without a dream said:nijinsky's fetlocks said:sjk2008 said:Along with Sweep, I'll have £20 with Leighton that England finish above Ireland.
Loser pays to a charity of the winners choice.
I'll have France against any team somebody chooses for the same bet.
I'll patriotically go for England, it's gonna be really tight between those 2 I think.
I think we may lose to Wales and not win the slam. This England team is built for the future and will go far but Wales love nothing more than beating EnglandBlue Til Death said:Keith Wood summed it up perfectly yesterday.. Ireland are way too slow bringing players through..The top players are played until they drop with no understudy until its too late.. How they lost is still a mystery.. Its all going to be down to whether Wales are more motivated to stop England winning the slam than England are winning it on Welsh soil... Simple as that!
BoyBlue_1985 said:I think we may lose to Wales and not win the slam. This England team is built for the future and will go far but Wales love nothing more than beating EnglandBlue Til Death said:Keith Wood summed it up perfectly yesterday.. Ireland are way too slow bringing players through..The top players are played until they drop with no understudy until its too late.. How they lost is still a mystery.. Its all going to be down to whether Wales are more motivated to stop England winning the slam than England are winning it on Welsh soil... Simple as that!
Great stuff mate. My Welsh friend reckons this England team could win the next World Cup and he knows his rugby. Always a good day at the Millenium Stadium when rugby is onBlue Til Death said:BoyBlue_1985 said:I think we may lose to Wales and not win the slam. This England team is built for the future and will go far but Wales love nothing more than beating EnglandBlue Til Death said:Keith Wood summed it up perfectly yesterday.. Ireland are way too slow bringing players through..The top players are played until they drop with no understudy until its too late.. How they lost is still a mystery.. Its all going to be down to whether Wales are more motivated to stop England winning the slam than England are winning it on Welsh soil... Simple as that!
It will be a tough game for England, no two ways about it but I think we have the talent and what better motivation to win a slam than at the Millenium Stadium.. Wales are not the force they were a few years ago, they are dangerous and will up their game as all who play England do, unlike you I think we will win the Slam this year and I will be there to see it!
BoyBlue_1985 said:Great stuff mate. My Welsh friend reckons this England team could win the next World Cup and he knows his rugby. Always a good day at the Millenium Stadium when rugby is onBlue Til Death said:BoyBlue_1985 said:I think we may lose to Wales and not win the slam. This England team is built for the future and will go far but Wales love nothing more than beating England
It will be a tough game for England, no two ways about it but I think we have the talent and what better motivation to win a slam than at the Millenium Stadium.. Wales are not the force they were a few years ago, they are dangerous and will up their game as all who play England do, unlike you I think we will win the Slam this year and I will be there to see it!
mad4city said:Except for a lousy opening half v Ireland, Wales haven't done a whole lot wrong. So England beware.
Anyone else agree that it's time the penalty kick was devalued to two points? As it stands, teams, like England, can win games by being safe (ie boring!) and making less technical errors rather than trying to play open, adventurous rugby. Right now two pens trump a try. If you consider how defences have improved over the years (not least, meaning conversions are now, more often, out wide), that's not doing the game as a spectacle any favours.
No disrespect to England, by the way. It'd be churlish to blame them for playing to the rules. I'd just rather they had a bit more fun about them.
Also, the bonus point system is long overdue an introduction to this competition. That Wales got nothing for their contribution to perhaps the best game so far, isn't right.
Ah, well... Munster for the Heineken!
big gaz said:First off, Boy Blue if England loose to Wales they can not win the grand slam, but will win the championship on point difference more than likely.
Boy blue I've been keeping my powder dry since that crap first 40 mins against Leighton mob ;-) As the three pundits stated last night on the highlights show, Wales look like they're back to last years form :-) and Guscott still does not seem sold England, however I am, they look like they could become a very good side.
Leighton me old mucker whats gone wrong? You're boys have gone backwards or did the Welsh first half perforance allow you to paper over the cracks.
Not counting chickens as we still have to beat the Scotts and I think England will get a bag full against Italy and therefore scupper any Welsh dreams.
Blue Til Death said:mad4city said:Except for a lousy opening half v Ireland, Wales haven't done a whole lot wrong. So England beware.
Anyone else agree that it's time the penalty kick was devalued to two points? As it stands, teams, like England, can win games by being safe (ie boring!) and making less technical errors rather than trying to play open, adventurous rugby. Right now two pens trump a try. If you consider how defences have improved over the years (not least, meaning conversions are now, more often, out wide), that's not doing the game as a spectacle any favours.
No disrespect to England, by the way. It'd be churlish to blame them for playing to the rules. I'd just rather they had a bit more fun about them.
Also, the bonus point system is long overdue an introduction to this competition. That Wales got nothing for their contribution to perhaps the best game so far, isn't right.
Ah, well... Munster for the Heineken!
Its not England playing to the rules, its teams not abiding by the rules, your argument doesnt stack up at all, you can only beat whats in front of you and England have done that so far, If there were bonus points england would still be in the lead and still the only team that can win the Slam.. England are the best team in the 6 nations at the moment and they will beat Wales to win the Slam, it wont be easy but its definately doable. England have won ugly and made errors aplenty so far but still on course for a slam victory, every other team would take that including Ireland and Wales.. Always sour grapes when England are winning, from the rest of the Northern hemisphere... Bring it on..!!!
BoyBlue_1985 said:big gaz said:First off, Boy Blue if England loose to Wales they can not win the grand slam, but will win the championship on point difference more than likely.
Boy blue I've been keeping my powder dry since that crap first 40 mins against Leighton mob ;-) As the three pundits stated last night on the highlights show, Wales look like they're back to last years form :-) and Guscott still does not seem sold England, however I am, they look like they could become a very good side.
