6 Nations 2023

[kpj tiger]

Imagine having spent £150+ to watch this

That was why Eddie lost his job wasn't it ?

[aslongaswebeatsaints]

England were outclassed, outplayed and outshone.

And Ireland are a better team than France

[Robespierre]

Imagine having spent £150+ to watch this

Tbf... I'd have been happy to spend £150 on that... absolute masterclass by France

Indeed, it was a tremendous match!

[TigerLT]

Borths got that look of “what have I done”?

For picking Dombrant no doubt

[LE18]

England were outclassed, outplayed and outshone.

And Ireland are a better team than France

Sounds alarming, but any bets on a bounce back?

[Offside]

Players start trying to do everything themselves, chasing the ball rather than chasing to get back into position. Some naivety in play, positioning and a lack of intensity. There is little space to play at this level and being a good club player does not necessarily translate. Being a good club coach may not either.

France are a great team. I fear Ireland have the same or better cohesion and will easily beat England too. Once England get the new systems and approach embedded so the players just follow it they will be good but some of the players are not international re and add. I could list my views but that would derail this thread. Fact is from today half the team are not.

[anz3001]

The back row were atrocious

[Leicestertinytiger]

Dupont will be remembered in years to come like Lomu. A class above the rest and just makes playing the game look ridiculously easy.

[Samhorace]

Steward strengths showed up well today but his one weakness heavily exposed. Lack of pace. Something that Mike Brown has demonstrated he still has at premiership level since coming in as cover for the Tigers.

Bothwick now knows what needs to be done, no Different to the situation he found when taking over at Tigers, just concerned if he can turn it around at this level. Martin has to come in along with Earl and many more.

[Tigers86asw]

As many say Borthwick now knows who cannot cut the mustard. Englands backrow were just terrible today- Willis looked exhausted and I’m just not convinced by Dombrandt at all. I just don’t get the hype with Smith, he’s an entertainer but not a winner.

The whole game was a giant car crash. Borthwick and Sinfield will be having chats long into the night about this because it’s a terrible moment for English rugby. The legacy of Jones still lingers like a rotting fish.

[mol2]

A game for George Martin. Had he been fit at the start of the 6N would he have been there?
If I had to single out players outside the back row that looked all at sea...
George, Itoje, Malins and JVP.
As for Macko - 5 minutes on the pitch and he was taking 10 or 15 seconds to get back up.

Defence lightweight.
Pack slow.

No chance against Ireland but I don’t think Ireland are as good as France that turned up today.

As for the World Cup...France get better as the competition goes down on. Theirs for the taking.

England? Way off and I suspect Borthwick will see them improve as the tournament progresses. If they get out of the group stages then they will be a serious contender. But more likely they won’t and, by the next 6N will be back to being a serious team.

[LE18]

I think Borthwick is going to have an extremely difficult job to find 23 English players who can compete with the world sides at the moment, their play is far superior to our England style, our clubs can compete at club level because we fill our sides with star players from abroad, but not the National side.

[MCC1964]

I think Borthwick is going to have an extremely difficult job to find 23 English players who can compete with the world sides at the moment, their play is far superior to our England style, our clubs can compete at club level because we fill our sides with star players from abroad, but not the National side.

So do France.

[Leicestertinytiger]

After the WC we’ve got some talent to come into the pack. Martin in the second row, Ted Hill, Tom Pearson, Zach Mercer.

[longlivethecrumbie]

Dire times. If a Lions squad was being selected today there would be maybe two England and Wales players in there (Steward and LRZ) - the rest would be Ireland and Scotland. Not often that would be the case!