Come on England

[cailin maith]

I would support Ireland for that...I bet you have lovely norks..

Charmer!!! The lengths you boyos will go to!!

[tay]

I would support Ireland for you to keep them safely tucked away. Wouldnt want you getting a chill my dear.

[cailin maith]

I would support Ireland for you to keep them safely tucked away. Wouldnt want you getting a chill my dear.

Crikey - we have a gentleman on here.....

[daviejones]

Crikey - we have a gentleman on here.....

Don't worry...if they get a chill, I will warm them for you...

[cailin maith]

Don't worry...if they get a chill, I will warm them for you...

Your generosity knows no bounds does it??

[daviejones]

Your generosity knows no bounds does it??

I will do my best to ensure they are not harmed by the fierce winter chill...

[Muttley08]

As much of an interesting subject as Cailan's norks are...

Back on topic....

Does no-one else think England have played awful rugby, and that if they win, it's a pretty damning verdict on rugby union? It's a bit like Wimbledon of the early 90's winning the Premiership with a dull, defensive, long ball game.

As a rugby purist (league and union) - can't help but think they don't deserve to win.

[sasguru]

As much of an interesting subject as Cailan's norks are...

Back on topic....

Does no-one else think England have played awful rugby, and that if they win, it's a pretty damning verdict on rugby union? It's a bit like Wimbledon of the early 90's winning the Premiership with a dull, defensive, long ball game.

As a rugby purist (league and union) - can't help but think they don't deserve to win.

I disagree. That's why rugby is interesting - there are so many ways you can win a game - some of them by effectively nullifying your technically superior opponents. It's more like chess than football is. The battle between England and SA will be instructive as SA like scoring tries and England will try to stop them, but may need a couple of tries themselves to win.

[Muttley08]

I disagree. That's why rugby is interesting - there are so many ways you can win a game - some of them by effectively nullifying your technically superior opponents. It's more like chess than football is. The battle between England and SA will be instructive as SA like scoring tries and England will try to stop them, but may need a couple of tries themselves to win.

But isn't this just like football sitting with a defensive back 10, boring the pants off people? As a fan, I want to see attacking play... sorry SAS - not convinced...

[The Lone Gunman]

But isn't this just like football sitting with a defensive back 10, boring the pants off people? As a fan, I want to see attacking play... sorry SAS - not convinced...

I dont see your point. What is negative about the way england play?
Our pack getting stuck in rucking and mauling and marching up the field is attacking play.
Backs and forwards make up a rugby team and the subtlety is mixing the two.
The fact that we draw a lot of penalties is not down to our negative play it is down to the inability of the opposition to defend against us who commit fouls due to their inability.
We would score more tries if oppositions held their discipline.
The pack scoring a push over is as sweet as running it through the backs.

We do not over defend either. We commit as many men as is needed to the ruck or maul, but everyone else stands back waiting for the next move.
That is sold defending, not boring negative play.
We would be foolish indeed to let opposition like France, SA and NZ make free with the ball. We have made the mistake of trying to defend against their game before. We are much better making them defend against ours. If we make SA play our game we might have a slim chance of beeting them whereas we tried to defend their game in the first round and look what happened there.

Obviously, this is my opinion and it is a bit rose coloured due to the fact I am English, but I do not accept this cry of boring. An England team in full flow is an awesome sight.