England v Wales

[Guinness&Nuts]

Eng are looking better and better, still work in progress but the signs of a good team who are hard to beat are there. If you take into account the likes of Cole, Corbisero (excuse my spelling) Billy V, Croft who are missing from the pack and Manu & Yarde who can challenge for places Eng will be a force come the WC.
There have been some real successes during the 6-nations to date, Burrell, Marler, the second rwo combo, Brown & Care to name but a few. For me though, the two wings have been a bit of a let down. Nowell offers no real threat physically & is not quick enough for an International wing. As for May his decision making is a worry, and again he has offered no end product to date. Bring in Yarde and Watson and Eng will look a far more potent team in the last third.

[mol2]

Hartley performance was more like the performances he was putting in a year ago - not up to his recent exceptionally high standards where he has been one of the outstanding players

Still played better than Hibbard

Some of the penalties Hartley gave away were marginal, some were dumb and some probably weren't penalties - such as when he got pinged for tacking Falatau - who wasn't in the air in a line out or receiving a kick - he leapt into the air as he received a pass. If you get pinged for that does it mean that if a player with a ball jumps up and down you aren't allowed to tackle him?

I think England are right to start Hartley not because I think Hartley is better but because of the two, Youngs can have more impact when he comes on as a sub where his pace and power in the loose can be used flat out for 25 to 30 minutes. The starting front rowers can't risk going flat out from the off in case they have to come back on if their replacement gets injured.

It's similar for scrum halves - who have to run further than anyone else but they don't have to come back on again if their replacement gets injured.
Ben Young's approach to the game seems different when he starts compared to coming off the bench. Not sure that Dickinson offers that option off the bench in the way that Care or a fit and on form Youngs can.

[drc_007]

Some of the penalties Hartley gave away were marginal, some were dumb and some probably weren't penalties - such as when he got pinged for tacking Falatau - who wasn't in the air in a line out or receiving a kick - he leapt into the air as he received a pass. If you get pinged for that does it mean that if a player with a ball jumps up and down you aren't allowed to tackle him?

If you have the ball you are not allowed to jump into a tackle, but if the player is off the ground receiving a ball whether from a kick or a pass you have to let him land before tackling.

[MrPartridge]

Not sure what others think, but I fancy Quins to overhaul Bath for 3rd place in the final 6 games so we end up with the same 'Final 4' as 2013.

The Quins coaches must be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of getting Marler, Robshaw, Care and Brown all back in their starting XV given all have been very good in the 6Ns this year.

[h's dad]

We all thought Billy looked great today and is growing into the role.
We were also very pleased to see George get a first full England cap, if only
for three minutes.
Mind you, once again I had my ears pounded with the incredulity of rugby friends
that Tigers let these two golden nuggets slip through our fingers.

Of course they did. It is your obsession makes the whole process so entertaining. I would have thought that anybody exposed to rugby at any level could have worked this out. The fact that your obsession is misplaced and delusional is irrelevant except to the extent that it actually increases the entertainment value.

[Old Hob]

[quote="MrPartridge"]Not sure what others think, but I fancy Quins to overhaul Bath for 3rd place in the final 6 games so we end up with the same 'Final 4' as 2013.

The Quins coaches must be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of getting Marler, Robshaw, Care and Brown all back in their starting XV given all have been very good in the 6Ns this year.[/quote

Not sure. We rubbed our hands at getting our Lions back but they didn't fire properly. For some, after the highs of a successful international campaign the daily grind may be too much.

[tig1]

I have the same feeling as you Old Hob. I think we can be the up and coming form team heading into the end of the season and the play offs.

Separately, i really hope Lancaster starts with TY against Italy.

I think its the perfect oppurtunity to get some confidence going in the line out with Laws and co ahead of the NZ tour.

[piebaps]

Hartley performance was more like the performances he was putting in a year ago - not up to his recent exceptionally high standards where he has been one of the outstanding players

Still played better than Hibbard

Some of the penalties Hartley gave away were marginal, some were dumb and some probably weren't penalties - such as when he got pinged for tacking Falatau - who wasn't in the air in a line out or receiving a kick - he leapt into the air as he received a pass. If you get pinged for that does it mean that if a player with a ball jumps up and down you aren't allowed to tackle him?

IRB

A player must not tackle an opponent whose feet are off the ground.



(i) Tackling the jumper in the air. A player must not tackle nor tap, push or pull the foot or feet of an opponent jumping for the ball in a lineout or in open play.

[Smurphswillgetya]

Some of the penalties Hartley gave away were marginal, some were dumb and some probably weren't penalties - such as when he got pinged for tacking Falatau - who wasn't in the air in a line out or receiving a kick - he leapt into the air as he received a pass. If you get pinged for that does it mean that if a player with a ball jumps up and down you aren't allowed to tackle him?

I would love to see a player jumping up and down with the ball. Only trouble would be that he wouldn't get very far and if the opponent gets the timing right he would get thumped in between jumps. Also would that make the player a tigger because I have heard tiggers are bouncy things.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

flat pass on the gain line, jump to catch, opposition blitzing up will give away the penalty every time

easy tactic to beat the blitz

[kingol22]

flat pass on the gain line, jump to catch, opposition blitzing up will give away the penalty every time

easy tactic to beat the blitz

Easy tactic to get yourself injured quite seriously as well. I would like to think refs would have enough sense to tell the difference between someone jumping for the sole reason of getting a penalty and someone jumping to catch the ball, although that may be wishful thinking...

[Old Hob]

OK what about catching the ball when thrown forward - another Dimmo Hartley penalty.

[Grimlish]

IIRC the act of running necessarily involves a point in time when the runner has both feet off the ground. And it is a definition of walking that the walker has at least one foot on the ground at any given moment. Which means that if the laws were properly observed as written then all tackles would have to be impeccably timed for that moment when the runner has one foot on the ground. Or for the tackled player to be walking. No?