How was "Super Saturday" for you?
- 25 Feb 07, 12:30 PM
So the dust is beginning to settle on the Six Nations' "Super Saturday" - three games, 163 points and 16 tries.
A good day to be a rugby union fan (although , and supporters may dispute that), the middle Saturday of the tournament was a real test of endurance.
For the journalists on duty in Television Centre, it was a case of heads down at 2pm and come up for air at midnight. Not that we're complaining, you understand...
So where did you follow the action?
In the pub, down your local rugby club or was it an all-dayer at home?
If so, how did your stamina hold up? Were there any casualties?
Or was it a case of dipping in and out of the rugby while you got on with other things? Apparently there are other things you can do than watch three Tests back-to-back - not sure what mind.
Or were you at Croke Park, Murrayfield or the Stade de France to experience it all first hand?
However you kept in touch with the rugby, let us know the highs and lows of your "Super Saturday".
Wales 27-18 England
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Fantastic day. Three great matches. It makes me wonder why we don't do this every time the six nations is on.
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Super Saturday was definitely too much is a short space of time, with my club rugby commitments on Saturday I'm left wanting on a dull Sunday. I miss my feet up on the sofa Sunday afternoon nursing my hagover watching the final 6 nations match of the weekend.
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Spent yesterday in the pub in Chester with my English friends, supporting the boys.
Needless to say my mates weren't thrilled with the result but I was ecstatic.
It was still good craic; great atmosphere and lots of friendly banter. I think our table was probably the loudest in the pub; everytime a try came up there was a lot of screaming.
It was a really good afternoon... 10th of March in the pub once again!!
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I was at Murrayfield to see what I can only assume was the Scotland Under 13 B team gift Italy a win.
The Italian fans were fantastic! They sang and cheered their way through the game while the Scottish support booed opposition kicks with all the grace of a spoilt child. When will the SRU ask home fans to grow up and show some manners! It was an embarassing day to be a Scottish supporter.
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What an occasion the ireland v england game was just fantastic and should be re-named irelands day,international rugby played at that level is simply unmissable,it has it all and in my opinion is the best sport has!Now then did anyone really think england could win such a battle at this stage of the re building process!In fact ireland have done us a favour so that england can understand exactly what level they will need to get back to if they are going to compete in the world cup.For me we needed to know if andy farrell could make an impression at this level and it is to early to say when you consider that england played on the back foot,he tackled well and i didnt think that the irish centres out did the england pair!i think your find england were beaten badly in the back row-just not good enough,worsley played well but corry and lund have to go-we need dalliagio the leader...
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Im a very deighted irish fan after saturday. I think England can now only get better as Ashton will now have a better idea of the abilities of some of his players. Hopefully this results in a win against Les Blues and opens the championship for a last day decider!
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Very disappointing to lose against an excellent Italy side. They played to their strengths, took their opportunities, and deserved the win.
We have not had an international midfield for far too long. we are very poor in midfield particularly at fly half and outside centre (2 key positions). Our long suffering pack will always win ball, but to what end when our back cannot compete at test level.
It is by no means all doom and gloom, but we need to continue to improve to be competitive.
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A great 6 hours of rugby, though less so for the "British" teams involved, with a different exciting script for each test. Super Saturday is a good concept as it frees up Sunday for those other weekend things...
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it was a great day to be irish yesterday we played fantastic rugby and i never thought id see the day after starting to watch rugby in the late eighties when all we ever won was a wooden spoon however we shouldnt get carried away we beat a very poor english side who look really out of sorts.
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watched Scotland Women's reserves against Italy at home then hit the local. Two great displays of rugby and too many pints of apple later, crawled home. sitting at home now nursing a sore head and looking forward to this afternoons dissection on Scrum V.
Great day...couldn't handle it EVERY 6 nations weekend tho (Andy) or am I getting too old.
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I watched all three matches in my local Irish pub and have suffered most of Sunday! I was particularly proud of my Irish blood, not simply because of the great defeat of England but more importantly for being able to offer England a generous and warm welcome, especially during and after the anthems, which was always going to be moving because of the history of Croke Park
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Super saturday rocked. The local supermarket had an offer on of 6 bottles of Castle Lager for 2 quid. After watching sky, ( N'ton & Leicester - great game ) through to Wales, it ws 10 hours of great rugby.
Roll on the the next super saturday 17 march. I'll be in a pub in Cardiff and I can't wait.
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BOD Saved Our Gracious Team! BOD Saved Our Team!
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We took the sensible option of watching the Scotland game at home before venturing to the local for Ireland vs England. Bouyed by the sterling efforts of the Italians (us Welsh love the underdog) but also worried by the realisation of a likely wooden spoon (under)dog-fight in Rome, this was already shaping up as another day of highs and lows.
With a pub in excellent voice and cheering on our Celtic cousins against the English - not that you would have expected anything less - the enjoyment continued apace into the main event in Paris, as Wales took an unexpected lead with our first tries of the tournament. Sadly, normal 6 Nations service was resumed shortly after as France took control and with it the inevitable 3rd loss of the championship.
For a long time there has been a hardy optimism amongst Wales fans that whoever we play there is always the chance of getting a result. This optimism of victory is being slowly but firmly replaced with the hope that the team will keep the margin of loss down. The inevitable and nowadays all too common discussions of team selection and coaching went on late into the evening. Whatever team is selected in 2 weeks, one thing is certain, we will all be back here with our optimism refreshed once again, though somewhat more impatient for that long-awaited first victory.
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I too was at Murrayfield: having not been to a Six Nations match since I was 12, it was pretty exciting for me, even if we Scots were thumped. I agree with ,,Disappointed" about the SCottish fans: a poor show of sportsmanship booing the Italian kicks. The Italians were absoloutely brilliant, and in the end, throughly deserved their win. I was glad however, that the Scottish team were not booed off pitch: no team deserves it, and no one is going to be feeling as bad as them right now. For me, a great day: as I told my friend on the way home, girls come away from a rugby match with a lot more than guys: we've just watched men run around in shorts for over an hour!
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Listening on the internet from Red Deer in Alberta from Breakfast until afternoon tea was wonderful Especialy after I got my computer working properly . .I missed the commentary for the first 15mins but had the reports. After that the matches were exciting opened the competition up and is more stimulating than the 3nations. Let Argentine in and we will have areal competion. Dispite both my teams loosing I am Welsh and Scots I was not disappointed I felt the commentaries would good and they took me back to Saturnday afternoons before TV
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I watched all three matches on the telly. Well done Italy, they fully deserved their win. They are no longer the mugs of the tournement that they MAY have been in the past (although they have improved by leaps and bounds in the last couple of seasons). Scotland were dreadful and lost the plot. This was not helped by some pretty mediocre backs failing to achieve even their normal poor standards displayed in recent games (how a team could enjoy so much posession and territory as they did against a poor Welsh team and still not even look like scoring a try sums up the skill an imagination of Nos 9, 10, 12 and 13). I really enjoyed the Irish match. Fantastic atmosphere that came out of the telly. If it was that good on TV it must have been mind-blowing to have been there. The Irish were brilliant and their handling skills in such wet condition were a joy to watch. The English were not that bad, although Farrell is not test standard, and I doubt will be in the future (bearing in mind his age). Grewcock lost the plot again and should be left in Broadmoor for future matches. Strettle can hold his head up after his first performance. Wales went some way to making ammends for their Murrayfield display and should not be written off just yet. France were good, but not that good and did enough to win.
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Watched the England/Ireland game in a local Dublin pub, as the only token Englishman!!! But those around me were very glad that after all the Hype there was no booing of the English National Anthem and there was none of the anticipated problems. Ireland were on fire and deservedly won, will give us a lot to think of before we meet against Le Bleus!!
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Great day of rugby. This is how every six nation's saturday should be, all three games in a row. I've got no motivation for sunday games.
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A great day to be Irish!!!
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Looked forward immensely to a feast of Rugby,and the entertainment was good. especially France. Hopefully,England will learn
from the mauling they received.
Please could some experts tell me; Danny Grewcock never seems
to learn , so what is the point in
selecting him ?
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I agree with the number 2 entry.
I had 'playing commitments' at grass roots level on saturday afternoon. We had a league game thirty miles away from home. I have three issues..(1) We left our league game immediately after showering and literally 'sped' back to our club. We missed the vital beer with our oppenents, a vital part of grass roots rugby. (2)Our third team did not raise a side...players not availible because of super saturday ? (3) I also like a sunday lunchtime pint at my rugby club, a nice sunday lunch then an afternoon on the sofa watching the last six nations game.
My local prem club,Bristol,have realised the opportunity of the local rugby palying community by playing games on fridays and sundays (last week v Newcastle there was nearly 12,000 there)...Come on ..support grass roots rugby and give those supporters a chance to watch Six nations live.
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I watched the France vs Wales games in a bar in Paris. I was struck by the lack of vocal support for the French team. On the other hand, the gentleman in front of me would strike the table with his fist and cry "Merde!" every time France made a mistake. Another old clochard behind me predicted the outcome of every single penalty, and seemed to know his stuff quite well. I could easily have been the most drunken person at the bar, with two espressos and two 25cl glasses of 1664 inside me. Amazing people, the French. They can watch a rugby international game stone cold sober. And when the final whistle went off, they shook hands, paid their bill, and left. Of course I was rooting for France, since I now live here, so I loved it.
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I watched the France vs Wales games in a bar in Paris. I was struck by the lack of vocal support for the French team. On the other hand, the gentleman in front of me would strike the table with his fist and cry "Merde!" every time France made a mistake. Another old clochard behind me predicted the outcome of every single penalty, and seemed to know his stuff quite well. I could easily have been the most drunken person at the bar, with two espressos and two 25cl glasses of 1664 inside me. Amazing people, the French. They can watch a rugby international game stone cold sober. And when the final whistle went off, they shook hands, paid their bill, and left. Of course I was rooting for France, since I now live here, so I loved it.
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Three great games from three great teams, I thought Italy were awesome and thouroughly deserved their win. Wales were unfortunate against a much more composed French team, but held up well...England were just no match for the incredible Irish, so much better in the midfield, and you can see that Ireland missed Stringer and O'Driscoll against France.
