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#RBS6Nations 2017 Round 3 round up

#SCOvWAL FT29-13
It was a momentous day for the Scots, as they won their first game against Wales for a decade. The win also sets the scene for a long-awaited Triple Crown showdown at HQ on the 11th March. Scotland’s form, whilst still far from the finished article, shows a new confidence and energy that has eluded the team since it last won the Five Nations in 1999.  

Wales took a marginal lead at half time, but Scotland’s ingenuity and high spiritedness overwhelmed Wales in the second half, dominating possession and keeping Wales firmly off the scoreboard.  Man of the Match, Finn Russell, kicked meticulously and Barclay stepped into Laidlaw’s captaincy boots with decisive impact. 

It was not a good day for Welsh rugby, with the result likely to lead to a slip in World Rugby rankings which will determine Rugby World Cup 2019’s pool group draws. And we all know how that turned out last time this happened…

Wales will have to make some bold selection changes if they are to have any chance of a win against Ireland in a fortnight’s time. 
#IREvFRA FT19-9

France kicked off the match against the Irish with a fabulously French flourish, but it wasn’t long until fatigue took hold, leaving Ireland to assume control of the match. Conor Murray put in a Man of the Match performance, and the Irish certainly benefited from the return of talisman Sexton. 

The win keeps Ireland’s dreams of a tournament title alive, and a victory in Cardiff next round would set the platform for a classic clash against Grand Slam seekers, England. 

#ENGvITA FT35-16

It proved an interesting game at Twickenham on Sunday, and “ruck-gate” was the name of the game. Italy’s cunning, yet controversial, tactic of not committing to the breakdown (thus allowing Italians to be legally offside and disrupting England’s attacking options) left the hosts dazed and confused for the opening minutes of the game, forcing Haskell and Hartley to seek unprecedented rule book clarification from match referee, Romain Poite. It was a bizarre spectacle for us home viewers, and pundits were divided on whether O’Shea should be applauded or reprimanded. Eddie Jones was livid, condeming the Italians of not playing rugby.  

Despite Italy’s mischievous half time lead, England composed themselves for a fight back, scoring 5 tries after the break, securing the critical try bonus point against the Azzuri visitors.  

Whatever your views, the game play certainly avoided a score sheet wipeout and there is no argument that Italy had to try something to justify their ongoing presence in the tournament. 

The men in white could finally breathe a sign of relief: their winning streak remains in tact with only Scotland and Ireland standing in their way to Grand Slam glory. 

RBS6Nations Table Round 3

1. England 13pts

2. Ireland 10pts

3. Scotland 9pts

4. Wales 5pts

5. France 5pts 

6. Italy 0pts 

It’s another break next weekend, but RBS6Nations action kicks off again on the 10th March as Wales host Ireland in Cardiff!

#GingerBreadOfHeaven

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“The relationship between the Welsh and the English is based on trust and understanding.  They don’t trust us and we don’t understand them.”- (Dudley Wood, English RFU secretary on Anglo-Welsh relations, 1986)

There is nothing in rugby quite like the Wales v England fixture.

Since 1881, the two neighbouring nations have continued to redress historical rivalry out on the pitch. 

During this time, the teams have met on 129 occasions with England leading the win rate at 60 games to 57.  Twelve matches have resulted in a draw. But let’s take a closer look at the results for the Six Nations tournament specifically…

As a Wales fan, one of the highlights of recent times was the win against the English at the Millennium Stadium in 2013, where Wales secured an extraordinary win against their nemeses, defeating the English with a record breaking margin (30-3).  Good times:)Other than “that” game in Twickenham back in September 2015 (#RWC2015 pool game), Wales have failed to beat England in a Six Nations match since 2013.  Here’s to hoping Howley’s men can force the English to capitulate once again… 

May the best biscuit win!

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Biscuits, Brexit and Bonus Points – Six Nations 2017 Beckons!

It will be the first tournament played since “that” vote back in June, and whether you were the 48% or the 52%, the exhilaration and thrill that comes with this legendary championship will keep us all blissfully distracted from Brexit madness for the next 6 weeks.

There seems to be very few parts of our lives that will not be impacted by Brexit, and the Six Nations tournament will certainly not escape unscathed. The abandonment of free movement as we know it will inevitably affect travelling fans and players alike.  

However, there is comfort in knowing that this oldest of all tournaments has survived for 130 years, witnessing great tides of change across the Continent during this period, and only ever changing for the better. Thankfully, history reassures us that the Six Nations is sure to be with us for some many years to come. What the real and actual consequences of Brexit will be for our favourite tournament who knows, and indeed, for the next 25 games at least, who cares – that is a concern for another day. 

Bonus point trial

The 2017 season will see the introduction of a new points system. The previous system awarded two points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. This will now change, so that match winners can now claim up to 5 points, as the new four point for a win allocation can be supplemented by an additional point if they score 4 or more tries.   A draw will attract 2 points, with an additional point available under the 4 tries point.  For losing Unions, the position is changed considerably, as instead of a maximum zero score, a loser could find themselves with up to 2 bonus points, if they score 4 tries or more and lose by a margin of fewer than 7 points.

