Six Nations 2014 #1

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Op vrijdag 24 januari 2014 10:48 schreef borisz het volgende:

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Ian Evans mist inderdaad de Six Nations. ZIjn rode kaart leverde een schorsing van 12 weken op.

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Stuart Lancaster has dropped Chris Ashton in favour of uncapped Exeter wing Jack Nowell for England's Six Nations opener against France in Paris on Saturday.

With his defensive capabilities called into question in recent years in an England jersey, time has finally run out for the Saracens wing who has failed to make the squad of 23 announced on Tuesday evening. Ashton endured a tough autumn campaign and only retained his spot in the squad due to injuries to Marland Yarde and Christian Wade.

Ashton's England career began in exciting fashion, scoring a memorable length-of-the-field try against Australia in only his fifth cap. After scoring six tries in the opening two games of the 2011 Six Nations his international career looked bright but his form for England has stagnated since.

His replacement, the 20-year-old Nowell, is enjoying a growing reputation in the game after some inspired performances both domestically and in Europe, most notably in against Toulon in the Heineken Cup, and it looks like he has done enough to earn himself a start in Paris. Ashton will make way in his place, with Gloucester's Jonny May likely to add to his one England cap on the other wing.

Scrum-half Ben Youngs, who played for the British and Irish Lions last year, has also been left out in favour of Danny Care and Lee Dickson.

There are three other uncapped players - Luther Burrell, George Ford and Anthony Watson.

Forwards: David Attwood (Bath Rugby), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Joe Launchbury (London Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby), Matt Mullan (London Wasps), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers). Backs: Brad Barritt (Saracens), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), Danny Care (Harlequins), Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Alex Goode (Saracens), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby).

Chris Ashton try vs Australia - Nov 2010

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Op dinsdag 28 januari 2014 17:44 schreef superniger het volgende:
Hup Italië.

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Op woensdag 29 januari 2014 08:49 schreef JeMoeder het volgende:

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Ik zou O'Driscoll daar ook noemen trouwens. Ouwe rot die altijd voor belangrijke momenten en acties zorgt die een wedstrijd kan beslissen/kantelen.

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Brian O'Driscoll has postponed all decisions about life after rugby until he retires at the end of the season.

For the time being, however, he is desperate to get on with life after the British & Irish Lions - and certainly the furore over head coach Warren Gatland's decision to drop him for the final Test in Sydney last July. Gatland was pilloried for dropping O'Driscoll, although the subsequent 41-16 landslide victory to claim the series offered vindication, and the row has rumbled on.

Gatland, also the Wales coach, admitted last week that he had jokingly asked O'Driscoll to influence the crowd not to boo him at Aviva Stadium.

O'Driscoll, who is preparing for Ireland's open Six Nations Test against Scotland in Dublin before playing Wales six days later, is quite clear he has no interest in the lingering Lions pantomime.

"What happened, happened, no one can change it," he said. "I don't have any ill-will towards Warren. When it was raw afterwards, your emotions are a bit different. Time does heal all wounds and I don't have any animosity towards him."

O'Driscoll wrestled with retirement last season before deciding to continue for one more season, and his form in the Six Nations was not entirely as good as he would have liked. Reaffirming his commitment to quit at the end of this season, come what may, the 128-cap centre said he had a clear mind for the Six Nations because he was no longer tormented about the future.

"I was really unsure last year and it was strange emotions," O'Driscoll said. "It's nice knowing you can empty the tank in this Six Nations knowing it will be the last. From my own point of view it's probably a little less stressful."

Brian O'Driscoll Yellow Card For Stamping

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Op dinsdag 28 januari 2014 22:30 schreef Nielsch het volgende:

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ik heb die actie gezien maar vond die rode kaart en de straf dus ook zwaar overdreven...

Ian Evans Red Card v Leinster

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Op woensdag 29 januari 2014 10:02 schreef knnth het volgende:

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Als hij heel blijft, misschien. Ik vind hem de laatste tijd minder indrukwekkend dan de afgelopen jaren maar dat is misschien ook omdat hij toen wel heel briljant was Maargoed, je weet het nooit met hem: straks flikt hij weer iets geniaals in de laatste wedstrijd tegen Frankrijk ...

Sowieso is hij verdedigend altijd wel erg sterk.

We gaan het zien!

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Op woensdag 29 januari 2014 10:41 schreef JeMoeder het volgende:

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Inderdaad.

Wat me vorig jaar trouwens opviel was dat die Orquera best goed bezig was, terwijl je hem normaal (club sides) nooit zag.

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Op dinsdag 28 januari 2014 16:36 schreef DevilsWhore het volgende:
Go Wales

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Warburton is geen captain dit jaar.

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Op zondag 2 februari 2014 00:19 schreef Tripledutch het volgende:
Het gaat allemaal al mis bij de NRB (Nederlandse rugby bond) , de bond beschikt over een uitermate slechte competitieleider. Dat niet alleen, de NRB is ook zo corrupt als de pest. Het hele Union Heren team bestaat uit spelers van dacht ik 5 verschillende teams. Ook is het zo dat bij de jeugd enorm gevoelig is voor lobbyen. Ken je wat mensen daar, dan wordt je er zo 'in-geluld'. Dus als Nederland ooit hoger op wilt komen dan zal er iets moeten veranderen bij de NRB.

