2008 Six Nations Thread

Dinny Breen · January 30, 2008, 01:50:07 PM

Probably deserves a thread on it's own...

Ireland: G Dempsey; A Trimble, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, G Murphy; R O'Gara, E Reddan; M Horan, R Best, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, M O'Kelly, S Easterby, D Wallace, D Leamy.
Replacements: B Jackman, T Buckley, M O'Driscoll, J Heaslip, P Stringer, P Wallace, R Kearney.

Italy: Bortolussi (Montpellier); Robertson (Viadana), Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Mi Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Canavosio (Castres); Masi (Biarritz), Travagli (Overmach Parma); Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), Ghiraldini (Calvisano), Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Dellape (Biarritz), Del Fava (Ulster), Sole (Viadana), Ma Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).
Replacements: Festuccia (Racing Metro), Perugini (Toulouse), Nieto (Gloucester), Reato (Rovigo), Zanni (Calvisano), Marcato (Treviso), Galon (Overmach Parma).

Scotland team: R Lamont (Sale Sharks); N Walker (Ospreys), N De Luca (Edinburgh), A Henderson (Glasgow Warriors), S Webster (Edinburgh); D Parks (Glasgow Warriors), M Blair (Edinburgh); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton Saints), N Hines (Perpignan), J Hamilton (Leicester Tigers), J White (Sale Sharks, captain), J Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), D Callam (Edinburgh).
Replacements: F Thomson (Glasgow Warriors), G Kerr (Edinburgh), S MacLeod (Llanelli Scarlets), K Brown (Glasgow Warriors), C Cusiter (Perpignan), C Paterson (Gloucester), H Southwell (Edinburgh).

France team: C Heymans (Toulouse); J Malzieu (Clermont-Auvergne), F Fritz (Toulouse), D Traille (Biarritz), V Clerc (Toulouse); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), J-B Elissalde (Toulouse); L Faure (Sale), W Servat (Toulouse), J Brugnaut (Dax), L Nallet (Castres, capt), L Jacquet (Clermont-Auvergne), F Ouedraogo (Montpellier), T Dusautoir (Toulouse), E Vermeulen (Clermont-Auvergne).
Replacements: N Mas (Perpignan), D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), A Mela (Albi), J Bonnaire (Clermont-Auvergne), M Parra (Bourgoin), D Skrela (Stade Francais), A Rougerie (Clermont-Auvergne).

Wales: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Shane Williams (Ospreys), Sonny Parker (Ospreys), Gavin Henson (Ospreys), Mark Jones (Scarlets); James Hook (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Duncan Jones (Ospreys), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Martyn Williams (Blues), Ryan Jones (capt, Ospreys).
Replacements: Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Alix Popham (Scarlets), Gareth Cooper (Gloucester), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Tom Shanklin (Blues).

England: Iain Balshaw (Gloucester), Paul Sackey (Wasps), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Toby Flood (Newcastle), David Strettle (Harlequins), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle), Andy Gomarsall (Harlequins); Andrew Sheridan (Sale), Mark Regan (Bristol), Phil Vickery (Wasps), Simon Shaw (Wasps), Steve Borthwick (Bath), James Haskell (Wasps), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Luke Narraway (Gloucester).
Subs: Lee Mears (Bath), Matt Stevens (Bath), Ben Kay (Leicester), Tom Rees (Wasps), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale), Dan Cipriani (Wasps), Lesley Vainikolo (Gloucester).

Billys Boots · January 30, 2008, 01:51:19 PM

Spurious thread alert!

Dinny Breen · January 30, 2008, 01:55:47 PM

QuoteSpurious thread alert!

Shut it Boots, should you not be packing your bags and visiting Selhurst Park.....

Back to the rugby, looking through those squads and all teams except Ireland are a breath of fresh air, full of new faces and talent. Eddie doesn't realise that if stand still you go backwards...

Ireland will win on Saturday but the performance will be scrappy....

Billys Boots · January 30, 2008, 01:59:21 PM

C'mon Mods, merge this thread with the 'Fantasy' thread - after all, the prospect of Ireland doing anything positive are fantasy of the highest order.