To avoid the mathematical nonsense of seeing a Union winning all 5 games and losing the Championship to a team who may only have won four games, but secured a handful of bonus points, the powers that be have introduced a Quidditch style bonus award of 3 points for the Union that secures the coveted Grand Slam. 

This trial hopes to promote a more attacking style of play and to make the match result a far more important influence on where each team ends up sitting on the leader board at the close of Super Saturday. 

And so the 6 Biscuits are poised, all set for another epic Championship…

First up at 14.25pm sees Scotland defending BT Murrayfield against the mighty Irish-All Blacks-slayers (#SCOvIRE), with current Champs, England, looking to increase their record match-win-run-rate (standing at 14 back-to-back wins) against France at HQ at 16:50pm (#ENGvFRA). The final game of the opening weekend is on Sunday, as Wales will be hoping for a good win against Italy in Rome at 14:00pm (#ITAvWAL). 

Let’s get ready to C-R-U-M-B-L-E!!!!!


#GingerBreadOfHeaven

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#RBS6Nations Round 4 round up

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Another great weekend of rugby after two weeks of waiting.

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First match of the day saw Ireland win over Italy in Dublin, but it was the BIG ONE at Twickenham at 4pm that everyone had been waiting for. 

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Billed as the tournament decider, we all eagerly awaited the colossal face off between England and Wales, with the dragons stoked to derail the Chariots’ hopes of their first Grand Slam win in over a decade.

It was another classic.  Disappointingly, Wales failed to turn up in the first half (and much of the second), but came back in the dying minutes of the game in what threatened to be a repeat of THAT clash at Twickenham less than six months ago which ended in England being unceremoniously dumped out of their own World Cup.

But, fortunately for Eddie’s men, there was to be no such humiliation, and England’s sights remained on that elusive prize.

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But the weekend’s excitement was not over…

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England needed Scotland to win or draw to keep France out of contention, and nothing short of a thrashing could keep France’s tournament hopes alive.   The plucky Scots had everything to play for, and secured an historic win over an unstructured and underwhelming French side, a feat last achieved in 2006.

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And so, England were declared tournament champions with a game in hand, but it will all come down to Le crunch next week as only France stand in England’s way for securing Six Nations Grand Slam glory. 

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                             Roll on Super Saturday!!

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#RBS6Nations Round 3 round up

Round 3 kicked off in Cardiff on Friday evening as France took on Wales under the stars as a technical hitch left the Principality Stadium’s roof open.  It was an exciting evening as your trusted biscuits got to experience the atmosphere for themselves.  They were also treated to a pre-game warm up in the company of Wales and Lions legend Dafydd James.

Sadly, the game itself was far from a classic, but Wales secured an important win that keeps them as viable contenders for the title.

Yesterday,  Scotland managed to avoid a tenth Six Nations loss, and England’s solid performance against Ireland leaves them chasing that elusive Grand Slam alone…

#CookiesOnTour

 

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#RBS6Nations Round 1 round up

What a thrilling start to the tournament!  imageAt the end of round 1, England sit atop the championship table and a draw at the Aviva Stadium today means there are only two teams who can still get their hands on the coveted Grand Slam.

Here is a visual round up of the weekend’s activities courtesy of your friends, the Six Biscuits…

High expectations for Round 2!

 

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Hooray, it’s GAME DAY!!

The Six Nations kicks off today, and it has what it takes to be yet another intriguing tournament, with a number of teams setting their sights at the trophy.

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ROUND ONE

GAME 1 – France v Italy KO 14.25pm, BBC1

DSC_5998Italy will want a good performance to avoid the increasing questions for a relegation system to be introduced, as teams like Georgia putting in impressive performances against high quality opposition at the World Cup.

France remain as unpredictable as ever, and could deliver a surprise coup.

GAME 2 – Scotland v England KO 16:50pm, BBC1

DSC_6002Vern Cotter’s Scotland will be heading to the Calcutta Cup fixture with elevated confidence after narrowly missing out on a coveted World Cup Semi Final place.  A win against England today could see Scotland vying for their first ever six nations win (they are of course, the reigning 5 Nations Champions!).

England’s early World Cup exit was unfortunate, but the fact that Eddie Jones’ new era team broadly mirrors that under predecessor Lancaster, shows that England cannot be ruled out for a championship win.  Whilst England haven’t won the tournament since 2011, they have continued to be a dominant force having finished 2nd for the last four years.

GAME 3 (SUN) – Ireland v Wales KO 15:00pm, ITV

DSC_6000Wales have a strong chance with 3 home games. They also have a good post-World Cup record, having won the tournament with Grand Slams in both 2008 and 2012.

Ireland are looking, however, to retain the title, with Rory Best at the helm in place of talisman Paul O’Connell.  The clash at Twickenham on the 27th may be come to a tournament decider…

May the best biscuit win!DSC_5993

*All of Wales’ games are being shown in Welsh on S4C

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