Be Excellent To Each Other

As we are about a month away from the six nations.

Any speculators on what will happen?

Wales
France
England
Scotland
Italy

Maybe, certainly don't think anyone's going to get the slam this year. Also dependent on Lievremont picking one team and letting it develop and England arresting their alarming slide.

Squads starting to be announced:

Italy squad:
Matias Aguero (Saracens), Andrea Bacchetti (Rovigo, uncapped), Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso, uncapped), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Pablo Canavosio (Viadana), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), Carlo Antonio Del Fava DEL (Ulster), Santiago Dellape' (Toulon), Simone Favaro (Rovigo, uncapped), Gonzalo Garcia (Calvisano), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Calvisano), Andrea Marcato (Benetton Treviso), Andrea Masi (Biarritz), Luke Mclean (Calvisano), Jean Francois Montauriol (Casinò di Venezia, uncapped), Carlos Nieto (Gloucester), Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), Sergio Parrise (Stade Francais), Gilberto Pavan (Overmach Cariparma, uncapped), Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse),Matteo Pratichetti (Calvisano), Tommaso Reato (Rovigo), Kaine Robertson (Viadana),Giulio Rubini (Overmach Cariparma, uncapped), Josh Sole (Viadana), Giulio Toniolatti (Almaviva UR Capitolina), Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano).

Same as ever, there's a bloody good pack in there and then the backs are a lot harder to decide on.

England EPS

Likely to be replacements from the Saxons drawn in for Rees and Palmer who are both currently out injured.

FORWARDS
Steve Borthwick (Saracens)
George Chuter (Leicester Tigers)
Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
Nick Easter (Harlequins)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
James Haskell (London Wasps)
Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers)
Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
Tom Palmer (London Wasps)
Tim Payne (London Wasps)
Tom Rees (London Wasps)
Simon Shaw (London Wasps)
Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
Matt Stevens (Bath Rugby)
Phil Vickery (London Wasps)

BACKS
Delon Armitage (London Irish)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Danny Cipriani (London Wasps)
Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers)
Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
Ben Foden (Northampton Saints)*
Riki Flutey (London Wasps)
Shane Geraghty (London Irish)
Ugo Monye (Harlequins)
Olly Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Jamie Noon (Newcastle Falcons)
Paul Sackey (London Wasps)
Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)
Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby)

Saxons

FORWARDS
Steffon Armitage (London Irish)*
Richard Blaze (Leicester Tigers)*
Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers)
Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers)
Tom Guest (Harlequins)*
Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers)
Michael Lipman (Bath Rugby)
Matthew Mullan (Worcester Warriors)*
David Paice (London Irish)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)*
George Skivington (London Wasps)*
Joe Ward (London Wasps)*
Rob Webber (London Wasps)*
Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
Dave Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)*
Nick Wood (Gloucester Rugby)*
Joe Worsley (London Wasps)

BACKS
Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby)
Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby)*
Olly Barkley (Gloucester Rugby)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers)
Paul Hodgson (London Irish)
Ryan Lamb (Gloucester Rugby)*
Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints)*
Topsy Ojo (London Irish)
Peter Richards (London Irish)
James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby)
David Strettle (Harlequins)
Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins)*
Dominic Waldouck (London Wasps)*
Richard Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks)

Wales squad announced 19th Jan.

Welsh Squad - big surprise is no Dwayne Peel, also there's a question mark over Byrne's fitness did his ankle in the Heiny.

Forwards (16): Gethin Jenkins, John Yapp, Adam Jones, Rhys Thomas, Matthew Rees, Huw Bennett, Ian Gough, Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Ryan Jones (capt), Jonathan Thomas, Dafydd Jones, Andy Powell, Martyn Williams, Robin Sowden-Taylor.

Backs (12): Mike Phillips, Gareth Cooper, Stephen Jones, James Hook, Gavin Henson, Andrew Bishop, Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin, Shane Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, Mark Jones, Lee Byrne.