Goats Do Shave · January 30, 2008, 02:35:15 PM

The lack of build up to this years 6 Nations is strange.

Do people really have no hope for this Ireland team?

I would be dissapointed if we don't finish in the top 2!

GaillimhIarthair · January 30, 2008, 02:43:12 PM

Put this on another thread earlier, but probably more relevant here.................

After Eddie's selection for the Italy game its very hard to see much change happening for the remainder of the 6 nations campaign. I expect us to beat Italy, probably put up a decent show v a very new France in Paris, scrape past Scot and Wales at home and probably fail by a few points to Eng at Twickers(due a win against us on law of averages!) We have a summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, not ideal locations to be blooding a raft of youngsters, so it looks like it may very well be the November internationals in 10 MONTHS time before we see a sizeable introduction of young blood $:-\$ The likes of Jamie Heaslip must be pullin his fukin hair out.............

Main Street · January 30, 2008, 03:10:20 PM

Havent most of the changes on the other nations been forced by injury or retirement.
From the French WC semi final team
Retired now are Ibanez, Pelous, Dominici, Betsen and Michalek (gone to SA)
Injured are De Villiers, Milloud and Jauzion

Do some of our team deserve to be retired and make way for the younger breed?

amallon · January 30, 2008, 03:38:15 PM

Wales are starting 13 Ospreys players against England! The Ospreys aren't exactly flying in the Magners league lying in 8th place. Very strange...

Dinny Breen · January 30, 2008, 03:48:53 PM

QuoteHavent most of the changes on the other nations been forced by injury or retirement.

Nope, Dominicin, Pelous and Betsen retired, Ibanez was told to retire, Freddie is just playing his rugby in SA. The door is open for a recall.

O'Sullivan is just a conservative, Ireland will not win the 6 nations.

Strange Welsh selection but I'd expect their won't be 13 Osprey players by the end of the 6 nations.

France will win the 6 nations....

Hound · January 30, 2008, 04:00:26 PM

Its not the worst Irish selection, so long as Jackman, Buckley and Heaslip all get 20 minutes. That will at least allow the selection to develop over the period of the 6 Nations. Though I can't believe anyone would rate MickoDrico ahead of Cullen...

I'd have no doubt that the current Irish team would beat the English team selected. But by the time Twickers comes around, there'll be a number of changes to the English, including Balshaw being dropped and the Fijian getting a start. Still Ireland are good value for the Triple Crown. And given most of the others are in some form of transition, its a great opportunity to win the championship - if we can get back to where we were a year or two ago

Farrandeelin · January 30, 2008, 04:13:19 PM

Quote from: Goats Do Shave on January 30, 2008, 02:35:15 PM
The lack of build up to this years 6 Nations is strange.

Do people really have no hope for this Ireland team?

I would be dissapointed if we don't finish in the top 2!

Personally I think the lack of buildup this year is down to the fact that rugby in Croke Park isn't new anymore and Ireland were terrible in the WC.

dec · January 30, 2008, 05:47:30 PM

The Fixtures

Saturday, 02 February 2008
England v Wales, 16:30
Ireland v Italy, 14:00
Sunday, 03 February 2008
Scotland v France, 15:00

Saturday, 09 February 2008
France v Ireland, 16:00
Wales v Scotland, 14:00
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Italy v England, 14:30

Saturday, 23 February 2008
France v England, 20:00
Ireland v Scotland, 17:00
Wales v Italy, 15:00

Saturday, 08 March 2008
Ireland v Wales, 13:15
Scotland v England, 15:15
Sunday, 09 March 2008
France v Italy, 15:00

Saturday, 15 March 2008
England v Ireland, 15:00
Italy v Scotland, 13:00
Wales v France, 17:00

Orior · January 30, 2008, 07:23:49 PM

Dinny, can you rename this thread the 2008 Six Nations Thread?

Dinny Breen · January 31, 2008, 01:55:10 PM

Anyone going Saturday, I had two tickets but have passed them on. My own silent protest against Eddie O'Sullivan...

AZOffaly · January 31, 2008, 01:56:38 PM

I'm going to Andy Lee's fight on Saturday night. I'd like to head up to one of the other games though, so Dinny, if your silent protest continues, let me know