Rome (if you want to)

A little homage to the B52s there to indicate that this past Friday to Sunday were spent in the gloriously sunny surroundings of Rome. Why was an Englishman, along with 17 others, predominately Frenchmen, in Rome I hear you ask. Well, 2011's first Rome trip was such a good one, watching France get beaten, that we decided to go and see the Scottish in the final weekend of the 6 Nations, and to soak up the culture once more (ahem).

A Friday lunchtime arrival, allowed time to sit in the calm of a piazza with a couple of ice cold beers, before the chaos of the arriving hordes from Gaulle (sorry France) and the registering at the hotel. (TheEggChaser travel tip number 1: Always make sure you get to the hotel before everyone else and claim the best room). Salutations were made, and in typical Furieux style (Les Furieux is the name of the band of merry travelers - which caused much confusion 2 years ago on arrival at Leeds-Bradford arport when the bus driver asked in a broad Hull accent "Which one's Les?") we headed to Burger King. Yes, Burger King. The French, for all their culinary know-how/snobbishness (delete as appropriate) love nothing more than going to Burger King when they can; the chain having left Paris a decade ago.

A Whopper/Double Whopper/Cheeseburger meal later, and time for tourism. Colisseum, Forum, Irish Pub. That was about the size of it. 3 kitty rounds of Guinness/Cider/Lager later, and the restaurant Carbonara awaited us. 8 courses later and it was Irish bar time again, but only till closing, as there was a 1330 kick off the next day, and I had a rendez-vous at the ground at 1100 to collect tickets and sample the delights of the Peroni village.

Nestled in amongst the stadia and halls built for the Rome Olympics, with statues everywhere, the Peroni village (other over-priced gassy lagers do exist) was placed amidst the old Olympic stadium warm-up track and under sunny skies. The atmosphere was fantastic. Home and away fans mingle as only rugby fans can, and after a few drinks and a sandwich, off we toddled to the ground, anticipating a quality game.

The less said about the actual game the better. Scotland looked lethargic, disinterested and heartless, which are the three things you least expect to see from a side wearing a thistle. Italy were scarcely better, and to the general opinion of all, this was the worst game of international rugby we had seen. Considering it was my 42nd game going back 21 years, that's some statement, but I stick by it. For the record, Italy won 13-6, scoring the only try of the game. That about says that.

The walk back to Central Rome for drinks and the remaining games was next and after a brief drama in the Highlander bar, where they ran out of glasses (I kid you not!) we watched the Welsh celebrate a Grand Slam, before England wiped out Ireland in a one-way second half. Food called, followed by a smallish bar crawl, and a reasonable night at 0100, as there was the Pope to visit the next day.

The Pope greeted us from his balcony (well it could have been a cardboard cut-out really) and after he explained to us in Latin what he had got up to on St Patrick's Day, how he had a hangover and what a crap game it was the day before) we toddled off for more pizza before heading back to the airport to round off another successsful trip. Les Furieux have now done 10 trips of varying magnitude (Rome twice, Dublin, Marseilles 6 times and Hull - don't ask - with a reduced group of 4 to Edinburgh arguably making an 11th). Our eyes are firmly set on Hong Kong next year.

Team of the Tournament
So congratulations go to Wales on a deserved Grand Slam. They benefitted, it could be argued, from key decisions going their way at key times, but they were still the best side in the tournament by a distance. England made steady progress and got 1 more win than most thought they could achieve. France and Ireland disappointed, while Scotland and Italy really disappointed, though you could argue that good foundations have been set for next year.

Here is my Team of the Tournament, as published at the excellent http://www.therugbyblog.co.uk/ but with their Deputies here too.

    Alex Corbisiero (Eng) 1. Gethin Jenkins (Wal)

            Rory Best (Ire) 2. Dylan Hartley (Eng)

          Dan Cole (Eng) 3. Adam Jones (Wal)

        Richie Gray (Sco) 4. Geoff Parling (Eng)

Mauritz Botha (Eng) 5. Ian Evans (Wal)

        Dan Lydiate (Wal) 6. Stephen Ferris (Ire)

Sam Warburton (Wal) 7. Ross Rennie (Sco)

       Ben Morgan (Eng) 8. Toby Faletau (Wal)

     Mike Phillips (Wal) 9. Lee Dickson (Eng)

          Owen Farrell (Eng) 10. Jonathan Sexton (Ire)

   George North (Wal) 11. Stuart Hogg (Sco)

       Wesley Fofana (Fra) 12. Jamie Roberts (Wal)

Jonathan Davies (Wal) 13. Manu Tuilagi (Eng)

     Alex Cuthbert (Wal) 14. Tommy Bowe (Ire)

              Rob Kearney (Ire) 15. Leigh Halfpenny (Wal)

Yes I know Hogg is out of position, but he did play wing, and the dearth of top class wing play was a major low point of this Championship. I'd love to see those teams go head -to-head. I'd also love to hear your thoughts below as ever.

My International "Career Stats"
I put these together on the flight back to Rome. Sides are ordered by percentage wins, with the tie break factor being games played in case of level pegging. Some surprising stats here! Any Italians want to pay my way to Rome any time, or Scots want to pay me not to go to Murrayfield, email me to discuss!!

Team; Played; Won; Drawn; Lost; Percentage

Italy                3 - 3 - 0 - 0 - 100

South Africa    2 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 100

New Zealand  6 - 5 - 0 - 1 - 83.3

England        16 - 12 - 0 - 4 - 75

France          23 - 13 - 1 - 9 - 58.7

Australia        4 - 2 - 0 - 2 - 50

Wales            8 - 3 - 0 - 5 - 37.5

Ireland           4 - 1 - 0 - 3 - 25

Argentina       3 - 0 - 1 - 2 - 16.67

Fiji                  1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0

Tonga             1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0

Japan              1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0

USA                 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0

Canada           1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0

Scotland       10 - 0 - 0 - 10 - 0

Will leave it at that for this week. Back as ever next week with some views on something or other..... Follow me on Twitter if you don't already @theeggchaser

Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus

Such would have been the words of Julius Caesar had he been slighly less egotistical, or those of Stuart Lancaster were he to address the media masses in Latin: We came, we saw, we conquered.

My odyssey started on Friday lunchtime, when a three course meal in the French sunshine started what was to be a cracking weekend off. Those who know me will know I spent many years in Paris, and going back is always a pleasure, if a strain on the belt come the end of it. This year's trip was no exception. I'll spare absolutely every detail, but Friday's dinner had started with 4 pints of Guinness, then went on to include pate while waiting for the table, 2 starters, 1 main course and a dessert, washed down by bucketloads of Morgon, before returning to Bastille, my Parisian base, for more Guinness.

Saturday kicked off with a full English breakfast, and continued at Bastille where the tv showed us early victories for Toulouse and Clermont in the Top 14, a comfortable Welsh win against Italy and a straightforward Irish win against Scotland. Tickets were distributed and paid for, banter was evident with the French very confident, and rendez-vous were made for the next day's game. Midnight saw me trek, uncertainly, home, realising that not a crumb had passed my lip since the midday breakfast.

Sunday dawned and started with a traditional Twickers car park picnic (or as the French would say 'un picnic parking') with friends old and new, in the shadow of the stadium. The Volvo easily identifiable with a complete leg of Spanish ham, on its stand, on the roof next to a magnum of Bordeuax. Bread, cheese, meat, pate, cake, beer, wine, coffee (with rum of course) all went down the hatch before the stroll round to our seats. It was at this point that I realised that, having missed the 2010 defeat, I had seen England win 2 in a row at the Stade de France (RWC07 semi final and 2008 6 Nations) and I had had a nagging feeling of confidence all week, to such an extent that I had tipped us to win by a point on the sportguru prediction website.

New this year at the Stade de France was an atmosphere. I've experienced many a 6 Nations game there, and they are usually flat, soul-less affairs, but the anthems set the stall this time around and they were sung with much gusto by both visiting hoards and hosts.

The game itself was not one of stunning quality, with errors as passes were forced by both sides. France started reasonably, and had a 3 on 1 overlap on 12 minutes, until Chris Ashton made his first telling contribution since he threw a dwarf in Queenstown and clobbered Szarzewski, allowing Farrell to pounce on the loose ball and send Manu Tuilagi haring past Rougerie and into the corner, where Farrell slotted a great conversion.

Ecstasy amongst the English fans, which became whatever the next step up from ecstasy is (sorry  but it's been a long time) when Ben Morgan showed why he was so coveted by Wales and England, barging past Bonnaire and excellently handing off to Foden, who clobbered his way over by the posts allowing Farrell a somewhat easier conversion. 14-3, France having slotted a penalty in between. To be fair, France didn't go away, and helped by one of the more eccentric performances of his eccentric refereeing career from Alain Rolland, whose scrum and breakdown interpretations at times led you to wonder..... they came back into it.

14-3 became 14-9, became 17-9 as Farrell slotted a penalty, became 17-12 as the tenacious French clung on and became 17-15 as English hearts started to flutter. In the midst of this Monsieur Rolland compounded his eccentricity by yellow carding Sharples for a deliberate knock-on 5 minutes after he had merely given England a penalty after Fofana did the same thing (Note: he even had to be convinced that this was a penalty by his touch judge having initially given merely a knock-on.