Oh dear, that Matthew Stevens is a naughty boy, so we face the unedifying prospect of 207 year old Julian White representing England for the next couple of months.

Also rest of the squads announced:

France

Backs: Maxime Medard, Clement Poitrenaud, Cedric Heymans (all Toulouse), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Julien Malzieu, Aurelien Rougerie (both Clermont-Auvergne), Yannick Jauzion, Florian Fritz (both Toulouse), Benoit Baby (Clermont-Auvergne), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Lionel Beauxis (Stade Francais), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse), Sebastien Tillous-Borde (Castres), Morgan Parra (Bourgoin).

Forwards: Julien Bonnaire (Clermont-Auvergne), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse), Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles (both Montpellier), Damien Chouly (Perpignan), Sebastien Chabal (Sale), Lionel Nallet (Castres), Romain Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Guilhem Guirado (Perpignan), Benjamin Kayser (Leicester), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Lionel Faure (Sale), Fabien Barcella (Biarritz), Fabien Lecouls (Toulouse).

Ireland

Backs: Girvan Dempsey (Leinster), Keith Earls (Munster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Ian Dowling (Munster), Shane Horgan (Leinster), Robert Kearney (Leinster), Darren Cave (Ulster), Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster), Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Paddy Wallace (Ulster), Tomas O'Leary (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Peter Stringer (Munster).

Forwards: Rory Best (Ulster), Jerry Flannery (Munster), Bernard Jackman (Leinster), Tom Court (Ulster), John Hayes (Munster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Marcus Horan (Munster), Mike Ross (Harlequins), Ryan Caldwell (Ulster), Bob Casey (London Irish), Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster), Paul O'Connell (Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster), Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster), Stephen Ferris (Ulster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Shane Jennings (Leinster), Denis Leamy (Munster), Alan Quinlan (Munster), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), David Wallace (Munster).

A panel: Isaac Boss (Ulster), Sean Cronin (Connacht), Gavin Duffy (Connacht), Ian Humphreys (Ulster), Keith Matthews (Connacht), John Muldoon (Connacht), Sean O'Brien (Leinster), Neil Best (Northampton), John Andress (Exeter)

Scotland

Backs: Mike Blair (capt), Ben Cairns (both Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Thom Evans, Max Evans (both Glasgow Warriors), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Northampton Saints), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Graeme Morrison, Dan Parks (both Glasgow Warriors), Chris Paterson, Hugo Southwell and Simon Webster (all Edinburgh)

Forwards: John Barclay, Kelly Brown (both Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Scott Gray (Northampton Saints), Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Craig Hamilton, Jim Hamilton (both Edinburgh), Nathan Hines (Perpignan), Allister Hogg, Allan Jacobsen (both Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester), Simon Taylor (Stade Francais), Jason White (Sale Sharks).

Embarrasingly, I reckon there's a good chance England may be forced to go to uncontested scrums at some point in the 6N, given the issues they've got in the 3 berth. Where would I find someone who'd give me odds on that?

England are fucked then - Johnson appears to have lost it:

We've got Andy 'Who ate all le Pies' Goode at 10, the 207 Year Old covering 3 off the bench and two 'finisher' wings who won't see the ball courtesy of the resident drink driver in midfield.

On the plus side at least we're playing an actual openside at 7 and Shaw hasn't got in the team, but this could well be the team that hands Italy a first England scalp, or grinds out a dire 3 point win.

It's especially depressing when the likely Saxons backline on Friday is going to be Ellis, Cipriani, Strettle, Turner-Hall, Waldouck, Banahan, Abendanon which is actually exciting.

I am looking forward to Sat.

I hope Johnson knows what he is doing.

Dropping Cipriani looks like a weird decision on the face of it. Yes, he makes mistakes but surely the only way to cure him of that is experience? He's got enough talent that he has to be at least worth a place as an impact player off the bench.

