A new year comes a new season of footy and here at RBP we couldn’t be more excited. Here are the highlights and a review of each 1st round game of the NRL.

Broncos V Rabbitohs (6-36)

Thursday saw 2014’s NRL champions, South Sydney Rabbitohs take on Brisbane Broncos to kick off the 108th NRL season. After losing Sam Burgess and Ben T’eo to the dark side, the Bunnies had to put in a solid performance to secure their title of premiers and that’s exactly what they did. Although having lost such talent they were still able to maintain composure and put the Broncos away in what was a pretty comprehensible victory with an end score of 36-6. With tries pouring in from Dylan Walker, John Sutton and Greg Inglis, the Broncos were stunned from what seemed to be a ‘mid-season’ performance by the Pride of the League. Able to crawl back with a try from interchange Matt Gillet, Broncos did show some venom, however all seemed futile after some beautiful work by Greg Inglis To put Luke Keary for yet another try for the Bunnies and then Joel Reddy added to the tally with a simple finish in the corner. Adam Reynolds’ boot was on point with an amazing 8 from 8, the most notable being the dying seconds of the game, slotting one from inside his own half.

Eels V Sea Eagles (42-12)

Manly veteran and now Eels newbie Anthony Watmough was the man under the spotlight in this encounter. Having played over 12 years at Manly it would undeniably be a strange sensation for him to step out onto the pitch opposing his former teammates, yet The Eels man left the feelings off the field and helped provide Parramatta with a performance that the Sea Eagles were simply unprepared for. Fijian monster Semi Radradra was scoring tries left, right and centre for Parramatta and started this season as top try scorer in the league. Manly crawled back and with only a 4 point deficit at half time were still in with a shout. It wasn’t to be however and after a scoreless half for them they left the field shaken not stirred, down by 30 with an end score of 42-12.

Knights V Warriors(24-14)

Saturday night saw two injury ridden teams fight it out for the opening points of the season. Warriors showed their class predominantly in the first half with a try in the 26th minute by Thomas Leuluai to put the sides level at 6 apiece, then in the dying seconds of the half Ryan Hoffman went down to record his first try in his first game for the Warriors. The home side seemed to be outdone by their Kiwi visitors as they trailed 14-6 with 58 minutes gone and a player down but the sweet feet of Dan Gagai saw him to the line for the second time in the match as he skipped passed one defender and boshed his way through two to put the Knights back into the game. Another try from Tyler Randell gave the Knights the lead and on the 75th minute Robbie Rochow wrapped up the match with yet another score. The victory was there for the taking for the New Zealanders but just seemed to bottle it in the last quarter, they did however show some promise and should not be overlooked whatsoever.

Cowboys V Roosters (4-24)

With an end score of 28-4, many questions are asked of the North Queensland Cowboys. Such an abysmal performance would be worrying for Cow’s players, management and fans alike and will definitely look to right their wrongs before their round 2 clash against Newcastle Knights. Roosters on the other hand proved themselves to be well focussed and well able to be strong competitors as they opened this season with such a huge win. Although Roosters came away with the points and showed complete domination in defence and attack, they will have iron out some creases for the remainder of the season as they tallied up 20 errors in the process of putting the Cowboys away. With Anthony Minichiello now retired, the Rooster’s number 1 jersey fell into Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s hands (safe hands at that) as the 21 year old showed to be a great prospect for the future with an all-round performance that impressed fans and management alike.

Titans V Tigers(18-19)

Arguably the most exhilarating game of the weekend. It was proof that the coke still runs in the veins of the Titans. A Thrilling encounter which was seen to the close with a late kick by Tiger’s Pat Richards ending the affair 19-18. Though missing some of their star players due to suspension over drug charges, the Titans showed some zing and were on a high throughout the game but seemed to suffer the comedown at the last few seconds as they conceded that drop kick. The score line wasn’t the only thing that was close, in terms of possession (47%-53%), runs (149-150) and metres made (1264-1266) both teams were almost equal, Tigers however just that small bit ahead which helped them secure the winning points.

