Six Nations open thread

by Chris Bertram on February 7, 2010

We usually have a Six Nations thread at this time of the year, to give our North American commenters the opportunity to make the same old joke about the Iroquois they made the previous year. I didn’t see Ireland-Italy but I did enjoy England’s largely undeserved victory over the Welsh, whose second-row forward Alun Wyn Jones managed to gift England 17 points by getting himself sin-binned. Something tells me that if England can be this crap and still get a victory, they might manage to win the whole thing.

{ 17 comments }

1

PJM 02.07.10 at 4:12 pm

Ireland – Italy was much as expected. We (Ireland) played badly but still hammered them. Poor Italy are looking at another bad year with no top level players fit. Ireland will hopefully have shaken the rust off before their two tough away fixtures this month. Ireland could very quickly fall from champions to salvaging their pride with a couple of bad days in Paris and Twickenham.

I thought England looked like they have at least found a style however ugly and will batter people up front. They also looked much more disciplined than last year.

2

Substance McGravitas 02.07.10 at 6:04 pm

So the first sentence ends in a comma?

Rugby: not good for the brainium.

3

John 02.07.10 at 6:32 pm

Remember, England have never won a game. They just score more points than the opposition.

4

Joshua Holmes 02.07.10 at 7:09 pm

I’d prefer a thread on why Super League matches aren’t appearing on ESPN360.

5

Martin Wisse 02.07.10 at 7:14 pm

Don’t remind me of that England win — the perfect start to a weekend full sporting disappointments.

6

ejh 02.07.10 at 7:40 pm

Does the term “undeserved” actually mean anything in sport?

7

Substance McGravitas 02.07.10 at 8:20 pm

The World Anti-Doping Agency has opinions on the matter.

8

Kenny Easwaran 02.07.10 at 10:15 pm

This is an appropriate day for a football-related blog post.

9

Dave 02.07.10 at 10:23 pm

Much like our getting to the final of the last world cup; I’ll take it.

10

AlanDownunder 02.08.10 at 3:03 am

Dave @9

“Much like our getting to the final of the last world cup; I’ll take it.”

Not really Dave. This time, no English officiating was involved.

(posted by an Aussie so that no Kiwi can be accused of poor form – or RWC envy)

11

BenSix 02.08.10 at 2:32 pm

It was the first time I’d properly watched rugby since the 2003 World Cup. And, my, didn’t they look young.

12

jamie_2002 02.09.10 at 1:26 am

BBC America actually broadcast the England – Wales match, and has at least two more games scheduled.

13

stras 02.09.10 at 4:37 am

The Iroquois actually prefer to be known as the Haudenosaunee, or People of the Longhouse.

14

Dave Weeden 02.09.10 at 4:17 pm

Off topic, but Chris might enjoy Bernard-Henri Lévy a laughing stock for quoting fictional philosopher.

The blunder was seized on with glee by a literary world fiercely jealous of BHL’s success. His credulity was spotted by Aude Lancelin, a journalist with the Le Nouvel Observateur, the left-leaning weekly that is de rigueur for the thinking classes. The Botul quotes were “a nuclear gaffe that raises questions on the Lévy method”, she wrote.

15

mollymooly 02.13.10 at 9:27 pm

Last year Ireland were very good, weren’t we?

This year Ireland aren’t very good, are they?

16

bert 02.13.10 at 10:57 pm

England-Wales last week.
Wales-Scotland this.
The contrast between them sums rugby up for me right now.
Both won due to numerical advantage. But the latter match you couldn’t look away. England-Wales, however, you were constantly wondering if there was anything else on another channel.

It’s no fun following England. It must be what it’s like to be a German football fan. Good enough to win regular trophies, but loved by nobody due to deep intrinsic unloveability.
They play Italy tomorrow. But they’re up against a repeat of How Clean Is My House and I don’t fancy their chances.

17

Mrs Tilton 02.13.10 at 11:13 pm

Mollymooly @15,

yes, we were, and no, we are not.

My French friend was gracious aftrwards. That French defence, he said; it was just so hard; with the best will in the world Ireland simply couldn’t break through. True enough as far as that goes, of course. But the fact is, Ireland were so bad, so hamfisted, so slipshod useless clumsy worthless, that the French would still have won handily had they not bothered to take the field.

My theory is there’s some sort of voodoo curse at work here. What else could explain such monumental suckage?

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