All in all a very enjoyable day, I wish I could have been at one of those games!!!
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This Yorkshireman was pleased that Ireland won the day, in every sense. This was an historic occasion. Mary McAleese will have been proud of her supremely civilised, big-hearted nation and, if I were Irish, I would be proud of her. I found it very moving and enjoyed the match.
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Great day indeed... I was at work and took full advantage of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ transmission by broadband to watch the 2 first games of the day.
Italy against Sctoland:
Good game, intelligent play from Italy. Scotland, well, they looked like they were playing a Sunday game down the road from Murrayfield. Of course the first 6 minutes were just extraordinary. I had at the same time than the ´óÏó´«Ã½ internet feed, the French one's and the 2 commentators could not believe what was going on on the pitch.
Scotland now is well warn for the World Cup!!! To finish second of the group, they must beat Italy on the day!!!
Ireland against England:
Well, it was as most people predicted, an Irish win!!! Ireland will be a serious contender during the World cup and it looks like that the WCR group D is going to be tricky with Argentina in...
I've seen the debate about Farell, but in all fairness how long is Wilkinson going to go for?
It might be time for England to face the facts, to get a core group of players (youngs and olders) and start fresh. What worked with a specific group in 2003 for a few games will not give a win now!!!
France against Wales:
Well, I was back at home with the boys!!!
The Welsh players are nicknamed "the red devils" for a reason, they are very good at upsetting the French team at Stade de France.
It is good to see that the French team takes time to control their game and build the play with the first row. However, it was a minimalistic win with just enough to.
The Welsh knows now what is needed from them in Italy in 2 weeks time!!!
On overall, it was a great day of Rugby.
Personally, I prefer the "3 games over 2 days" as it is not always possible for me and my friends to get weekends off.
We will be at Twickenham in 2 weeks for the big game. It will be interesting to see how England react to yesterday in relation to the team approach.
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Great day indeed... I was at work and took full advantage of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ transmission by broadband to watch the 2 first games of the day.
Italy against Sctoland:
Good game, intelligent play from Italy. Scotland, well, they looked like they were playing a Sunday game down the road from Murrayfield. Of course the first 6 minutes were just extraordinary. I had at the same time than the ´óÏó´«Ã½ internet feed, the French one's and the 2 commentators could not believe what was going on on the pitch.
Scotland now is well warn for the World Cup!!! To finish second of the group, they must beat Italy on the day!!!
Ireland against England:
Well, it was as most people predicted, an Irish win!!! Ireland will be a serious contender during the World cup and it looks like that the WCR group D is going to be tricky with Argentina in...
I've seen the debate about Farell, but in all fairness how long is Wilkinson going to go for?
It might be time for England to face the facts, to get a core group of players (youngs and olders) and start fresh. What worked with a specific group in 2003 for a few games will not give a win now!!!
France against Wales:
Well, I was back at home with the boys!!!
The Welsh players are nicknamed "the red devils" for a reason, they are very good at upsetting the French team at Stade de France.
It is good to see that the French team takes time to control their game and build the play with the first row. However, it was a minimalistic win with just enough to.
The Welsh knows now what is needed from them in Italy in 2 weeks time!!!
On overall, it was a great day of Rugby.
Personally, I prefer the "3 games over 2 days" as it is not always possible for me and my friends to get weekends off.
We will be at Twickenham in 2 weeks for the big game. It will be interesting to see how the Engish coach build his team after yesterday...
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Watched the first two matches at home here in Italy. After the first 6 minutes of the first match my head was spinning despite not having touched a drop of alcohol! Incredible Italy. OK Scotland gave it away but the Italians were finally clinical in taking their chances. The rest of the afternoon passed in a contented blur. It was a shorter Super Saturday here since Italian TV didn't show the France-Wales match live. They showed a recording of it at 9.30 this morning!
Before watching that I had another look at my recording of the Italy match, just to make sure I hadn't dreamt it all.
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What a day. Got a ticket at the eleventh hour. First time at Croke Park for a sports occasion and will never forget it. For sheer joy and emotion it was right up there (well almost) with Munster winning the Heineken Cup last May. Well done everyone - made me proud to be Irish.
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I was fully in favour of the idea of all three matches being played on the same day, but found that in practice it was a severe test of endurance.
My eyes had glazed over by half-time in Paris and found my attention wandering so badly when the game resumed I can hardly remember any of the second half - and no, alcohol was not a contributory factor!
As this was on a day when three of the most gripping matches to have been played in recent times took place, I would suggest that if the experiment was repeated on a day when the matches were less enthralling the various broadcasters involved would find their audiences diminishing rapidly as the day progressed.
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Too much for me - I watched Sco/Italy (a very silly game) and Ire/Eng (simply fantastic, whether or not you're pleased with the result) but an 8pm kick-off for the third game just meant we couldn't watch it - when are you meant to sit down for a decent meal? It's much better to spread them over the whole weekend and really enjoy them.
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Great Super-Saturday!!! can we repeat it for every 6Nations match? but please do not clash it with Club Rugby!!!!
I am all for 6N Super-Saturday and Premiership on Sunday!!!
Thumbs up!!!
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The hairs on the back of my neck are only starting to go down now,almost 24 hours after entering Croke park. What an amazing day it was. while we waited for Mary McAleese to return to her seat so the anthems could start, the enormity if hearing the english national anthem in croke park took hold and a few boos and whistles sounded out that were quickly replaced with shhhhs! The same cant be said for Swing Low which was promptly shouted down!
When I hit the pub after the game, the hot topic of conversation was the opposite of what happened in the stadium...during the Irish national anthem, an English fan turned around and made machine gun motions to the Irish fans in the pub! I can only assume soccer is his sport of choice!
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I watched all three and noticed the absence of the usually hearty Welsh, English, wnd Scottish singing.
For example the "English" Spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" seems to have fallen out of favour judging by the singing at Croke Park.
Apparently ANOTHER spiritual was favoured by the IRISH after the match:
"When I get to Heaven goin' to put on my shoes
Run about in glory and tell all the news
Pharaoh's army got drowned,
Phoroah's army got drowned."
There's a spiritual that seems particularly appropriate for Brian Ashton and Rob Andrew right now.
It's simply called:"TROUBLED IN MIND!"
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im scottish...oops i think sums up our game! but the italian barman and i had a good laugh and i got a couple free drinks out of it. in all honesty though, im glad italy finally have a good win. iv been in italy and played rugby at under 19 club level and they have some GOOD teams! just a shame it had to be against us! the ireland game was a joy to watch after listening to jeremy guscot and john inverdale smugly discussing the scotland game! 30points separating them and the good old guinness meant a very happy pub in the end! horgan's try, perfect! wilco was due a bad day we all had a good laugh when he missed his tackles) and was completely outclassed by o' gara. feel sorry for him but thats the way of international rugby. if your opposite man is on form and you cant cut it, it's going to be a very bad day! strettle had a good game and was a good choice. england have needed a coach who chooses players on merit. not like the unprofessionalism of andy robinson. the france wales game was very good i thought especially for wales to bounce back with that performance after the previous game. all in all, a good day of rugby (even though scotland lost!)
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I would like it if the england supporters would stop putting the scottish team down because last year when england played teribly nothing was said against them so show us the same respect.
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I was there...(Section 501, Row G, Seat 1, fact fans)and I would like to congratulate the Irish, on pre-match banter and a river of Guinness (Englishmen should note that the Oliver St. John Gogarty pub in Fleet Street, Temple Bar is your venue of choice next year, if you weren't there this year)and for communal love of rugby, and banter again, once inside Croker. People were taking photos of me as I stood and sang God Save the Queen and we were quietly applauded as the anthem concluded - what more can any Englishman say, on the back of the history of the ground? The scoreline tells us only one thing - as long as Premier Rugby calls the shots on releasing players, that 43-13 points difference will only get wider and wider.
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Can an italian one add a comment on the blog?
Well, no doubts yesterday it was a great Saturday for us Italians.
Neertheless I would have preferred to win the game in a different manner. See, in the first eight minutes it was Scotland 0 - Italy 21. In the remaining 72 it was Scotland 17 - Italy 16. Now we celebrate our victory, but we wonder what could happen should the Scots have not begun in such a suicidal manner.
Just one comment on some Scottish gentlemen writing on this blog. I do appreciate they complain against people booing italian kicks.
As you all know, these days Italian (soccer) supporters have shown what stupidity can be.
When I read Scottish people blaming their own supporters for having booed us, I do really appreciate the fairplay that Scottish and more generally UK people have.
I hope that by playing in the 6nations we italians will not only improve our rugby skills, but also learn to acknowledge opponents' merits in a civilized way.
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Whilst it's great to have rugby union on terrestrial television, the commentating of Eddie Butler and Brian Moore was, as usual, embarrassing (particularly the latter). Commentators should provide analysis and insight- the correct identification of the players should be a minimum... Olly Morgan kicks and chases a high ball- "kick forward by Strettle" (followed by close-up on the Quins man by the producer)... Moore offers the considered and balanced opinion of a drunk fan in a bar. Thank heavens i was saved by the Radio Ulster commentary through the red button!!!
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I listened to the three matches on my ´óÏó´«Ã½ ADSL line from Athens, Greece, and was very proud of my Irish and Northern Irish compatriots when they gave the English team a standing ovation - and then played them off the park! President McAleese is, of course, also from Belfast like myself. Yesterday proved that Ireland has finally grown up and away from its troubled past. There are some aspects of life which are more important than politics and patriotism - and one of them is rugby union. Roll on 17 March (St Patrick's Day) for another Super Saturday. St Patrick will be cheering you all on - perhaps even on a ´óÏó´«Ã½ ADSL line from that other place?
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I would just like to state that beating England wasn't the best part of yeterdays rugby - It was the reception the English team got. As a proud Dubliner I thought it was wonderful to see the English fans treated with respect. Let our two nations have respect for each other. That beats any rugby result. However, Ireland played great rugby. Good luck to Ireland and the rest of the six nations teams in the world cup.
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Was stuck in Tangier on Saturday morning and caught the build up on ´óÏó´«Ã½ 24 at the hotel. Got the ferry to Spain and was stuck in customs for hours, so phoned friends and got the Scots results. Made it back to my local in Marbella at half time for the England match and asked what the score was when I dashed in.