Panthers V Bulldogs (24-18)

Panthers pounced their way into 24-0 lead up thanks to 2 tries from 19 year old Winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 1 from his debutante partner on the other side of the pitch George Jennings and 1 from Hooker James Segeyaro who scored the try of the game for us after breaking through and making something out of nothing to add to his team’s point advantage. It wasn’t until the 69th minute when the Bulldogs were finally unleashed in the form of Brown and Rona who went over for Canterbury in quick succession but it was Brent Morris’ breakaway try that made the game that bit more interesting, his ability to capitalise on some poor defending meant the Dogs were back in the game with minutes remaining after being so far behind. A last minute cross field kick could’ve given the Canterbury the draw but it wasn’t collected and dribbled out of play meaning an end score of 24-18 for Panthers.

Sharks V Raiders (20-24)

Another tight and tense affair in Canberra’s defeat over the Cronulla saw the visitors come away with the winning points at an end score of 24-20. Fullback Wighton knocked in 2 tries and nearly knocked out Sosaia Feki in a brawl that put both players in the bin for 10 minutes. Wighton came back and finished his match with an inspirational try saving tackle making up for his previous ill-disciplined blunder. Ben Barba’s boot proved ineffective for the Sharks as one of Wighton’s tries basically came from Barba’s poor attempt of a kick. Contrasting to Barba, 22 year old Mitch Cornish’s kicking for the Raiders proved dangerous for the opposition and will in no doubt be a huge asset for the Raiders as the season progresses.

Dragons V Storm (4-12)

The final game to round 1 was disappointingly uneventful when compared to the other previous fixtures; however there were some glimpses of class in this encounter which saw Melbourne see off Illawara 12 points to 4. The most impressive try of the game ironically came from the losing team as the Fijian winger and Dragon debutante Eto Nabuli leapt onto the ball to finally put his side on the score board in 49th minute. A series of silly errors for the Dragons saw them struggle in the match and the Storm team was riddled with ill-discipline namely coming from Felise Kaufusi as his dangerous tackling placed him on report. An anti-climactic finish to the weekend of some fine footy but a win nonetheless for Melbourne Storm.

A great weekend of footy! Here at RBP will be waiting impatiently for Round 2 for the following fixtures:

Bulldogs V Eels
Sharks V Broncos
Panthers V Titans
Cowboys V Knights
Sea Eagles V Storm
Rabbitohs V Roosters
Raiders V Warriors
Tigers V Dragons

How did your team do?

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The Bears defence held firm for the first 17 minutes but it was an attacking kick that broke the deadlock as Oldham centre Sam Gee collected a Lewis Palfrey cross field kick to score wide on the left. The try was not converted but the Roughyeds were off to a start at 4-0.

Soon after this the Bears were under pressure once more and after giving a penalty away on the 5th tackle, for a late shoulder charge, Oldham had pressure on the line and Jarrod Ward scored a try out wide. Again the try was not converted but it was 8-0.

On the half hour mark, some strong runs and skilled footwork generated quick ball play where Oldham centre George Tyson took charge of the ball, wide, and stepped inside the covering defence. The try was converted by Palfrey to take it to 14-0.

Two more trys were scored by Oldham before halftime as Liam Thompson and Michael Ward both went over as the Oldham pack dominated the middle of the park. Palfrey converted to take the score to 26-0 at halftime.

Halftime score: Oldham Roughyeds 26 Coventry Bears 0

The second half kicked off with the Bears determined to get back into the game and it was Matt Cooper who powered over under the posts through a number of defenders to score. The try was converted by Stephen Coleman and the Bears were on the scoreboard.

But the Roughyeds were not finished and after 3 repeat sets in the Bears half, a strong Bears defence was cracked by a wide shift play which lead to a try in the corner by Adam Clay to take the score to 30-6. Try was not converted.

With 13 minutes now gone in the second half, Mick Learmonth scored after a Lewis Palfery chip kick which caught out the Bears cover defence taking the score to 36-6.

The Bears then kicked the ball out on the full and from the resulting set Oldham build pressure well and after defending 3 intense back to back sets and giving away another penalty, Jack Holmes scored on the right but was not converted. 40-6.

Unfortunately for the Bears another mistake at kick off led to Oldham running hard up the middle and after a quick shift wide to the right Oldham winger Adam Clay scored rounding off an impressive display from the Roughyeds. Lewis Palfery kicked the conversion to round off a man of the match performance.

