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Havak
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariots.
Aug 1999
time: 05:25
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I fell asleep at half time though! |
With a tense and exciting game like that? Still we should let you off, time difference and all that. 
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And was there a focus on the tackler freeing the tackled? And entering "through the gate"? And the front rows pushing straight ahead and on a level plane? |
All of those and the ‘releasing the ball’ one. The mentions of ‘Back Foot’ and ‘through the gate’ really jumped out at you in all three games.
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But he was also pursued by Wales. England, Scotland, Wales - how many grandparents has the bugger got? |
I believe a British Grandparent qualifies you to play for any home nation until you have made a representative start for any one of them. Pountney had a similar open choice.
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Just as soon as we've thrashed out how big the Big Bang was. It's about as productive. |
And by pure coincidence the only top five side it would not immediately effect is England.
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Who was the outside centre? Someone else I've never heard of? |
I actually have no idea. Will try to find out. I just thought the line was worth repeating.
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plays for Fiji and not the ABs. He's absolutely devastating. |
Would he like a holiday in England?
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The English backs showed some great qualities in their counters |
One of the biggest positives there in fact.
Okay so England 40 – Italy 5. It sounds a routine win does it not? But what a strange game that was. If you can try and get the stats – sometimes they are misleading but here I think they will shock you rigid – England put in nearly three times the tackle count, made three times the errors, had a third of the ball for 60 minutes. It was juts bizarre.
They came out the gates racing – Italy were pushing up in numbers and the English back line was scything through the spaces that was creating. It was exhibition stuff. We were 33-0 up on 22 minutes.
Italy then changed tactics. Instead of pushing forward they chose to keep hold of the ball when they had it. They re-cycled well, kept patient, and gave England one hell of a defensive workout for 60 minutes. We were reduced to taking opportunities on the break and although we did squander a lot of good field position Italy contained us well. They come out of the match with great credit. 
What do I think we lacked – well we had trouble getting the ball for starters and I finger one area very clearly for that – the back row. We had three big men – Dallaglio, Worseley and Hill – who are super ball carriers and body clearers but what they are not if foragers – and it showed. We really missed Backy’s presence in the rucks with his Kronfeld like qualities of coming up with the ball, and Hill proved openside is not his natural role.
The other huge worry was the ‘headless chicken’ factor yet again. It does concern me how the team fail to adapt on the field when Jonno is not there. Wilko’s inexperience here showed. Italy were committing more players to the breakdown so we should have been spreading the pill wide quickly – instead they kept driving route one and the poor execution caused many turnovers – I was shouting at the TV at times!
Most seriously Wilko went off on 50 with a bruised shoulder and five minutes later Hodgson off with what looked like a nasty knee injury. We finished 30 mins with Greenwood at Fly and bizarrely the shape improved.
We did look dangerous with the ball in hand – but I can’t be happy with the game. Ireland would kill us if we play like that. Of course it will be a different team they face – with at least Jonno and Backy included – so hopefully it will be better.
The plus side? Lewsey – I had my doubts but the boy has genuine pace and a superb step. I hope you get to see his individual try where he sends Bergamasco one way then the other then cuts back again – beautiful stuff. I reckon he would have caught Flatley. Ollie Smith got on and really looked the part in the centres – creating some beautiful breaks. Tindall had a solid game too. As did Rowntree who ended up at tight head (he will not have enjoyed that as his ears burst if you look at them).
So there is still work to do – Scotland next up at twickers.
Finbar – does Eales still play club rugby – a friend last night swore blind he saw him in the recent Queensland game? I thought he was totally retired?
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:25
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Originally posted by Havak
In that it?s anachronistic and doesn?t have the capacity a modern ground needs ? certainly. |
Bugger capacity! It has character and atmosphere. Or looks like it does on television anyway. Look at what the bastards have done to the Sydney Cricket Ground in the drive for capacity. Turned it from a charming, picturesque ground into a concrete cavern. And the Melbourne Cricket Ground went that way years ago. Yeah, I know, progress. 
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Why do most Aussies have a soft spot for the Irish ? it can?t be a rational judgement based on experience in most cases? Dare I say it?s the ?unity against the Poms? thing again? |
We've done this one over before, I think. There's a vast amount of Irish in Australia. And Australians probably like to think - as much as any Australian can be romantic - that they share some of the spirit, blarney, et al. Little do Australians know that, unlike this place, Ireland isn't an anti-intellectual sh*thole. Ireland actually treasures and supports and promotes its creators. There is, obviously, too, the anti-Pom thing, and very rightly so.
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Still at least, given I?m there for the game, if we lose I don?t have to face the music here until at least the Tuesday of that week.  |
Goodoh. We should have built up a head of steam by then.
