Six Nations 2012

Well, I never did finish off my intended series of posts on this year's Six Nations tournament.  I got rather distracted by I can't remember what and never found the time to write anything.  Anyway, I can't just move on without finding some sort of closure...

As it happens, things turned out pretty much as I expected.  I'm made up for Wales, by far the best team of the tournament and well deserving the Grand Slam.  At the other end of the table, Scotland managed to acquire the wooden spurtle without actually playing bad rugby.  Italy continue their gradual improvement, their main shortcoming being an inability to play for a full 80 minutes; perhaps someone should tell them that the game is not only an hour long.  Ireland, O Ireland: I had great hopes for you but you never quite clicked.  France were beaten by England and I need say no more about them.

And that brings me to England.  I am so pleased to see that we seem at last to be emerging from our Dark Ages.  We started to look like a team, and beating France (did I already mention that?) was the icing on the cake.

I want to say two things about Stuart Lancaster.  First, I applaud his bravery in handling the team the way he did as a stop-gap senior coach.  His efforts to restructure the team paid off beautifully.  Second, I am thrilled that he got appointed to the job officially.  I look forward to seeing the team go on from strength to strength under his leadership.

As a final note, I think England needs a new anthem for sporting events.  Much as I respect Her Majesty (and I do), we could do with something rousing about England, something that inspires teams and supporters to be their best (and I guess we could do with a GB sports anthem for events such as the Olympics, when England does not put in an appearance).  Our anthem is not quite the worst.  Flower of Scotland is dreary, and the Italian anthem doesn't know whether to be military or operatic.  Land of My Fathers is a good one.  Ireland has two anthems, both of which I like.  I'm desperately sorry to say this but The Marseillaise is the best one of the lot.  Shame it doesn't work for them...

Six Nations 2012 - Round 2

So, Charlie Hodgson does it again!  Apparently, they practice charge-downs a lot at his club, so maybe his tries have been more than the opportunism I rated them as.  The Italy v England game was far from the usual whitewash we have come to expect.  Italy has grown in stature year upon year, and I thought their showing very good this weekend.  The alternative view is that England were poor and made Italy look good but, no, I want to recognise that England under Stuart Lancaster is a still-developing side and give the Azzuri credit for a good performance.  If they hadn't substituted their kicker they could well have won, the replacement having squandered six points in risable manner.

I reserve final judgement on the new England squad as, so far, they have played only the teams who usually occupy the bottom two positions of the Six Nations table.  Neither win was unexpected but neither performance was particulary impressive.

As for France v Ireland, I can only say that cancelling the game 10 minutes before the start was what you might call a faux pas.  They had had all week to make the decision.  Clearly, the safety of the players must be paramount so the decision was right—just too late.  I feel sorry for the Irish, who are likely to receive much poorer support when the game is eventually played.  Their fans have already made their journey, had their weekend in Paris, and spent all their money. 

I was hoping to have a better understanding of how good the French side is, how many gears they have to go.  I would like to have seen Ireland demonstrate just how good they can be.  It would have been a belter of a game.  Hopefully, it still will be. 

The French seem to have developed a taste for cancellation.  In Wales v Scotland, the French referee disallowed a perfectly good Scottish try!  For the second week running, Wales have given us a spectacle.  In fact, both sides played some excellent rugby.  It was great to see a flowing game.  I love Wales's open style; maybe having a Kiwi for coach contributes to that ...  Scotland's discipline let them down, of course, rather as England's used to when Scotland's coach worked south of the border ...

Were I a gambling man, my money would still be on Wales to win, with the Grand Slam still distinctly possible.  It all depends on the French ...

Six Nations 2012 - Round 1

This year's Six Nations competition is under way, and the first weekend has given us something to reflect on in the wake of the recent World Cup.

The France v Italy game reached its expected conclusion with France winning comfortably (although by fewer than the 20 points the bookies had suggested...).  The game began well for Italy, and France did not exactly shine even though they edged ahead.  Italy, a much-improved side in comparison with years gone by, may well have been looking to repeat their defeat of France in last year's competition.  To do that, they needed to show up with more stamina.  I give them credit for their determination but they ran out of steam in the second half, allowing France to pile on the points. 

France are, of course, the most frustratingly inconsistent side on the planet.  Their World Cup progress was awful, including defeat in the group stages.  Somehow they muddled through to the final and gave the All Blacks a shock by turning up to play.  Maybe they were holding back against Italy.  Maybe they were just being France.