Admittedly, I don't watch a lot of club rugby so I could be entirely mistaken, but this looks like a step toward an old-school ten-man England team.

It doesn't if you've seen him play this season - brutally he's not even the best English fly half at Wasps right now. Bags of talent but lots of flaws and dented confidence - club and 'A' games are a better place to work on that than first team outings.

Also if this team plays 10 man rugby, it will get beaten, there isn't the brute force in the pack to get away with it - turnover ball will be the key, Kennedy and Borthwick (plus Croft later on) attacking opposition lineouts and Armitage being sent to forage as much as possible. Worrying lack of pace outside of Sackey and Armitage though, so hope to god they've been working on coming into the line at speed off short passes from Flutey and Tindall. They may also try to go for a bit of the Bath style offloading forwards game, Mears, Vickery and Sheridan should all be capable of it.

I'm pessimistic with the choices made but if they readjust to: Sheridan, Hartley, Vickery, Borthwick, Kennedy, Croft, Armitage, Haskell, Care, Geraghty, Armitage, Flutey, Tait, Sackey, Foden by the end of the match I might get excited.

A guy mentioned this to me today, and I said that Wales would either win spectacularly or fail resoundingly.

I think Wales wil win the 6 nations, I hope they won't but I think they will.

(wow took a while to find this thred)
Any one watch the matches this weekend.

I am glad England one theres, but they are not convincing!

Wales looked good, but seem to loose it in the last 20 mins.

I think my fav match was the Ireland france one. A very close game, and france only just lost..

England, top of the league!
England, England, top of the league!

At least until the Welsh hammer us on the 14th.

That was a fucking dull game, especially in contrast to the Ireland/France one.

be confident.. England just need to get it together.

Plus we are better than Scotland, so might give the Welsh a run for there money.

Ireland look confident this year so far..

That's a bit like saying that you just need to keep putting one hand in front of the other to swim the Channel.

Yeah, all England need to do is to stop giving away ridiculous penalties (which has been a problem for at least three years, by the by), get some cohesion in the pack, consistantly get past the gain line, create some attacking opportunities, stop kicking so much ball away, get any sort of contribution at all from 11-14 and learn to defend a bit better. Once those trifling issues are sorted they'll be a pretty decent side.

I think Wales are going to hammer England.

I think you're right.

see a bit of optimisum

Yup wales will beat us, unless we can do a another worldcup 2007 and suddenly get good

We just need Wilkinson to stop being made of glass.

And a fit and young Richard Hill, Johnson, Dallaglio and Neil Back.

A new Johnson would be nice, need a nasty, carrying front jumper to partner Kennedy in the long term, but back row isn't the problem Croft, Rees, Haskell has the potential to be a new version of the trinity with pressure coming on outside from at least Armitage, Lipman, Robshaw, Saull, Moody, Crane, Narraway, Skinner, Guest, Ellis - this does seem to mean we've turned into Scotland, with lots of breakaways and not enough elsewhere.

Quite frankly I want to see Wells, Ford and Rowntree gone by the end of the tournament and given that the players being brought in for experience are average - crap just to start blooding the young talent and giving it a lash, and kicking for touch not aimlessly downfield. We've got potentially the best disruptive line out in the competition, so why not play to it, especially as it's the main Welsh weakness. Giving the ball to someone with a number over 10 on their shirt would be handy occasionally too, Flutey for example, four touches in the game, with which he scored a try, set up a try, made a line break and put in an excellent kick.

I'd be happy if it looked something like:

Payne
Mears
Vickery
Borthwick
Kennedy
Croft
Armitage/Rees/Lipman
Haskell
Hodgson
Cipriani
Cueto
Flutey
Tait
JSD
Armitage

Hartley/Paice
White - alongside a desperate search for new props, Corbisiero, Wood, Mercey etc. being monitored closely
A. Lock - Skivington, Short?
Narraway/Easter
Care
Flood
Foden/Sackey

What we need is that big bald, toothless solicitor back, and the Underwood boys.