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Laporte has launched a stinging attack on his players branding them ?liars? seemingly. Can?t see that helping morale much? |
God love 'em!
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Yes well it gets better. Whilst what he clearly saw was snippets of Chiefs-Reds, and whilst he clearly totally mistook Sharpe for his former mentor, he is still swearing blind that it was Eales and that it must have been an old game!
Like I said. Tight. |
Tell him from me he was either drunk - a strong probability - or blind - possibly but not necessarily related to the preceding - or watching the test pattern. Nathan Sharpe would be a good three feet wider than Ealesy, a head shorter, doesn't wear a headband, but does come from Queensland.
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Havak
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariots.
Aug 1999
time: 05:25
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Bugger capacity! It has character and atmosphere. Or looks like it does on television anyway. |
I have to ask – how do you judge character and atmosphere on a TV screen?
That doesn’t alter that you are right of course – all Irish grounds are known for their atmosphere and the singing rivals the Welsh grounds.
I truly wasn’t impressed with the MCG – the concrete car park feel is inescapable when actually inside the place.
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Australians probably like to think - as much as any Australian can be romantic - that they share some of the spirit, blarney, et al |
I love that ‘probably’.
From my own experience Australians can be very welcoming and friendly people (outside of sport) – but there is a crucial difference or two. The Irish are much more laid back, much harder to casually offend and crucially their spirit, blarney, and mickey taking is generally not so destructive. No Irishman has ever tried to convince me I was stood in heaven upon earth whilst on his soil, his attitude would be I should realise that anyway and if I don’t well why should he bother correcting my stupidity?
You will forgive me Finbar for pointing out a large number of your countrymen spend a lot of time informing visitors just how great the place is?
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Goodoh. We should have built up a head of steam by then. |
Oh I think you may be collectively hiding from me by then.
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Nathan Sharpe would be a good three feet wider than Ealesy, a head shorter, doesn't wear a headband, but does come from Queensland. |
That latter straw is one he will try to cling to. A red is a red...
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... and I think Bernard Laporte was very, very, very angry. |
I think you are right.
He named players though – and that is never a good move. I would think Betsen is hugely happy to have been called to account for the penalties he gave away?
An English Irishman. Born Irish but came here as an infant. Supports England. The rest of his family are Irish and we are meeting his brother when we go over. Clearly he is considered a black sheep.
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
I have to ask ? how do you judge character and atmosphere on a TV screen? |
Easily. Can't you? You can see it and hear it. And, if you're a sensitive soul like me, you feel it. It's why I like watching the HC games at the English grounds. Apart from those hideous corporate boxes towering over each end of the ground - if that's what those monstrosities are - the grounds have tons of atmosphere. Some of the club grounds here do, too, to an extent. They just don't attract anything like the crowds to generate the level of atmosphere.
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I truly wasn?t impressed with the MCG ? the concrete car park feel is inescapable when actually inside the place. |
It's a monstrosity. With a capacity crowd, there's certainly an atmosphere, but it's more akin to a cauldron - or even the Colosseum. The Adelaide Oval remains Australia's only major venue with an appealing atmosphere, and that's thanks to very well researched and thought-through development completely in keeping with the place's history and appearance.
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I love that ?probably?. |
Juxtapose the words "Australian" and "think" and a qualifier is an imperative.
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From my own experience Australians can be very welcoming and friendly people (outside of sport) ? but there is a crucial difference or two. The Irish are much more laid back, much harder to casually offend and crucially their spirit, blarney, and mickey taking is generally not so destructive. No Irishman has ever tried to convince me I was stood in heaven upon earth whilst on his soil, his attitude would be I should realise that anyway and if I don?t well why should he bother correcting my stupidity? |
I suspect the Irish have an inferiority complex but it probably manifests in other ways. The Australian inferiority complex manifests as you have observed.
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You will forgive me Finbar for pointing out a large number of your countrymen spend a lot of time informing visitors just how great the place is? |
Tell me about it. There's a very old joke - which I might have mentioned before - which, in fact, sadly, isn't a joke. It's true. As soon as any visiting celebrity stepped off a plane and into a press conference, the first question was always - "What do you think of Australia?". And it still happens. Pathetic, really.
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Oh I think you may be collectively hiding from me by then. |
Safety in numbers, bub.
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That latter straw is one he will try to cling to. A red is a red... |
Jeez, I hate people like that!
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10-03-2003 08:02
Like most Australians, I have a soft spot for the Paddies. And I love Lansdowne Road - not that I've ever been there, but from countless matches I've seen broadcast. It has to be the quintessential rugby ground.
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