Fulltime score: Oldham Roughyeds 46 Coventry Bears 6

Bears Billy Sheen in action. (by David Murgatroyd)

Bears Man of the match was named as Matt Cooper for his strong ball carrying and scoring the Bears only try.

Coventry Bears Head Coach Tom Tsang commented:

I thought similar to last week we went for long periods where we matched Oldham set for set, but any little mistake we made they made us pay. They have a very strong pack who all know their role very well. I’m disappointed though as we didn’t help ourselves with our discipline and although Oldham deserved the win, at times we made it easy for them with sloppy unforced errors. We now have a few weeks off before the start of the league so will be working hard to make sure we learn from the last two games against a very good side.

Bears team:

1. Billy Sheen 2. Troy Brophy 3. Stephen Coleman 4. Edward Medforth 5. Jamahl Hunte 6. Dan Poulton 7.Simon Phillips 8.James Geurtjens 9.Alex Brown 10.John Aldred 11.Liam Thompson 12.Chris Barratt 13.Alex Calvert 14. Ben Tyers 15. Matt Cooper 16. Nick Taylor

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I would love to see these two go 5 rounds with each other, would be better than maysummer and and packed lunch any day….
A maul is formed, which is brought down relatively quickly, with Matfield in an offside position. The ref doesn’t see it, and pulls Du Plessis who was coming in to steal the ball legally. He’s not too happy about it, and has a few words….

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I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t like to be on the end of one of these…..

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The former Leicester man showed that he still has that try scorer knack as he went on a barnstorming run which saw him scoring in the corner having trampled over poor old Ben Ransom on the way.

He may now be 34 but he still has some pace left in those big Samoan legs and if one thing is for sure, its that at 19 stone he is still going to take some stopping. He now has 2 tries to his name so far this season in his 12 matches for Newcastle, and expect many more to come if he keeps playing like this!

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Following the SARU announcing their bid for the RWC in 2023, Italy have today confirmed they are going to bid for the World Cup as well. That’s now Ireland, the USA, South Africa, Argentina and Italy. Where would you like to see it hosted?

A day after South Africa threw their hat into the ring, the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) has stated it will be bidding for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The Italian governing body’s president, Alfredo Gavazzi, has said,

The growth of rugby in Italy in recent years, results obtained in the Six Nations and autumn Tests and the experiences with the Under-20s World Cup in 2011 and next June are just some fixed points behind the Italian bid.

It has been excellent to see the Italians go from Six Nations wooden spoon guarantees to the team they are today. Players such as Sergio Parisse, Martin Castrogiovanni (when he hasn’t been bitten by a dog), the Bergamasco brothers, to name only a few, have been inspirational in this achievement. Italy have definitely shown on the pitch that they are more than worthy of hosting the sport’s premier tournament. Gavazzi certainly believes they are:

I am sure that today Italian rugby has everything you need to organise a memorable Rugby World Cup and that whole movement, in the next two years, will work to ensure that this dream can become a reality.

Whichever country hosts the world cup, we are sure it will be excellent. At the end of the day we can be very thankful that our governing body is incomparably better than FIFA…

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Wales, Pool A

When placed in the same pool as England and Australia you’re never going to be given much a chance by bookies and punters.
However this Welsh side will not go down without a fight and could stir up quite the controversy by preventing either England or Australia from qualifying out of the group stages.
With a backline featuring some modern day greats such as Jamie Roberts, George North, Leigh Halfpenny and prolific try scorer Rhys Webb; partnered with the great mind of Warren Gatland and finally topped off with some brute force in the form of Toby Faletau, Sam Warburton and Richard Hibbard, one cannot help but worry for the other nations of Pool A.

After falling short to overcome the Australians in their November test and more recently England in the 6 Nations opener, the men of the Valleys will look to redeem themselves from their poor form by swapping the sun beds for the training field as September approaches and look to qualify out of the pool at either England or Australia’s expense.