The Calcutta Cup match presented Scotland with as good an opportunity as they have ever had of beating England.  England's performances have been disappointing, to say the least, and the side being fielded on the day was somewhat inexperienced.  I think Lancaster (the new England coach) did exactly the right thing; the Johnson formula was clearly not working, and a new approach was needed.  Martin Johnson was, let's not forget, a formidable captain but even outstanding ability in that department is no guarantee of coaching prowess.

I was surprised to see Charlie Hodgson back in the side, his international career having been somewhat patchy.  He did not have a bad game and did score the only try, albeit an opportunistic one.

To me, the game was lost by Scotland rather than won by England.  England showed much-improved discipline and strong defence.  Still lacking, or at least not yet displayed, is the creative flair that opens up the opposition and scores tries.  This is a new England side, and it was not bad for a first outing.  When they have played together a few times, we may see some exciting attacking play.

Wales v Ireland was a corker of a game.  These two teams, and there was little to separate them, put up a fantastic show, much more exciting than many a World Cup match, with the lead changing at various times throughout the game.  It looked like curtains for Wales when they were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes and leaked the expected try.  However, they did well to score their own try before that period was over.  The game was lost on an Irish error that resulted in a sin-binning and a penalty kick directly in front of goal.  Hard luck, Ireland, nice one Wales, and thanks to both teams for such a superb spectacle.  I look forward to your subsequent games with relish.

So, who will win the competition?  On last weekend's showings, it has to be Wales or Ireland.  Wales, of course, could win in style with a Grand Slam. Unless the England side changes up a gear, the only team that could stop them doing that is France on a Good Day but not the plain old France of last weekend ...

As for the Wooden Spoon, well perhaps it should be a Wooden Spaghetti Hook!

An Open Letter to Martin Johnson

Dear Mr Johnson,

It's a good job we met Wales last week and not this. Italy played well today. We only beat them on points.

Ireland will be looking to restore some dignity; England will probably give it to them. Scotland will be spitting feathers and spoiling for a victory; England will probably give it to them. France will be going all-out for the Grand Slam; England will probably give it to them.

If it didn't work before and doesn't work now, it's time to try something else.

Praying for your miracle,

Desmond Hilary

All About Everything

Well, I haven't blogged for a while, mainly due to lack of inspiration. It's not that there's been nothing to comment on; quite the opposite, in fact. I've just been unmotivated, having been drained by demands in the real world.

Lions

I almost wrote something about the eye-gouging affair in the recent British & Irish Lions tour. I was going to vent my spleen on the South African player concerned but research showed me that he had appealed against the sentence and had been absolved of the serious charge of deliberately sticking fingers in an opponent's eyes only an hour before I put fingers to keyboard. Such is life. I still think the South African coach's statement appearing to imply that foul play was acceptable was outrageous, despite his subsequent 'clarification'.

While we're on the subject of the Lions tour, didn't they do well? Five minutes more in the first game and we could have won. One stupid error less in the second game (resulting in an impressive kick for three points) and we would have drawn at least, leaving the series open. The emphatic thumping in the third and final game ought to have shown the South Africans how lucky they were to have got away with a series win.

Swine Flu

Then, of course, there's swine flu still doing the rounds. Is it serious or isn't it? I suppose it is if it kills you but it appears to be no worse than the normal seasonal flu - except those who have died are not in the traditional vulnerable demographic, the frail and elderly. Despite this, panic appears to be setting in. I don't know with any certainty anyone who has had it, although my neighbour has been confined to barracks with suspected swine flu. The woman in my garage's office was so absolutely loaded and debilitated with cold last week that she was my best candidate. She should have stayed at home instead of coughing on her left hand, picking up my keys with the same hand, coughing on her right hand, transferring my keys to her newly-splattered appendage, and then passing my keys to me. I'm sure real flu would have overcome even her exemplary dedication to duty. I've had a cold this week. That's good enough for me. Flu? Don't want it.

High Finance

Hasn't it gone quiet on the Parliamentary expenses scandal? Are the police still investigating? Will we see heads roll, or will it all quietly go away because there are more serious things in the news to hide it with? Bankers are back in the news again. Making money. Will we ever learn?

