2025 6N thread

[Jim Lahey]

Conclusions from the weekend (we already know most of these anyway):

-Wales aren't as shite as most people think
-Ireland aren't as good as most people think
-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch
-Scotland are bottlers. Don't have the bollocks to win big matches when they are ontop.
-France are rather good when their pack can be arsed
-Italy, meh.

[Sandstorm]

Conclusions from the weekend (we already know most of these anyway):

-Wales aren't as shite as most people think
-Ireland aren't as good as most people think
-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch
-Scotland are bottlers. Don't have the bollocks to win big matches when they are ontop.
-France are rather good when their pack can be arsed
-Italy, meh.

Italy are the most improved from 12 months ago. No longer easy 5 points for the rest.

[Slick]

Still reckon Italy will give England a shock

[sockwithaticket]

Conclusions from the weekend (we already know most of these anyway):

-Wales aren't as shite as most people think
-Ireland aren't as good as most people think
-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch
-Scotland are bottlers. Don't have the bollocks to win big matches when they are ontop.
-France are rather good when their pack can be arsed
-Italy, meh.

Italy are the most improved from 12 months ago. No longer easy 5 points for the rest.

Obviously the tournament isn't done yet, but I find it hard to see them getting anything from the rest of the tournament when their remaining games are England and Ireland.

2024 - won 2, drew 1 with their biggest loss having a 36 point margin
2025 - 1 win and biggest loss having a 49 point margin.

They're definitely not better than they were a year ago.

And tbh they've not been an easy 5 points for years now, so that's also not anything that's particularly in their favour this tournament.

[sockwithaticket]

Still reckon Italy will give England a shock

They've run us uncomfortably close quite a lot over the last few years and we're still shit despite a couple of 1 point wins, so I expect another very tight scoreline. I'd like to think that hanging onto the record of being the only 6N team not to have lost to Italy is sufficient motivation for our lot to come out on top again.

[Guy Smiley]

-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch

Absolutely. By fuck it made me so angry I switched it off and watch some paint drying to calm me down and give me some hope and inspiration for a better world.

Scotland had chances and couldn't make them pay but fuck me England, you're the country that invented the fucking game of picking it up and running with it. Instead you line up across the field like a bunch of fucking whitegoods and just kill the game.

Fuck you Borthwick. You and the nose you rode in with.

[Paddington Bear]

Still reckon Italy will give England a shock

They've run us uncomfortably close quite a lot over the last few years and we're still shit despite a couple of 1 point wins, so I expect another very tight scoreline. I'd like to think that hanging onto the record of being the only 6N team not to have lost to Italy is sufficient motivation for our lot to come out on top again.

They’ve only got within a score of us once in the last decade (last year), and even that was with the final play of the game. I don’t discount them beating us but the idea they’ve been competitive with us simply isn’t true

[sockwithaticket]

Still reckon Italy will give England a shock

They've run us uncomfortably close quite a lot over the last few years and we're still shit despite a couple of 1 point wins, so I expect another very tight scoreline. I'd like to think that hanging onto the record of being the only 6N team not to have lost to Italy is sufficient motivation for our lot to come out on top again.

They’ve only got within a score of us once in the last decade (last year), and even that was with the final play of the game. I don’t discount them beating us but the idea they’ve been competitive with us simply isn’t true

Huh, so they haven't. I've so much residual frustration with games against Italy I must've brught a few Johnno/Lancaster era scorelines forward in the memory banks.

[Paddington Bear]

They've run us uncomfortably close quite a lot over the last few years and we're still shit despite a couple of 1 point wins, so I expect another very tight scoreline. I'd like to think that hanging onto the record of being the only 6N team not to have lost to Italy is sufficient motivation for our lot to come out on top again.

They’ve only got within a score of us once in the last decade (last year), and even that was with the final play of the game. I don’t discount them beating us but the idea they’ve been competitive with us simply isn’t true

Huh, so they haven't. I've so much residual frustration with games against Italy I must've brught a few Johnno/Lancaster era scorelines forward in the memory banks.

Yeah I think those are the games you’re thinking of. IIRC it was the chargedown Charlie year they came closest to actually turning us over (I was at the game in 2013 and whilst close we controlled the game but showed no attacking threat whatsoever).

They can definitely best us but generally seem to come to HQ already mentally beaten

[Slick]

-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch

Absolutely. By fuck it made me so angry I switched it off and watch some paint drying to calm me down and give me some hope and inspiration for a better world.

Scotland had chances and couldn't make them pay but fuck me England, you're the country that invented the fucking game of picking it up and running with it. Instead you line up across the field like a bunch of fucking whitegoods and just kill the game.