England managed the shorthandedness well though, having learned from the way the Welsh controlled the ball and wound the clock down against them 2 weeks previously. With 8 minutes to go, another swift attack saw the ball recycled to Farrell, who quickly shipped on and we had the joy of a 3rd English try, as Croft rampaged past Poitrenaud and popped the ball down, near enough to the posts for a vital 2 points to be added by the ice cool Farrell.

There was still time to almost lose the game though, as first Fofana almost scored before being denied by incredible sacrificial defence by Dowson who was barely with it before Croft stood on his head, and totally away with the fairies after it. Fofana then did dive in the corner for a 4th try in 4 games, converted by Parra, to bring France back to a 2 point deficit. France had momentum now, and Trinh-Duc took position in the "seat" ready to drop a winning goal that would have been cruel on England, England resisted in defence though, meaning the kick would be a long range one, and he came up inches short and afterwards England managed the ball, territory and the clock well enough to clobber the ball into the crowd for a famous win, which was greeted with loud roars from the numerous English fans.

Parling, Morgan, Croft, Robshaw, Tuilagi and Foden were all immense, but this was a total team effort, with everyone contributing. Farrell was calmness personified again, even if some of his tactical kicking left a lot to be desired. His defence, with Barritt once more, was fantastic, and his presence of mind also set up the first and third tries to some degree. It was a performance of guts and no little bravery from England, and one which will remain with me for a while I am sure.

Wine, ham and cheese followed back at the car, before adjourning to Bastille once more to analyse the game in detail over a few more pints of the black stuff.

A marvellous Parisian weekend, with the right result and a successful mix of different groups of friends. England go on to Twickenham and the Irish, hoping that France will have done them a big favour by smashing Wales in Cardiff. I move on to Rome, as 18 of us will be taking our annual 6 Nations trip to sample everything the Italian capital has to offer.

You will of course read about it here!

Team of Week 4:

1. Cian Healy (Ire) - really performing well at the moment
2. Rory Best (Ire) - back to something like his best after two poor weeks
3. Dan Coles (Eng)/Adam Jones (Wal) - can't split these two this week
4. Geoff Parling (Eng) - fast becoming one of the first names on the sheet
5. Richie Gray (Sco) - unfortunate to be on the losing side, awesome sight rampaging to his try
6. Tom Croft (Eng) - try capped off an immense performance
7. Justin Tipuric (Wal) - another great effort from a man destined to play out his international career in the shadow of Sam Warburton
8. Ben Morgan (Eng) - a rampant performance particularly around the second England try
9. Mike Phillips (Wal) - set the stall out for a controlled Welsh win
10. Owen Farrell (Eng) - tactical kicking aside, a very cool performance
11. George North (Wal) - set the standard for the Welsh backs
12. Manu Tuilagi (Eng) - his try set the English chariot in motion
13. Jon Davies (Wal) - in a very rich vein of form and bossed the midfield once more
14. Alex Cuthbert (Wal) - a deadly double act forming with North
15. Clement Poitrenaud (Fra) - I'm his biggest critic, but I thought he performed very well on Sunday

So that's Wales 5.5, England 5.5, Ireland 2, Scotland 1 and France 1 this week.

Three great games lined up next week, with all 6 sides thinking they can win. While I want the French to win to give England a chance at the title, I can;t see it happening any more. Wales are not particularly brilliant (I maintain they are hugely over-rated in an average tournament) but France are all over the shop, seem to have little direction and look tired. So a Welsh Grand Slam, with England edging out Ireland and Italy and Scotland fighting out a very close one, which I will call nearer the time.

Thanks for reading. Look forward to hearing your comments as ever.

17

3 weeks on, after the frozen farce in France, a second attempt to decide who would join Wales as likely winners of this year's 6 Nations Championship failed to reach a positive conclusion, but for the right reasons, not the wrong this time.

Ireland had clearly read my tactical appraisal on www.therugbyblog.co.uk where I preview and review Ireland internationals, as they satrted strongly and seemed determined to hit high balls for Poitrenaud to make a mess of. However, the Toulouse full back had clearly not read the script and looked solid as a rock under his first two balls, making a positive start. There was much grunt in the first half, with only the occasional bit of class, usually coming from France, but Ireland are redoubtable opposition and with Tommy Bowe haring out of defence on every single occasion, they scored the first try as Rougerie was caught in two minds... Laurel and Hardy's (or Coluche and Jacques Tati for our French readers) as he handed an awful pass straight to Bowe who strolled under the posts to the undisguised mirth of his teammates. Sexton converted, redeeming in part an awful miss of earlier to give the Irish a 7 point lead.

2 Parra penalties sandwiched a successful one from Sexton and as the half continued in a sort of uneasy lack of atmosphere at the Stade de France, Ireland led 10-6, until Best turned the ball over and Earls fed Bowe, who eschewed a simple inside pass to Kearney in favour of a kick and chase, which aided by a friendly bounce resulted in his second try, also converted by Sexton, as Ireland led 17-6 after the first half.

It would be fair to assume that Philippe Saint-Andre read the riot act to the French side at half time, as he sent them out 5 minutes early for the second half. Ireland conceded a penalty after 7 second half minutes, as the French took control for a spell. Fofana scampered home for an unconverted try 3 minutes later, and Parra kicked a 4th penalty to bring the scores level after 57 minutes. France's game for the taking then.... except it wasn't. Ireland bossed the next ten minutes or so, but when in position to press and take a drop goal, silly decisions or handling errors cost them dearly. Lionel Beauxis it was who had the two drop goal attempts to win the game for the French. The first never got above knee height and the second was blocked after a poor pass from Parra.

And that was that. A 17-17 draw, which to be honest never reached the absolute heights. Yes it was tense, yes there were good moments, but rather than those frequent quotes after drawn games where "neither side deserved to lose" I actually had this down as a game that "nobody deserved to win".

There were good performances. Wesley Fofana has a try in each of his first three Internationals. He runs like Sella or Blanco and has a massive future. Tommy Bowe continued his poaching and now has 5 tries in 3 games: 1 more to tie the record. Cian Healy, one cynical offside apart, had what I consider to be his best game in an Ireland shirt. And then there was Rob Kearney. 3 years ago, he was brilliant in a Lions shirt. Injuries have cruelly reduced his time on the field in recent years, but I cannot remember a better performance from a full back in a long time. He tackled well. He kicked to touch with length and accuracy. He broke the line, when required, with ease, and his running style looked so easy. He kicked and chased with accuracy and vigour. Most of all though, his poise and success under the high ball both in defence and attack is beyond belief. I cannot recall another player who takes such difficult balls with such ease. As I said during the game, I get the feeling he could catch a ping pong ball, dropped from a helicopter in a force 9 gale. He is so solid under the high ball. Man of the Match and I almost gave him 10 out of 10.

France still have their destiny in their hands. A win against England and then similar in Cardiff could still see them crowned champions, but without a Grand Slam. Ireland's chances are all but extinguished (they need a couple of wind and every other game to go their way, including Italy to beat Wales). An England win in France and against Ireland, while France beat Wales, could see England win the tournament too, but you would have to suggest that it is Wales short favourites followed by France.

If you want to check out my ratings of the Irish side, as well as those of my counterpart who analyses France, then check out www.therugbyblog.co.uk tomorrow. There are all manner of articles there for perusal.

Next weekend sees Ireland take on Scotland, Wales continue their serene progress (probably) against Italy and then the piece de resistance, France hosting England on Sunday. I'll be there for that one, so expect some sort of summary..... but not until Monday morning, better make that Monday afternoon!

Share the link with anyone you think may enjoy it as ever, and see you next week.

Take 2

You can take your pick as to the meaning of that. It could be what it says in the packet of anti-flu tablets I seem to have been traipsing round Europe with for the last month (I've tried British, Polish and now Spanish remedies, none seem to be working really). It could also be the director's call ahead of the re-scheduled France vs Ireland game this Sunday.

An extra Sunday of 6 Nations rugby is a blessing of course, unless you are an Irish or French player, when there will be 4 consecutive games. Ireland should in theory be slightly fresher, having had a relatively comfortable win against Italy last weekend, while the French were buffeted by the plucky Scots in Edinburgh. (Note, after years of it not being the case, it now appears that the word plucky is a required adjective when referring to the Scots, replacing disappointing).

Both sides will believe they have a chance at the title. France's is obvious: keep winning and the Grand Slam is theirs. Ireland's is a bit more unlikely (win all their games, hope France beat Wales and cross fingers that their points difference is sufficient). They will be regretting ever more that late penalty 'conceded' against Wales.

France should have too much for Ireland, but speaking as an Englishman, I hope Ireland make it as hard a game as is physically possible, given England's arrival via the Eurostar next week. France's end of tournament is the toughest I can remember to a 6 Nations, with Ireland, England and Wales in consecutive weeks. Philippe St Andre seems to either be searching for his best pack, or cunningly rotating key elements. Bonnaire returns in place of Picamoles this week, while Poitrenaud replaces the unfortunately injured 'muttonchops' Medard.