Basically we need to not be shit, and we haven't not been shit and/or over reliant on kicking for a long fucking time.

I'm using my half Irish-ness this year and supporting a team that might actually win.

England Team Manager Martin Johnson has made two changes to the team to play Wales in the RBS 6 Nations at the Millennium Stadium this Saturday (KO 5.30pm).

Gloucester Rugby centre Mike Tindall is fit and takes over from Jamie Noon while London Wasps’ Joe Worsley will start in place of Steffon Armitage at open-side flanker.

With Harlequins’ Danny Care still out of contention due to injury, London Irish and England Saxons scrum half Paul Hodgson has been called up to the bench in place of England newcomer Ben Foden. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers) is also named among the replacements.
15. Delon Armitage (London Irish)
14. Paul Sackey (London Wasps)
13. Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby)
12. Riki Flutey (London Wasps)
11. Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
10. Andy Goode (Brive)
9. Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers)
1. Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
2. Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
3. Phil Vickery (London Wasps)
4. Steve Borthwick (Saracens) CAPTAIN
5. Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
6. James Haskell (London Wasps)
7. Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
8. Nick Easter (Harlequins)

REPLACEMENTS
16. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
17. Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
18. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers
19. Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
20. Paul Hodgson (London Irish)
21. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
22. Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)

Tindle in for Noon? Nooo!

I love the way you egg-chasers can't count properly.

I ma still worried that Phil Vickery does not engage first in the scrums, it was commented on during last Sat's match.

I wonder why he does not, a sthe tight head is meant to get in before teh loose head

compared to football that don't count from 1 to 11 any more

It is the normal way of counting for rugby..

I know, I'm pulling your leg.

What happened to Matthew Tait? I liked him...

He is a repalcement No 22

That's the change that worries you?

Tindall is superior to Noon in just about every area that doesn't require a driving license, as long as he shows the same form he currently is for Gloucester.

I'm much more concerned that we haven't got a specialist openside to compete with Williams, that Croft is considered lock cover and that Ellis is still playing scrum half, despite not having a pass off his left hand. Still might work, Haskell/Worsley might turn out to be the English Burger/Smith and Ellis might break a nail so Hodgson can start.

Focusing on the positive though, England are top of every section of the 2009 tournament and chasing fourth (WXV) and second (U20) consecutive grand slams, while the 7's team are joint second with NZ in the World Series.

Incidentally Wales U20 vs England U20 is on BBC interactive tomorrow evening - not looking destined to be a classic - Wales weren't that impressive last week against the Scots and it isn't the best English U20 vintage (at least compared to last year and with half a dozen of the squad summoned to play GP matches) - but no reason it shouldn't still provide some entertainment.

And finally in rugby related matters, I hope everyone saw the story about Coventry Saracens losing 194 - 3 to Alcester. The gap is quite defensible for a 7 vs 15 match featuring no uncontested scrums and would have been an English League record but for the result being declared void as Coventry only put three men in the scrums as opposed to the five required by law.

You would normally call the game off if you only had 7 players!! Unless you are playing 7s

9-8. Crikey.

I sort of want to go to my indie night at Twisted, but it's above Dempseys a mere 120 yards from the stadium. And I'm knackered. But if I don't go, then my mate Jim-Bob will have sarcastic words to say as I cried off last time but said I'd be out this.

Gnghgh. I hate crowds and I dislike Cardiff on a match night - though rugger preferable to footie obv. Should I go, shouldn't I? Hmm. Hmm. *Hops from foot to foot indecisively*

Oh, boohoo. Just cry me a river.*



* I think you should go.

England's kicking has been appalling today.

That was a good game.

Would have been better if Kaplan wasn't an enormous twat.

Apparently only one team can receive yellow cards and Lee Byrne doesn't commit fouls ever.

Aside from that, a hell of a lot more entertaining than France v Scotland, what a dire test that was.

