Six Nations / Lions

[RedKnight]

He shouldn't be number nine for Wales on current form.

[Rapey Hugh]

 

I saw on twitter the other day, that Jiffy reckons that Phillips is cert for the number 9 jersey, opinions anyone?

 

IMO he's been up there with Davies as one of Wales worst performers so far so if he got it I would be shocked. Murray is very ponderous and seems to think that after every line break its up to him to pick and go, ruining not only that phase but the subsequent one due to having no 9. For me the two best 9s are in the England squad and should be 1&2 in their current order for the lions.

 

I was about to post a massive rant/analysis of that shitfest yesterday but decided to delete it prior to posting as it was more for personal therapeutic, calming,centre finding purposes than for the sake of debate. ( much like that advice about writing angry letters then binning them!!) Needless to say our steady slide since '09 has nearly reached rock bottom, but not until France RAPE us next. Even as a Munster fan I cannot begin to defend that selection bias. The IRFU has a massive chance to start something from scratch but I have no doubt the will conspire to fuck it up.

[George Costanza]

Halfpenny & Robshaw look the most likely Lions starters at present. Nearly every other position is up for grabs. Gatland will no doubt pick North & Cuthbert though. I personally think Bowe's better than both of them but his injury will probably cost him a place on the tour.

[Rapey Hugh]

Halfpenny & Robshaw look the most likely Lions starters at present. Nearly every other position is up for grabs. Gatland will no doubt pick North & Cuthbert though. I personally think Bowe's better than both of them but his injury will probably cost him a place on the tour.

 

I really am failing to see why. he is a solid player yes but he had no real standout qualities, hes basically a 7/10 at eveything but that's about it and if he was to travel where should you play him? Tipuric is a better 7 as Robshaw isnt a 7 not to mention Armitage, even Rennie is a better 7. That leaves him to play 6 and trying to leave out national bias as best I can, he can't influence a game like SOB and Lydiate is a superior defender as is Wood and most would agree that if he is fit Ferris is the king.

[lifetime fan]

Not a massive fan of Robshaw either, not that great a captain either.

[George Costanza]

funny that... he's been England's best player. The team that has won every game. He is also one of Harlequins best players too and they don't seem to be doing too badly either. He may not have any stand out qualities but he's consistently very good and his carries and yards stats are good too. He reminds me of Richard Hill actually.

[Rapey Hugh]

funny that... he's been England's best player. The team that has won every game. He is also one of Harlequins best players too and they don't seem to be doing too badly either. He may not have any stand out qualities but he's consistently very good and his carries and yards stats are good too. He reminds me of Richard Hill actually.

 

Launchbury, Wood and Cole have been England's best players. And both England and harlequins are not where they are due to him. England are there via a squad commitment to the game plan and poor opposition performances and Quins have their director of rugby and management setup to thank for their success. He has lots of ball but to what end? I'm not saying he's bad at all he's quite good but that's about it for me

[lifetime fan]

funny that... he's been England's best player. The team that has won every game. He is also one of Harlequins best players too and they don't seem to be doing too badly either. He may not have any stand out qualities but he's consistently very good and his carries and yards stats are good too. He reminds me of Richard Hill actually.

 

 

Just nowhere near as good.

 

I'm not saying he's shite just I don't personally rate him and don't think he's that good a captain. I think he was only ever offered it due to injuries to others.

[cochyn]

Philips is a good shout for the No 9 slot; Solid in the breakdown and in his delivery. Plus he has the advantage of trying out the audacious break for the tryline under pressure. Physically, The Lions are a match for anyone, it's moments of creativity (like Philips offers) that will be the difference this time around.

 

I'd imagine 5/6ths of the 6-nations fans hate him for it, but he's like a certain Merseyside-based Uruguayan forward who plays that game with the ball that isn't egg-shaped, (sort-of...)

 

Edit: There's some real quality posts in this thread btw.

[mrw74]

The thing with Phillips at 9 though, is that his decision making seems to have slowed down somewhat. Whether that was due to the poor run of form that Wales had, but he seemed to always take a step either side before passing, which in turn slows the game down. When he gets replaced by Lloyd Williams, the tempo increases, as the ball gets released quicker from the rucks and mauls.

[RedKnight]

The thing with Phillips at 9 though, is that his decision making seems to have slowed down somewhat. Whether that was due to the poor run of form that Wales had, but he seemed to always take a step either side before passing, which in turn slows the game down. When he gets replaced by Lloyd Williams, the tempo increases, as the ball gets released quicker from the rucks and mauls.

 

Totally agree. When Phillips is on it's like no one at all is allowed to do anything until he gets up to the ruck/maul and then he takes an age to distribute the ball. Lloyd Williams should be getting more time on the pitch.

[mattyq]

Robshaw's been outstanding and i'd go along with the Richard Hill comparison.

He's one of those players who is greater than the sum of his parts - he's not a natural 7, not outstanding at anything etc but he seems to hold the gameplan together and offers great leadership.

Initially i was dead against him both as captain and player but he's been fantastic so far

[George Costanza]

Just nowhere near as good.

 

I'm not saying he's shite just I don't personally rate him and don't think he's that good a captain. I think he was only ever offered it due to injuries to others.

 

at the moment he's not as good but he has time to grow & develop as a player. Hill is/was arguably the most under rated player ever imo. every match 7/8/9 out of 10. nothing showy, nothing glamorous, he was just utterly relentlessly consistent and was the glue that held england forwards together. IMO and i respect yours as well, Robshaw has all the hall marks of doing the same.