Fuck you Borthwick. You and the nose you rode in with.

“Line up across the field like a bunch of white goods” is possibly my favourite NPR quote of all time

But more seriously, watching from the heavens yesterday it’s hard to get across just how bad Englands defence is and Italy showed some decent running today. The major caveat to my pronouncement is of course that we still couldn’t fucking beat them

[Sandstorm]

Guy

[Paddington Bear]

-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch

Absolutely. By fuck it made me so angry I switched it off and watch some paint drying to calm me down and give me some hope and inspiration for a better world.

Scotland had chances and couldn't make them pay but fuck me England, you're the country that invented the fucking game of picking it up and running with it. Instead you line up across the field like a bunch of fucking whitegoods and just kill the game.

Fuck you Borthwick. You and the nose you rode in with.

Gonna let Bill Sweeney know you’re down as a maybe for debentures

[Ovals]

They’ve only got within a score of us once in the last decade (last year), and even that was with the final play of the game. I don’t discount them beating us but the idea they’ve been competitive with us simply isn’t true

Huh, so they haven't. I've so much residual frustration with games against Italy I must've brught a few Johnno/Lancaster era scorelines forward in the memory banks.

Yeah I think those are the games you’re thinking of. IIRC it was the chargedown Charlie year they came closest to actually turning us over (I was at the game in 2013 and whilst close we controlled the game but showed no attacking threat whatsoever).

They can definitely best us but generally seem to come to HQ already mentally beaten

I think our pack will have too much for them - we'll win the collisions and pressurise them into giving penalties. They'll probably outflank us a few times to notch up 2 or 3 tries but it won't be enough. It won't be pretty and we'll stop them playing as much as possible.

[ASMO]

[Sandstorm]

Ireland by 67

[Slick]

It seems like the English media have suddenly realised that winning the Calcutta does mean something after all.

[ASMO]

Ireland by 67

it was a wild punt, and not beyond the bounds of possibility given how shite Wales have been recently

[Sandstorm]

it was a wild punt, and not beyond the bounds of possibility given how shite Wales have been recently

I know. I had Ireland by 40.

I also gave Italy waaay too much credit against a French Team on the end of a proper tongue-lashing mid-week.

[Ovals]

it was a wild punt, and not beyond the bounds of possibility given how shite Wales have been recently

I know. I had Ireland by 40.

I also gave Italy waaay too much credit against a French Team on the end of a proper tongue-lashing mid-week.

I thought France would win comfortably - but they would get bored and relax once the game was won. TBF no one saw that utter mauling happening.

[Sandstorm]

I thought France would win comfortably - but they would get bored and relax once the game was won.

Exactly. I had France by 20.

[Slick]

I thought France would win comfortably - but they would get bored and relax once the game was won.

Exactly. I had France by 20.

I had Italy

[Sandstorm]

I thought France would win comfortably - but they would get bored and relax once the game was won.

Exactly. I had France by 20.

I had Italy

[Torquemada 1420]

So if France had a real flyhalf at 10 and Barre at fullback would they be even better

Yeah. Not escaped my attention that Ramos was a revolving door for 2 Italy tries.

[Torquemada 1420]

Conclusions from the weekend (we already know most of these anyway):

-Wales aren't as shite as most people think
-Ireland aren't as good as most people think
-England play an absolutely rancid brand of rugby to watch
-Scotland are bottlers. Don't have the bollocks to win big matches when they are ontop.
-France are rather good when their pack can be arsed
-Italy, meh.

Italy are the most improved from 12 months ago. No longer easy 5 points for the rest.

I actually thought Ita looked threatening when they had the ball. They just couldn't do anything to stop Fra from scoring whenever Fra had it.

[Torquemada 1420]

I thought France would win comfortably - but they would get bored and relax once the game was won. TBF no one saw that utter mauling happening.

[Kawazaki]

It seems like the English media have realised that beating Scotland is more notable than beating Japan.

FTFY

[fishfoodie]

“Line up across the field like a bunch of white goods” is possibly my favourite NPR quote of all time

Agreed !

... on the other hand, with white goods there's always a chance they'll just catch fire when you least expect them to; which isn't very likely with this English team; or at least with this team, & the useless articles coaching them.

[dpedin]

“Line up across the field like a bunch of white goods” is possibly my favourite NPR quote of all time

Agreed !

... on the other hand, with white goods there's always a chance they'll just catch fire when you least expect them to; which isn't very likely with this English team; or at least with this team, & the useless articles coaching them.