Ireland have stuck with the same fifteen as beat Italy, surprising given the inadequacies of Conor Murray last week and the pep provided by Eoan Reddan. Ireland's pack have to try to dominate their opposite numbers, which given the recent form of Dusautoir, Poux and Harinordoquy in particular, and the recent struggles of O'Callaghan and O'Brien, is no small task.

I'm plumping for France by 10-12 points.

In other news, England edged a step closer to appointing their new Nick Mallett this week. Let me rephrase that. In other news, England edged a step closer to appointing their new coach this week. The John Kirwan publicity machine clicked into full gear when he didn't get an interview, which outside of the Kirwan family not many thought he would get. The choice would appear to be Mallett, Eddie O'Sullivan (why?) and Stuart Lancaster.

Leaving aside all rugby decision making, there is only one option for me and that is Stuart Lancaster. I am a great believer that a coach is an integral part of a team's success and should therefore be from that country. Lancaster is the only one who fulfils that criteria. However, it would appear that many other major nations disagree with that premise (Australia, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy have all had foreign coaches) and I am not one to cut my nose off to spite my face, so if Mallett arrives, then so be it. But O'Sullivan? Please no. I can't see a single positive that could be drawn from his appointment.

The thing I don't understand about this is why we (the RFU) are paying such a large sum of money (5 figures) to Odgers Bernstein to manage this recruitment. They are essentially in charge of creating a shortlist from the applicants. Well I'm sorry, but I could have done that of an evening after work. Have a chat with the RFU and decide what their criteria are, apply those criteria to the applicants, provide a shortlist. Not rocket science, more money for old rope. Same old RFU in this case unfortunately.

The 6 Nations continues to throw the Premiership into chaos. Newcastle (12th) hosted Harlequins (1st) last night, and only a late late penalty from Nick Evans salvaged a draw for the leaders. Newcastle have the wind in their sails at the moment, and their lack of departures for international duty is helping them. Wasps, on a serious downturn, are urgently looking over their shoulder and have a must-win game against London irish this weekend. It is shaping up to be a fine season once more.

I'll be back tomorrow with a detailed review of the Ireland game for you. Hell, it may even be bilingual if I'm in the right mood.

6 Nations Weekend 3

Better late than never, here goes my Week 3 review.

I've been travelling a fair bit again recently, and time has been short so I didn't get a chance to preview the matches. I would have been vastly wrong on one, spot on on one and not far off on the other.... but which was which?

Ireland vs Italy should have been a home banker. Italy's away performances are a far cry from their home persona, where they have recently beaten France and given England and Ireland the fright of their lives. Ireland made heavy weather of things early on though, leading 17-10 at half-time thanks to two brave decisions by O'connell to kick to the corner, which led to tries by Earls and Bowe, these being the bread around a Parisse try for Italy.

It was only after the withdrawal of the hugely disappointing Murray that ireland kicked into gear, and Reddan provided pace, urgency and tactical nous, which saw a second try for Bowe, one for Court and one for Trimble. Italy were run ragged in the last half hour, and seriously need to find a kicker and some backs. Ireland know that, if they can beat France, Scotland and England, and Wales slip up against the French (Auckland anyone?) the title could still be theirs.

England and Wales was the tie of the round, if not the tournament. England's inexperienced young guns against the slightly over-hyped, but still good Welsh. The Welsh said they would hammer us, but that was never going to be the case at Twickenham. A hammering is 62-28 Welsh fans... remember that?

This was a proper game of rugby. Both sides at times tearing into the opposition and asking the sternest questions of two defences that creaked but ultimately did sterling work. England nudged 6 points clear early in the second half with 4 Farrell penalties to 2 of Halfpenny's. Priestland was sent to the bin but Wales re-grouped and allowed the clock to tick down, masterfully it has to be said. This laid the platform for them to return to 12-12 with 10 minutes to go.

England replacement Courtney Lawes was then stripped of the ball by Scott Williams, but under the pressure of two other Welsh tacklers, and Williams kicked ahead, won the race, gathered and scored a try which Halfpenny would convert. 19-12, England needing a converted score to dodge the bullet.

Credit where it's due, Flood put them in the right place and the line-out was won. Wales cynically collapsed an advancing England maul. Penalty advantage as the clock ticked. Flood swung it wide, Brown and Strettle had a seemingly open line, but Brown's pass was slightly mis-timed, Strettle still got over and touched down (for me) but Steve (Look at me, I'm great) Walsh went to the TMO. Little worry for me, if it's a try we take it, if not we go back the minute or so for the penalty from which we haven't gained advantage. 4 tortuous minutes a Welsh voice (yes, work that one out) announced the evidence was inconclusive and OJ Simpson was released (sorry, my mistake) no try was given. "Walsh went back for the penalty then" I hear you say. Oh no. Game over, Wales won a Triple Crown and England far from being losers had won back the support of their fans, who were rightly cheered by an ebullient, promising performance from the least experienced side ever to represent any country in the 6 Nations.

Scotland hosted Wales on Sunday and whether it was French indolence, Scottish joie de vivre or a combination of Scotland clicking and France suffering their club sides malaise (not travelling well across the Channel) it was hard to tell, but Stuart Hogg, who looks a fine prospect, opened the score with that rarest of things, a Scottish try. France hung in and Fofana, who is another fine young prospect, picked the perfect line, took an awkward pass and rocketed over. Lee Jones scored a second try for Scotland (they're like buses seemingly) to nudge them 17-13 ahead before Medard sauntered over for France's second try and Beauxis added a drop goal which saw the French home by a mere 6 points.

Positives for all the sides really this weekend, with the exception of Italy who took a massive step backwards. I had Ireland to win comfortably and England to keep it close against Wales, but the real surprise for me was the Scots getting so close to a somewhat underwhelming France.

Team of the Week

As ever, a Team of the week from me:

1. Jean-Baptiste Poux (FRA) - showed the Scots how to scrummage
2. Dimitri Szarzewski (FRA) - best game in blue for quite a while
3. Dan Cole (ENG) - a couple of penalties aside, he was magnificent
4. Mauritz Botha (ENG) - a real powerhouse in England's second row
5. Paul O'Connell (IRE) - a great all-round performance
6. Stephen Ferris (IRE) - matched his captain for effort, skill and determination
7. Sam Warburton (WAL) - back to his World Cup best
8. Toby Faletau (WAL) - while no number 8 truly shone this weekend, he was a real danger runner for Wales
9. Eoan Reddan (IRE) - while only a substitute, he turned the game for Ireland
10. Owen Farrell (ENG) - first game at 10. "He can't get a back line moving" sad many. How wrong they were.
11. George North (WAL) - danger personified.
12. Wesley Fofana (FRA) - fast running out of superlatives for this pocket rocket
13. Manu Tuilagi (ENG) - along with Barritt outshone their Welsh rivals
14. Tommy Bowe (IRE) - swooped twice to finish moves efficiently
15. Rob Kearney (IRE) - A Lions shoe-in at the moment, though in a year's time, Stuart Hogg (SCO) may be sniffing for his place after a great performance of his own.

5 Irish, 4 English, 3 Welsh and 3 French this week. Hogg and Rennie the unlucky Scots, no Italian anywhere near the side I'm afraid.

Right, I can hear the Tapas calling. Hasta la vista. Billy Bonus 6 Nations weekend next weekend as France meet Ireland (ice permitting). Catch you then.

Something For (Almost) Everyone - Pick your XV

In so far as this is a week off from 6 Nations, this could be considered a relatively quiet week. There is still Aviva Premiership, Rabobank 12 and Top 14 rugby mind, so there will be plenty to occupy the Rugby nut's minds this weekend.

France and Ireland seem unilaterally unhappy with the staging of their cancelled game on Sunday March 4th. Ireland say this doesn't give them enough turn-around before their next game, while the French League are unhappy as they have to release their players for an additional game. 'Sacre bleu!' I guess if they're both unhappy, that's OK, but seriously, the way people are stressing that "this means 4 games in 4 weeks for the players" you would think that this is some superhuman task, when actually New Zealand, France, Wales and Australia played 7 games in 7 weeks back in the Rugby World Cup, and some of the players would be playing for their clubs anyway during that weekend 'off' so I fail to see the issue.

The weekend off allows England's wounded more time to prove their fitness to Stuart Lancaster. Toby Flood, Manu Tuilagi and Courtney Lawes all put in a shift for their club sides while England were stuttering and spluttering in Rome (all in losing causes coincidentally) and have re-joined the squad at Pennyhill Park for the remainder of the tournament. Serious selection headaches for Lancaster? Maybe. Any additional impetus prior to the Welsh game though is welcome, given the stop-start nature of their campaign so far.

Jonathan Davies has said that Wales "might stuff England" in ten days time. As I've said, that may be the case, but then again it may not. I used to like Davies as an expert. He used to be insightful, gave a great view on what players were thinking and, most importantly, was fair. Now though, his totally biased and openly fervent favouritism of Wales, and his seeming boiling hatred for anything in a red rose, does him no favours on TV. He is fast becoming a caricature of himself as can be seen when Wales lose and he sits in the studio like a brooding 13 year old who has had his mobile phone taken off him, been grounded and had the controller to his X-Box 360 simultaneously ungrafted from his hands.