I should have stayed in the Mahgrad....
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Los Angeles, California:
I watched the England v. Ireland game at the Sprinbok pub in Van Nuys, CA (This is the area in LA known as "The Valley").
It was on at 9:30 AM and cost $20 to get in the door. Had breakfast with South African style sausage. There were about 40 people there and they were mostly wearing green and having a good time.
The few of us wearing England colors were looking pretty glum and started drinking early.
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Another dissapointing day at Murrayfield. Cusiter had another shocker and Godman and Di Rollo are a disgrace to the shirt. The East Coast selection bias goes on and on - can't wait to see who Hadden picks to let Ireland put 50 past us in the next one.
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I watched the Ireland game at home here in Denmark stuck in a snow storm ! I usually drive to my local Irish pub about 1hr 30mins away,needless to say I dont drive home again.What a day,what a win,but when I go to work on monday my Danish colleagues wont understand why I,ve got such a smile on my face
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I live in Paris and got a ticket for the Welsh game late on this week. It was actually a bit special walking up to stad de France so late and a great atmosphere, but then again, rugby people with time on their hands rarely spend it just shopping!
Wales could and should have done better and shocked the stadium into silence in the first 15 minutes. That was the dream bit. Reality cam a bit later. Thank God for red wine.
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Mixed emotions for me. There was some brilliant rugby played, particularly by the Irish and I think the Welsh put up a fabulous performance against a rampant French side so in terms of seeing quality rugby it was great. However, if I state that first and foremost I support Leicester Tigers (lost to Saints), I support England mainly due to the Tigers prescence in the team (lost to Ireland), being of Welsh stock my natural allegience is to the boys in red (lost to France) and my wife is Scottish (trounced by Italy), the day was far from glorious.
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I can only compliment the Irish fans on the way they received England before yesterdays match. There was of course some pre-match ramblings about beating the English but as I know through Irish friends - they are a great bunch.
If this game had been against Scotland or Wales there would of been a lot of over the top anti-english sentiment which I see as a sign of an inferiority complex, I'm happy to say that whilst there was plenty of banter from the Irish about wanting to see anyone beat England, it was not filled with the bile I have come to expect from the other celtic nations and shows how grown up and how proud a country Ireland is.
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Great Irish display. Watched game at home in Norfolk and could only applaud the way the Irish targetted the English weaknesses. England need some pace in the centres and we need to look at our composure when under pressure. Pressure against England at the present equates to penalties and even worse - sin bins. Now Brian Ashton will have to show his mettle in selection and in his targeting of the French weaknesses. Losing to the Irish in such an emotional occassion can be accepted. Failing so badly against the French will raise many questions.
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I quote the Irish guys who felt proud.
Yesterday it was a good day to be Italian too.
Honestly, the three tries were real gifts and I watched the whole match hoping to win by at least 21 points, which meant we would have won anyway - "gifts" or not.
Well, it almost worked. ;-)
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What a saturday!!!!! I'm italian. And this is enough... 22 GIANTS IN MURRAYFIELD.
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While I'm delighted Ireland won, what is more particularly gratifying is the respect shown for English Anthem and the English team as a whole. The way Ireland won was magnificent and all the players and replacements should be commended on the level of intensity in which they played. Also delighted that Grewcock was playing because he's always likely to do something stupid and end up handing the initiative to the opposing team. Hope he's not playing against France though we need England to do us a favour.
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well i ended up getting far too drunk for a start! couldnt really remember most of the second half of the wales game, which is a shame, as it was generally a good game of rugby. its exactly what wales needed to do - show the world that they can play a game of rugby.
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Super Saturday started badly but improved greatly as the day went on....
I was at Murraryfield and was horrified at the appauling start Scotland made. The players seemed to be following a set game plan from the off - chip and run and long passes to try and disrupt the italian lines - not something we should be doing in the first quarter of a test match never mind the first minute! The first try was maybe excusable - however the lack of foresight to slow things down and the wild passes that led to the next two tries were inexcuseable. To then squander several kicking opportunities to claw our way back into the game was down to a major lack of judegement. We appeared to lack shape and direction in our play - and to have so much possession yet be incapable of turning that in to points was extremely disappointing.
Hats off to the Italians though - they did everything required of them -played intelligently, with self belieft and with the ability to soak up the Scotland pressure and put more points on the board when it mattered. It was a privilege to be there to see them (and their fans) celebrate a well deserved first away victory.
Uitlimately the Scots have to work with the resources we have and I honestly believe that our current team and coaching set up are capable of doing good things. We just have to keep the head up, play with more conviction and be more streetwise to deal with the play and modify game plans as the situation dictates.
My day was brightened up considerably however by watching Ireland v England in the pub - it was an absolute joy! Well done to both teams for entertaining us with an extremely high tempo, gutsy and skilled performance. It was just so refreshing to see rugby played as such an excellent standard (after the debacle the Scots presented us with!). My only worry is who we have visitng us next here in Edinburgh!!
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saw the first 2 but passed out during the welsh game.still its a good idea.
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I personally hate the games all being played on saturday because I'm at work. Not only can I not watch them live I have to avoid my co-workers trying to tell me the score! (because Im recording them)
Grewcock 10 out of 10 best player on the Irsih team. Bloody tit
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It was absolutely exhausting - dashing from the sofa to fridge and back for 6 hours with the occasional sortie to the loo did for me - now Sunday teatime and I've only just recovered.
3 splendid games: special thanks to the Scots for the most enjoyable opening to an international match; respect to the Irish for their pack and having a set of backs that always look likely to score; and (as a Taff myself) oh dear to the Welsh - whatever happened to the supply of second rows that could jump and run.....
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Well said no. 55, despite being well and truly embarassed by the performance we put together at Murrayfield yesterday, I was pleased for the Italian fans who were great and the team that well deserved their win.
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Yes indeed, a great day to be Irish for more than just rugby reasons. We proved both on and off the pitch that Ireland has grown up and can stand her ground equally with anyone in the world. Support your team and country and allow others to do the same with respect.
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great days rugby. missed the scotland game but read the reviews and comments, looks like the scots had a "barry crocker" ,to quote the australian tv pundit on this weekends super 14 rugby. great to see italy do well, its about time they won away from home! the result clearly shows scotland were over overrated and godman isn't up to international standard.
as an irishman i was beaming in english pub i was watching the game in. a nice wee pub near leicester sq. it was all good humoured banter, not quite like watching it in manchester....
if only can england can pick themselves up for the france game and ireland will finally get the title. im not holding my breath....
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I was at the match at Croker and as an ulsterman i have to say i was very well treated throughout the day. The guards were very helpful and polite and as i drove into Dublin the locals could not have been better in giving me directions to the ground. At the match i sang the Queen and attempted to sing the irish national anthem as well as Irelands call and the emotions were tremendous. Well done to the GAA and the people of Dublin for treating us to a fine day all round.
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What a fantastic day: although the jury's out on the question of whether or not the games should be spread over the weekend.
What is not in doubt is the no brain, non thinking of the English management. To persist with the one dimensional Farrell and and the no-dimensional Tindall in the centre beggars belief. What is even more unbelievable is the way in which Ashton and others talk about being in a 're-building' stage. Rebuilding what? Some fantasy super-team that will win the World Cup?
Teams and squads are always in states of change. Leaving and joining groups is a permanent part of life. Plus ca change. What is so obviously lacking in English International rugby is the sense of joy, power and application that Berbizier has helped the Italians to find and which the Irish currently create in spades. Only Strettle looked like he was enjoying his gifts of pace, skill and imagination. The Scots were dreadful, but the Italian tries weren't accidents; their players were on the charge, on the ball, enthusiastic and joyful, delighted to be there.
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did anyone apart from the people who played it really like rugby before we started winning the 6 nations and world cup.before it was large men drinking beer now its man with girlfriend shouting give it to johnny.or is that what she really wants to do!
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I was one of the lucky ones and had a ticket to the ireland v england game and travelled from fuerteventura to watch it and needless to say i was not disappointed. i was on hill 16 and i have to say i've been to many ireland home games at lansdowne rd and also on the new zealand lions tour and nothing has ever or will ever come close to the day i had yesterday. There isn't a word that could describe the atmosphere.I was especially proud of the respect given by the irish fans during 'god save the queen'and to the england team. It was a proud day to irish. Unfortunately i only saw highlights of the scotland game but hats off to italy they deserve to win an away game. Thought wales showed great spirit in their game but once they let france into it that was game over.
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We were at Murrayfield too. Our jaws were on the floor after six minutes and the highlights were the fantastic Italian fans and the half-time entertainment!
We then hit the beer tent next to the stadium to enjoy an absolutely amazing game of rugby at Croker. Go Ireland!
We then headed into central Edinburgh to cheer on the Welsh with our new found friends from Murrayfield.
An amazingly exciting day of rugby, but I couldn't hack it every week. Thankfully they don't serve booze in the stadium - I can barely remember much of the Welsh match as it is.
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I was proud of the respect we gave the english during their kicks, anthem and entrance. But who is Jonny Wilkinson anyway?
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Great Saturday. Three extraordinary matches of excellent rugby. Here in Rome I didn't move from TV for all time. Now, I will make abstinence. Yesterday it was a fantastic day. Sorry for the Scottish friends.
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I thought that there was too much in one space of time - I found I couldn't concentrate on the three great matches that they were. I missed the rugby on Sunday.
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Yes, a great day of Rugby, and I'm an England man!
Congratulations to Ireland for a wonderful display - anyone remember the same tie in 2000? It was serious role reversal.
I hope England persevere with Farrell - when the England backs had the ball, they looked a lot more fluent than they have in recent times. Sadly, they only had the ball about 4 times in the entire match!
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What a fantastic weekend!! Have it every 6 nations, 3 games one after another. Got to town early did the shopping went to the gym got back in time to settle on the sofa with my 2yr old son to watch the 1st game. My highlight apart from the italians display was my son waving at the TV saying "bye bye rotland" after the 8th min.
