The 2014 Six Nations Thread

[trileacman]

I disagree, watching in real time you would feel there's an honest if slow attempt to prevent grounding, in slow mo it looks worse but as we all know from GAA it usually does look worse on slow mo. Watch it in real time, it's the only proper way to gauge if Williams reacts "late".

Williams is not a dirty player, this kind of play from Phillips would be a different thing entirely. He doesn't lead with his shoulder or elbow he's trying to lower his hands and turns away at the last minute, what we'd all do.

[Gold]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-XGWHmIVeo

I appreciate both players were going full tilt, but
having watched the clip its hard to see how it wasn't a cheap shot.

Cheap shot.

sc**bag shot. Coulda been much worse.

[Walter Cronc]

I disagree, watching in real time you would feel there's an honest if slow attempt to prevent grounding, in slow mo it looks worse but as we all know from GAA it usually does look worse on slow mo. Watch it in real time, it's the only proper way to gauge if Williams reacts "late".

Williams is not a dirty player, this kind of play from Phillips would be a different thing entirely. He doesn't lead with his shoulder or elbow he's trying to lower his hands and turns away at the last minute, what we'd all do.

How many games have you seen Liam Williams play to come to that conclusion? The odd Rabo game  for Llanelli against Ulster? It was a complete dirty shot by a frustrated young player and thankfully Paddy Jackson didn't get seriously hurt. Mike Phillips might be a mouth but I can't recall him doing anything as nasty as that in his career!

[deiseach]

I disagree, watching in real time you would feel there's an honest if slow attempt to prevent grounding, in slow mo it looks worse but as we all know from GAA it usually does look worse on slow mo. Watch it in real time, it's the only proper way to gauge if Williams reacts "late".

Williams is not a dirty player, this kind of play from Phillips would be a different thing entirely. He doesn't lead with his shoulder or elbow he's trying to lower his hands and turns away at the last minute, what we'd all do.

Is Joe Canning a dirty player? That was a filthy stroke he pulled against Na Piarsaigh at the weekend, so one must assume he is and view all his future actions accordingly. Although if we are to believe Brian Cody, it didn't happen because there's no dirt in hurling.

For me, the standard is not whether Williams went out to knock Jackson's block off, but whether he showed enough concern for his opponent's welfare. When Sam Warburton was sent off in the World Cup semi-final against France the defence of him centered on how he didn't mean to hurt his opponent, to which I say that if he had done he should never have taken to a rugby field again. The same principle applies to Williams. Touching down for a try involves a player putting their head down and if you are trying to stop a grounding, your knees and your hips should not be in the equation.

[southdown]

Ten of us heading to Paris for the France v Ireland game.  Its my 30th that weekend and basically it will be a piss up all weekend.  Can anyone suggest where we should go drinking, any good Irish bars etc?

[Hardy]

You're in Paris and the first form of entertainment that occurs to you is an Irish bar?!?

[AZOffaly]

That's what I was going to say, but then in fairness it is a Rugby game.

[Syferus]

That's what I was going to say, but then in fairness it is a Rugby game.

Real men go to the game: http://www.viagogo.ie/Sports-Tickets/Rugby-Union/RBS-Six-Nations-Tickets/E-561485

[AZOffaly]

All weekend?

[Syferus]

All weekend?

Was assuming he wanted an Irish bar to see the match away from the French because otherwise it'd be a strange choice to make to go aboard and trawl Irish bars.

[AZOffaly]

Not really. If you are going to a match abroad, would you not like to meet up with fellow fans before or after the game?

[deiseach]

There's a group of Welshmen who come to Tramore for every Ireland-Wales game and prop up the bar in my local. This is true even if the match is in Cardiff. Strange, but they're a cheerful bunch so no harm.

[AZOffaly]

Yeah, I've seen that a lot actually. I know Welsh and Scots that travel to Limerick every year for the Ireland game, regardless of whether the game is in Murrayfield, Cardiff or Dublin. I asked a bunch of them about it, and they said they just liked the atmosphere in Limerick when the Rugby was on (they were there before for HEC games), and had started to make an annual pilgrimage out of it on the weekend of the respective games.

Takes all sorts I suppose.

[deiseach]

Yeah, I've seen that a lot actually. I know Welsh and Scots that travel to Limerick every year for the Ireland game, regardless of whether the game is in Murrayfield, Cardiff or Dublin. I asked a bunch of them about it, and they said they just liked the atmosphere in Limerick when the Rugby was on (they were there before for HEC games), and had started to make an annual pilgrimage out of it on the weekend of the respective games.

Makes more sense than Tramore. Not much any rugby there.

[AZOffaly]

I'm sure it started out as some sort of rational trip, and then they enjoyed it and made a pilgrimage of it.