Japan, Pool B

The modern game of Rugby Union is dominated by the scrum. Love or hate it, it holds an integral part to the game. Without a doubt, having a dominant scrum will usually mean you have a dominant team and if there was ever a team to take this fully into account it has to be Japan. In this video it shows how the Cherry Blossoms, hosts of the 2019 World Cup, have gone all out Sumo thanks to the introduction of scrum coach (former France hooker) Marc dal Maso who has brought about this colossal transformation from 2012 to 2013, with some really strange coaching techniques but hey, we’re not questioning it when it yields these kind of results. This will give their upcoming pool opponents (South Africa, Samoa, Scotland and USA) something to think, and worry about.

Japan (a nation with the fourth largest population of rugby union players in the world) are not only a threat in the pack but also feature some serious talent from 9-15. For example Scrum half Fumiaki Tanaka has turned heads in Super rugby and in turn has been called up to rugby’s infamous star studded team, The Barbarians.

Yoshikazu Fujita, now signed for The Crusaders is another player to watch out for and at the mere age of 21, this winger shows some hope for the future of Japanese rugby.
Having competed in all 6 Rugby World Cups, the Blossoms have only ever won a single game (versus Zimbabwe in 1991) however Japan will be looking to end this drought and could impose a massive threat in this year’s RWC. We back them to be serious contenders this year and just continue to grow over the coming years.

Georgia, Pool C

As they blitz their way through the European Nations Cup, the Lelos are constantly turning heads with their relentless attitude and thirst for development. Now standing at 15th in the world rankings (just 1 place shy of Italy) one begins to wonder if their time to join the big boys of Europe is soon approaching so to make that 6 a lucky 7. With a team predominantly playing their club rugby in France (17 of 27) it’s true to say that much of their squad is well used to high standard professional rugby. This experience will come in great use to the Georgians as they look to disrupt the All Blacks, Pumas, Tongans and Namibians in the race to reach the knockout stages.

Backrow Mamuka Gorgodze (aka Gorgodzilla) will definitely be a player to watch out for. Now playing his rugby in Toulon this monster of a man earned 2 Man of the match awards in the 2011 World Cup versus England and Romania and since signing for the infamous French side, his game has surely only just improved. On the other hand his short temper and ill-discipline featured in the video below may just lead to Georgia’s downfall.

Canada, Pool D

The land of big men and bigger beards… Having competed in every RWC since its inception in 1987, the lumberjacks are well aware of the challenge that is at hand. Now with a bigger budget and backroom staff, the Maple Leafs have made such a vast improvement that their ranking of mere 18th in the world does not reflect on the threat that they (and their beards) bring to the rugby pitch. Aided by their new centre of excellence, Canada Rugby have been able to hone in on their players in more detail and will definitely bring a well-rehearsed and organised style of play with them to England come September.

With players making appearances in Europe such as Tyler Ardron (c) (Ospreys), Jebb Sinclair (London Irish), Jamie Cudmore (Clermont) and Connor Braid (Glasgow Warriors), among others. This Canadian side are showing the world of rugby that they are not just aboot (sorry, not sorry) good manners, cutting trees down, flannel shirts and ice hockey but are churning out some fine rugby players which could cause some havoc for their rivals: Ireland, France, Italy and Romania.

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The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has stated its intention to bid for the right to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Having bid for the previous three tournaments, South Africa are desperate to bring the tournament back to the Rainbow Nation. No world cup has ever come close to being as significant as the 1995 event where Nelson Mandela famously wore the Springbok jersey and handed Francois Pienaar the trophy.

The country has recently hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup with great success. Although rugby is a far better game than football, the infrastructure should already be in place for the tournament be a great occasion. Jurie Roux, the CEO of the SARU, has said, “Bidding will mean a lot of hard work and I am sure the competition will be fierce but this country has a unique experience to offer the game’s travelling supporters.”

Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Peter Robinson, and the Irish Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, have already come together to attempt to host the tournament, while Argentina and the USA have also thrown their hat in the ring. All three of these countries would probably offer an excellent spectacle, but it might just be time to bring it back to South Africa.

Below is a short clip explaining the significance of Mandela’s actions at the 1995 world cup:

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Another week, Another trio of thrilling matches in Super Rugby, admittedly, they were not all as close as we might have been expecting, but they made for great viewing regardless.

