England (archive)
- Mark Orlovac
- 20 Mar 07, 01:45 PM
London - So after five weekends of thrilling action, the dust has settled on another Six Nations campaign.
Before the tournament started, our team of 大象传媒 Six Nations bloggers sat down to select a combined team of the tournament and we did the same three games in.
Now hostilities have come to an end, the votes have been painstakingly counted and we can exclusively reveal what we think is our definitive starting XV.
Triple crown winners Ireland provide six of the team, with champions France and Italy having four players apiece.
Youngster David Strettle is England's only selection while Wales and Wooden Spoonists Scotland miss out altogether.
Six players from the original team have kept their places, and interestingly five of them are in the pack.
Let us know what you think of our selections, what we've got right, what we've got wrong, and let us know how your Six Nations XV would look.
Continue reading "Team of the Tournament"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 18 Mar 07, 10:31 AM
London - The 2007 Six Nations ended in controversial, joyous, heartbreaking or infuriating fashion depending on the colour of your shirt.
But there's no doubt it's been a cracker - maybe not for the actual quality of rugby but for the drama and suspense right up until the final match.
France, Ireland and England were all tied at the top of the table going into Saturday's finale, meaning every point scored, for or against, would be crucial in deciding the eventual winners.
Continue reading "Six Nations - the final verdict"
- Phil Harlow, 大象传媒 Sport journalist
- 18 Mar 07, 09:21 AM
Millennium Stadium - Wales secured their first win of the Six Nations and avoided the Wooden Spoon with a hard-earned 27-18 win over England in Cardiff.
See what you think of my player ratings for both sides.
Continue reading "Wales v England player ratings"
- Sean Davies
- 15 Mar 07, 10:51 AM
Cardiff - I took a fair bit of abuse in a previous blog as people seemed to think that my desire to see Wales beat England made me some sort of atavistic cave dweller.
With the big Cardiff showdown now looming large, I鈥檓 still clearly smarting as I鈥檝e decided to revisit the touchy subject.
Now I don鈥檛 believe that a win over our oldest rivals should be Wales鈥 ultimate ambition, or that it would completely make up for a for Gareth Jenkins鈥 team. But it would set the world to rights, if only for a short while 鈥 and here鈥檚 why鈥
Continue reading "As long as Wales beat the English"
- Phil Harlow, 大象传媒 Sport journalist
- 14 Mar 07, 02:39 PM
Bath - England coach Brian Ashton may have only made to face Wales on Saturday.
But he certainly retains his reputation as a ruthless selector.
After starting all Six Nations matches so far, Josh Lewsey has been cast out of the entire squad following a disappointing performance against France.
His replacement by Sale winger Mark Cueto, who has never played at fullback for his country before and who has made only a handful of appearances in the position for his club, suddenly means his international future is looking a little uncertain.
Continue reading "Will Lewsey feature in Ashton's future plans?"
- Sean Davies
- 14 Mar 07, 10:00 AM
Cardiff - Ok, Stephen Jones has taken some pretty vociferous criticism on various blogs and message boards for his performances in this season's Six Nations, and now he's .
I think a lot of the flak has been pretty unfair to a player who is a great servant to Welsh rugby and I would have kept him at outside-half in Wales' first four games of the Championship.
But said that Jones should have been taken out of the firing line after his battering in Rome and I'm with him on that one (hey, it's not a bad opinion to share!), but let's throw it open for your thoughts - I'm sure there'll be a few as usual on the Welsh number 10 debate!
Continue reading "Jones loss a blessing in disguise?"
- Phil Harlow, 大象传媒 Sport journalist
- 13 Mar 07, 11:14 AM
London - As we count down to the , there are still four teams with a chance - mathematically speaking, at any rate - of winning the title.
If, like me, maths in not your strong point, pens, paper, a calculator and a protractor may well be required for what follows....
Continue reading "Our Six Nations permutations guide"
- Jim Stokes
- 13 Mar 07, 10:14 AM
Belfast 鈥 Now that my very temporary support of England (for very selfish reasons you understand) has quickly evaporated in the thermals above Twickenham, I can look forward to what should be a thrilling Six Nations finale.
While I didn鈥檛 honestly think , I was even less convinced that rolling to a Grand Slam.