All white goods have inbuilt obsolescence, just saying!

[Kawazaki]

“Line up across the field like a bunch of white goods” is possibly my favourite NPR quote of all time

Agreed !

... on the other hand, with white goods there's always a chance they'll just catch fire when you least expect them to; which isn't very likely with this English team; or at least with this team, & the useless articles coaching them.

All white goods have inbuilt obsolescence, just saying!

A fridge freezer has better footwork than Freddie Steward.

[Torquemada 1420]

“Line up across the field like a bunch of white goods” is possibly my favourite NPR quote of all time

Agreed !

... on the other hand, with white goods there's always a chance they'll just catch fire when you least expect them to; which isn't very likely with this English team; or at least with this team, & the useless articles coaching them.

A case of making a Miele of it?

[Guy Smiley]

Agreed !

... on the other hand, with white goods there's always a chance they'll just catch fire when you least expect them to; which isn't very likely with this English team; or at least with this team, & the useless articles coaching them.

All white goods have inbuilt obsolescence, just saying!

A fridge freezer has better footwork than Freddie Steward.

[inactionman]

POM, Healy and Murray (almost forgot he was still playing) to retire after 6N

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/02/27/om ... d-careers/

All three have had very good careers, and good luck to them in what comes next. At an Ireland team level that's a lot of caps, but they have very decent replacements in all those positions.

[PornDog]

POM, Healy and Murray (almost forgot he was still playing) to retire after 6N

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/02/27/om ... d-careers/

All three have had very good careers, and good luck to them in what comes next. At an Ireland team level that's a lot of caps, but they have very decent replacements in all those positions.

Loosehead is an issue. It's great that we do have some very good young scrummies coming through - it's always been Ireland's greatest weak spot.

[Paddington Bear]

POM, Healy and Murray (almost forgot he was still playing) to retire after 6N

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/02/27/om ... d-careers/

All three have had very good careers, and good luck to them in what comes next. At an Ireland team level that's a lot of caps, but they have very decent replacements in all those positions.

Let me be the first to say; congratulations on your stellar careers, now please fuck off

[Sandstorm]

POM, Healy and Murray (almost forgot he was still playing) to retire after 6N

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/02/27/om ... d-careers/

All three have had very good careers, and good luck to them in what comes next. At an Ireland team level that's a lot of caps, but they have very decent replacements in all those positions.

Let me be the first to say; congratulations on your stellar careers, now please fuck off

[inactionman]

POM, Healy and Murray (almost forgot he was still playing) to retire after 6N

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/02/27/om ... d-careers/

All three have had very good careers, and good luck to them in what comes next. At an Ireland team level that's a lot of caps, but they have very decent replacements in all those positions.

Loosehead is an issue. It's great that we do have some very good young scrummies coming through - it's always been Ireland's greatest weak spot.

Much as I think Porter gets away with a lot in the scrums, he's no bad option. No idea who comes after him though?

[PornDog]

POM, Healy and Murray (almost forgot he was still playing) to retire after 6N

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/02/27/om ... d-careers/

All three have had very good careers, and good luck to them in what comes next. At an Ireland team level that's a lot of caps, but they have very decent replacements in all those positions.

Loosehead is an issue. It's great that we do have some very good young scrummies coming through - it's always been Ireland's greatest weak spot.

Much as I think Porter gets away with a lot in the scrums, he's no bad option. No idea who comes after him though?

Porter is a great option, but its who's next that is indeed the issue.

I know most on here will disagree, but I think the opposite about Porter - I think he has a perception issue and gets done when he shouldn't. And smart teams are increasingly able to take advantage of that perception.

[inactionman]

Loosehead is an issue. It's great that we do have some very good young scrummies coming through - it's always been Ireland's greatest weak spot.

Much as I think Porter gets away with a lot in the scrums, he's no bad option. No idea who comes after him though?

Porter is a great option, but its who's next that is indeed the issue.

I know most on here will disagree, but I think the opposite about Porter - I think he has a perception issue and gets done when he shouldn't. And smart teams are increasingly able to take advantage of that perception.

I agree about perception, Dave Flatman had an injury (well, many, the poor sod) that limited shoulder movement and at the end of his career a lot of opposition props used to exaggerate binding issues to milk penalties.

I think Porter doesn't get called for a fair bit, although I accept that's par for the course for rugby.

[Paddington Bear]

Ringrose’s ban farcically includes a URC game, once again the disciplinary randomiser whirs into motion

[Uncle fester]

Ringrose’s ban farcically includes a URC game, once again the disciplinary randomiser whirs into motion

Par for the course these days. Also reduced from 3.