Best XVs
I thought, given the break, I'd try to pick my ideal XV for each of the Home Nations, and consequently for the British Lions too. I have assumed full fitness and availability for all, and current form, rather than historical form, has also been used to select people where appropriate. If you agree or disagree, join the debate, or more accurately probably start the debate, at the bottom of the article (Click on Comment, then Comment - doddle)

Here we go:

England
Corbisiero, Hartley, Cole, Lawes, Botha, Wood, Robshaw (capt), Morgan, Dickson, Farrell, Barritt, Tuilagi, Ashton, Sharples, Foden

Talking points:
10: Farrell, Flood or Hodgson - all have plus points, but the goal is 2015 and Farrell should be the man them (unless George Ford grows into senior rugby as quickly as Farrell has done)
12: Barritt or Farrell - decisions, decision. Pass me the coin
14: Strettle or Sharples - Sharples got my nod for the same reason as Farrell at 10. If we are going to build towards 2015, let's build to 2015

Ireland
Healy, Best, Ross, O'Connell, Ryan, O'Brien, O'Mahony, Heaslip, Murray, Sexton, McFadden, O'Driscoll (capt), Trimble, Bowe, Kearney

Talking Points:
6: Ferris or O'Brien - to pick Ferris, you need to play O'Brien at 7, and that isn't working consistently
7: O'Brien or O'Mahony - O'Mahony needs to be given a go with 2015 in mind
9: Murray or Reddan - Murray is still raw but I believe can grow into a Mike Phillips type player
12: McFadden, D'Arcy, Earls, Trimble, anyone? - Lots of names, but 12 is Ireland's biggest problem


Scotland
Murray, Ford, Jacobsen, Gray (capt), Hamilton, Strokosch, Rennie, Denton, Cusiter, Weir, S. Lamont, De Luca, Hogg, Evans, R. Lamont

Talking Points:
9: Cusiter, Blair or Laidlaw - tempting though it was to throw Laidlaw in there, I like Cusiter and thought he did well against Wales till the second half kick-off
10: Jackson, Laidlaw or Weir - I am always impressed by everything Weir does
Captain: While Ford has done little wrong, I think Gray could be the sort of inspirational leader Scotland have always required to take it to the next level

Wales
Jenkins, Rees, Jones, Wyn Jones, Charteris, Lydiate, Warburton (Capt), Faletau, Phillips, Priestland, Roberts, Davies, North, Halfpenny, Byrne

Talking Points:
2: Rees or Owens - Without Rees Wales' line-out has been nothing short of abysmal, though Owens improved things second half against Scotland
14: Cuthbert or Halfpenny - I'm convinced Halfpenny is a better bet on the wing than at 15
15: Halfpenny, Hook or Byrne - Byrne has always been strong under the high ball, quick and has a massive boot. Very similar to Kearney, I pick him every day of the week
Flexibility - Wales have 'ruined' players in the past by throwing them in at different positions (Hook springs obviously to mind). They need to avoid doing the same with halfpenny and Priestland. Pick them in their best positions and be done.

British and Irish Lions
Corbisiero, Best, Jones, Gray, O'Connell (capt), Lydiate, Warburton, Morgan, Phillips, Sexton, Roberts, Davies, North, Halfpenny, Kearney

Front Row:
Corbisiero edges out Healy and Jenkins, while Best is the first name on the teamsheet currently. Cole and Jones is a close call at 3, but I see Cole returning to his best and he could edge out Jones by the end of the season

Second Row:
Picks itself at the moment, with maybe Wyn Jones, Lawes and Ryan forcing their way into the reckoning

Back Row:
Given a run at 6 for Ireland, it is feasible that O'Brien could nudge out Lydiate at 6. Warburton is up there with Best as the first name on the sheet, and Morgan edges out Denton at 8.

Half Back:
Phillips has no real competition at the moment at 9, while at 10 there is an interesting battle between Sexton, Priestland and Farrell brewing

Centre:
How can you split up the pair of Roberts and Davies at the moment? O'Driscoll back to fitness and form could fight Davies for a place, and Tuilagi will be in the mix, but current form sees me keep these two together

Back three:
North is a shoe-in, with the other position being more open. I'd take Halfpenny's dancing feet and secure kicking game and defence on that wing at the moment, with Kearney seeing off Foden at full back.

That would mean 8 Welshmen, 4 Irishmen, 2 Englishmen and 1 Scot at the moment; and people say I lack in objectivity....

Right. Over to you? Wherever you're reading this you must have an opinion on at least one of these teams. So get commenting and discussing this. I expect to see at least 4 stand up rows brewing within a day, either here or on Twitter, where you can find me as @theeggchaser

Wales Raise The Roof (so to speak)

#Team of Week 2 now added at the bottom#

After yesterday's icy debacle in Paris, the bandwagon moved to Cardiff where Wales were big favourites to beat Scotland, who, while they had played better against England last weekend, still offered as much tooth as a new born child.

That this game would be played was never in doubt due to the exceptional roof at the Millennium Stadium. I remember being there for the opening game of the 1999 Rugby World Cup and have been lucky to experience it with roof both open and closed, great atmosphere and very patriotic (bordering on nationalistic if I'm honest).

Scotland showed well in the first half. The young triumvirate of Gray, Denton and Rennie really have a bright future ahead of them. There must be something warming for Scottish fans to see a mop of blond hair rampaging in attack and defence as it used to when John Jeffrey ruled the roost at Murrayfield; but now there are two! Wales countered with the excellent Lydiate, Faletau and Schengler (deputising for Warburton, a late withdrawal) and the first half never really caught fire with both sides snuffing the other out when it came to the nitty-gritty of play in the 22. The highlight was a huge hit by Hamilton on North, who was triple-teamed when possible by Scotland, and penalties were exchanged by Laidlaw and Halfpenny as the sides changed round at 3-3.

There must have been belief in Scotland's side as they entered the arena for the second half, but if there was, they extinguished it in a catastrophic fifteen minutes. Denton and Cusiter left the kick-off to each other, Wales won the line, one missed tackle and Cuthbert was in for the score. Halfpenny converted and added a penalty after Di Luca needlessly tackled Davies late (receiving a yellow card for his troubles) to make it 13-3, before Laidlaw kicked one back to make it 13-6 after just 8 minutes of an already engrossing second half. The 14 men defended valiantly, but numbers told and Halfpenny went round the outside and scooted under the posts to make it 20-6 two minutes later.

Just as they were about to return to full strength though, a third awful piece of play saw Rory Lamont tackle Jamie Roberts from a massively offside position, meaning 13 men briefly for Scotland. De Luca returned, but to no avail as Halfpenny looped round Phillips to score his second, which he also converted to push Wales 21 points clear after just 16 second half minutes. Wales were rampant with Lydiate, Roberts, Cuthbert, Halfpenny and Phillips pulling the strings and you would not have backed against a 5 or 6 try win, but to their credit, Scotland dug in when back up to full strength and Wales benefitted from a dodgy refereeing decision (no comment) when Hogg scored but was deemed to have knocked on. No bother though, as Laidlaw evoked memories of his Uncle with a cheeky sneak under Faletau's defence to score Scotland's first try since the mighty Romania back in September.

The game ebbed and flowed with both sides looking to score at every opportunity. Such a contrast to the dour first half and a welcome injection of incisive quality after the cold-induced stuttering of Saturday's game. It finished with another pacey Welsh break, capably snuffed out by Scotland, as Wales made it two out of two.

Final Score Wales 27 Scotland 13

Wales have now thoroughly outplayed both Ireland and Scotland, 2 very different sides, and head the table after 2 games. England away is up next and they and their supporters will be highly confident that they have the game to beat the English in their own back yard. George North limped off with a severely sprained ankle though and his absence would hurt them. England showed enough green shoots  in their win in Italy to have confidence themselves, so another cracker could be in store at Twickenham in two weeks time. I would actually make Wales favourites, but England have designs on a triple crown too and won't be taking the challenge lightly.

Scotland host France in two weeks time. Things don't get any easier for Andy Robinson's men. At this moment you can't see anything but a wooden spoon decider for them against the redoubtable (at home) Italians in Rome. At least there won't be snow on the pitch then.

I'd normally here say "Great weekend. Rugby was the winner." Given what happened yesterday though, that may be a little wide of the mark.