But fair play to Brian Ashton鈥檚 boys - who took advantage of a French team that looked asleep for most of the game. So much so, they should have worn their pyjamas, particularly out in the three-quarters.
Continue reading "Possession the key on St Paddy's Day"
- James Standley
- 6 Mar 07, 02:09 PM
London - So Brian Ashton has gone back to the future for the Six Nations game with France on Sunday.
He has lost Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery and Andy Farrell to injury but has still opted for radical surgery, with 10 changes in all.
Mike Catt, 35-years-young, must have thought he had exhausted his nine England lives but he is not only back at inside centre, he has also been installed as captain.
Catt has been enjoying a fine autumn to his career with London Irish over the past couple of years.
Continue reading "Catt's back as Ashton wields axe"
- James Standley
- 5 Mar 07, 10:15 AM
London - France have had to replace prop Sylvain Marconnet ahead of Sunday鈥檚 Six Nations game with England after .
Our sympathies go out to Marconnet, who will be out for up to four months after suffering what French team doctor Thierry Hermerel described as a 鈥渂ad break鈥.
But it has to be asked, 鈥榟e was doing what?鈥
I don鈥檛 want to accuse the French of being laissez faire, but surely all professional sportsmen have it written into their contracts that pastimes such as skiing are banned for exactly the reason Marconnet has so spectacularly illustrated?
Continue reading "Bad break for France"
- Sean Davies
- 28 Feb 07, 05:59 PM
Cardiff - There can only be one way to go after Super Saturday - the Six Nations must be expanded and taken to Spain.
Now we could have the worthy Argentina side playing from there, or we could allow the Spanish national team in to give Wales the chance of winning a game (I鈥檓 sure Scotland would throw the new boys a few tries to get them started).
But the basic plan is the only sober conclusion I can come to after witnessing Saturday鈥檚 eight-hour marathon feast from the depths of Finnegan鈥檚 genuine Irish bar in Valencia.
Continue reading "Super Saturday from a skewed angle"
- Phil Harlow
- 27 Feb 07, 12:48 PM
After the pivotal third weekend, the is starting to look more settled.
France are the only team who can still achieve the Grand Slam, while Wales, with three straight defeats, are looking up at the rest of the sides.
Ireland are on course for a Triple Crown, but England took a big step backwards with their massive defeat in Dublin.
Italy showed they are a genuine force in the tournament with their first ever away win over a misfiring Scotland.
I've assessed the state of play with two weekends left to go.
Continue reading "Six Nations state of play"
- Francis Keogh
- 26 Feb 07, 02:22 PM
White City, London 鈥 In the end, my dilemma of who to support in the at Croke Park was solved, but not quite in the manner I intended.
Scores of you replied when I outlined my divided loyalties 鈥 born, schooled and living in England to Irish parents, and from a long Irish family line.
Many shared my dilemma, some scoffed at my neutrality, while others were simply dismissive.
I was called a Whether that was with English or French mustard had not been made clear...
Continue reading "United by a sporting spectacle"
- Jim Stokes
- 26 Feb 07, 09:42 AM
Belfast 鈥 Wow. What a beautiful day Sunday was. It was only after I had finished my weekly jog around the green pastures of the Stormont Estate that I was able to take it all in. Like Saturday, it needed a sharp intake of breath.
I have been attending international matches since 1961, but none have matched the power, passion and emotion that emanated from
I had to pinch myself, to realise Ireland had stuffed England out of sight. Okay, okay it was a very poor England team, but there again, who cares...
Continue reading "How Ireland stood tall"
- Bryn Palmer
- 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.
Continue reading "How was "Super Saturday" for you?"
- Phil Harlow
- 24 Feb 07, 05:48 PM
Ireland produced a tremendous display to record their best ever win over England in a pulsating encounter at Croke Park.
See if you agree with my ratings for both sides.
Continue reading "Ireland v England player ratings"
- Jim Stokes
- 23 Feb 07, 02:14 PM
Dublin 鈥 There's one sure thing that unites Irishmen and that is a confrontation with the English. Somehow, I suspect it could be the same with the Welsh and Scottish, but don鈥檛 quote me!
And if there's one thing that really fuses the Irish together, then it's when an Englishman says that they're not really up to it. Well, the 大象传媒鈥檚 very own Brian Moore has now given Irish coach Eddie O鈥橲ullivan the perfect motivational material for his pre-match pep-talk.