Afghanistan

The death-toll in Afghanistan continues to rise. Whatever the rights and wrongs of our military involvement in that country, it is completely unacceptable that our troops are sent out with less than sufficient and inappropriate equipment. Even General Dannatt, the head of the British Army, has taken an unusual political stance and is making clear that our soldiers do not have all they need. Despite this, Mr Brown is insisting that the troops are properly equipped; what would he know?

Our soldiers are out there laying their lives on the line for a cause none of us is entirely clear about. The recent offensive has resulted in higher fatalities, some of which could have been avoided if the army had access to better and sufficient equipment. Come on, Mr Brown. If you are going to fight a war, you have to be committed to it, one hundred percent. After all, the 186 British service men and woman to date who have lost their lives have given their all. The 186 families of those men and woman have given far more than they care to. If you want our troops out there in harm's way, then equip them properly. If you are not prepared to equip them properly, then bring them home, now.

I want to express my appreciation to the people of Wootton Bassett for the respect they continue to show for our returned dead and their families.

Six Nations Championship - Who Will Win?

After the second weekend of Six Nations rugby, I find myself less certain than I was of the final outcome. 

The first weekend left me certain that England would not win, their lack-lustre performance against an Italian side crippled by a poor coaching decision to play a flanker at scrum half completely failed to impress.  The score line was flattering, to say the least.  Wales beat Scotland but that was expected and, all credit to them, the Scots actually played some good rugby and presented themselves a much-improved side.  This game was OK but Wales hardly shone like the brightest star in the firmament.  The Ireland v France game was superb, with both sides putting in good performances.  I was greatly impressed by Ireland and fancied them for a probable grand slam.

This weekend's play has muddied the waters somewhat.  England played better in the Millennium Stadium but so did Wales.  The improvement in the English side is welcome but is not yet enough to take the championship.  The result left them unable to achieve a grand slam, and the Welsh did shine this time.  Scotland did well in the Stade Francais, giving the French a good run for their money in the first half, and making them look less good than they appeared against Ireland.  The French rugby machine eventually got going and overhauled the battling Scots.  Finally, the Irish struggled to put the Italians in their place, even playing catch-up for a lot of the game, and left me pondering my prediction of the previous week.

I think we can rule out Italy's winning the championship, although I hope we see further improvement from them as the competition goes on; they always seem to be almost there but never quite making it.  Can they beat Scotland this year?  Scotland could well beat England on current form and ought to beat Italy but, having lost twice now, are unlikely to finish top of the table.  France seem to be their normal variable selves, having done well against Ireland but less well against Scotland.  They could well beat the current English side, and should win against Italy.  Will Wales be their Nemesis, or can they take the championship?  Ireland may not be as good as I thought after their first game but I think they too can beat England, and their game against the Welsh will be perhaps their hardest challenge.  That leaves us with Wales who are, of course, the reigning champions.  On reflection, they have to be favourites at the moment but they have yet to face a real test, and have still to face France and Ireland, both of whom are probably feeling that they have something to prove.

Of course, all the teams now have two weeks in which to reflect on their performances and to attempt to remedy their short-comings.  Can England pull something out of the bag?  Can France and Ireland shore up their confidence and come out strong?  Will a bold and flowing Wales cruise past their rivals to victory? 

With three rounds still to go, four teams could, at least mathematically, win the championship, but only Wales or Ireland could secure a grand slam.  Will we see a grand slam this year?  In my opinion we will and, at the moment, I think the belief displayed by the Welsh side could well carry them to their ultimate goal for the second year running. 

Will it be a wooden cucchiaio or wooden spurtle?

Wales 15 South Africa 20

By accident of birth, I am an Englishman. It would be difficult to be more English, having been born in Birmingham, about as far from the sea as one can get in these islands. However, having grown up in that city and been sustained by water collected in the Elan Valley, one wonders if something Welsh has seeped into one's being...

Anyway, I watched the game yesterday and, as an Englishman, and without the slightest intent of patronisation, I wish to congratulate the Welsh team (the Six Nations champions, 2008) on their excellent performance against the South African team (World Cup winners, 2007).

Hold your heads up, boys! You outplayed them in everything except luck. Had the game been ten minutes longer I think you would have had them. Unfortunately for you, the luck went their way. You have a terrific squad, and a fighting spirit to be proud of. Build on what you achieved yesterday and I'm sure you will emerge as force to be feared by Southern Hemisphere sides.

This Englishman will always support you (unless you are playing England, of course) and be willing you on to success. You are a pleasure to watch.