Team of Week 2

1. Alex Corbisiero (Eng) - another much improved performance from England's new cornerstone
2. Dylan Hartley (Eng) - greatly improved, and to be honest, none of the other hookers really played that well
3. Adam Jones (Wal) - solid scrummaging and effective (sometimes even legally) in the loose
4. Richie Gray (Sco) - another fluent loose performance from the big man
5. Mauritz Botha (Eng) - not at the height of last week's efforts, but still a solid performer
6. Dan Lydiate (Wal) - held Wales's pack together
7. Ross Rennie (Sco) - an immense performance in defeat, which deserved Man of the Match for me
8. David Denton (Sco) - with Rennie and Gray, the future is bright for the Scottish pack
9. Mike Phillips (Wal) - busy and buzzing at the base as ever. I thought he refereed the game excellently too.
10. Rhys Priestland (Wal) - shorn of the kicking duties, he was much more assured in Cardiff than he was in Dublin
11. Stuart Hogg (Sco) - no left wing shone this week, so Hogg as replacement gets in. His quick feet scored a try that wasn't given and created problems for Wales in defence (were you watching England?)
12. Jamie Roberts (Wal) - outshone by his centre colleague Davies last week, Roberts was much better this week
13. Brad Barritt (Eng) - the one England back who had a good all-round game
14. Alex Cuthbert (Wal) - having been substituted at half-time in Dublin, some were surprised he retained his place, but a much better performance, topped with  a try showed his promise
15. Leigh Halfpenny (Wal) - A great all-round performance, defensively, attacking and with the boot

Time For A Reality Check

Usually on 6 Nations weekends, or big weekends of rugby in general I suppose, I treat events chronologically. Events yesterday don't let me do that.

The 6 Nations tournament is the second most prestigious tournament in Rugby. The level of play is high. The desire to win is unmatchable. The camaraderie surrounding every single game is phenomenal (there may be banter surrounding such entrenched rivalries as England and Scotland, but after the game, pints are shared over banter, and while friendship may be a strong word, acceptance of rival passions is par for the course). The Tournament Committee can not lose sight of this as time goes on, or we will end up with more situations like yesterday just outside Paris.

Playing games at 2100 in February in the Northern hemisphere is frankly ridiculous. You only have to think back to previous years where Gabby Logan, Keith Wood, Jonathan Davies and Andy Nicol amongst others spend 3 hours perched high in the Stade de France freezing their backsides off in relatively acceptable conditions to realise that any cold snap could be critical in terms of a game being cancelled or not. Well now a cancellation has happened. Now the uproar has started. Now the committee must react.

They tried Friday evening games. They were criticised. They should now revert to afternoon games only (certainly in February) when evening temperatures mean not only poor pitch conditions, but bitterly cold fingers leading to a lower quality game. With 2 games on a Saturday and 1 on a Sunday, there are more than enough kick-off times to go round without having one as late as 2100. 1400 and 1700 for example. Time to do your analysis, time to show brief highlights between, time to build up to the second game too. It really is a no-brainer (so expect it in 10 years time).

There was rugby yesterday though, and England took the field with Italy in an icy Rome with the Italians smelling victory. England started very well though, playing simple rugby on a snow covered pitch (though the sponsors had ensured that at least the part of the Stadio Olimpico which bore their name had the snow cleared. The pitch was not the only icy thing on show though, and Owen Farrell continued to prove that his veins have that same property, kicking perfectly for England, giving them a 6-0 lead as half-time aproached. Then, though, a mad ricochet from a grubber kick followed by a moment's madness from Ben Foden, and Italy had unbelievably scored 2 tries in 2 minutes and went into the dressing rooms with a 12-6 lead.

I'm pretty honest when it comes to this sort of thing and I have to say that I never feared losing. That may sound strange, but Italy had showed very little and had picked up two messy tries from poor defending and decision-making. With Farrell available to kick the points (Burton is far from an International kicker, and as to his replacement, no comment). The way England continued to capitalise on Italian errors was impressive. The biggest compliment you can pay Farrell is he appears to be like Jonny Wilkinson at his pomp. Wilkinson didn't used to just kick goals, he used to split the posts. Farrell does the same. Metronomic in his accuracy, he has a massive future ahead, especially when England find a centre who will allow him to move to fly half, which is so clearly his position. For the moment though, the incumbent fly half, Charlie Hodgson, is doing all that is asked. His defence is much better than it was, he kicks well and with intelligence, he stands deep and orchestrates his backs (when allowed to - see later) and he charges down kicks and scores tries. 2 in 2 games is a freak statistic, but England aren't complaining. England edged 19-15 ahead as a result of this pair, and with Botes kicking like a one-legged prop forward, gladly shut the game out to make it 2 wins out of 2, both away from home. A promising start but let's not get carried away.

There were negatives: Youngs looks a shadow of the player of 2 years ago, and when replaced by Dickson, England moved noticeably up through three gears. Dowson was better than last week at 8, but the instant pep and thrust provided by Morgan when he replaced him was evident to all. Foden made those mistakes at the end of the first half, Ashton was very quiet too, but on the whole the positives far outweighed the negatives:

Corbisiero - fast becoming the first name on the teamsheet
Hartley and Cole - cemented front row places with solid performances
Botha and Croft - solid
Parling - a much better option than Palmer currently
Robshaw- captain fantastic he isn't but he's not far off
Barritt - definitely a step up from last week
Strettle - good in everything he does

Finally, Italian TV may as well have given the Man of the Match award to Sergio Parisse before the game kicked off. He IS Italian rugby and performed manfully... most of the time. I have a gripe though. After being nudged in a line-out he stayed on the ground and milked the penalty, gingerly getting to his feet and limping like a lame horse. When England missed touch shortly afterwards though, he caught, put up a high ball himself and hared after it like a thoroughbred, before running into the back of an Englishman and going down like he was shot. You're bigger and better than that Sergio. Man-up.

Wales and Scotland today. Roof closed to keep the pitch from freezing, so guaranteed rugby. Happy days.

On To Weekend 2

A weekend of interesting action last weekend sets up weekend 2 even more. Why? Read on to find out.

Before we move on the games themselves, it was a busy day for the disciplinary panel today, with the citing hearings from the weekend. Bradley Davies was given a 10 week ban, which was lengthened by 2 weeks due to the seriousness of the incident, then somewhat counter-intuitively reduced by 5 weeks for previous good-behaviour. I'm puzzled by the mixed message this gives, but what it does mean is Mr Davies will be absent for the rest of the tournament.

Following this, Stephen Ferris was hauled in front of a panel, who decided not only that he had no case to answer, but also that it should not have been a penalty in the first place, according to the Irish Team Manager. Quite why the Citing Commissioner felt the need to call him in front of this panel is beyond me. Some good news finally for the Irish then.

We start this weekend in Rome. Tempting as it was to fly over for the game, the impending arrival of Valentine's Day saw the price of flights and hotels soar and meant it wasn't do-able. Still, England will go to Rome with a win in the bag, and a hard-fought one at that. Italy, will be relatively confident too I think. Strange to say that after a 4 try defeat in Paris, but Rome is different. They may be slightly less advantaged compared to previous years given the relocation to the Stadio Olimpico from the Stadio Flaminio, but there will still be a fervent belief that, now that they have beaten France at home, England will follow on as they continue to build a competitive side. England should still have too much though, and with the only likely change being Morgan in for Dowson at Number 8, some continuity could see a more confident and open performance. 2 sides desperate for a win for very differing reasons. It won't be a classic game of open rugby, the forecast freezing conditions and the high tension will see to that, but I expect another close game.

From Rome we cross the border into France as Ireland, stung by their home defeat to Wales, know that if they have any desires on the trophy, then an elusive win in Paris is an absolute necessity. The pack should see changes, even though Ferris has not been suspended following his citing for his "tip tackle" against Wales which ultimately cost Ireland the game. Ryan is a possible to replace O'Callaghan in the second row, though expecting the unexpected has become the norm with Declan Kidney. I'd like to see Ryan alongside O'Connell and O'Mahony brought into the back row. We'll see. Philippe Saint-Andre has rung the changes in the French pack, with Debaty, Servat, Nallet and Bonnaire making way for Poux, Szarzewski, Maestri and Harinordoquy. The backs remain the same, and will be looking to exploit the holes they did against Italy, which coincidentally were the same holes Wales exploited against the Irish last weekend. As usual, Ireland will need to boss the game up front and perform at 9 and 10 if they are to have a chance. Last chance saloon for the Irish, while the French will want to serve up another classy performance for their home fans, before their trip to Murrayfield in a fortnight. An interesting side show will be the refereeing of Dave Pearson, who correctly identified the tip tackle by Davies, but incorrectly advised as to the punishment. Best behaviour boys; anything borderline red and you'll be walking....

Sunday sees the euphoric Welsh host the downtrodden Scots. Scotland were rocked this week with the surprise retirement of Dan Parks. Andy Robinson has chosen between Laidlaw and Weir at 10, with Laidlaw getting the nod. The young pack showed well against England, but are up against a more confident, experienced and capable pack (arguably) in the Welsh. Murray sits this one out for religious reasons (Sunday) and is replaced by Cross. As for their opponents, the second row could be a problem area for the Welsh with Bradley Davies suspended adding to those already absent, though rumours are circulating of a return for Wyn Jones. In the backs, the centre partnership of Roberts and Davies grows stronger with every game, and with the mighty North on the wing, hard to believe isn't it that he is still growing, Wales have the firepower that England didn't show in Murrayfield and as a result the Scots will need a miracle to come away with anything this time around. Everything points to a comfortable Welsh win.

