyed on Sunday (and last year in the second round, and the year before at Murrayfield…), for example, to get them to a winning position. I think they’re still in a fragile place, though: if they win in France, they should take Wales and Italy; if they lose, Ireland will probably be their only victory this year. They should follow the cliché and only target the next game. That said, I’ve placed a couple of cheeky wagers, just in case…
Ireland are still a good team, and still very much title contenders along with Wales. As with all the teams, you can’t judge them on this game in isolation. Same as England are still favourites despite an awful, awful game against the French. Of course, their press were pretty derogatory about Scotland (‘How did we not win despite our obvious superiority?!’), but it’s fun and games.
Hopefully we’ll get three Scotland vs. Ireland games next week and not three England vs. Frances.
As a neutral in both of those games, I agree with both of your villain of the week suggestions Cam!
Scotland should be basing their target on the next game’s results. A loss there, and it may be back to square one. But a win there, and they can start thinking about at least 4 wins overall. Realistically, if Scotland, England and Wales play like they did over the weekend, I wouldn’t be *too* shocked to see a Scottish Championship win (and possibly even Slam).
For Ireland, I don’t know what happened. The media certainly overplayed us/underplayed Scotland, though I don’t really think the players or most fans did, but there was certainly some sort of mental sluggishness. I’d be fairly ok with just writing it off, most teams can have a day when they just get out of the wrong side of the bed.
I think Italy’s problem is depth. The turning point in the match, for me, was when Wales brought their bench on. Either Italy’s subs were not up to standard, or the players that stayed on noticeably tired (the props, for instance). RTÉ actually had an interview before the game with O’Shea, he was very frank about their chances, saying “Realistically, if every team plays to their full potential, we’re looking at no wins. I think we can play as well as anyone at the start, the challenge for us is not stopping after 50 minutes.”
And France actually remind me of Scotland from a few years ago. They have the ingredients, they just need to work out how to blend them together. And also mentality is key, if they can just get that first big win, that may be all they need. There was times against England when they broke though/got into a good position, and just looked like they lacked the self-belief and know-how to push on. Classic example, that cross-field kick at the end of the first half, when all Lamerat needed to do was pass and the winger was in, and he took it into the tackle.
The person who has changed Italy, in my opinion, is Venter. Italy’s defense has his fingerprints all over it.
What do England need to fix?
More ball carriers better accuracy. Not as much as some people seem to think
What should Scotland realistically be targeting now?
They should target the slam as should all the teams who won. Ireland and France will still be looking for the championship for sure
How has Connor O’Shea changed Italy?
Ventners aggresive defence was good but still went to pot in the final 30
Are France a serious threat, or will their fragile minds come back to haunt them?
Noves is starting to get them playing how he wants them to play but probably needs another season to bed in
Where are Ireland really: All Black vanquishers or Six Nations also-rans?
Somewhere inbetween. Consitency is key they can and have beat anyone on thier day
What can we expect from Wales now the tournament really gets going for them?
I think they will struggle. Lots of physicality but not much craft. If a team can live with the power for 80 minutes they should win
It was a tight start to the women’s and the men’s. Who are the favourites after round one? England (just)
No mention of U20’s?
In many ways I’m actually surprised at some of the (over)reaction from England fans. Yes we were pretty poor, but we showed in the last 20 that with a couple extra carriers to get us over the gainline we will be in a good place.
I also don’t think enough credit is going to a bloody good French pack that stopped us playing for large parts of the game.
I definitely think the addition of Haskell is needed to the starting XV, either for Wood or Launchbury (with Itoje back in the row). That will lift some of the carrying burden from Hughes and should help things.
Other than that – there is no need for major change. It was a slow start, that’s all. If we are poor and/or lost against Wales, that would be the time for change – not after 40 minutes of poor play.
Slightly off topic. But I was thinking that a potential Lions bolter could be Ali Price, sure its a long shot but apart from Murray the lions are lacking top number 9’s. Youngs inconsistency and Webb being so injury prone I think he should be in the conversation. He has looked promising for a year or two but this year he has broken through. He has a cannon of a left boot and his Box kicks are frighteningly accurate, he also has bags of pace (see his try against Munster in the Pro 12 or his 5 minute cameo against Georgia) but most impressive of all is his incredibly quick and consistent passing abilities. For example multiple times against Leicester I noticed he flung a few half-the-width of the pitch bullets to Russell.
Notably his performances in the Champions Cup have been superb, he scored twice against Racing and his passing allowed Russell to take the ball so flat and play so well, and then against Leicester he was the catalyst for all of Glasgow’s tries, due to him being such a threat with the ball in hand.
It is just a shame Vern worships Laidlaw and does not give Price a chance to shine as I genuinely believe that if Price was at nine Scotland’s attack would be the 2nd best in the world, alas the All Blacks are just out of this world.
So here’s hoping for a Price to start against France or to at least be given a good 25 minutes to prove himself.
* Also he is great under the high ball for a 9, which is unsurprising as Mike Blair is his coach at Glasgow.