Cheers sb - had a great afternoon, albeit surrounded by Aussies! I think that Eddie Jones would be great for England. You only have to look at the beneficial effect of foreign coaches on Wales, Ireland and Scotland to conclude that it could very well be a step in the right direction for England. That said, wearing my Wales hat, stick with what you've got......
Wifey and kids away at basketball all day. I'm on the road tomorrow morning at 5am with work so spending the day on the couch enjoying the sport[/QUOTE] I hope you have a crate of beer to keep you company. Great intensity again, these teams really don't want to face the All Blacks. Nothing between them, but the French nerve could go if Ireland get a couple of scores ahead. Mind you, Sexton getting hurt would be a disaster.
Madigan is an exciting young player but nowhere near Sextons standard. Huge hits by both sides I'm off the juice until Christmas sb
The All Blacks must be watching the hits in this match and laughing their heads off, if it stays at this intensity there'll be more players crocked than standing...
The cynic in me thinks it's not purely by chance that this game is the last of the group given the commercial need for NZ to go far.
This game may be decided by the quality of the replacements, the French seem to be more focused, particularly in the tackle...
Shame if injuries dictate the result, but that's part of the game. O'Brien's punch will surely get him banned as well. Strange, Ireland seem to have had more territory but running up against a blue wall. French haven't created any clear chances but somehow seem more dangerous. Similar to Wales- Australia, massive commitment - injuries, sin bins or (hopefully) a spark of creativity could swing it.