2nd game fantastic "go the fighting Irish" the wonderful Girlfriend bought our dinners to the sofa so as not to miss any part of the game (had to tell my son dinner in front of TV only when gods game is playing) did scare him tho when Boss scored and me yelling GO BOSSIE (from the great Irish province of Waikato)
And when that had finished, there was enough time to wash and bath the boy put him to bed and read a good night story and to settle down for part 3 for which I fell asleep in the 2nd half.
But it was great to have them all on the one day as it left sunday to spend time with the better half.
Oh and to post 22: If having a beer with your opposition is a vital part of grass roots rugby, here is a though,... You could have stayed at their club rooms and had your beers there instead of going back to yours
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Fantastic game and result in Dublin. England should not be allowed to play the British National Anthem and they should get their own. This is hugely offensive to the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish.
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I went to a lovely little rugby pub in Oxford called the Black Horse and watched all 3 games- got free chips after the england game and drank too much
I'm a welsh fan and it was alot better than Edinburgh - we missed 4 kicks at goal and lost by 13 points
and when I stumbled out at 11
I was given a free t-shirt!!
best rugby pub in Oxford
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OH yeah supersaturday is intense,listened online (´óÏó´«Ã½)from 6am at work in Fairbanks Alaska,noone knows what its all about here which is fine by me. The win by Ireland makes the French defect all the more sad.Reading the blogs about days spent in pubs and clubs reminds me of younger earilier days,shout out to Monkstown RFC in Dublin ,bring on the next round.
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Congratulations to the Irish fans/IRFU and GAA who showed respect for our English guests and their anthem. What a stadium and support!
Until the English union can shake off the club shackles they will be condemned to more of these results.
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What a weekend in Dublin. As a student I went to the 1973 game when England came after both Wales and Scotland, our Celtic cousins, had refused to play because of the terrorist situation in the North and fears for their safety. I remember the fantastic ten minute standing ovation the England team got as John Pullin led them on to the pitch. I have often wondered if such magic could be repeated. Well, on Saturday it was surpassed. The emotion was something else. I saw grown men cry as both national anthems were played. In 1973 I would not have predicted that rugby would ever be played at Croke Park and that 'God Save the Queen' would be sung with such gusto and recieved with such reverence. I think that Irish society owes a debt of gratitute to both the GAA for sanctioning the use of Croke Pk for rugby and soccer and Rugby for being a real unifier of people on this island and between Ireland and England.
As for the match, hero Paul O' Connell summed it up saying that the Irish team did the occasion justice. I have just returned home and watched the ´óÏó´«Ã½ recording of the game and its build-up. Great coverage. Poor Keith Wood was just itching to be out there.
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I enjoyed the Ireland vs England game. However, as usual, you would think it was a Republic of Ireland team due to the playing of Eire's anthem and the flying of the Irish Tricolour. In fact, the team covers the whole island: Eire AND Northern Ireland UK. No Northern Ireland flags were officially flown. At least the supporters from NI could sing GSTQ (their anthem along with the rest of the UK) while supporting (their team) Ireland.
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Brian Moore was the only tarnish on an otherwise excellent weekend of rugby and associated commentary. Disgraceful and Disgusting, why is he with the ´óÏó´«Ã½...is this the best my licence fee can afford...surely not
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Well it startted off with seeing an old friend and catching up about her time in Germany over a nice asian fusion type dish or two in a local eatery. After which it was ff to college to the bar fest to not only try the 9 different largers, 5 different ciders and 8 different ales. What can i say beer frstival and rugby a match made in heaven. To top things off i was a foreigner in England, so aside from the commnets like whos is that women in purple it was nice to rub it in. Thankfully the noise drowned out the ever bias ´óÏó´«Ã½ commentators, pity RTE is not available in the UK.
Great match - still would have killed for tickets but glad it happended the way it did - and it was definately better than the 1-0 score when Northern Ireland played England!!!!
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I must back up no 72.
God Save the Queen is the British national anthem. The Queen is the queen of the UK, not England by itself. The Welsh and the Scots are as entitled to use it as the English.
It's a mediocre piece of music anyway. Why not Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory?
Reserve God Save the Queen for the British Lions.
All this has been said many times before but it's about time the RFU did some serious thinking about it.
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Highlight of the day was our celtic cousins beating the english.
We did better than expected, but not good enough.
Same players as two years ago, but the coaching staff are not bringing out the best in the players, as a team or as individuals.
Ce la vie, Rodders. :O)
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How I missed being in Donal Woods' pub in Lisgoold, Co. Cork....
Instead of a great rugby atmosphere around ye olde traditional widescrene (and to be fair, most of the regulars are GAA people, more credit to them) it was 5live via dialup in a lonely wooden camp in Quebec. However, 5live's commentary team were absolutely SUPERB and although the water's frozen, the lav backing up and the Jeep buried off-road in a snowdrift, I didn't give a monkey's..
The Irish team we've watched building for years got it together and really zinged.
Although originally I was against renting Bogball Park, I admit to being completely wrong..... it was a political and sporting Irish triumph.
ps, Come on Cobh Pirates RFC....
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It was a shame that all 3 games were on 1 day. It gets lates to watch rugby by the time the Wales game was on and I had a friends birthday to go to so missed it. Which is a shame for an Evans!
Would be good if this site worked with Firefox as well...
Ta,
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The big day was glorious for true sports fans, but allow me to credit the England U-20's who were in my home town (Athlone) the night before.
They and their families were perfect guests. They will be welcomed with open arms any time.
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What a night! 9 hours time difference meant that the Scotland match didn't kick off until midnight, Ireland 2.30am and Wales 5am!!! After a power nap I headed to Paddy Foley's. The pub was jammed, the craic was fantastic, we had singing competitions with our rivals - the Fields won hands down!
As for the rugby itself, very disappointed with Scotland's performance (have some ancestry there and they are my second team after BOD's army), but fair play to Italy, they thoroughly deserved the win. I've run out of things to say about the Ireland match so will echo every good thing said here already! Was ready for a Wales surprise but sadly that was not to be. However they have done us a favour points wise so now we just need England or Scotland to do the rest!!!
I staggered out of Paddy's at 8am and spent Sunday recovering! I have a sneaky suspicion that had I been in Dublin, my departure time may not have been very different!!!
C'mon Ireland!
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As an Englishman with a passion for Ireland and everything Irish, I expected, and got no less from them both as sportsmen and people.
Congratulations to you all for the win and the manner of it.
A lot has been written over the last few days, some of it rubbish, but now in the aftermath of it all, the Irish emerge as a deadly rugby force and a people who can teach us a thing or three about good manners and superb sportsmanship. But then if you've spent time in Ireland you knew that already!
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I am a South African, supporting England in the Six Nations (mainly because of Jonny Wilkinson) and after Saterday,s slaughter I felt like William Blake's Jerusalem -
"England! Awake Awake! Awake! Jerusalem thy sister calls! Why wilt thou sleep the sleep of death, and close her from the acient walls?"
I had a terrible weekend and fear the match against France. All I can say is GOOD LUCK guys,you are going to need it, and Jonny where are you???
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Why oh Why to we have to suffer a totally biased commentater on the coverage of England matchs, do we not have someone English to partner Brian Moore rather than some anti English Scottsman. You can feel the hold your tongue tension in Brians voice as if at any moment he is going to thump him.
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I LOVED IT!!!
As italian supporter (and huge Italian fan), watching my team "finally" winning an away game at the 6 nations was something INCREDIBLE!
It was breathtaking and nerves racking but I had to watch it!!!
FORZA RAGAZZI
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Fantastic day of rugby & great to see the English get truly & utterly stuffed
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Eddie Butler gets RIGHT on my wick. I ended up screaming profanities at him in the pub on Saturday! He loved every minute of that game. All good fun though...and I'm sure all the English commentators are just as bad, I'm just blind to it!
No complaints from me though. We were well and truly stuffed. A magnificent performance from a magnificent team. They were better in every area of the game. As usual, some areas of the media are calling for changes. Ridiculous if you ask me. I think we should let Ashton do his thing. I believe in his abilities as a coach to pick the right players for the job and to get cohesion on the pitch. To say he was at a standing start after Robinson is an understatement. Were people honestly expecting a world class team to take the field so soon after the Autumn internationals?! Anyway, all the credit goes to a Ireland. Superb stuff. I'd love them to go on and win the World Cup.
Enjoyed the Wales match too. My Dad and I have tickets to the Millennium Stadium for Wales - England with my Welsh girlfriend and all her family. I have a nasty feeling they're going to peak right around March 17th with a renewed full-strength (ish) squad. If so, I'll have to go into hiding for at least 2 months. The ridicule will be unbearable!
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Super Saturday? Loved it! (but I'm injured, otherwise I'd have been playing a league game 70 miles from home!) If they do it again, the have to liaise with the RFU to keep it a league-free weekend for us village players!
Why is it always the front-row who get emotional? Seeing tears streaming down Gerry Flannery and John Hayes' faces during the anthems was very moving and provided some insight to what the occasion meant to the Irish.
Three amazing games at the weekend. Very pleased for Italy - a suicidal start from Scotland, but Italy were strong for 80 minutes - puts England's 'appalling' display against them into perspective - we did what we had to to win a very tough match.
We saw the same Ireland that destroyed Australia on Saturday - simply awesome to watch. Any dreams us England fans had of mounting a credible defence of the World Cup went up in smoke. It was a very high quality game though and England did some good things - we're a long way behind Ireland though - not to mention NZ and France. Feel sorry for the Irish that their chances of a (deserved) Slam went with BOD's injury. Hopefully though, Ashton will now have the guts to select some coming players like Rees, Palmer and Tait (in the centre, not on the wing!) - Rees made Lund look pedestrian in the Wasps v. Sale game the weekend before. White and Grewcock have got to go and never return in a white shirt - between them over the years they've cost Enland sooo many points.
Very ominous signs from the French - go badly behind early-on but then patiently pressurise and build? Not your typical French response! Awesome performance in adversity. England will come out at Twickers with all guns blazing, but I fear Les Bleus are just too good now.
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Post No 80.
Do you mean the British and IRISH Lions?
Where would the Lions be without the IRISH connection?