The return of James O’Connor did not end as the Queensland Reds might have hoped, with them losing by 7 points to the Highlanders. The Reds need to get their act together, and soon, because they are really struggling in the tournament so far. The Reds haven’t been helped of course by those meddling Australian police, can’t see why they need to make such a big deal of it, its only cocaine, right? O’Connor was still very impressive in his return, and his pairing with Will Genia looks like it will be one to watch. The Highlanders forced the Reds into a territorial game, a game which the Reds were not equipped to play. The Highlanders pack had the upper hand for much of the match and they made it count, while young flyhalf Marty Banks controlled the game at 10. Jake Schatz was able to get over for the Reds, but unfortunately, this was ultimately nullified by Waisake Naholo.

The Cheetahs pulled off an impressive upset victory over the Blues, although it was not without controversy. Cheetahs out half Joe Pietersen hit the match winning penalty, after the Blues were penalized for stepping back while not competing a Cheetahs maul. This is surprising considering the tactic worked last week and worked for Ireland, Saracens and more throughout 2014. Of course, Blues flyhalf Ihaia West did miss a drop goal at the death, but the argument could be made that he never should have been in that position in the first place. The Aucklanders dominated many aspects of the game, but were never able to pull away. Cornal Hendricks made the most of his opportunity with an excellent double, and Sarel Pretorius added one of his own. Jerome Kaino showed no signs of slowing up in his old age, scoring a try and looking dangerous with ball in hand throughout his 100th appearance.

The Hurricanes big signings are starting to pay off, as they smashed the Western Force 42-13. The Force are a promising young team, but they simply do not have the firepower to contend with the weapons that the Hurricanes can offer. Julian Savea scored an incredible try as he politely invited Luke Burton and Luke Morahan to get out of his way. Ben McCalman was one of the few bright spots for a Force team that seemed to have lost their usual scrappiness as they seemed to accept the battering that they were receiving. Beauden Barrett and Ma’a Nonu played very well, and Julians brother, Ardie Savea added a try of his own. One hopes that the round 1 win over the Waratahs hasn’t seen the Force become complacent, but of late they seem to be playing like it. Expect the return of Nick Cummins to have an impact, but until the Force return to their gritty style of play, they will continue to struggle.

In what was another competitive fixture in the South African conference, the Stormers squeaked past the Lions. The Lions may regret their decision to not go for posts twice as they lost the ball forward, ending the match and sealing the victory for the Stormers. Duane Vermeulen’s side is now 2 for 2 in the championship thus far, and the strength of their performances bodes well. As for the Lions who have yet to win a match, there are some positives to take out of the match. Solid in defence, the Lions kept the likes of Cheslin Kolbe and the dangerous center pairing of Damian de Allende and Juan de Jonghe from ever truly breaking the game open, and the defiant nature in which they played should give them confidence heading into their next fixture against the Blues.

In what was an unexpectedly high scoring affair, the Bulls beat the Sharks by a score of 43-35. The two sides battled in what was one of the best matches we have seen thus far in the tournament. Francois Hougaard, who scored the World Rugby try of the year in 2014 at scrumhalf returned to the wing, and within the first 25 minutes of the match he got his name on the scoresheet with a try. The Sharks are back on the right track, but their record still isn’t great and they will really need to shore up their defence if they want to improve on last years impressive season. Patrick Lambie’s kicking kept the Sharks within reaching distance, but they will need rather more besides to beat the 2-0 Stormers, who will see the return of Schalk Burger and Eben Etzebeth. The Bulls are continuously improving. with the young Handre Pollard looking better with each passing week, and young, well maybe not young, Victor Matfield leading from the front week in and week out.

If the Western Force are wondering where their trademark gritty play has gone, I would look in the Melbourne Rebels camp. The Rebels fought to the end in a very close 20-15 loss to the Brumbies. The Brumbies, who are nearly as unpredictable as the French, have righted the ship after their tough loss to the Chiefs. Tevita Kuridrani continues his explosive dominance, and the dangerous nature of those inside him, like Toomua, and Lealiifano, means that teams cannot isolate him as the focal point of the Brumbies attack. Sean McMahon’s meteoric rise continues, and he has grown rapidly over the course of the last 12 months. If Scott Higginbotham could silence his discipline problems, The Rebels could have an excellent back row, but Higginbotham consistently finds himself in the bin, and this has a major impact on the success of the Rebels. Both of these teams are on the right track, but the Rebels need to continue to grow as a team, and the Brumbies need to find their consistency, if both teams can manage that, then both will be able to go toe to toe with the likes of the Waratahs and the Hurricanes.