 

With the exception of Mccaw, Read, Pocock, Parisse & Picamoles I don't know of any more consistent back row forwards. Yep there maybe better ones (Dusaatoir being an obvious example) on their day but too often up and down.

 

The Lions like any team need the odd player who isn't flash but will consistently put in a 7/8 out of 10 performance. 18 months ago O'Brien and warburton were preforming superbly they still show there immense quality but they are also prone to 5or6 out of 10 performances. My Lions number 6 would be Armitage but not playing for England while at Toulon will no doubt harm his credentials

[George Costanza]

i will be interested to see if Australia pick Hooper and Pocock. Both fucking brilliant at the ruck and turning over ball. Rather than picking dynamic go forward players to break the gain line. would be a defensive ploy but good work for them

[lifetime fan]

Hill is/was arguably the most under rated player ever imo.

 

I'd agree with that. Hill was immense.

[moof]

The thing with Phillips at 9 though, is that his decision making seems to have slowed down somewhat. Whether that was due to the poor run of form that Wales had, but he seemed to always take a step either side before passing, which in turn slows the game down. When he gets replaced by Lloyd Williams, the tempo increases, as the ball gets released quicker from the rucks and mauls.

 

The problem with Phillips is he's not a natural scrum half. I think he's a talented player but that position is such a fine art that you need someone who knows what he's doing. Phillips could probably play as a center or back row forward but he's a shocking scrum half.

 

I'd love to be a scrum half or back row playing against him, he's so easy to read. Goes the same way every time after picking it up and looking around for a bit. One of the main reasons for Wales' poor form in the last 6 months or however long it's been.

 

 

 

I like Robshaw, personally. He's far more than just a solid, dependable grafter. Can't think of anyone I'd rather have as captain in the current squad.

 

 

The fuck has happened to Ireland since that first half in Cardiff? They looked electric but they've just gone to shit.

 

 

What's the deal with Gatland btw? It looks like he's just forgotten that he's meant to be coaching Wales. Does the lions coach always get 8/12 months off to prepare?

[mrw74]

The problem with Phillips is he's not a natural scrum half. I think he's a talented player but that position is such a fine art that you need someone who knows what he's doing. Phillips could probably play as a center or back row forward but he's a shocking scrum half.

 

I'd love to be a scrum half or back row playing against him, he's so easy to read. Goes the same way every time after picking it up and looking around for a bit. One of the main reasons for Wales' poor form in the last 6 months or however long it's been.

 

 

 

I like Robshaw, personally. He's far more than just a solid, dependable grafter. Can't think of anyone I'd rather have as captain in the current squad.

 

 

The fuck has happened to Ireland since that first half in Cardiff? They looked electric but they've just gone to shit.

 

 

What's the deal with Gatland btw? It looks like he's just forgotten that he's meant to be coaching Wales. Does the lions coach always get 8/12 months off to prepare?

 

The first highlighted part is the biggest concern for me. Howley was a fantastic scrum half, so what exactly is he coaching into Phillips at the moment.

 

The second highlighted part is another thing that pisses me off, as I'm sure we've had this discussion before, and I'm sure that no other Lions coach has had to do this before. Shocking really, as it really has affected the whole Wales set up.

[aws]

The first highlighted part is the biggest concern for me. Howley was a fantastic scrum half, so what exactly is he coaching into Phillips at the moment.

 

The second highlighted part is another thing that pisses me off, as I'm sure we've had this discussion before, and I'm sure that no other Lions coach has had to do this before. Shocking really, as it really has affected the whole Wales set up.

 

Wales shooting themselves in the foot again. No reason at all why Gatland couldn't have stayed in charge through the 6 Nations.

 

And the best No 6 around is Lydiart when he gets fit. No coincidence that warburton and Wales have gone off the boil since he got injured.

[mrw74]

And the best No 6 around is Lydiart when he gets fit. No coincidence that warburton and Wales have gone off the boil since he got injured.

 

Damn right. If Lydiate gets himself fit, then he's a shoe in for the Lions test team in my opinion.

[gaz181]

Strange game of rugby the Scotland-Wales one but I'm happy enough with the result. Sam Warburton was back to somewhere near his best, I thought he had a superb game. Don't know if I heard it right or not but I'm sure someone said it broke the record for the most penalty kick attempts?

 

Only caught the last 30 minutes of the Ireland-France game but it looked brutal.

[RedKnight]

Yeah it broke the record. Scrappy game of rugby but a win's a win.

[George Costanza]

Wales will need to up their game if they are to beat England. On a positive note for them Warburton looked much better. Wales do need much, much more than relying on a big back line to break through defence. Its gotten boring, where is the invention and skill we used to see from Cymru.

[cochyn]

We've (Wales) not had much of a creative outlet since Shane Williams retired and our more inventive players (Jamie Roberts & Jonathan Davies) have been a bit wooden for most of this six nations. Even George North has decided he's more of battering-ram. We're missing Priestland and - dare I say it - Mr Charlotte Church (as was) may have done a job. Massive improvement as the tournament has progressed though and I've a feeling we'll deny England their Grand Slam, but not their championship.

 

Overall the nations has been a bit of a let-down overall: France have been abysmal whilst Wales and Ireland have been out of sorts for much of it. It is England's for the taking. Good to see genuine improvement in Scotland and Italy in fairness.

 

If the Lions squad were to be chosen tomorrow on form, I'd genuinely worry about our chances. Too many 'big' players have been absent or given lacklustre performances either through injury, suspension or punishing club commitments.

[Champ]

What is it with warblers massaging anthems for the crowd before kick off?

[lifetime fan]

England making hard work of this but Italy deserve credit for their defence.