Kut bond.

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Op zaterdag 1 februari 2014 17:21 schreef franklop het volgende:
Matig optreden van Wales wel

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Op zondag 2 februari 2014 16:48 schreef knnth het volgende:
11-3 rust, Schotland kan overwicht en bezit niet in punten uitdrukken.

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Op maandag 3 februari 2014 14:57 schreef Iwanius het volgende:

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Dat is iets waar ze vaker last van hebben. Ik begrijp dat dan ook niet waarom dat hun met enige regelmaat overkomt.

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Op maandag 3 februari 2014 21:17 schreef TargaFlorio het volgende:

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Is het zo erg gesteld met het rugby in Schotland?

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Concerns remain over Murrayfield 'pudding'

The state of the Murrayfield pitch is "not in the pristine condition we enjoy normally" admitted the Scottish Rugby Union just four days before the Calcutta Cup match is due to be played there.

The dreadful quality of the playing surface has been of concern since September when the authorities admitted there were problems caused by "an excessive build-up of nematodes which have caused significant root damage".

The extent of the issue became abundantly clear during the autumn internationals when the surface was ripped apart during scrums which chunks of it being dug up at every exchange. Players struggled for grip even in normal play and one report compared the robustness of the ground to that of "the skin of a rice pudding".

Pitch battles
The RFU invested in a new hydrid grass pitch at Twickenham in the summer of 2012 as well as laying more than 20 miles of undersoil heating and drainage. The DESSO pitch is 40% fibre interwoven with 60% grass and has been described by Stuart Lancaster as "a great surface to play on". The same type of surface is in place in Dublin as well at Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool.

The WRU remains undecided as to the best solution for the Millennium Stadium which has also been blighted by problems over the quality of the surface, and there have also been criticisms over the Stade de France with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen unhappy of his side played there in November. "It's frustrating when you're trying to scrum and the ground rolls up like a carpet," he said. "This a magnificent stadium, one of the greats, yet the ground let it down."

Experts used a variety of treatments - the most publicised being spraying the pitch with garlic - but three weeks ago the SRU was forced to concede little progress had been made. Edinburgh's club games were moved to another ground, so the England match will be the first time the ground has been put to the test.

An soil expert told the Daily Mail that while the infestation was not something that could have been prevented. "The key is how you treat them and I'd question some of the advice they might have had up at Murrayfield … they've been using lights on the pitch and that does promote grass growth. But, and I have to say I don't know what kind of nematode they have, lights can also create a warm, bright environment that enable these pests to flourish.

"There are different solutions but in 2014 you can see that the way forward is to introduce a mix of natural grass with artificial. England did that at Twickenham, as have the Irish at the Aviva."
An SRU statement last month said: "Scottish Rugby remains committed to Murrayfield being the most widely-accessible international rugby ground in the northern hemisphere. In the short term, however, we are doing everything we can to support the efforts of our groundstaff to ensure the pitch is in sufficiently robust health to host our two home fixtures in the 2014 Six Nations Championship."

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On Christmas Day 1872, a game of rugby, between 20 players representing England on one side and 20 representing Scotland, Ireland and Wales on the other, was played in Calcutta.

The match was such a success that it was repeated a week later - the game of rugby had reached India. These lovers of rugby wanted to form a club in the area and the aforementioned matches were the agents which led to the formation of the Calcutta Football Club in January 1873.

The Calcutta Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1874. Despite the Indian climate not being entirely suitable for playing rugby, the club prospered during that first year. However, when the free bar had to be discontinued, the membership took an appreciable drop. Other sports, such as tennis and polo, which were considered to be more suited to the local climate, were making inroads into the numbers of gentlemen available.

The members decided to disband but keen to perpetuate the name of the club, they withdrew the club's funds from the bank, which were in Silver Rupees, had them melted down and made into a cup which they presented to the RFU in 1878, with the provision that it should be competed for annually.

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Op zaterdag 8 februari 2014 17:13 schreef knnth het volgende:
Die duw van Kearney was nergens voor nodig maar verbazingwekkend hoe snel opperklootzaak Philips weer bij het relletje aanwezig was

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Op zaterdag 8 februari 2014 19:41 schreef knnth het volgende:
Nou, hopelijk maken Frankrijk en Italië er nog wat leuks van. Vijf wedstrijden, 1 leuke ...

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Op vrijdag 21 februari 2014 22:10 schreef Guard het volgende:
Leest ie hier mee?

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Op vrijdag 21 februari 2014 22:33 schreef knnth het volgende:
Wij gaan naar Schotland-Frankrijk, dat wordt vast een geweldige wedstrijd, op een geweldig veld

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Op zaterdag 22 februari 2014 15:44 schreef knnth het volgende:
Voor Schotland dan eindelijk de eerste try 6N2014 na bijna 214 minuten spelen

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Op zaterdag 8 maart 2014 19:39 schreef Max23 het volgende:

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Is dat wel zo? Nu Ierland zo ruim gewonnen heeft van Italië lijkt Schotland al sowieso kansloos