The Chiefs Crusaders game can be quickly summarized by watching the scene in Stepbrothers, in which Dale and Brendan walk home past the playground, and if there was some white feces in the area, have no doubt that the Crusaders would have been forced to eat it. Sonny Bill Williams continues his dominant return to Super Rugby, and he not only scored a try himself, but he also set up two others. This match did see the departure of two excellent players, Brodie Retallick, last years player of the year, and sadly, Robbie Fruean, who is only just back after missing all of last season due to heart surgery. Augustine Pulu continues to grow as a player, and Charlie Ngatai will be delighted to have gotten on the score sheet as well. The Crusaders have a lot to think about over the coming weeks, and if they are unable to return to their form of last year, they may rapidly become a non-factor. The Cheifs are looking poised to make a run for the title, and if they continue to play like this, you’d have to think they have a very good shot.

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What. A. Weekend. In what was set to be the weekend of close matches, all of the games were extremely exciting. Now that its Monday morning, RBP would like to remind you of what happened, just in case you state of mind was not as conducive to remembering what was going on.

Scotland vs Italy (19-22):

It looks like Italy will avoid the wooden spoon this year with a great win over Scotland. We wondered if Scotland would be able to function with the same explosiveness without their Glasgow flyhalf Finn Russell, and while its hard to fault all that much of the result to Peter Horne, who played very well, you have to wonder if Russell would have changed the final outcome.

While Italy have a lot of positives to take from the performance, they did not improve on a few key areas. Their kicking game is still woeful, and their decision making wasn’t great with ball in hand, as was highlighted by Mark Bennett’s try.

That said Italy dominated possession for huge chunks of the game, and routinely threatened the Scottish line, but critically, they dominated Scotland in the scrum. Their forwards were more physical than their Scottish counterparts, and this led to a fair amount of go forward ball. Sergio Parisse was fantastic, and so was young Giovanbattista Venditti. Josh Furno was incredibly active, and Italy have uncovered another promising young center in Enricco Bacchin.

Jonny Gray continues to impress for Scotland, and the Scottish backs are getting better and better all the time, but they need to improve in the set-pieces or they will struggle to compete at the level that the 6 Nations requires. Tommy Seymour looked very dangerous whenever he had the ball, and the return of Finn Russell should see Scotland return to play the way they did in the first two rounds.

France vs Wales (13-20):

Wales have produced their best performance of the tournament. They looked nothing like the side that forgot that the points in the second half counted, and they looked much better than the resurgent side that beat Scotland at Murrayfield. France do look better, and they seemed to play with a bit more flair, but really nothing seemed to change.

Up front, Gethin Jenkins held his own against the powerful French pack, an area of concern for many, especially seeing the way that he struggled against Dan Cole, and for certain patches of time, Geoff Cross as well. Scott Baldwin didn’t do much wrong, stepping in for Richard Hibbard, who put in a good shift off the bench. Samson Lee continues to grow, and was a continual pain in Eddy Ben Arous’ neck.

Romain Taofifenua didn’t have the same impact that he had coming off the bench, and the French second rows were consistently overshadowed by the tireless work of Luke Charteris and Alun Wyn Jones. Impressively, neither team lost any of their own line outs, despite the fact that Taofifenua and Charteris have squid like arms.

Bernard Le Roux and Thierry Dusautoir pushed really hard in the scrums, but they were slow coming off, which often gave Jamie Roberts a free shot at Camille Lopez. This meant that Wales not only made huge territorial gains, but also had relatively low pressure on their kickers when trying to clear their 22. Wales will be hoping that Sam Warburton’s injury won’t be too bad, but Justin Tipuric is solid backup. Dan Lydiate had perhaps the highlight of the game, with his superb pass to Dan Biggar for the decisive try.

Wales dominated the battle of the halfbacks. Rhys Webb may not have been as dangerous as he has been in weeks past, but he controlled the game, and Dan Biggar’s kicking was sublime. Biggar is very solid in defence, and makes good decisions when he has the ball, in addition to being phenomenal when going for high balls. Morgan Parra looked very good, but he is now out for the remainder of the tournament, seeing how France have struggled, and remembering how they played against Ireland last year, I wonder if Remi Tales should get another shot.