"Ireland can take no comfort after choking - again," was the headline on Moore's usual hard-hitting column in the Daily Telegraph column following the last-minute defeat to France.
And when 大象传媒 Northern Ireland鈥檚 took him to task for his views - and indeed general Irish perceptions of bias - Moore, in his typical Pit Bull style, took an even harder line - insisting: "If people are honest in Ireland they ought to be furious about this because the team has blown yet another Grand Slam".
Continue reading "Moore blast provides perfect Irish pep"
- Francis Keogh
- 23 Feb 07, 11:04 AM
White City, London - It鈥檚 the match Irish and English supporters have been waiting for 鈥
As anticipation reaches fever pitch around Dublin with the arrival of the first batch of travelling fans, I am left with an awkward dilemma.
You see, and for some reason I鈥檓 slightly embarrassed to admit this, I support both sides. Yes, that鈥檚 both...
Continue reading "A game of two halves"
- Mark Orlovac
- 21 Feb 07, 04:48 PM
Bath - It鈥檚 international week and England are about to head to Dublin for their historic date with Ireland but seeing the players at their training base on Wednesday 鈥 you never would have guessed.
After a full-on training session - with members of the Bath academy standing in for the Irish - they talked respectfully and sincerely about the emotional backdrop that accompanies this game, using words like "privileged" and "honoured" in describing the prospect of playing at the home of the GAA.
But I could definitely detect a sense of calm as they gathered in one of the vast halls that make up Bath University鈥檚 impressive sporting complex.
I didn't actually see Jason Robinson get injured - most of the reporters had gone back into the complex by then.
Details of the injury were sketchy - and no-one was telling whether it was a tackle from a promising Bath youngster that did the damage!
Continue reading "England cool before Croke Park cauldron"
- Jim Stokes
- 20 Feb 07, 02:30 PM
Belfast - The England team will travel to Dublin this week well versed in the historical importance of Saturday's Six Nations match.
Former Ireland full-back is now the (English) Rugby Football Union's Director of Regional Academies and to allow rugby to play on the hallowed turf.
O鈥橲hea would have been the perfect intermediary as his father was a genuine GAA star who won three All-Ireland medals with Kerry in the Fifties.
Reams of paper, a spectrum of radio waves and have been filled explaining what Saturday鈥檚 visit of England really means. Hopefully history does not overshadow the future.
Continue reading "Why England may win historic Croker contest"
- James Standley
- 15 Feb 07, 06:14 PM
London - So Jonny Wilkinson is not being rested by Newcastle after all.
Falcons boss John Fletcher says the star fly-half is on Sunday because he is too battered and bruised after playing for England on consecutive Saturdays.
You can see why Fletcher has felt the need to stress that the injury-prone Wilkinson - who is less than three games into his latest comeback - is not being rested to make sure he is fit for England.
Firstly, he has to reassure some of his own supporters, .
Continue reading "No rest for the Wilko"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 15 Feb 07, 09:58 AM
London - I can't quite decide how I feel this morning. Not about life in general, though that's got me unusually stumped too, but about whether it's a good thing there's no this weekend.
By this time, we're normally upping the ante and starting to salivate over the weekend's clashes.
The teams have been named, the coaches and captains are in the process of delivering their final news conferences and we, the fans, are easing into our familiar pre-match routine of talking a load of old cobblers at each other until 30 seconds before kick-off.
Continue reading "Breaking the spell"
- Mark Orlovac
- 28 Jan 07, 12:34 PM
I refused to watch the endless repeats of against last night.
Especially after the presenter announced that the Bristol number eight had dislocated his kneecap, an injury I have suffered five times.
As he lay stricken on the Franklin's Gardens pitch with an oxygen mask, the memories of how painful the injury is came flooding back.
Continue reading "Ward-Smith heartbreak"
- Rob Hodgetts
- 26 Jan 07, 08:46 AM
London - Ok, so who fancies a gentle Friday warm-up argument then? You know, just to get the banter fine-tuned for the weekend.
England coach Brian Ashton names his starting XV on Monday for the Scotland opener, and it seems highly likely that will be named to start at inside centre. Inadvertently, I've found myself quite excited about this.
But I don't want to turn this into a Farrell debate, more a general, philosophical head-scratch on the England backline.
Continue reading "Backs to basics for England"
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