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Great display by Ireland, but we are still only in second place, come on england against france, you can do it, fortress twickenham etc
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I watched all 3 great games in France, and whilst the French commentators get very excited for both sides, there are no complaints about any bias. I thought the commentator was going to blow a gasket after 21 Italian points in 7 minutes, such was the excitement. Great weekend, nothing like 6 Nations. All we want now is for Italy to be treated as part of the Club-player ratings on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blog etc, referees (in due course). Bring on March 11, can't wait.
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I am italian, and of course I am delighted with the resault at Murrayfield, but I want to the tell to all the other italians rugby fans that our path is still long and full of bumbs before we really get the international respect that we want. We have to remain humble and continue to work hard. To the scots:that was only one game, I am sure that you will get back on truck. Remember last Year? France and England thumped. For now, FORZA AZZURRI!
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P.S. Damo (34)
I can't believe what you said happened in that pub. That's the most disgraceful thing I've heard in a while. There's always one or two have to ruin it for the rest. (Did he not get a beating?!!!)
And Bushy (72) - can you not think of anything better to comment about? If it offends you (and I really doubt it offends many, it certainly doesn't bother my Welsh girlfriend, all her family and my friends at the Llanbradach Old Comrades Club!), then apologies. Sadly we (the English public), don't choose which song we sing before a rugby match. What would you prefer? Perhaps Billy Connoly's suggestion, the theme tune from The Archers. All together now,
Dah, dah dah, dah dah, dah daaaaa.....
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In relation to a comment made above number 77 by Mr Stevens. The Ulster Flag was flown at croke park and was always flown at Lansdowne road. I was the opposite end of the ground to it and it flew next to the Tri colour the same way it always does. It was an amazing occasion to be at and it was a proud day to be Irish. So Mr Stevens get your Facts correct before you start Shouting your mouth off.
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As an Irishman perhaps I shouldn't intrude on private grief, but then I have lived in England for 45 years.
England will get nowhere as things stand. Jonny Wilkinson has all the skills except one. He is a superb goalkicker, tackles like a tiger, etc, but sadly he hasn't got the imagination to bring out the best in a good backline, which he hasn't even got at the moment. Add the loss of his former pace, no doubt due to his injuries, and the complete lack of both pace and ideas in Farrell and to an extent Tindall outside him and the problem is obvious.
There's got to be a complete rethink. Brawn is helpful, but no substitute for skill and ideas, which is why the Irish midfield ruled the field so comprehensively.
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Hi folks,
I was at Croker on Sat and watched Ireland put in what can only be described as a superb performance against England. They were clinical, the work between BOD and Shane Horgan exposing gaps in the midfield was text book. England got sucked into the same as trap as Wales, at least 3 defenders saw it as their job to stop BOD, he drew them and opened the gate for the mighty Horgan to steam roll through. England were very lucky not to concede more tries. Would have been interesting to see if Paddy Wallace had decided to run that penalty after the clock had run out. Imagine it, 50-13. It has a ring to it, dont you think?
England have a mountain to climb against the French, i would love for England to beat them, 10-9 would do, just hold unto the ball, and the French are not disciplined enough to be patient, they WILL infringe and Jonny can a)put England into the French 22, or b) slot the goals. If England are patient and hold on to the football, they can and should win the match. England were only bad on Sat when the heads went down, before that they were just kept out of the game through lack of possession, and with that possession Ireland played territory and had great confidence in attack from all areas. If Ireland can string together some wins like that, they will be true contenders for the RWC07.
So, unlucky Wales, Scotland, what can i say? and Ireland, Awesome! That is how to shut Brian Moore up. I can't believe he was still going on about , it should have been a GS for Ireland, they should be sick. After the scoreline on Sat, there's only one side that should be sick. Brian Moore you need to stop dwelling on what might have been. Ireland are a team not dwelling on the past but looking to the future. I'm really glad that most true english rugby fans recognise you as a bubbler and they will be looking to the future instead of clinging to past glories. So do us all a favour and take your little rule book and your biased views and retire for real. Punditry is not your strength, but then as i remember, neither was scrummaging.
England good luck against France, Ireland for the TC.
Congrats to the great Irish supporters, who respect all anthems and are silent for all place kicks. Exemplary fans.
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re England:
1. dispense with the National Anthem, which is a UK not an English piece, and replace with Hearts of Oak
2. the English (football and rugby) see playing for England as just another game. Until our rugby and football players acquire a psychological state via which they are willing to 'die' for their team (as the Irish on Saturday), we shall continue to lose however good our players and coaching.
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The Farrell experiment is over. It has been a disaster. Lets move on.
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Travelled up to Murrayfield from london, couldn't believe the start, who ever heard of ANY team giving away 3 intercept tries in the first 6 minutes? The game was just completely freakish. Italy played well but it's a much easier game to play when you have 21 point lead, Italy did not have have to work out a way to win, the game was over with 74 minutes to play as long as they just did the basics well which they did. Scotlands lack of fire-power in the backs was glaringly obvious, a tackle count of 45-140 in their favour and only 2 tries to show for it. We just have to take it on the chin and keep building, we still have an essentialy young team and will learn from this setback, i still believe we will beat Italy in the WC as they are not nearly so efffective in winning games as they are in stopping the opposition from playing, they didn't have to win the game on Saturday, you just cant give a team with the forward power of Italy a big lead. To our Welsh cousins who are enjoying a laugh at our expense, how good does this result make Wales look? you?
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To refer to post number 80, isn't it the British and Irish Lions? Is GSTQ used for them?
I agree with the comments about Brian Moore. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Interactive even offers biased commentary options from the regional ´óÏó´«Ã½ radio stations which implies that they feel the main commentary is unbiased. Have they listened to him?
It really is very irritating.
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As an England fan, I was totally comfortable watching them lose. Ireland played so well, they exerted such intense pressure which is especially impressive when you consider the weather and the emotion surrounding the occasion.
I watched the game with some Irish friends, and I have to say it was the most emotional sporting occasion I have witnessed (maybe on a par with the K Club experience). I was dumbstruck when the English team were politely applauded on to the field and when GSTQ (universal dirge) was respected. A totally humbling experience.
Well done Ireland. A lesson on the pitch in rugby and off the pitch in maturity, civility and reconciliation.
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Completely disgusted with Scotland's performance on Sat. Don't think I've ever seen a team gift the opposition 3 tries in 8 minutes. It's embarassing to be a Scotland fan. Well done Italy for taking your chances & holding out for the win.
I wish I was Irish. Watched them play against England at Croke & it was sublime. Aggressive up front, powerful in the centres & pacy on the wings. Ireland showed what they can do when they have the self-belief & determination to win. Well done Ireland.
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I think Josh Lewsey's comments are a little overstated. The loss to Ireland is not so much a comment on a poor England side, as a good performance by a fantastic side.
If the All Blacks had won by 30 points, English heads would not be hanging so low.
In fairness, Ireland could have scored 3 or 4 more tries, but for some unfortunate handling.
England may just pull something from the last couple of games... Keep the chins up.
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Super Saturday was fantastic. Personally it started for me at 8am with Skys coverage of two live games from the Super 14, plus highlights of two others.
That was followed by Leicester vs Northampton from Franklins Gardens again live on Sky sports. Then came the three Six nations games.
I was left feeling a little rugbyed out, and decided not to watch the Rugby League the next day!
I did feel guilty though, at having sacked off the game I was meant to be playing in for Old Pats 2nds, and also for not making the 400 metre walk to Kingsholm to cheer on Glaws.
On the whole though, a thouroughly entertaining day!
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I love Ireland
We didnt only beat England we whopped them they were poor and we were amazing. France we wernt really trying but that was amazing
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What a weekend! I got back from Edinburgh late last night...
I was at murrayfield and what a game, I couldn't believe my eyes for the first few mins, I even kept looking back at the ref/touch judge because I couldn't believe it to be true. The boys played out of their skins, particularly in defence, but I still spent the 2nd half worrying we're going to blow our chance of our first away win. It was only when Troncon went over I could stop worrying!
Post match celebrations were superb, Scots fans were gracious in defeat we enjoyed a great atmosphere in the Roseburn pub for the Ire/Eng game and then Biddy Milligans for the Fra/Wal game where all the celts united. I shook more hands than the queen that night (something to do with my azzuri blue shirt?!) as I had a great time with everyone be it in their emerald green or navy blue shirts not forgetting my girlfriend in the red of Wales!
Rugby definitely was the winner on Saturday!
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Great weekend of Rugby. Too many nationally biased comments about England being crap and Ireland being worldbeaters. The truth is that two of the six nations are playing a much higher level to the other four.
We have a halfway stage reality check. Ireland's 22 outlined their recent superiority and played far better than England (the bookies got it right as usual), France after a shaky start outplayed Wales and Italy deserved their win at Murrayfield (the bookies missed that one - though their performance against England should have given a hint). Despite recent (last 3 6N's) disappointments, I still think this tournament is 'must watch' and given the ever growing contribution of the Italian team and supporters - isn't it time Argentina was invited to join, perhaps playing out of Madrid, and making this tournament even better. Their participation may even bridge the gap between Ireland / France and the rest.
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Absolutely FANTASTIC. I couldn't wait to get home from the football (liverpool win) to watch the Ireland/England game. I wasn't dissapointed - it was an great victory and will have the rest of the rugby world watching Ireland now before the world cup. Ireland lived up to the hype. the game was intense, the atmosphere was brilliant and the ´óÏó´«Ã½i coverage was great. To be followed up with France/Wales superb. (No chance of watching Dancing on Ice in our house) Role on March 10th for next exciting installment of 6nations rugby. - What a GREAT DAY TO BE IRISH
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Re: 77
Could Mr. Stevens explain where the country Eire is?
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I'm amazed nobody watched the same game I did. Whilst the Irish played a great game, and I too take my hat off to the supporters for their respect for the English team and Anthem (it's ours as well...)Not one comment made about the dreadful refereeing! Is it okay now to shove youre elbow into someones face when they don't even have the ball? That's what Horgan did right in front of the Ref at approx 20 mins into the game. If he'd been yellow carded, as he should have been, it would have been a very different game. This is just one example of it, there were many others. Anyway, well done Ireland, a lovely display all round. And well done Italy - at last you've broken the duck; keep it up!