Wesley Fofana was more active this week, but I would have like to have seen how Remi Lamerat would have gotten on in the 13 shirt. Bastareaud is an incredible athlete, but he is a one trick pony (or more accurately a one trick cow, albeit a cow GTI), and his simplicity is often his downfall. Jamie Roberts was back to his best, and Jonathan Davies kicked well and put others in space. If Wales are to get back into the running for the championship, Roberts will need to continue to put his side on the front foot.

George North celebrated his 50th cap in style. He didn’t score a try, but played a key role in Biggar’s try, and threatened the French every time he got the ball. Liam Williams put in another solid shift on the wing, and Alex Cuthbert will have a lot to do if he wants to get back into the side in time for the world cup. Sofiane Guitoune really impressed me and I actually think he looked more dangerous than his counterpart Yoann Huget. Brice Dulin looked dangerous, and I have no doubt that he should keep his spot over Scott Spedding. Leigh Halfpenny’s kicking was precise again, and Wales will be hard to beat if he keeps that up.

France have a lot of questions to answer, and very little time to answer them. Wales on the other hand, have rebounded supremely well, but still have a lot of improvements to make.

Ireland vs England (19-9):

A match that felt closer than it was. That’s not to say that it was a blowout, it was a tight finish, but Ireland controlled the game so effectively that they snuffed out nearly all of England’s opportunities.

I thought that England were going to control the scrum throughout the game, and while there were times that England won that area, Ireland were able to negate that advantage for most of the game. Mike Ross and Jack McGrath did a phenomenal job of beating Dan Cole and Joe Marler, who became very frustrated at their inability to gain an edge. Rory Best was back to his top form, pestering the English at the breakdown and making a lot of tackles.

Devin Toner’s crucial lineout steal with England set up on the Irish 5 meter mark ended what was probably England’s best scoring chance, apart from their disallowed try in the waning moments of the match. Nick Easter was excellent with ball in hand when he came off the bench, and he kept England in the game late.

England’s back row was not able to have the same impact that it has had in the opening weeks of the tournament. Apart from Billy Vunipola’s break, Haskell, Robshaw, and Vunipola were unusually quiet. Jordi Murphy was fantastic stepping in for Jamie Heaslip, and when Sean O’Brien went down from his concussion, Tommy O’Donnell put in another excellent shift, making 10 tackles and missing none.

Its not often that you see a flyhalf send a physical message to his opposite number, but that’s exactly what Jonathan Sexton did. Sexton’s big hit on Ford, coupled with Sexton and Murray peppering Ford with kicks, kept Ford from getting into his stride for much of the game. Sexton and Murray were pinpoint accurate with their kicking, and this meant that England never really got into their stride.

Luther Burrell and Jonathan Joseph have been the talk of the town since the 6 Nations began, and rightly so, as they have been the most explosive center pairing. However, Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne completely shut them down. Henshaw is rapidly growing into a serious weapon for Ireland, and he kept his side going forward whenever he got the ball. He took his try beautifully, an incredible leaping take, and could have had a double if he hadn’t dropped a potential intercept.

The back three for both teams was one of the highlights. Both chased kicks tirelessly, and both looked dangerous when they had the ball. Kearney’s missed drop goal would have been incredible, although he is making a habit of almost nailing those dropkicks. Jack Nowell proved that he was worth dropping Jonny May. He was very active and showed off his pace, finding space time and time again.

Both of these sides are fantastic teams, and I have no doubt that England will bounce back, but Ireland simply strangled England out of the game. England conceded a total of 23 turnovers to Ireland’s 9, and you simply cannot expect to win a match when you get turned over that often.

Team of the Weekend:

1. Gethin Jenkins

2. Rory Best

3. Mike Ross

4. Luke Charteris

5. Josh Furno

6. Dan Lydiate

7. Tommy O’Donnell

8. Sergio Parisse

9. Conor Murray

10. Jonathan Sexton

11. Jack Nowell

12. Robbie Henshaw

13. Mark Bennett

14. George North

15. Rob Kearney

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