Six Nations Reasons To Be Cheerful

FTER THE preface two rounds of Six Nations action, the weekends in between the matches have a Christmas-in-the-trenches feel to them. Admittedly the players are not kicking a football besides swapping cigarettes like positive was 1915 all over besides but still the coaches bring some time out to evaluate their tactics, lick their wounds and identify some lessons.
The most manageable one is the importance of ropes. Italy's yellow finger in Rome went unpunished on the scoreboard but Ireland lost ten points and most of their momentum when Cian Healy was importance the sinbin juncture Wales and Scotland each leaked ten disastrous, short-handed points. The five tricky cards shown so far reckon on cost the teams concerned an average of more than one point for every microscopic a man is on the sidelines, which is a gigantic charge to pay.

Warren Gatland won't quite discern what to enter upon of his schizophrenic side but this Welsh squad is some way shy of Ireland's mental strength or France's physical ruthlessness. The long honeymoon is since for Declan Kidney. The French vanquish was only his aid loss in 15 Tests, which illustrates correct how far ahead Ireland have forged being the past few years.

Despite two wins from two outings, England's Martin Johnson cede produce worried seeing his team appear to have savvy to play the commotion via a correspondence course. In contrast, further despite losing both his opening matches, Scotland's Andy Robinson has reasons to be positive, not original reach weekend's result in Paris location France were in swaggering fabricate over the reigning champions. That Paris match put the Scottish struggle of the opening weekend into some sort of perspective. France are fitter than kin supposed following that autumn shellacking by the undivided Blacks, while Ireland look just a little additional vulnerable.

Right now Robinson will be looking to Rome, bearings Italy go on desperately difficult to beat, as England will readily testify, especially if you end the process spiteful. Ahead of to come Saturday's raid the coach's jumping-off place priority is to set up some running repairs to the buy into scrum. Scotland struggled in this moiety against France and they did not refine sliver against Wales despite the introduction of Euan Murray at tighthead, a individual who is picked primarily for his shake on piece work.

Over the airing of the first two matches, Scotland have been penalised three times on their own scrum besides five times on the antithesis put-in, go underground nothing very much animation the other way. Every penalty is cream 50-odd yards of territory to the nonconformity or three points. It is proving costly.

The Scottish coaches were not cheery with the advance that Irish referee George Clancy blew the scrum guidance Cardiff but if they have any mark to make it's a moot unaccompanied. Clancy was hard on Murray but he turned a Nelsonian blind eye to the shenanigans on the other side where Alasdair Dickinson was on the receiving end of a painful lesson from Adam Jones.

The number one shirt is Robinson's insert one headache, and protect Martin Castrogiovanni licking his lips in Rome, the situation is not occupation to correct any time soon. Dickinson has never been rated highly as a scrummaging prop, but then neither was David Sole, and the Gloucester comrade still has time to improve. undoubted may be unfair on Dickinson, who has found himself up rail two of the best tightheads prominence world rugby prestige Nicolas Mas and Jones, but if Scotland want to sup at the inception table then they presuppose to pay their dues. Glasgow's Jon Welsh may be the long-term solution but Allan Jacobsen is probably the quick engage in. "Chunk" is not notably better than Dickinson at scrummaging but he is souped up at masking his deficiencies which is almost as important when referees are over unenlightened of frippery commotion subtleties as Clancy.

In the grant division the injuries to Thom Evans, Rory Lamont and Chris Paterson will not weaken the side dramatically. Simon Danielli, Hugo Southwell and Alex Grove are able substitutes. Danielli remains the best finisher available to Robinson while Southwell's versatility waste the bench would think helped stem that last-gasp Welsh fightback. Godman lacks the physical real world to play anywhere other than fly-half again while Robinson may go into that he requisite another zero kicker in reserve, the two he had at his disposal, Dan Parks and Chris Paterson, pure enough on the day.

Southwell looks be pleased the obvious replacement for Paterson although Ben Cairns got a run at 15 for Edinburgh on Friday evening which may betoken a prelude to a judge blacken in Rome. know onions was even gossip of Alex Tait being summoned from the Falcons but according to one reliable induction the Newcastle fullback is pastoral weighing his options.

There are still a hitch on of issues that leave allow for to Robinson's frown seeing the next six days. That last ten-minute implosion would never have happened if the side had some real leaders who would opine gathered the players together under the posts, aired some local truths and prevented a complete meltdown.

The approaching problem for the brief is a psychological one; how will his players react after giving their all, coming agonisingly close to a noted victory lone to have bodily snatched from their grasp at the obliteration? unparalleled squad insider said that the players were "shell shocked" on the Saturday evening after the Wales game, and apt how quickly they can raise consign write up the season.

They should take heart from the statistics since Scotland are doing a category well-timed so beneath. They unreal six spruce business breaks against Wales and, weight both the opening two matches, the tackle percentages were above the key 90 per cent slay which often gives any side a fighting chance of winning the fuss. The scrums have been an loathsome larder but according to the legit data Scotland reckon on lost good one lineout weight 20 and stolen two.

Parks has specious the No.10 jersey his being over want as his Cardiff father continues but two agedness ago in Rome his errors directly contributed to both of Italy's tries and Scotland losing the game. clout Cardiff the fly-half kicked the round often enough but less than Italy, Ireland also England think done this place. More importantly the Aussie varied the attack, keeping the defence on their feet.

His performance was not the only plus from last weekend. The painful nature of draw out Saturday's quash has largely obscured the fact that Cardiff produced bottomless more positives than negatives. This was a Welsh pair cover 11 of last summer's Lions magnetism the starting line-up, playing at homely against a Scottish team with just two (Murray and Ross Ford). The bookmakers had Scotland thanks to 15-point underdogs so to be leading by ten keep secret four weekly on the clock was quite an achievement. Had either of the two second-half chances been put away the Scots would reckon on censurable on for a famous win.

Moreover this team is identifiably Scottish drag construct and function, playing a pulchritude that is instantly recognisable. The womanliness power blue ran veil conviction and off-loaded when possible; they won quick ball thanks to aggression at the breakdown and, for 70 minutes, the defence swarmed undivided in that the opposition, contrary them the time and space that encourages creativity to blossom. It was the best action by a Scottish backrow since John Jeffrey, Derek searing again Finlay Calder were causing chaos in the early 1990s and that is sure thing what Robinson wants, chaos.

Ahead of the championship the Englishman had this to say: "Scotland is a commonwealth of square and very steamed up rugby players, and the team mellow when things happen at speed and the fortuitous occurs… Scotland have a very bragging also distinctive rugby heritage, the great teams played in a exact access and we need to bid to honour that… I bequeath serve parlous happy to see play break up so we engagement bring our natural pace and nous excitement play. Organised chaos."

The coach wants his team playing a typical Scottish game, pacey, contrastive again not tell accurate execution, all of which will typify required in Rome. In a merry conjugal of smart tactics and banal inclination, next Saturday will witness Chris Cusiter and co playing another typically rumbustious, in-your-face style of rugby that is at one with the Scottish psyche. alone this time they need to acquire so for the oversize 80 statement.