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@Smuts said in Scotland v England 2026 6N:
@Catogrande since you're helping us remember things, I was hoping you could remind us whether
the rabble that got humilificated by the Scots on SaturdayEngland have played the All Blacks recently, and, if so: who won?
No sense in looking back. It's the next game that counts.
Oh and it was us 
@MN5 said in England v Ireland 2026 6N:
@Catogrande said in England v Ireland 2026 6N:
@sparky Yeah, like the last team were too strong for Scotland
You'll be fine. It's BAU against an Irish team in decline.
England by a comfortable 15-20.
Far from comfiortable but advantage England if Prendergast starts IMO.
@sparky Yeah, like the last team were too strong for Scotland 
Borthwick with some changes.
England: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Itoje, Chessum, T Curry, Earl, Pollock.
Replacements: George, Rodd, Davison, Coles, Pepper, Underhill, Van Poortvliet, M Smith.
Arundell a bit lucky both to not get a ban and then to keep his place. But there IS no substitute for pace, so hopefully he will come good this weekend. Steward is leading a charmed life, due I think to a lack of a viable alternative. He does need to show something more than he has done so far. LCD has to be very close to getting a card for his no arms chop tackle technique but offers some go forward above George. To be fair, I'd be OK with either but I would like to see us blooding a younger guy a bit more often. Tinkering in the back row was to be expected as things did not go to plan but I'm not sure that Pepper and Underhill offer the same impact off the bench. Selection of JVP and M Smith are both overdue and obvious to all but SB.
Thank you both for illustrating things so well
What you have to remember is that stereotypes for fans only apply to the English and the Saffas, every other lot are just misrepresented by a few outliers.
@MiketheSnow said in Scotland v England 2026 6N:
Another bottle job by England and another 6N without a Grand Slam
Poor dabs
The supporters are spewing
Good enough for the arrogant twats
FFS Mike, that's a bit harsh 
I'ver been giving a bit more thought to Borthwick's bench selection, in particular his choice of Fin Smith on the bench. If you're going for a 6-2 split it makes no sense not to have a utility back on the bench. With no cover from 11-14 any losses there will result in a complete re-shuffle of the backline with players playing out of position. Yes, I get it, we have players that "can do a job" in the centres but it's a big ask to do that for nearly a whole game. Will Greenwood hit the nail on the head in saying that if we lost a back 3 player it is a zero sum benefit selection. I'm guessing that the selection was based on wanting to give Fin Smith some game time at one point or another. If so that smacks of arrogance and when you're up against one of, if not the best, centre partnership in the 6N, it is really fatal arrogance.
@sparky said in Six Nations 2026:
@scribe said in Six Nations 2026:
I know it was only Wales (sorry Mike), but France. Wow. Ominous. Their U20 programme has certainly borne some decent fruit.
South Africa, England and New Zealand are all probably better in the front five at set piece. But the French skills around the park are crazy. Jalibert, Dupont and LBB were outstanding today.
Yeah, the French pack was quite lightweight today, two back rowers (albeit quite big buggers) in the engine room. Made for good athleticism, handling and footwork, not sure they'd make that selection for SA though.
@Victor-Meldrew It never ceases to amaze me when Wainwright is not selected, which has happened far too often. He really ought to be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Another tough day for Wales but a marked improvement from the England game I feel. Discipline was certainly much better and it looked like the attitude had taken a step up too. Some good defensive work certainly but then some crass decision making or skillset errors undo everything.
As for Beard - I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Laugh I think.
@MN5 I'm actually quite rude to real Scotsmen.
Happy days for @mn5 enjoy it mate, it was well deserved. Great game by Scotland and never really in doubt after England coughed up ball too easily in the first 5minutes or so. It just felt like we were going to be shit and a lot of the time we were. Scots love living off scraps so why not kick the fucking ball to them all day long and not contest? Poor game plan, lack of flexibility and poor bench selection and use. Add to that some quite astounding individual skill errors and we were toast.
Well done Scotland. Calcutta Cup and Raeburn Shield.
I was fuming when England let Edwards slip through their fingers and he turned to the dark side over the river, but you lot must be flabbergasted that your people let let him go when they had him and he was happy (ish) there?
@MiketheSnow Front row and back row both look better this week, but why oh why is there no Reffell there. If it wasn't for Jan Morgan, he ought to have had a hatful of caps by now. With Morgan out he really should be a shoo-in.