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For starters, and for everyone who thinks 'Super Saturday' is a new Six Nations concept, I'm sure it's been happening for the last two years of the tournament? It's normally on the last day but it's not a new 'experiment' this year. Either that, or I've just spent so long in the pub for 6N past, it has felt like it all rolled in to one day!
Pernickity moment over... what a great day!
Made it a complete rugby-fest with a visit to the Sharks v. London Irish home game on Friday night and then Tigers v. Northampton on Sky before the internationals... rugby until your eyes bleed!
Printed off our fantasy league teamsheets for reference (sad, but an extra level of fun!) Racked up the black stuff and had mates round to make it an all dayer at home (perfect view of the telly, no queue for the toilet, the best bacon butties in town and no e-coli the day after from an over-priced grot-burger!)
Called the Scotland result right before the game started, was pleased to see Ireland show up the last two England results against soft opponents as the false dawn it was. Heartened to see Wales compete again but annoyed we can't seem to compete at the lineout or the breakdown to secure possession (though we're just building for a shock World Cup performance when we top the group having beaten Australia!)
Oh, and then ended the weekend by seeing a bunch of over-paid, immature ASBO-esque yobs chucking the toys out of the pram and throwing girly punches at each other about some over-rated round ball match. Went to bed with a smug smile on my face!... Rugby is brilliant!
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Super saturday indeed. It started for us in a pub on Iona road, near Croke Park, at 2pm. We watched the Scotland v Italy over a "few loose pints porter from the middle of the barrel" and we had hardly taken our first sup before Italy were 21-0 up! Enjoyed the game and glad for Italy. A nice bit of excitement to start the day. We made our way down to the croker, past the anachronistic protest of about 60 people, enjoying the atmposphere. It was very funny seeing a young protester with a "no foreign games" sign wearing a glasgow celtic shirt. Enough said.
Plently has been said about the Ireland England game. These are great days!
Back to Iona road in good spirits. We all got seats in the same cosy hotel / pub and had a nice dinner and watched France Wales. Another good spectacle. The craic was mighty and everybody was talking out their "favourite bit" during the game in Croker. The seminal moment for me was when Horgan elbowed strettle (right in front of us). The body language of the Enlgish team at the next lineout was very downbeat after Olly Morgan looked like he was trying to sheperd chickens off the pitch in a panic. We couldn't lose after that!
We finished in the Old Stand in the city centre where we hit the 1.5 gallon of guinness mark for the day so it was time to go home.
Super Sunday involved pancakes, coffee, newspapers, and not leaving the house.
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This was an immense result for Ireland, one that will be talked about in Ireland for generations... hopefully we don’t always need as much history, politics, hype and controversy to create the psyche and emotion needed to repeat Saturdays performance against other teams this year.. its a pity New Zealand and Irelands history wasn’t a bit more heated.. the ALL BLACK and tans!
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Great day of rugby. From an English point of view, aside from Grewcock getting binned and lettin over two tries in that period I thought we played better than against Italy. I just thought we came up against a really fired up Ireland. That was their best game for a long while and I thought they were immense. No shame in losing to a team playing that well. It shows us where we need to be. On a positive note, Dave Strettle looked very sharp and pacey. One for the future.
I'd also like to thank the Irish for such a great atmosphere at Croke Park. There were no politics and no boos, just 82,000 fans enjoying a superb game of rugby. That is what rugby is all about. Other fans (not just rugby fans) could learn from their example. Support your own team with passion and respect the opposition. Thanks again.
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I was lucky enough to be at Croke Park, along with a few others from Burgess Hill Rugby Club. 16 of us travelled over, but we only had 6 tickets between us and I was one of the lucky 6 in the draw!
Absolutely brilliant week-end. The Irish were superb, no animosity and just a couple of small placards on the way to the ground saying "Brits Out". All the anthems were sung at tremendous volume and respected by the opposition. One thing I've never experienced anything like before was hearing that massive Irish crowd singing "The Fields of Athenry". Talk about making the hairs stand up on the back of your neck
Our guys spent the whole of saturday night and most of early sunday morning in Maguires by the O'Connell Bridge and the atmosphere in there when we got back from the ground was absolutely amazing. Sure, we lost the rugby, but we more than held our own with the drinking!
As I say, we couldn't have been made more welcome and I'm so glad I was a part of it; an experience to savour for the rest of my days!!
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Super Sat rules ! What a great day for Rugby - Italy on Form and an v nice away win, Ireland on fire (was on the Hill for the game and sobbed just like the Bull Hayes!) and France again dominating. One thing that did put a dampner on the build up was the Media hype - The vast majority of Irish people dont look to the past we look to the future so media please keep politics and history out of sport. I did have a little laugh of a picture I saw yesterday - A single protester with a banner saying "keep foreign sports out" (referring to soccer and rugby) and what was he wearing !! A celtic jersey ! Man did I laugh.
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What a day of rugby. I could not help but chuckle during the Scotland game recalling the ´óÏó´«Ã½ pundits referring to Murrayfield as a Fortress. Oh the irony!!
On the other hand watching Ireland put in an excellent performance was magical. I hate all the comments about how England "Lost" the game. It is always the same, they are never beaten, it's always their mistakes and not the quality of the opposition.(see Josh Lewsey's column to see what I mean) The Irish outplayed and dominated the England team, at last, and thoroughly beat them!
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in response to Charlie Stevens at comment 77, At matches played in the Republic, both Amhrán na bhFiann (as the anthem of the host nation) and Ireland's Call (as the anthem of the home team) are sung. If you read the lyrics of Irelands call you would see that it represent northern ireland also ("four proud provinces of Ireland") Elsewhere, Ireland's Call is the only anthem used. For such a great game and occasion i dont think it should be over shadowed by the bickering of what flags was or wasnt flown, beside the Ulster Flag WAS flown at croke park! so do you research before you start mouthing off
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Hi All,
I was so relieved that the ancient rules of hospitality were respected in Croker on Saturday. Due respect was paid to our visiting friends from England and beyond. Thankfully, despite the tiny minority of bigots, the overwhelming majority of Irish on Saturday stood up and showed that we have not forgotten how to give a gracious and sincere welcome.
One or two on this board have brought up the issue of the tricolour being waved. This is not a north south issue really. It is simply a matter of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and other stations wanting to broadcast some colour. I'm fairly sure that those in the production room rapidly selecting images for broadcast haven't the faintest notion that there could be a bit of sensitivity over the tricolour for Irish people north or south. They probably don't realise that our unionist brothers and sisters don't feel represented by the orange white and green. The only way to deal with this is to deck yourself out in Ulster colours and jump up and down in front of every camera crew you can find, smiling, singing, or joking. However, on Saturday, the editing team would probably have assumed that the white and red indicated England fans - so one way or the other you'd have been frustrated. For the record, I understand exactly what you feel in this respect.
Ironically, it is in rugby alone that the tricolour could have its true expression. The flag was originally invented and flown by a protestant to symbolise peace and harmony between the "orange" and "green" traditions in Ireland. We have worked down here to reclaim the tricolour as a symbol of tolerance and plurality as it was intended. Don't be fooled by the bigots, most people who fly the tricolour understand its history and meaning.
If there is anything on this island that symbolises this more than anything, it is rugby. Rugby has brought the two traditions together in fraternal harmony right through all the division and violence of the last 120 years! This is an astonishing fact to my mind. The opening of Croke Park, and the welcoming of England and "God Save the Queen" was all the more wonderful when one considers that a huge number of spectators on the day were hardcore GAA men and women. I spoke to a GAA fan last week who doesn't like rugby, didn't agree with Croker being opened up, wants everyone to beat any English team at anything, but who still wanted to go to the game and make sure that he could stand and give the welcome to England and "God Save the Queen" in order to continue the tradition of hospitality. Incidentally, since the match, I think we've another rugby convert!
Finally, well done to Italy! Italy have long threatened to win away, and finally has done it. I love watching Italy play, as they play with great heart, great passion, and they put their bodies on the line. True passionate rugby in the grand tradition.
A great weekend for rugby, and a great weekend for the cause of peace and conciliation between these islands!
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The Great International Rugby community showed what it is made of and ignored the political hype before Croke Park. A great Irish Team and better by far on the day but it was deparatelt sad to see England - including Wilkinson - revert to AIMLESS PUNTING - why on earth do they do this? I could see it coming and found myself shouting "NO NO PLEASE DON'T KICK IT" - this and the back row cost us dear.
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Romandreams:
You'll find Eire in the Constitution of Ireland "The name of the state is Eire, or in the English language "Ireland".
Mr Stevens is quite correct to say that the team is representative of Ireland north and south.
I think he is a bit over-sensitive regarding the anthems. As a rugby supporter he should know that the anthem of the Republic is sung as a mark of respect to the President. It is not sung when Ireland play overseas, when only Ireland's Call is sung.
In relation to the flags, the Ulster flag was flown. With regard to fans from the South, one could hardly ask them not to fly the tricolour really, could one?
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Nearly turned out to be the worst rugby day ever!! As an England supporter the first game was the starter, a good game setting me up nicely for the 'big un'.
Oh dear!! This is where the day started to go wrong. All credit to the Irish, dominated every inch of the pitch and every minute of the game. Cue numerous calls from a few Welsh mates just laughing down the phone.
Then a quarter of an hour in to the France/Wales game I turned the phone off. Wales leading in Paris?nooooo
Anyway the result went the 'right' way but another good game.
Overall a great way to spend a saturday even if the results don't go your way.
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Well I watch it in Abu Dhabi! Welsh game didn't start until midnight here and with work next day it wasn't great planning to get steamin and stay up til almost 2am to see us lose!
There was light in the tunnel and on a good kicking day things might have been a shade different, the Frech would of been scratching their TETS wondering what was all that about!
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Being an Italian Rugby Union fan is a very hard job (but somebody has to do it right?) But last Saturday made it all worthwhile! :)
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"Croke Park - Like Twickenham - Only bigger!!"
