We’re two matches in and no one has started a thread, so I thought I’d bite the bullet to give @Leah somewhere to gloat at me after the tournament proper starts tomorrow.
I really don’t enjoy what’s happened to Italy of late and really hope they pull themselves together soon!
Change the country to “England” and I’m with you. An unfortunate afternoon, and a bit of a rubbish match. Pundits will shout about an inspirational Scottish team, but beating that embarrassment of a side by 5 points isn’t much to shout about. Hopefully the win will inspire Scotland and we will see real fireworks against other sides.
I’m hoping that someone will set the tournament alight, and I wonder whether France will be the ones.
English players are not very bright. Same mistakes made time and again. They do not learn. Pretty thick and stupid really.
When I spoke to my butcher and Tesco delivery driver, I told them that I thought that Scotland had a decent chance at HQ.
Sad to recount that I placed a more realistic win double on England & Wales to win.
That was head over heart, and it came back to bite me in the rear end!! 
When a Taffy bets on England to win at Rugby, I deserved all that I got. 
Only a £1, but still a bitter pill to swallow!!
Roll on Cardiff tomorrow, for which I am not overly optimistic!! 
That’s not entirely fair.
They looked over-coached and slightly out of condition. Jones messed around with tried and tested pairings - and the team paid for it. Some of that is as a result of injuries, and nothing can be done about it. Some of it was stupidity - for example, May had a shocker. But he’d had a shocker for the whole first half - everyone has off days, and you’ve got a set of finishers to use. Jones left him on the pitch. That’s his call, and he (rightly) took the blame after.
England had a bad game against a newly found their roar Scotland. Italy are on a 28 game losing streak and got beaten by something from cricket rather than rugby.
How many times do they give away silly penalties? It has happened consistently for about 20 years. They never learn.
The quickest way to success is to learn from your mistakes. 8 penalties and top player binned in first 30 minutes England do not learn. These are top paid professionals who pratise day in day out. Yet same silly penalties are given away time, time and time again. Brainless.
I am very pleased for the Scots and my Scottish friends. Any team in the world would be happy with a win at Twickenham
I usually really look forward to the six nations. However, with the Welsh team as it is and all that has been going on with lockdown I have expected it to be an unrelenting source of media that I choose to ignore / source of pain…
Maybe I’m wrong. Good rugby is fun to watch
I agree with you on that. I wish someone could fix the Italy problem - I wonder if it’s a grass roots one? When on form they can play a lovely game, and I’m worried that continued wooden spoon results are having an impact. Maybe a spell away from 6N, and having to knock (say) Georgia out to get back in would have a beneficial impact. Maybe not.
And yet apparently 100 players are queuing up with negligence claims for dementia?
Modern rugby is full of over muscled players whose joints and cartilage will crack up because rugby is all about brute strength these days not finesse. I get no enjoyment from 17st giants crashing into each other.
True. “Silly penalties” are something of an “eye of the beholder” issue though. Was the penalty on their try line “silly” because it resulted in another scrum, or was it genius because it used up 90 seconds of sin bin and didn’t cost a score?
People rail against All Blacks sides of the last decade for getting away with it. The current England players need to learn how to play the very edge of the game, to come away without a penalty in a questionable area. That’s hard, and it’s bloody hard when you’re tackling three times as much as your opponents. I’m less concerned about penalties and more concerned about the kicking tactics.
Was this a reply to me? if so it was a bit like a 17st Jamie Roberts tackle 
No harm done I just didn’t follow the relation to what I had said
Penalties are a result of infringements of the rules. The ref makes his view clear to the teams before the game. It is the ref who decides not people who rail against the All Blacks.
It is my observation on modern rugby union.
So thrilled for Scotland as my “second” country , fingers crossed for us IRISH 
tomorrow … Don’t worry @strawpig I’m a grown up and wouldn’t dream of gloating 
…
Ouch. Is their intelligence at stake?
I’m a quarter Irish and Dublin was closer than Cardiff when I was growing up. That’s my line and I’m sticking to it!
I grew up with 80s wales and took a rugby ball out after every match to “correct” the score I had just witnessed…
A question I often asked myself was would I a) prefer a welsh win at rugby or b) welsh and my own economic success
No comment on the answer!
Yes, absolutely it is.
The Penalty issue is all about player discipline.
They all know the rules.
Gatland and Edwards were, at times really good at minimising errors.
Edwards, having decamped to France is making his mark in that squad.
Scotland have started to get the message after years of “brainless” incidents.
Less penalties, less scoring opportunities for your opponents and better field position for your team -seems obvious, n’est pas!!
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