It was indeed. Not that I'm Welsh or anything

Jesus Christ, someone find that referee a red top to wear.

Nice to see the improvement in England since last week.

England team to face Ireland

TOBY FLOOD has been given his first start of this year’s RBS 6 Nations.
The Leicester Tigers fly half, who takes over from Brive’s Andy Goode, is the only change to the starting XV to take on Ireland at Croke Park this Saturday (5.30pm live on BBC 1).
On the bench, Paul Hodgson of London Irish makes way for Danny Care (Harlequins), who has recovered from his ankle injury.
England
15. Delon Armitage (London Irish)
14. Paul Sackey (London Wasps)
13. Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby)
12. Riki Flutey (London Wasps)
11. Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
10. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
9. Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers)
1. Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
2. Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
3. Phil Vickery (London Wasps)
4. Steve Borthwick (Saracens, captain)
5. Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
6. James Haskell (London Wasps)
7. Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
8. Nick Easter (Harlequins)
Replacements
16. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
17. Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
18. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
19. Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
20. Danny Care (Harlequins)
21. Andy Goode (CA Brive)
22. Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)
Tim Payne (London Wasps) and Ben Foden (Northampton Saints) will travel with the squad to Dublin on Thursday as 23rd and 24th man respectively.
England can travel with two reserves for away games in the RBS 6 Nations as part of the eight year RFU/PRL agreement.

Is Wales stoppable in the six nations?

Shouldn't that be 'are wales unstoppable'?

That's not a correction, just a question.

And, yes. They are.

Sorry Are Wales Unstoppable?

I am hoping France or Ireland can hald them getting the grandslam

It doesn't look likely. France were battered by the irish, I reckon Wales will take them easily enough.

The only chance England have of beating Ireland tomorrow is if the whole squad takes a load of coke beforehand, and maintains their discipline throughout the game.

Well, they may stand a fighting chance if they can achieve one of them.

I am reading Clive Woodwards 'Winning' and it took him about 4 years to get England to be one of if not the best team in 2001 for the runup to the 2003WC.

All the work he did seems to have vanished, and England are just not gelling.

Did any one watch the Wales France match.

That was amazing, The French defended so well, and actually deserved the win.

Simon Shaw will extend his international career into a 13th year after being named in the England team against France at Twickenham on Sunday (3pm).

The London Wasps lock, first capped in 1996, will make his 51st appearance after taking over from Nick Kennedy of London Irish as part of three changes from the XV that started against Ireland at Croke Park.

Tom Croft of Leicester Tigers comes in for James Haskell (London Wasps) while Ugo Monye (Harlequins) replaces Paul Sackey, who is back at London Wasps recovering from a left calf muscle injury. Monye starts on the left wing with Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks) switching to the right.

England
15 Delon Armitage (London Irish)
14 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
13 Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby)
12 Riki Flutey (London Wasps)
11 Ugo Monye (Harlequins)
10 Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
9 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers)
1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
2 Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
3 Phil Vickery (London Wasps)
4 Steve Borthwick (Saracens, captain)
5 Simon Shaw (London Wasps)
6 Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
7 Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
8 Nick Easter (Harlequins)

Replacements
16 Dylan Hartley ((Northampton Saints)
17 Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
18 Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
19 James Haskell (London Wasps)
20 Danny Care (Harlequins)
21 Andy Goode (CA Brive)
22 Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)

England v France in the penultimate round of the RBS 6 Nations will be shown live on BBC One this Sunday, kick off 3pm.

For England player profiles go to http://www.rfu.com/profiles

Martin Johnson today spoke to RFU.com from England's training base about the three changes he has made to the side to face France this weekend.

"We have brought in Ugo Monye on the left wing as he is a specialist there, he is different to Mat Tait and it is difficult for him (Mat) as he did well off the bench against Ireland. They have been similarly tough choices in the second and back row with Simon Shaw and Tom Croft both starting" to read more click here