Now it's Friday, I feel prepared to divulge my actual Predictions, with a little footnote:

Italy vs England - a fresh day in Rome should see England run out victors, but they need to be wary of over-confidence, as Treviso have proved what a tough task it is to win in Italy this year. England by 9


France vs Ireland - much as I would love to see it, I can't find a way that Ireland can win this game. France have too much across the park. France by 12


Wales vs Scotland (Sunday) - A week of turmoil for Scotland, amid much soul-searching and self-doubt as to how they didn't beat England last weekend. The Welsh look stronger, more mobile, quicker and better organised. Wales by 14

What Might Have Been

So there it was. The first weekend of the Six Nations 2012. The pundits had it down as a straight fight between France and Ireland, with Wales a shoe-in for third and England, Scotland and Italy fighting out for the also-ran places. It re-affirms my belief that you don't have to have played International rugby to have a reasonable opinion, but that just because you have played it, doesn't mean you're an expert.

Enough of the build-up, let's look at the action.

France welcomed Italy to a baltic Stade de France, and Italy were like a diesel car which struggles to start on a cold morning. France were their usual Rolls Royce selves though, purring into action quickly as Rougerie ghosted under the posts to give them the lead. The dogged Italians were determined to build on last year's win though and took their chances (penalty and drop goal from Burton) to stay close, but Malzieu, who had lready made a stunning break from his own 22, was on hand to take a pass from the excellent Picamoles and stroll over to give France a 15-6 lead.

The second half saw a chip through and chase by the French, with Trinh-duc further kicking ahead with the help of the outside of his ankle and then Rougerie thighing the ball for sniffer Clerc to get his try. Still enough time for Fofana, who had an excellent second half, to show his class and go in the corner. 30-12 the Final score, and the French had showed enough to be installed as hot hot favourites for the tournament.

England and Scotland served up a bit of a damp squib in perfect conditions for rugby. England started well, belaying fears that their inexperience would see them nervous. The points didn't come though as they had difficulty penetrating deep into Scottish defences. Dan Parks kicked the necessary points to give the hosts a 6-3 lead, Farrell responding with a trademark cool penalty.

The second half burst into life, with Hodgson charging down a Parks kick and diving on the loose ball to score a try that Farrell converted. Scotland though were picking holes in England's defence on frequent occasions. Denton, Gray and Rennie all went through but failed to find hands when the try line beckoned. England's defence was patchy. Some stunning hits from Barritt and Turner-Hall when he replaced him, but some falling off of the tackle leading to a need for first Foden with a last ditch tackle, then Ashton with a classy piece of sweeping and a touch find, to keep the line intact. Farrell's late penalty saw England stretch to a 7 point lead, and try as they might, Scotland could not cross the line. That's 4 Internationals in a row without a try - their last 5 pointers coming late in a stuttering win over Romania in the World Cup.

To Sunday, the most anticipated game, and the best. Ireland hosted Wales hoping to reverse the World Cup Quarter Final result and to avenge the controversial loss in Cardiff last year (when the whiter than white Welsh unknowingly scored a try having taken a quick line-out with the wrong ball). This sort of thing makes me go against Wales when watching as a neutral, as I am sure many Welsh say about the English. Hey... if it's good for the goose....

Wales started very well against Ireland, in everything except the set-piece, which Ireland's experienced line-up dominated. Jonathan Davies ghosted in the corner after Ryan Jones thought he had opened the score, and it was no less than the Welsh deserved. Priestland hit the post with the conversion though, and it looked like the home side, with Sexton kicking slightly the better and Priestland missing again from close in, would take a stranglehold when Best finished a good move and Sexton converted to add to an earlier penalty. 10-5 to the Irish at half-time in a close and high quality game.

Wales made changes at half-time, with Warburton limping off and Cuthbert savagely culled for sloppy defence leading to Best's try. Ireland's midfield looked porous with D'Arcy known weakness in defence seeming to transfer to McFadden, who proved that it isn't a given that you will take club form to international level. Davies added a second try for Wales, and with Halfpenny taking over kicking duties and knocking over a couple of penalties, Ireland needed a Bowe try and 2 more Sexton penalties to maintain a short lead. Then it all kicked off! Bradley Davies got involved with Donnacha Ryan off the ball and spear tackled him into the ground. Worse, much worse, than Warburton's in the RWC Semi Final. Pearson, the touch judge, saw it and advised yellow card, ridiculously and Davies wandered off shaking his head and swearing. The citing commissioner will almost certainly see that that is Davies's last involvement in this year's 6 Nations. 4 minutes from time, North bullocked over and gave Wales hope, though Priestland's missed conversion left Wales 1 point adrift. There was still time for a twist though as Wayne Barnes gave a late penalty to Wales for a Ferris dangerous tackle. This was never a dangerous tackle, never a penalty and certainly not a yellow card. Halfpenny slotted the 3 points and that was that. Wales edged a quality encounter 23-21.

Let's not get this wrong. Wales thoroughly deserved to win. They were by far the better side. That said, being the better side isn't everything. Scotland proved that the day before. For Wales, having thrown the chance away, to be given a lifeline with such an awful piece of late refereeing, especially given the shenanigans in Cardiff last year, was appalling. Still, it's done and dusted. Ireland blew their chances, Wales made the most of theirs, and the history books will show Wales won.

Team of Week 1

Alex Corbisiero (Eng) - Best performance for England so far
Rory Best (Ire) - Try topped off a performance that deserved a win. Best hooker in Britain
Mike Ross (Ire) - Set solid platform with his tight five partners. String in scrum.
Paul O'Connell (Ire) - Led from the front, but lacking in support from behind
Richie Gray (Sco) - Offered a lot at set-piece and in loose
Ryan Jones (Wal) - Best game in a Welsh shirt in years.
Julien Bonnaire (Fra) - Quietly efficient in a solid French back row performance
Louis Picamoles (Fra) - Back with a bang, leaving Harinordoquy on the bench.

Mike Phillips (Wal) - Bossed Murray and used his size and pace to great effect
Francois Trinh-Duc (Fra) - He can't kick, but as a running fly half with a touch of genius, he continues to prove his doubters wrong
Julien Malzieu (Fra) - Returned to the side with a stunning Man of the Match performance
Wesley Fofana (Fra) - After a slightly dodgy start, a stunning second half performance capped with a try. 2 words - The Future
Jonathan Davies (Wal) - 2 tries and a performance that simply ground the Irish centres into submission
George North (Wal) - Lomu-esque at times. He has a very bright future if he can stay fit and keep his pace
Rob Kearney (Ire) - Back to his very best, defending and attacking under high balls and offering danger whenever he had the ball in hand

5 Frenchmen, 4 Welshmen, 4 Irishmen, 1 Scot and 1 Englishman. A fair reflection on the quality of the teams' performances I would say.

Incredible tension and drama then to start the show. Next weekend sees Italy host England then France host the Irish, before Wales take on Scotland in Cardiff.

God I love this time of year!

It's The Most Wonderful Time... Of The Year

6 Nations is back folks! Well it will be tomorrow afternoon when 2 of the 3 shades of blue the tournament has to offer confront each other in St Denis, France. The rugby season still builds to this event for me. Yes, the Heineken Cup has provided much needed intrigue and interest through the season, ensuring that February is not the first time we see a Frenchman. Terrestrial tv coverage, and matches starting at different times, ensures that this is, for some, their only involvement with rugby for the year.

In my youth (who am I kidding, I'm still young!) the highlight was Grandstand heading over to the great Bill McLaren at Murrayfield, or Nigel Starmer-Smith and his well-spoken enthusiasm at Twickenham, for 90 minutes of blood and thunder rugby. Now coverage is as professional as the players who play the game. Huge teams of analysts pick their way through previous encounters, highlight the ones to watch and show us the sites of the evocative cities which host games. These analysts wouldn't know a fence to sit on if it existed (watch the post-game wind-up with the sound off and it is instantly obvious by the face of Jonathan Davies or Jeremy Guscott whether England or Wales have won. And that sums up the Six Nations.... 1 word: PASSION.

So what of the 2012 version? England, let us not forget, are the reigning champions. Defeat in Dublin did not take away that trophy and a changed side, led by new skipper Chris Robshaw and under the coaching of Stuart Lancaster will defend the title won by Martin Johnson's side and raised by Lewis Moody. Only the most fervent fan would have them as favourites to retain the trophy though, as that honour goes to the French, with the Welsh second favourites in the bookmakers', if not my, eyes.

