Rugby is a minority sport for braying toffs, and this so-called "big game" is but a sideshow to the big big game, West Ham v Norwich. If all the results go our way, we, the mighty Irons, could be joint top come this evening.

I find Rugby more attractive then most soccer matches. So have an enjoyable evening in the majority and I will retreat myself in the minority....

Well done boyos. The choirs will be singing in the valleys! Both teams so brave. Great match.

What a game, great entertainment.

Threw that away didn't we?

Won the beard trimming contest though. Why oh why do they not teach any tactics? England were clueless (only saw second half!)

Don’t know about tactics, might be an idea to teach them the rules of the game. If my maths is correct England gave away 7 penalties, many of them avoidable. How difficult is it to release the ball when you’ve been tackled.

Although to be fair the ref was a bit quick with the whistle, some of his decisions where unfathomable. As was the decision to take off Sam Burgess, leading by 7 with 10 to go, was it wise to replace a strong defensive player with an weaker creative player.

Well that was great drama, but let's be honest poor Rugby by England.

Indiscipline, lack of leadership on field, lack of precision, lack of bottle.

The ref was a bit whistle-happy (but consistent) and we failed to adapt to that, or to the inerruptions caused by welsh injuries and mutiple substitutions. As the game went on I was not at all convinced anyone had a plan. Counter that with Wales who get stronger, smarter and looked compltely tight as a unit as the game went on.

It is harsh on Wales to say England lost that game because Wales battled so hard. I hope for their sake they can summon 15 fit players for Fiji and beyond. Some of those injuries looked fairly serious.

As for England, maybe we will play better with the freedom of being underdogs against Australia but I'm not hopeful. I don't think we have the class.

Warren Gatland certainly enjoyed it. Never seen him so animated.

It was very poor really  by England. Superior play in the first half with 'stronger' team and replacements, especially so after Wales injuries, but Wales were far,far cuter than England (though I think the penultimate pass in their try was a tad forward, which is what i thought the ref was checking!)

England telegraphed their intent at the line out in the corner at 25-28, it was an obvious response by Wales. If you're going to give up the 3 point option, you have to be smart against seasoned campaigners like Wales, try something different, long throw to the backs maybe?

That's where Robshaw can let us down a bit though, brave, big and skillful but as a leader he gets out thought on the field.

I'm not terribly well versed in rugby tactics but it did seem that England's terrific, tricky new one was called "Let's keep giving the ball to the opposition". Didn't seem to work awfully well to me.

Shock-horror! ...Mr David Gammonchops is going to do something i agree with!

He must be worried about his vote count in the valleys! 

 

David Cameron honours Welsh rugby

by flying flag in Downing Street

 

David Cameron is to break with tradition and fly the Welsh flag above Downing Street in honour of the Wales rugby team who take on France in a World Cup semi-final on Saturday.

It looks like Wales now has the edge over England in TWO sports: first football, now Rugby Union.

I'll concede the rugby, but not sure where you're coming from about the footy. Please elucidate.

In the Euro qualifiers, I just think they have been more convincing than England. And I'm not Welsh, by the way!

Wales are now ranked higher than England in FIFA ratings. However, given that everything that FIFA does is apparently bent, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tom Jones and the Abergavenny Girls Choir rated in the top ten...

Well done the Scots!

G

They got there in the end but their first half performance was pretty pants.  Decent opposition would have slaughtered them. Still, better to get these stuttering performances out of the way in the group stages.

At least we did it the right way round!

G

As a neutral I thought the England Wales game made for great entertainment.  I must say how surprised I was to see England allow Wales the breathing space to get back into the match and utterly astonished to have Wales win, especially with the injuries they racked up before and during the match.  Much Kudos to Wales for a tremendous effort and much concern for England to have lost their grip on the match - not so long ago England could be relied upon to get stronger in the closing 10-20 minutes.  Wales looked the fitter outfit (despite injuries).

Highlights of Australia the other day looked daunting, however weak their opposition may have been.

My own team, Ireland, have looked impressive but in truth they haven't had to face a serious challenge in their opening matches.  O'Connell still looks like a monster when he takes to the pitch!

Peter

Peter

I have tickets to Ireland vs France in 10 days. That will be a challenge, and I think the result will be important in terms of who the teams may wish to avoid in the QF round. Looking forward to it, and intending to be honorary Irish for the day.

Bruce

Another All-Black win but questions will be asked about how well they played. Georgia played with great spirit. Lots off All-Black handling errors. They may be the favourites, but favourites have only won 3 out of 7the rugby world cups so far. The tournament, in my opinion, is wide open, any one of the quarterfinal lists could potentially win it. Looking forward to the England-Australia game, should be a cracker!

I was also not impressed, they might hit a unpleasant surprise in the next round.

What a match day, any predictions....

i go go for a surprise win of Scotland and a heavy match with final win for England