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Having played a game myself on Saturday and been out for dinner in the evening I missed much of Super Saturday but planned to watch the highlights on Sunday. Much to my dissapointment I could not find any highlights on ´óÏó´«Ã½ or Sky Sports (I do not have Welsh ´óÏó´«Ã½ therefore could not watch Scrum V). Is it really the case that the only place you could watch a re run of Saturday's events is on Scrum V? I found this very frustrating and longed for the reintroduction of Rugby Special. There is nothing better than being able to relive or see for the first time the previous day's action at about 5pm on a Sunday evening just as the prospect of Monday morning kicks in with.
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Great day to be a rugby fan even if you are English, Scotland v Italy was an astonishing match and an excellent result for the Italians and the competition as a whole. At Croke Park We got beaten fair and square by a better side who performed brilliantly on the day. Credit to the Irish fans as well - passionate, proud and sporting. Compare and contrast with the Scottish booing of Italian place kicks and their ridiculous attempts to hype up the Calcutta Cup matches at Murrayfield with Braveheart extras, fireworks and torchlit processions. The Irish let their rugby do the talking, the SRU should take note.
As for France v Wales, I am afraid that my memories of that are a bit hazy - defiant Welsh went down fighting? Something along those lines I think...
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Ireland 43 - England 13
Wow, what a result. Its one to savour. It was a fantastic performance from the men in green and in particular the men from my home City Limerick: Paul O'Connell and Ronan "Rog" O'Gara. Watched the game in the Leeds and longed to be at Croke Park, but I’m sure this was the next best thing. Great atmosphere and a lot of friendly banter. Needless to say I was feeling the affects of a great day, on Sunday.
Absolute pleasure to watch and it'll take some Irish performance to top that one. Well done lads, you honoured an historic day with an historic performance!!!
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As an English supporter, Saturday was a day to probably forget but to learn from it in readiness for our next challenge. However I think the whole match was made twice as worse by the stupid and needless twitterings from Brian Moore in the commentary box. I think even Eddie Butler was getting fed up with him. At least I had the opportunity to mute the TV which gave the old earholes a break. If Brian Moore wants to commentate on a game I would suggest he get the "Bill McClaren" hand book on how. I remember well how far more exciting a game was with his commentary. I just hope we have a better game against the French else Brian Moore will probably be thrown out of the commentary box. Here's wishing.
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It was great, just how it should be all three games played on a Saturday, prefer it that way and wish that it would be like that all the time.
England were abismal, but you cannot take it away from Ireland. Fantastic to watch. Italy, well considering that they have only been in the Nations for a short time, have certainly proved themselves. Wales, could have done better and almost did.
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Great day to be a rugby fan even if you are English, Scotland v Italy was an astonishing match and an excellent result for the Italians and the competition as a whole. At Croke Park We got beaten fair and square by a better side who performed brilliantly on the day. Credit to the Irish fans as well - passionate, proud and sporting. Compare and contrast with the Scottish booing of Italian place kicks and their ridiculous attempts to hype up the Calcutta Cup matches at Murrayfield with Braveheart extras, fireworks and torchlit processions. The Irish let their rugby do the talking, the SRU should take note.
As for France v Wales, I am afraid that my memories of that are a bit hazy - defiant Welsh went down fighting? Something along those lines I think...
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I was at Murrayfield on Saturday and would agree that the booing of Italian kickers was out of order. I felt the booing was in response to Italy's tactic of having a player go down injured at every stoppage in play,in a successful attemp to slow the game down, when the ref got fed up with it near the end,the injured Italian immediately leapt to his feet. As for the Braveheart rubbish, it happened ONCE and will never happen again. As for people dressing up, England have allowed that clown dressed up as John Bull to stand at the tunnel and wave his flag in the face of opposition players for years.
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As an Englishman, who passionately supports Scotland, super Saturday held mixed emotions. Having spent 6 hours travelling to get to Murrayfield to lose the match in 6 minutes was a touch disappointing. The pill was made a bit sweeter for having my Italian mate by my side. We made it into a bar somewhere near Princess Street, can't remember the name but it was kicking, the atmosphere was electric. Watching the Irish destroy a very weak England team made the journey worthwhile. We stayed to watch the Wales match but only lasted till half time when the call of a Ruby Mury was to loud to ignore.
To sum the rugby up:
Well played Italy, however your win because of Scotland’s headless chicken act, and their totally inability to turn possession into points.
Well done Ireland, a great result but again mainly down to England’s inept back line....nearly as bad as Scotland's.
Well done to Wales, although losing showed good spirit and should be able to avoid the wooden spoon.
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#136 - You're right that guy at Twickenham is an embarrassment. Hope you are right about SRU chilling a bit with their pre-match brouhaha. I didn't mean to sound anti-Scots as I am sure the majority of the fans were fine. I sometimes wonder if the schoolkids enclosures at Murrayfield contribute a lot of the daft booing and whistling? Any thoughts from anyone who was there?
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I think that having all three games on a Saturday is a great idea, but as with comments 22 & 92 think about those involved in the game @ grass roots level. League fixtures should be cancelled for these Super Saturdays - it won't cause fixture pile ups as there are so many spare Saturdays in the Season now (we have only four games left for our Seconds). It seems that most of those who enjoyed Saturday either cried off with Internationalitis (shame on you if you did) or aren't involved with the game other than as spectators, which is of course fine, but in my view the tail is now wagging the dog.
As for comment 103 - Farrell is a fine player who took a load of cash to change codes. He remains a fine player. As a Wigan RL suporter I felt that was a great loss to Wigan and to Great Britain RL, but those criticising him should remember than 15 or so players who have been playing RU for ages also failed to turn up on Saturday, so drop them all (except Strettle) if Farrell is to go. Typical RU snobbery against RL, and I say that as someone extensively involved in RU, a game I love with a passion.
Ireland were immense and I really hope England can beat France so as to give Ireland the 6 Nations Title they so richly deserve, and then Munster to stuff Leicester Cheats, sorry, Tigers, and retain the Heineken Cup.
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Congratulations to Ireland both on and off the field. England were simply out-played by a more skilled and more adventurous side. The emotion surrounding England playing at Croke Park had all the potential to boil over; yet the crowd "played the game too". Such marked contrast to the events at Cardiff next day. If only football players and crowds could emulate the behaviour of their Rugby playing cousins!
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I went to Anfield on Saturday afternoon and watched my heroes canter past Sheffield United, then straight to the pub to watch Ireland play some of their best ever rugby, what a day! The only downside - Brian Moore! How long are the ´óÏó´«Ã½ going to make us endure this buffoon, even the mild mannered Eddie Butler was at the end of his tether. He is the most one sided man on the telly, as far as Brian is concerned there is only ever one side on the park. Please ´óÏó´«Ã½ take him off the air, he's spoiling the enjoyment of the game for everyone.
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All the old boys from the Rfu Guscott and others blame Farrell for the defeat. The English pack did nothing against the Irish beayen in all departments. Slow ball to a rather slow scrum half. What are the backs supposed to do with ball like that. Where were the three back row in defense missing by their abscence I presume. This was a team defeat not one pleyers. Please ex Endland players drop your feelings about rugdy league players
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Its probably been said already, but there are far too many comments to trawl through - 3 games in one day doesn't work. Even with the best of intentions, heading off to the pub to watch the Wales game, 6 hours before kick off was always going to end in tears.
Enjoyed the Scotland game, and the first half of Ireland, anyone know the score in the other one?
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Rugby was the winner but when is it ever not? we may have beaten England on Saturday, we have often got beaten by England but we had such great craic on saturday after the game....it was like a big rugby love in!!! I thought game in Croker was like some sort of closing ceremony for the troubles in Ireland! At the end of the day it is only a game with our good friends and neighbours. All the stuff about not singing GSTQ and bloody sunday is water under the bridge....forgive and forget... lets move on.
See you in Edinburgh in a fortnight!!
Oh yea...three games in one day is a good idea, need the sunday to let hangover subside!!
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This super saturday idea is fantastic. Watched the first 10 minutes of the Scotland game and couldnt believe what I was watching. Charity does begin at home but that was ridiculous. Went to Croker for a cracking game with a truly great atmosphere and made it back to the pub for the second half of the France Wales game. Great day. Cant wait for Paddies Day for the next super saturday. Dont know if I could do that five weeks in a row though. Sunday games are a pain in the butt! How about a Friday night game instead?
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139, i'd like to say the booing at Murrayfield was down to schoolkids, but sadly it wasn't, it was down to people who should know better. I was in the East Stand, i didn't see anyone around me join in or i would have said something to them .Re Braveheart,this was ridiculed in Scotland as much as elsewhere, the entertainment this season has been the massed pipe bands which i think everyone expects to see when visiting Murrayfield, i personally love the music.
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Guys, for all your complaints about ´óÏó´«Ã½ coverage, you should thank your lucky stars that you don't have RTE commentators! Their grovelling, lick-spittle adoration of every ref and their unquestioning acceptance of every questionable decision.
While commentators continue to be unquestioningly supportive of referees, there will be no pressure brought to bear on the IRB or the Unions to impose a single set of standards for world rugby, or to improve the overall quality of refereeing.
On top of this, the RTE commentators often haven't updated their understanding of rugby laws since the 80's, if they ever had such an understanding in the first instance.
Coming to the ´óÏó´«Ã½, where the redoubtable Keith Wood has set up residence is like a refuge of good sense, even with the unconscious jingoism of some of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Commentators! :)
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115
Horgan had every right to elbow Strettle out of the way as he was standing right in front of him while he was running for the ball, England also could have had two other yellow cards but I can see Joel Jutge’s point. That aside:
Congrats to Italy on a fantastically entertaining match. We don’t normally like to see Scotland lose but Italy really deserve a win as they come out every year, give their all in every game and lose. It must be very disheartening. I agree totally with the calls to accept Argentina into the 6 nations… it can only be a good move.
Looking at the faces of Hayes, O’Connell and Flannery during the anthems, I’m sorry but there’s no way we would have lost that match to ANYBODY yesterday. Two stand out moments: Horgan swatting Strettle aside like a fly (also Horgans try was a thing of beauty) and a tackle from O’Gara which was more a scene out of Braveheart than a rugby match… those 2 confirmed that their determination was too strong for us to lose.
