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kiwififer

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Lots of Wales fans stay around the central belt and elsewhere when Wales play at Murrayfield. I thought it's because Edinburgh was too expensive but a lot of the time it's Welsh clubs who play Scottish clubs on the Friday. In my local area Grangemouth beat Llandbyie and New Maesteg beat Falkirk.

Any other games where the regular posters live?

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16 minutes ago, come on shire said:

Dan Biggar getting stick for blowing up at Rio Dyer in the 1st half for giving him a poor passe. However am I alone in thinking it wasn't the best of pass catches from Biggar himself?

A younger fitter player catches that imo, he got both hands to it.

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Well well well, that was really something on Saturday. Still haven't had a chance to watch more than the highlights and first 20 back a second time but so much to talk about us doing well in that game. 

Richie Gray was superb again, solid in the main (as was Gilchrist) but a couple of big interventions with a try saving tackle on Cuthbert just before Biggar chucked into touch, and one carry in the build up to one of the tries where he basically dived through to make 3/4 metres. His work at the lineout, after our focus on overthrows last week, was superb. Funny that a functioning lineout makes us look a lot more threatening team as we can get our strike plays off. One of the big keys to our best play under Townsend has always been the lineout, often (as they showed on ScrumV very well last night) using the maul well to tie in the oppo back row - hitting a strike play and then keeping moving forward with a few carries before Finn spots space. Worked brilliantly yesterday and the new attack coaches, Dalziel (whose work I've been pretty unconvinced by previously) and Townsend deserve a lot of credit for getting it right. Equally, Tandy has shown he can build a defence that doesn't rely on having one of the best defensive 13s in the game playing, and our conditioning looks better than it ever has - no sign of being the first team to fatigue in either of our games so far. 

Tuipulotu  and Jones have been excellent so far - both better than they've been in the past defensively and such a threat. Sione at first receiver is a real game changer. Defenders have to set to tackle as otherwise he'll run over the top but he equally has the option of Jones pretty much always picking a superb line or Russell out the back; after last week they have to worry about a kick in behind as well. The time this is giving Russell is a huge help. 3 assists plus the cross kick for Kinghorn's try is an insane output, one of the great Finn performances. 

Carrying game was interesting, we seem to have accepted that this is just not our game. We don't have the physicality of France or the ability to interplay in the forwards as much as Ireland so outside of the 22 we mainly use it to back up breaks, set for kicking or to get the ball wide in another phase, or to get all our backs on their feet for another strike move. Was delighted for Fagerson to get his try as he is the king of this underappreciated carrying style. So often, most notably after the cross-kick tap down to Ritchie in the first half on Saturday, he is the guy to take on the first carry after a break or when isolated after a cross kick; and he always does what he has to - either staying on his feet long enough for support to arrive or making a few yards and keeping the defence moving backwards. 

We still have to make improvements to have a chance in Paris, as good as he was some of Finn's kicking or forcing it could see us punished against better teams; and we are giving up a bit of ground too easily in defence at times. We also can't afford to just not play for 20 minutes again. Fortunately we have plenty of build up to the next two though. You don't want to change a winning team too much but can you leave Watson out if he is fit? His ability to impact games will be huge against France and Ireland you'd feel. White looked a bit shaky at times which is a worry, is Price recall or Horne taking the reins maybe? Graham is he's fit is our forrm back this season but Steyn has been excellent so far. Townsend is getting it spot on so far and delighted for him tbh, seems to be finally putting together all those lessons and tweaks he's made over the years. Still think it's taken longer than it should but really chuffed to support this team again, regardless of what happens over the next 4 weeks. 

Wales were pretty shit with a few good moments. The young back rowers all look pretty handy but I'm not sure the logic of dropping the older forwards, who all seem like level headed, good leaders, and leaving a petulant child like Biggar as one of the key leaders. The way he treated Dyer when Biggar himself was having a shocker was pretty awful. George North is an absolute ghost of himself now as well. Shame to watch almost - he was definitely knocked out as well. 

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On 12/02/2023 at 20:38, velo army said:

I'm delighted that Russell and Toonie seemed to have made up. Russell, if he was a footballer, would be Prosinecki. Able to create beautiful art on the field, but don't ask him to train or eat like Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Anyway, he was unplayable from about the 20th minute yesterday, and his pass to Steyn gets better every time I see it. Ireland were different class yesterday and should win this championship. I can't wait for the France game though, it should be an absolute classic. Their scrum half is the best I've seen since Van Der Westhuizen, and although Ntamack jr didn't have his best game yesterday he's a class act. The half back battle will be utterly absorbing.

I never thought I'd say it, but I'm enjoying Rugby more than football right now. Rugby used to be the more complicated sport, but since VAR football has become much more opaque in its rules. I didn't feel clueless as to what was going on yesterday at all. 

I think that is a bit of a stereotype ? 
 

listened to the Rugby Pod last week and they had Tuipolotu on - he said Russell is very diligent in preparing etc

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28 minutes ago, HK Hibee said:

I think that is a bit of a stereotype ? 
 

listened to the Rugby Pod last week and they had Tuipolotu on - he said Russell is very diligent in preparing etc

I was referring to the previous fallout he had with Townsend which I thought was around drinking after training or something.

I don't reckon modern players are at all like they were previously but yes, I was definitely stereotyping him. 

 

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Having been in Edinburgh for the weekend I missed most of the chat on the game. Having watched it back its a completely different vibe to being at Murrayfield. In hte stadium although Wales came back into the game during the last 10-15 minutes of the first half, there was never a feeling that they were actually at the races, it always felt like it was a matter of time before Scotland ran in the tries. Watching it back with the commentary it sounds more like they are bigging up the welsh in hte first half but in reality they offered little to no threat in attack. Given what we have been through in previous years being heavy favourites and losing, even with our pessimism there was no one who thought Wales were winning. There was maybe a moment when Kinghorn came on, but that soon passed as he was excellent also.

 

I know the Welsh fans get a bit of stick, but the ones that inhabit the online message boards are completely different to the ones that turn up for games, who in the main are a pretty decent bunch, even in defeat. Although Shane Williams was a bit moody, but at least stopped for some pictures in the pub after the game. I was going to tell him I quite enjoyed is co-commentary, but didnt bother...

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