So to my predictions. A list for you to cross off as they are made to be false. We will see how close I am at the end of the tournament in a little over 7 weeks time:

1. France will win the title. World Cup Finalists, strength in depth, friendly fixture list. Everything in their favour.
2. There will be no Grand Slam in 2012. France will slip up once.
3. Ireland will win the Triple Crown. An away win at Twickenham will seal this.
4. England will win 3 games. The first 3.
5. Scotland will lose in Italy. Italy's tournament will build to this final game.
6. Vincent Clerc will be the leading tryscorer. Pace and a pure sniffer (France will use him too)
7. Jonny Sexton or Owen Farrell will be leading points scorer
8. Wales will disappoint their supporters who expect way more after their World Cup than they have to offer
9. Wesley Fofana of France will make a massive impact
10. William Servat will underline why is by far the best hooker in world rugby
11. England's discipline will be much better under Lancaster
12. Scotland will continue to struggle to score tries
13. The finishing order will be France, Ireland, England, Wales, Italy, Scotland
14. There will be 1 drawn game
15. There will be no red cards

I must dash. Feel free to add any predictions to this list by using the comments below. I will have a review of each game here, but you can also follow me on http://therugbyblog.co.uk/ for whom I am following Ireland this year. Follow me also on Twitter @theeggchaser or you can e-mail me on marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com

That's all for now. Happy 6 Nations everyone, may the best team win! Do you think I mean that?

From Booze To Bank

Cryptic that title I guess, but focus shifts for the next couple of months in Europe from the Heineken Cup, with its Quarter Final line up done and dusted, to the RBS 6 Nations, where everything is far from done and dusted.

6 teams, all with a reasonable amount of optimism going into the tournament given either their club sides' form in the various club competitions or the quality of names in their squads, kick off next weekend (February 4th) and do battle over 5 of the next 7 weekends until the 2nd most prestigious trophy in World rugby is handed over to the successful captain.

The flip side of the coin though sees 6 teams who have a lot to prove coming off the back of varying World Cup campaigns, and in 3 of the cases, with new coaches at the helm. Let's have a quick look at the different sides involved.

Italy
New coach Jacques Bruneel takes over a side which will be confident that it can build on the successes of last year. England and Scotland visit Rome this year, and I am sure Italian targets will be at least 1 victory this year to back up the huge step forward made in Nick Mallett's last season, with the home win over France and general improved performances both in the 6 Nations and the World Cup. One concern will be that the squad is ageing once more, and talismanic though he is, Sergio Parisse cannot go on for ever. Bruneel's task is tricky then: continue the progress while bringing in and blooding new talent.

France
A World Cup Final defeat in Marc Lievremont's final game may seem like a solid enough starting platform, but the performances leading up to that Final were anything but convincing. The Tongan defeat and the 2 defeats against the All Blacks mean that they have only won 4 of their last 7 games, and in only one of those four have they played well against a major side (QF vs England). Philippe Saint-Andre knows his stuff though, and France are rightly up there amongst the favourites, with home advantage against England and Ireland a major plus.

Scotland
A first ever failure to reach the World Cup Quarter Finals, where try scoring was a major issue, leaves doubts as to the ability of Andy Robinson's side to break down well-organised defences, and the 6 Nations provides those in abundance. The positives came this autumn with the form of the clubs sides, particularly Edinburgh, who achieved a home Heineken Cup Quarter Final, and a start against a more-than-likely nervous England set-up could give them some impetus to show well. I fear, though, that a defeat could see the wheels fall off and a potential wooden spoon play-off in Rome on the final weekend.

Wales
there seems to be an aura about the Welsh side at the moment. Impenetrable by even the slightest criticism. I, however, am not completely sold on the Welsh yet. Yes, they performed well in adversity in that World Cup semi final. Yes they took a well-deserved win from the Irish in the Quarter Finals. However, they still lost 3 out of 7 in New Zealand and it is that, for me, perceived inability to win the tight games that has me worried a little. They have key men in key positions (Warburton, Priestland, North and Roberts) and I worry that, if a couple of those don't perform, Wales may struggle to be the side that the majority of watchers think they are. I accept that I am in the minority here, and am ready to eat my words if need be, but I believe we will learn a lot about Wales in Dublin on the first weekend.

Ireland
Declan Kidney has gone for experience over youth this year, and has been roundly criticised for doing so in different media. I though think he has made (mostly) the right choices. The World Cup defeat to Wales still rankles, as Ireland had the weapons to win that game, and I think the attitude Ireland will take into the tournament is one of wanting to prove people wrong. I have always been a great believer in a strong spine making a strong side. By spine I mean 2, 8, 9, 10 and 15. In Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip, Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton and Rob Kearney, Ireland have a spine to compete with the best of them. Best is only bettered in Europe by William Servat and Murray is a much better and more complete player after another autumn of Provincial rugby. Ireland are my outside tip for the title.

England
New coach, all manners of retirements and injuries, off-field shenanigans at all levels. There really is no way a side with all these troubles can win the tournament. It must be said though that England, with the wealth of players at their disposal and the dogged attitude that will be instilled by Stuart Lancaster, can never be completely ruled out. The World Cup failings have been well documented, and using my spine analogy from the previous paragraph, numbers 8, 9 and 10 went missing for large periods in New Zealand, and England limped their way home as a result. 3 wins out of 5 would be a good return this year and may tempt the RFU to continue with Lancaster at the helm. Anything less and he is guaranteed to be back on Saxons duty, anything more and he will still not be guaranteed a longer term contract.

Weekend 1 - Revenge In The Air
The first round of games sees a wonderful mix of games, with a major feeling of revenge tinting all three of them. First up are France and Italy. 2 new coaches and France still smarting from their Roman defeat of 2011. Add to the intrigue the fact that the new Italian coach is French and there is a definite edge to this opener that there wouldn't have been this time last year.

Hot on the heels of this, England walk into the cauldron of a Calcutta Cup game at Murrayfield. Scotland, eliminated from the World Cup by England, will also have revenge on their minds. They will want to hit England early and not let Lancaster's men find their feet and settle into their game plan. If they do, and if they can grind out an early lead, Scotland could well cause an upset of sorts.

Finally, on Sunday, the World Cup Quarter Final is replayed in Dublin. No BOD for Ireland, no Shane Williams for Wales. Wales looking to build on the victory in said Quarter Final, while Ireland will be hoping to continue the momentum developed recently by Leinster, Munster and Ulster in the Heineken Cup.

I'm going for France, England and Ireland in these 3, though I've not decided on margins yet... I will wait to see the line-ups before finally committing.

So if you like your rugby hot with a hint of revenge, then you only have 9 days to wait. There will be a more complete set of predictions here next week, and also have a look out for my preview piece of Ireland's chances which will be appearing on The Rugby Blog www.therugbyblog.co.uk next week. I will be covering Ireland for them throughout the tournament

I Can See Clearly Now (Part 1)

Jimmy Cliff's classic could apply to this final round of Heineken and Amlin games, as with each passing game, the picture becomes clearer as to the Quarter Final line-ups.

It all started with Thursday's Amlin Challenge Group 5 games. Agen handed a 6th brutal stuffing to Spanish champions La Vila (though is it me, or where once we saw 80-odd point defeats, are we now seeing 60-odd point defeats?) while the Top 2 played off at Edgeley Park. After an emotional minute's silence, Sale started the better, the tactic of having Brive's bus stopped on the Motorway clearly bearing fruit... I jest. Sale took a 9-3 lead, only to relinquish 3 points on the stroke of half-time. Still, the 8 point margin required was within a score. Not for long though. Brive equalised, and when the Sharks turned down an easy, preferring to go for a try, and knocked on, a trick had been missed. Ever more needy as the game went on, they tried to force the pace, with Burrell and Miller particularly shining in adversity, but Brive scored the only try of the night through the ubiquitous and excellent Claassens, and Caminati added conversion and a 4th penalty to leave Sale out to dry at 9-19. Brive qualified with 6 out of 6. Sale finished a gallant second and can concentrate on the Premiership.

Friday Evening
Gloucester vs Toulouse on the big screen, Connacht vs Harlequins on the small one. Time delay on one, but you can't have everything. Toulouse's destiny in their own hands, Harlequins requiring help from Gloucester to guarantee their qualification rather than having to wait on the result from Clermont-Ferrand.

Gloucester started promisingly, and for 61 seconds looked good, until Nick Wood, overlooked by England for their EPS, was sin-binned for reckless use of the feet. The Shed agreed whole-heartedly of course. Clearly, Matanavou disagreed and he gave Gloucester a welcome present with a dreadful piece of attempted line-clearing with 3 Gloucester backs in his face: charge-down, touched down, Toulouse 7-0 down. Harlequins clearly weren't in the mood for receiving generosity and in turn gave away a kickable penalty which O'Connor translated into 3 points.

Toulouse were irked clearly, and when a gap opened up the World Player of the Year (somehow) went under the posts and made it 7-5, the conversion tying things up. Almost simultaneously, Quins went in at the corner through Sam Smith to take the lead 5-3. The wind preventing the kick. Gloucester, meanwhile, through a clever kick and chase from Tindall, earned a penalty, and Burns hit the post.

As you can tell, a frantic opening 10 minutes, which ended with both Toulouse and Gloucester with a theoretical 20 points (which would see Toulouse qualify).

Gloucester infringed in front of their sticks on 13 allowing Beauxis to push Toulouse ahead, and a moment later O'Connor succeeded with another penalty to put Connacht ahead. With the wind behind, Connacht were playing the right sort of game. Matanavou made up for his ghastly error, running in an easy try after sweet Toulouse hands, and O'Connor slotted another 3 in Galway. The keyboard is seeing smoke come up as I try to follow everything, and after 20, Toulouse led 17-7 while Connacht edged Harlequins 9-5.