I still have goosebumps from the anthems – it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed… albeit on a really large screen in a pub, I felt like I was there. I was so proud to be Irish. Also I want to thank the English fans in Dublin for being so respectful. Unfortunately some observers in the pub wouldn’t allow them to sing the anthem, but I feel that was more so we could hear the outcome in the stadium… they were allowed make as much noise as they wanted throughout the rest of the match. I also have to say that on at least 3 occasions I had English supporters telling me how guilty they felt and that they were sorry. I had to remind them that their parents weren’t even born when it happened. I was quite humbled to be honest.
But for a good laugh, can you all have a look at Martin Johnsons blog… the bitterness is simply beautiful.
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Most of the time in Wales we dont have club commitments on international days because we recognise it for the event it is. Sunday rugby sucks the very soul out of the tournament that made it so popular in the first place. Had a great day on Saturday but please keep the 6 nations on that day only. People who actually want it on a Sunday are the ones who never travel!
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Note for Alfie.......won't be long before your back to our beloved wales team,,,,,,,back to lead our team that does not need a new 10 (coz we have a great one) but back to our team where we are despirate lacking our leader....
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Note for Alfie.......won't be long before your back to our beloved wales team,,,,,,,back to lead our team that does not need a new 10 (coz we have a great one) but back to our team where we are despirate lacking our leader....
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Where would one find Martin Johnson's blog?
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From the Croke Park media area at half-time on Saturday:
English celebrity hack having a coffee asks loudly - "Where are the spoons? I can't get a bloody spoon."
Unidentified voice - "Don't worry - you'll be getting a wooden one later."
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Note for Alfie.......won't be long before your back to our beloved wales team,,,,,,,back to lead our team that does not need a new 10 (coz we have a great one) but back to our team where we are despirate lacking our leader....
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I think sunday games are a good idea- not very convieniant for fans- but its the players who matter- there was a lot of pressure on the welsh/french players playing in the evening
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I think sunday games are a good idea- not very convieniant for fans- but its the players who matter- there was a lot of pressure on the welsh/french players playing in the evening
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How very arrogant of the irish in the pub not letting the english sing- it contradicts what the day was about
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149 - He wasn't running for the ball. He had the ball in his hand.
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Cormac 124...The Ulster flag is a red cross with a yellow background and the red hand in the middle.That represents all the people of it's 9 counties so any northerner who doesn't feel represented by the Tricolour can bring this flag to the game.The flag I think your talking about is not the ulster flag but the one of the Northern Ireland state.
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Ireland were truly great on Sat. England just not at the races, sadly.
Changes needed with a view to building for the future. My XV are:
1. Sheridan
2. Mears
3. White (Stevens once Healthy)
4. Brown
5. Deacon
6. Worsley
7. Rees
8. Skirving (in absence of Dan W-S)
9. Ellis
10 Wilkinson
11 Robinson
12 Tait (Ã la D'Arcy)
13 Tindall
14 Strettle
15 Lewsey
Maybe Tindall needs replacing as well? What about Ayoola Erinle? Leicester are not mugs in the transfer market. He has pace and size....
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Too much rugby for one day. Owing to other commitments I saw most of the Scotland v Ialy match, all of the Ireland v England match and none of the French v Wales match.
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It was great to see italy win away no so much to see england get thumped but they didn't really play that badly. having 3 matches in 1 day is excellent- u dont have to get up all day.
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Funny to see all the paddies supporting England now...
Everything can happen in England but we will still have the mighty pack and the good point is that we will have a new scrum half and a new fly half as well so the game will be fluent and the kicks will find the touch line. I don't see the french side giving many opportunities for Wilko to shine. the only fair i have is Robinson but he still need to be fed with balls...
I'm confident for the french side in 2 weeks but you never know...
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Hi from Germany! me and my irish mate went to an irish pub in switzerland to watch the games, but those idiots told us off... I thought irish ppl would be cool.. Well then just watched the games at home.
What can i say... Great Saturday!!! In fact, a firing 6 Nations.. Wilkos comeback, Englands comeback in a way, Croke park, the France-Ireland game and god save the queen at the croker... And there are still 2 weekends to come... GREAT!!!
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nvr been so proud to be irish watched in edinburgh,nvr seen so many irish people crying before,bring on the treble crown!!
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Does anyone have a clue what ben post 164 is talking about??? It makes no sense whatsoever.
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97 - your agreement with 34 that GSTQ is ok for England to play looks even more ridiculous as 34 calls it the "English National Anthem". I am not so sure your (alleged) Welsh friends would accept that !
Well said 101 who like most English fans agree that it's wrong for England to play GSTQ. As for what to play that's entirely up to the English but I doubt you were serious (nor was Billy C !) with Archers theme !!!
So change it by fan power; don't wait for the 57 old farts to act.
Either that or the 6N committee should step in and tell England they cant play it.
As for Lions tour - I was at all 3 tests in 2001 in Oz and my hazy recollection is that GSTQ was not played (rightly) as its inappropriate for the Irish. There was lots of talk of a new Lions anthem being written which is an excellent idea - anyone know if thats happenned ?
It was brill in the pub hearing Lions fans sing the songs of the other countries; well at least the Celts did !!!
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A gutless England performance at Croke. They knew their role was to roll over and die and they did. MJ would never have let that happen.
A disgrace. Clueless and without spirit.
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With regard to Brian Moore's commentary, and people's comments above:
I put forward that Jonathan Davies' commentary is at least as biased, after all he constantly refers to Wales as "we" or "us".
Just look at his predictions (for Wales), completely myopic!
I concede he did pick that Wales would lose in Paris, and I agree with him that Ireland will win on points difference, but other than that they are a joke!
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I personally thought Super Saturday was the bet set of 6Nations games I have ever seen due to it's high point scoring and it averaging four tries per game, if thats not open rugby please someone tell me what is. O.K. as a proud Englishman I was very disappointed to our team lose so heavily but there was somthing if not nothing to take out the game in terms of a great display in newcomer Dave Strettle, he was fantastic not a lot of players manage to take their abillities from 7's to 15's but he did superply. I was also over the moon to finally see the Italians win away from Rome and by that margin, people might say that there tries were luck but it takes great skill to turn defence into attack like they did three times in 10 minutes and if they can put pressure on teams like they did and capitalise from mistakes so punishingly then the Welsh and I would hope the Irish are in for a real shock when they travel to Italy. and Finally the French, well they wern't as clinical as they normally are but that was down to the way that the Welsh played, they put France under a lot of pressure but the penalty count was outrageous the scorline certainly flattered the French but Wales did mak a point that they can score tries. all in all it was a highly enjoyable weekend and hopefully the next two weeks will be the same but with two fantastic wins for England.
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Franco 159, I stand corrected. Thanks for enlightening me. I was not aware of that until right now. You learn something new every day. :)
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hey no 132. ronan o gara is from my hometown of the people's republic of CORK!!! hello. get your facts right man if you're such a proud rugby fan! Limerick can't have everyone!
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I have just read on another website that Rugby and TV bosses are to push ahead with plans to televise Six Nation matches on a Friday night - no! no! no!. It's bad enough this year with different kick off times for almost every match. Keep it simple - 1.30pm 3.30pm and 5.30pm on a Saturday or if need be one match on a Sunday - but not Friday nights as this would mean travelling fans having to take one or even two days off work to travel for a 7 or 8pm kick off.
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166 - Not the foggiest. It's so bad, it's brilliant.
150, 151 & 154 (?) - You wouldn't be desperately lacking him if he hadn't gone trying to beat up crowd members. Not excactly the behaviour of a leader is it?
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167 - I don't agree or disagree with playing GSTQ before a rugby match(hence my alternative suggestion, which indeed was a joke!). I'll be completely honest and say that this is all fairly new to me. I'm 25 and the first I've heard of all this dissatisfaction with the English and our pre-match song selection (amongst a whole host of other things it would appear!) has been on this board. All I was saying was that my girlfriend and friends in Wales haven't mentioned that particular gripe to me before. They have mentioned many others (supposed 'UK media' placing much more emphasis on English sport being the most common one) but not that one. However, reading the arguments, I can see why technically we SHOULD be singing something else.
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super saturday ? not a good idea , too difficult for the majority to see all 3 games. as for the ireland v england match , what a day , what an atmosphere and yes great respect shown for the anthems but i've been to ire v eng in both lansdowne road and twickenham and the same level of respect has always been shown so wasn't too surprised with a similar reaction even at croke park . once again rugby and its supporters the winner .
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Really enjoyed it! I was at Murrayfield for the first match, and by the end of it - despite having watched Scotland get trashed - had really enjoyed myself. The Italians were in great voice and definitely deserved their win - it was hard for their enthusiasm not to rub off on me! Having said that, I was really disappointed (again) at the booing at the Italian penalties. It seriosuly annoys me, and it's just discourteous to the other team and embarrassing for the rest of us.
Made it home 20 mins into the Ire V Eng match (couldn't take my brother to the pub with me!), watched a great display by Ireland and an interesting (?) one by England. All in all though, it was a fantastic match. Re the GSTQ comments - seeing as the third verse is about killing rebellious Scots, I'm not entirely for it. I don't think the English should be singing it as an anthem when the rest of the British kingdoms have their own.(I don't think the British should be singing it either, but that's a whole other argument.)
I really enjoyed the Fr V Wales match too. I'm all for cheering along my Celtic cousins, but Scotland has old ties to France as well, so I'm always in two minds as to who to support - generally I end up cheering on both sides. Needless to say, it was a great game, but I was somewhat flagging by the end of it.
Super Saturday is always a great event, once or twice a tournament. More than that is a bit extreme, and as for the comments above re 6N on a Friday, just no. That would be awful! I might have to start missing matches! It's bad enough having the ML on then...
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No probs cormac, always willing to correct those who keep calling the flag of norn iron..The Ulster Flag.
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Had a marvellous 5 days in Ireland. Saturday was generally very enjoyable. Sight seeing in the morning, enjoying the banter directed at the England jersey. Low point of the day was missing first 15 minutes of Scotland, Italy game, in taxi on way to pub. Met Irish colleagues in pub, then headed for Croke park. Wonderful occasion, superb atmosphere, generally dominant Irish performance. Then onto another pub for France, Wales game. Again plenty of fun and a great game. Then round temple bar for a few beers and a meal.
Thanks for the craic Dublin.
See you again
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