Leighton me old mucker whats gone wrong? You're boys have gone backwards or did the Welsh first half perforance allow you to paper over the cracks.
Not counting chickens as we still have to beat the Scotts and I think England will get a bag full against Italy and therefore scupper any Welsh dreams.
I know we would still win the championship but without the slam its just a bit meh really. Wales went through an awful time after the world cup so it had to come back to them eventually and the Welsh scrum on Saturday was incredible and it should be a good game. Well England have to beat Italy as well, I know they love the wooden spoon but you can never just look past them
without a dream said:I don't think there should be bonus points for tries. You could have a team that wins the grand slam but not the tournament then which is ridiculous. Losing bonus points I agree with.
mad4city said:Blue Til Death said:mad4city said:Except for a lousy opening half v Ireland, Wales haven't done a whole lot wrong. So England beware.
Anyone else agree that it's time the penalty kick was devalued to two points? As it stands, teams, like England, can win games by being safe (ie boring!) and making less technical errors rather than trying to play open, adventurous rugby. Right now two pens trump a try. If you consider how defences have improved over the years (not least, meaning conversions are now, more often, out wide), that's not doing the game as a spectacle any favours.
No disrespect to England, by the way. It'd be churlish to blame them for playing to the rules. I'd just rather they had a bit more fun about them.
Also, the bonus point system is long overdue an introduction to this competition. That Wales got nothing for their contribution to perhaps the best game so far, isn't right.
Ah, well... Munster for the Heineken!
Its not England playing to the rules, its teams not abiding by the rules, your argument doesnt stack up at all, you can only beat whats in front of you and England have done that so far, If there were bonus points england would still be in the lead and still the only team that can win the Slam.. England are the best team in the 6 nations at the moment and they will beat Wales to win the Slam, it wont be easy but its definately doable. England have won ugly and made errors aplenty so far but still on course for a slam victory, every other team would take that including Ireland and Wales.. Always sour grapes when England are winning, from the rest of the Northern hemisphere... Bring it on..!!!
Saucer of milk, anyone?
Try engaging your brain and then re-reading what I actually wrote, eh?
It's hardly sour grapes to wish that England were more fun to watch. Even you admit that it's ugly rugby. For what its worth, I agree that England could well win the thing If they were forced to play more open rugby. Tuilagi is the outstanding back (& I include St Brian O D in this, Leighton) in the entire competition and that other twat, Ashton has proven he's a try scorer, too.
Good luck to England, they've been ruthlessly efficient and that's all that has been asked of them.
That's not sour grapes, is it?
Surely sour grapes would be questioning the number of imports into the team representing the largest rugby playing nation in the world... and I'm above that... ;-)
I think its your media which lets ye down. The BBC are notoriously pompous and everybody likes to prick pomposity - not just Celts. Of late SKY have done the game no favours at all by bigging up the dreadful, attritional style of rugby that's played in the Premiership and don't even get me started on their Heineken Cup commentaries - biased isn' t half of the word! A lot of it too is just about taking the bigger guy down a peg or two and there's nothing wrong with that either. Every rugby fan knows that the English are the soundest when push comes to shove - although I won't lie, we do like ye a whole lot better when we're beating ye!Blue Til Death said:mad4city said:Blue Til Death said:Its not England playing to the rules, its teams not abiding by the rules, your argument doesnt stack up at all, you can only beat whats in front of you and England have done that so far, If there were bonus points england would still be in the lead and still the only team that can win the Slam.. England are the best team in the 6 nations at the moment and they will beat Wales to win the Slam, it wont be easy but its definately doable. England have won ugly and made errors aplenty so far but still on course for a slam victory, every other team would take that including Ireland and Wales.. Always sour grapes when England are winning, from the rest of the Northern hemisphere... Bring it on..!!!
Saucer of milk, anyone?
Try engaging your brain and then re-reading what I actually wrote, eh?
It's hardly sour grapes to wish that England were more fun to watch. Even you admit that it's ugly rugby. For what its worth, I agree that England could well win the thing If they were forced to play more open rugby. Tuilagi is the outstanding back (& I include St Brian O D in this, Leighton) in the entire competition and that other twat, Ashton has proven he's a try scorer, too.
Good luck to England, they've been ruthlessly efficient and that's all that has been asked of them.
That's not sour grapes, is it?
Surely sour grapes would be questioning the number of imports into the team representing the largest rugby playing nation in the world... and I'm above that... ;-)
Im totally against drafting players in because they went on holiday somewhere or their granny did, its wrong but its the rules and teams will exploit it.. Im not necessarily directing my sour grapes insinuation at you but even you will admit its hard to find a Celt with a good word for us regardless of how we play.. Its the way it is...Wales will give us hell at the Millenium Stadium and they would have even if they had won none of their previous games!! I was in Dublin when the Irish hammered us in the slam game and will be in Cardiff too hoping for a different result which I think we will get.... Either way we will be in the pub wearing our colours and drinking with the Welsh as is the rugby way!!
big gaz said:First off, Boy Blue if England loose to Wales they can not win the grand slam, but will win the championship on point difference more than likely.
Boy blue I've been keeping my powder dry since that crap first 40 mins against Leighton mob ;-) As the three pundits stated last night on the highlights show, Wales look like they're back to last years form :-) and Guscott still does not seem sold England, however I am, they look like they could become a very good side.
Leighton me old mucker whats gone wrong? You're boys have gone backwards or did the Welsh first half perforance allow you to paper over the cracks.
Not counting chickens as we still have to beat the Scotts and I think England will get a bag full against Italy and therefore scupper any Welsh dreams.