Gloucester's points had come from a sheer gift. Toulouse bossed the opening hands down. Quins were meanwhile building pressure in the Connacht 22 and eventually won a penalty which, given the wind, they were wise to put in the corner. A front throw, a rolling maul.... a knock-on. Wasted opportunity. Gloucester though finally produced quick ball, worked a simple overlap and sent Qera in in the corner. Burns converted and Gloucester were back within 3 at 17-14.

Harlequins and Connacht were involved ina "proper rugby game" in Galway. Wind, rain, errors - everything we experienced on the pitch at school. As the clock ticked round to 30 mins in Gloucester, Toulouse were up by 3 and Quins behind, though the wind would certainly help their second half cause.

Gloucester and Toulouse were both offering plenty of attacking flare. Gloucester growing more and more into the game as the first half went on. Beauxis hit the post with the last kick of the first half though, as it ended 17-14 to the visitors. A high quality and entertaining 40 minutes of rugby. Harlequins were blunted by the conditions, as were Connacht of course. The attritional nature of the game meant 4 minutes delay versus the game at Kinghsolm. With three minutes to half time, Quins were penalised and O'Connor, to put it politely, missed.

At half-time Toulouse were qualified and Harlequins were on their way out. 40 minutes is a long time though, and with the wind at their backs, Harlequins were still favourites.

Beauxis missed a long-distance penalty in the first meaningful action of the second half at Kingsholm but as Gloucester replied, another clever kick from Tindall, collected by May, who fed Sharples and Gloucester had a third try and the lead. If it fed through to Galway, Quins would feel the confidence ebb through their veins. Burns kick hit the post and looked to go over, but the two touch judges who were next to it, decided they need tv evidence, which confirmed the kick and Gloucester led 21-17.

Harlequins still needed to turn things round in Ireland, and started the second half camped in Connacht territory. A great chip through and Monye just failed to grab a ball which bounced extremely high, and Connacht escaped with a 5 metre scrum. Quins were camped deep in the 22 though, and both English sides were showing strongly in the early moments of the second half. In 8 minutes, Connacht had not spent a second in the Quins half.

Gloucester stretched the lead to 7 after Burns successfully kicked a penalty following a Toulouse offside. Burns tried again from his own half 5 minutes later, but was a good 7 or 8 yards short. Toulouse had been quiet for long periods, but Matanavou went over for his second try of the evening, which Beauxis converted to make it 24-24: enough for them to qualify. Quins nudged back into it with an Evans penalty to make it 9-8 Connacht. The tightness of the Heineken Cup never more in evidence than tonight.

As the weather took its toll, Harlequins experience started to bear fruit. Silly errors from Connacht meant they continually faced extreme pressure. From a basic knock-on in the 22, Harlequins scrum again took its toll and won another penalty. Evans lined up a kick which he missed, shortly followed by a successful kick from Burns at Kingsholm. Gloucester led, Harlequins should have led, but Toulouse still scraped through as it stood.

Were this not enough, Gloucester took the ball from deep, Simpson Daniel fed a rampaging May who went over in the corner to score a 4th try, converted by Burns, to give them a 34-24 lead. 10 minutes remained in Galway for Quins to turn things around and ensure qualification. Quins hands were just not good enough though and knock-on from Brown cost them dearly. A final scrum in Connacht territory and Harlequins needed to provoke a penalty. Gloucester and Toulouse had finished 3 minutes earlier and this was truly the last throw of the dice. Quins could not manage it though, and now need an Ulster win and a miracle draw between Biarritz and Ospreys to qualify themselves.

Toulouse win the Pool, but lose the home Quarter Final in all probability. Harlequins look like Amlin Quarter Finalists now.

Phew. Rendez-vous tomorrow? Thought so.

Elementary My Dear Watson

It's that weekend when the 24 teams in the Heineken Cup learn their fate. Well I say 24, but it's actually a lot less as some are already resigned to theirs: non-qualification for the Quarter Finals, not even descending into the Amlin Challenge as recompense for their efforts in the 5 Rounds so far. There are still many permutations though, so before the weekend starts, let's run through them Pool by Pool, team by team, to ensure that you know the score before the games kick-off.

Pool 6
A logical place to start obviously. Actually, these are the Friday night games, so as I've decided to attack this chronologically, that's where we begin. Connacht's debut season has been tough, and they unfortunately are resigned to their fate. 2 losing bonus points is scant reward for their efforts, and their final involvement this year will be to try and put a spanner in the works of Harlequins' well-oiled machine. Gloucester too know their finishing position; a tough pool for the cherry and whites and but for a couple of close defeats, they could well be preparing for a huge game at home to Toulouse. As it is, they are looking to finish on a high while doing their Premiership rivals a favour.

The real interest is in the other two sides. A Toulouse win sees them qualify. A home Quarter FInal will only be lost if Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Saracens all win, or if 3 of the 4 win and Edinburgh win with a bonus point, while Cardiff don't win. Home QFs are difficult to predict really, but if a gun were held to my head, I'd suggest Toulouse will get one.

Harlequins can qualify as Group winners if they win and Toulouse lose, if they win with a bonus point and Toulouse draw, or if they draw with a bonus point and Toulouse don't score any points. Runners-up qualification will be assured with a win and an Ulster loss (without bonus point) or an Ulster win.

Confused yet? Good, it gets better trust me.

Pool 3
Saturday kicks off with a relatively straightforward mathemetical case. Bath and Montpelier are adrift. Leinster have ruled the roost in this Pool, their highlight being a whooping of Bath, and a win would guarantee a Home QF. Glasgow are the current incumbents of second place, and a bonus point win would see them clinging to an Amlin Challenge lifeline which could become reality if 3 of the following 5 things happen (deep breath): Munster beat Northampton, Scarlets and Leicester don't get bonus point wins, Ospreys and Biarritz draw and Harlequins don't score a point and score 4 less tries than Glasgow themselves do.

So it's bye bye Glasgow

Pool 4
Aironi have long since been resigned to their fate. I could unkindly suggest that that has been the case since the balls came out of the bag at the draw, but I won't. Leicester can still qualify for the Amlin with a bonus point win and other results going their way (Harlequins defeat, Clermont defeat, Northamton defeat for example). The real interest though is at Stade Marcel Michelin, where ASM Clermont Auvergne host Ulster. An Ulster win will see them welcome a Quarter Final at Ravenhill. A loss with no bonus point will see them nervously looking at Harlequins, Cardiff and Edinburgh, as wins for all three would see them eliminated and into the Amlin Challenge. Clermont, theoretically, could still qualify with a draw or bonus point defeat, but that is highly unrealistic and defeat at home would probably mean Challenge Quarter Finals for them.

Pool 1
Saturday's final denouement is Pool 1, where Munster are qualified and with a win at Northampton will ensure another home Quarter Final at Thomond Park. Contrary to popular belief, Northampton can still theoretically qualify for the Quarters themselves. A bonus point win, allied to a 0 point defeat for Cardiff or Edinburgh, a 0 point defeat for Clermont, a 4 point win for Ospreys or Biarritz in their head-to head and defeat for Harlequins, and the Saints could even qualify as best runner-up. Odds please Mr Ladbrokes? Scarlets, by beating Castres comfortably and seeing Northampton lose at home to Munster, could also qualify for the Amlin Quarters. Castres are out.

Pool 5
Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Sentiments I am sure most of us feel as the weekend ends, yet this Sunday could be bloody for the Ospreys or Biarritz. Saracens need a mere losing bonus point in Treviso to qualify for the Quarters and dispel the gloom surrounding English rugby. Meanwhile, a bonus point win for either the Welsh or French side could see them qualify, if Clermont, Cardiff or Edinburgh slip up. Treviso will finish bottom, but have had their moments this year against Biarritz home and away, and continue to progress.

Pool 2
Cardiff and Edinburgh both know: win and they qualify. Both are at home against teams with other things on their minds as neither can qualify for even the Amlin Challenge, so really, this should be straightforward, if anything can ever be said to be straightforward in this crazy competition. A draw or losing bonus point could also be enough to qualify, depending on results in Clermont, Biarritz and Treviso.

London Irish and Racing Metro 92 are both left counting the cost of inconsistency and looking to qualify for next year's competition through their League placings.

So there you have it. Clear as mud isn't it. Little by little, as each Pool reaches its conclusion, lines will be drawn through teams' names. 6 live games to behold on the box thanks to Sky, 6 more to be followed in parallel on the faithful iPad thanks to SkyGo. I don't think I've ever watched 12 games of rugby in a single weekend before.

Finally, my predicted QF line-ups as per last weekend's blog:

Leinster (24) vs Harlequins (20)

Saracens (23) vs Edinburgh (21)
Toulouse (22) vs Clermont (20)
Munster (21) vs Cardiff (21)

And for completeness, my Amlin Challenge 8 Quarter FInalists:

Stade Francais, Toulon, Wasps, Perpignan, Sale, Northampton, Ulster, Biarritz

Check back over the weekend to see how I've done.