The backs do not inspire one bit though.
@Dodge said in Scotland v England 2026 6N:
Jamie Ritchie is one of those players that worries me and pleases me as an opposition fan, from my memory of him, he's a 3-1 brain fade to Man of the match ratio player
Agreed and the thing is when he's your 3-1 man you love him, when he's the oppositions 3-1 man you never know when you're going to love him or hate him.
Back along when every Scot, plastic or otherwise, was wanking on about Hamish Watson, I always thought that Ritchie was the more useful player.
@mohikamo said in Six Nations 2026:
@mikedogz said in Six Nations 2026:
I wonder if there is a space for a rugby version of the Euros. The top four from the six nations would automatically qualify. There could be chance for a team like Georgia to get on a good run and beat some higher ranked teams. Ireland might get past a Quarterfinal for a change.
I also wonder what a combined team from the tier 2 European teams would be like. Get all of the fully pro players from those countries together and play the Southern Hemisphere teams on tour.
This is what WRs plan is.
We have the Nations Cup this year for the first time, most of us have heard of that.
6N + Sanzar4 + Japan + Fiji = 12
Played in July and November.
From what I can gather the revenue is to be split evenly (with extra depending on where you place).
This is a new concept for rugby, and is a big deal for a nation like Fiji.
Fiji played two huge prestige internationals against France and England at the end of last year; but i'm thinking they got fuck-all moolah out of it (expenses only), typical cuntos euros.Running in parallel to this is the Nations Championship.
Also 12 teams, this year : Canada, Chile, Georgia, Hong Kong, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Spain, Tonga, Uruguay, USA and Zimbabwe.This set-up is envisaged to run in non-RWC years.
Possibly one reason they expanded the RWC to 24 teams.
Doesn't affect the 6N; the Euro tossers can still have their thing; and Sanzar can still do whatever.
And . . . this is just about the best part (after the equal revenue share) . . . there will be promotion and RELEGATION!
Be a happy day when I see one of those tosser 6N teams get RELEGATED!As the international game is what seems to be generating most rugby revenue; the concept is quite good.
But, we'll see.
Said in a Darth Vader voice - "The bitterness s strong in this one".
You're right in that Spain (as an up and coming rugby nation) has significant financial upside going on size, population, addiction to sport etc but the domestic situation in Spain (as far as I can ascertain) is a long way off many other countries and there is little in the way of pathways and nothing in the way of traditional rugby playing - ie nothing much in schools, very few long standing rugby clubs of any note - you know, like a feeder system. It is remarkable how well they are currently doing at international level considering all those headwinds. but look at how long it has taken Japan to become competitive, even on a sporadic basis. Japan has a much longer and stronger association with rugby than Spain, has had tonnes of cash thrown at it, zealous recruitment policies and a very strong financial base. Italy is similar but not as pronounced. Spain is a long way behind in these key metrics. So don't hang your hat on a couple of years on an upward trajectory of the national team - look what has happened in Wales once that team ages.
Looking at the second tier rugby championship in Europe going back as far as 2000, Spain are fourth in the all time honours list, below Georgia, Romania and Portugal. They have never won the thing, they have four Silver medals and 4 Bronzes in 25 years.
Let's see how things pan out before we chuck the baby out with the bathwater.
@Dodge said in Scotland v England 2026 6N:
read this morning that England haven't won a game in the 6N against a good team away from home since Murrayfield in 2020. Assuming in this context that a good team means France, Ireland or Scotland. Interesting stat, puts some pressure on them, which at this stage of the cycle is a good thing.
Still back us to win but agree with Cato that I don't understand the 6-2 bench split with 2 specialist 10s in the 23. I assume they seen Finn Smith as a potential 12, not sure i've seen that tbh, Freeman will then move to back 3 should someone go down and Earl moves to 13. Just seems a lot of potential scenarios where it blows up in their face. I do have a grudging admiration of Borthwick building the culture of horses for courses though.
That surprised me so I had a look back. We beat Wales in Cardiff in 2023, prior to the RWC. They weren't a bad side then. That's it mind.
@antipodean said in Scotland v England 2026 6N:
@Dodge said in Scotland v England 2026 6N:
I assume they seen Finn Smith as a potential 12, not sure i've seen that tbh,
He's a bit small for a modern 12 surely?
Add not much in the way of pace and a lack of game time there and, well fuck really.
unintentional but as you say, it works. So I left it as is.