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Cinq choses à retenir de la 3e journée du Tournoi des Six Nations
L’Irlande et l’Écosse ont remporté la victoire lors de la troisième journée du Tournoi des Six Nations et l’Italie a obtenu un match nul historique (13-13) contre la France. C’est la première fois que les Azzurri évitent la défaite dans le Tournoi à l’extérieur face aux Bleus.
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Mais d’autres points ont fait réagir ce week-end.
Le souci du protège-dents
La nouvelle technologie des protège-dents soulève des inquiétudes chez Gregor Townsend, le sélectionneur de l’Écosse. L’Écosse a dû sortir temporairement un joueur en cours de rencontre pour le deuxième match de suite du Tournoi des Six Nations, en raison d’un protocole commotion déclenché par la nouvelle technologie. C’est la première fois que des joueurs de haut niveau portent des protège-dents dits « connectés » qui envoient des alertes dès qu’un « épisode d’accélération de la tête » avec une force G supérieure à 70g et 4 000 radians par seconde au carré est détecté. Mais Gregor Townsend a déclaré après la victoire en Calcutta Cup : « Il y a encore un peu de travail à faire avant que cette technologie ne soit parfaite ».
L’Irlande semble inarrêtable
Aucune équipe n’a réussi deux Grands Chelems consécutifs dans l’ère du Tournoi des Six Nations, mais l’Irlande est à deux matchs d’y parvenir et il serait osé de parier le contraire. L’Irlande a remporté une 18e victoire consécutive à domicile en battant le Pays de Galles 31 à 7, égalant ainsi le record de 11 victoires consécutives de l’Angleterre dans le Tournoi des Six Nations. Les hommes d’Andy Farrell n’ont même pas eu à donner le meilleur d’eux-mêmes pour remporter une troisième victoire bonifiée en trois matchs. Désormais, seules l’Angleterre à Twickenham et l’Écosse à Dublin peuvent empêcher l’Irlande de réaliser un nouveau Grand Chelem.
La magie écossaise
La dernière fois que l’Écosse a remporté quatre Calcutta Cups d’affilée, la reine Victoria était sur le trône et Lord Salisbury était Premier ministre. C’était en 1896 et l’Angleterre n’avait pas réussi à ouvrir le score lors d’une défaite 11-0 à Glasgow. Plus d’un siècle plus tard, l’Angleterre s’est inclinée sur le score de 30 à 21, Duhan Van Der Merwe ayant assuré la magie de Murrayfield. Van Der Merwe est devenu le premier joueur écossais à réaliser un triplé en Calcutta Cup, se rapprochant ainsi de Stuart Hogg, le meilleur marqueur de l’histoire de l’Écosse.
Feyi-Waboso frappe fort
L’ailier de New England Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, bien connu pour tâter de l’ivoire, a apparemment impressionné l’entraîneur Steve Borthwick en jouant du piano à l’hôtel de l’équipe. Borthwick aurait également admiré la façon dont Feyi-Waboso a marqué son premier essai international après être entré en jeu comme remplaçant à Murrayfield. Le puissant joueur de 21 ans, né à Cardiff de parents nigérians, a repéré les espaces et a tracé une ligne parfaite pour marquer. Il a apporté sa contribution à une phase offensive prévisible de l’Angleterre, et les appels pour une place de titulaire vont maintenant être de plus en plus insistants.
Winnett, nouvelle coqueluche
L’arrière était potentiellement un poste à problèmes pour le Pays de Galles à l’approche du Six Nations, avec Liam Williams indisponible en raison de ses engagements en club au Japon, Leigh Halfpenny ayant pris sa retraite du rugby international et le polyvalent Louis Rees-Zammit ayant quitté le XV pour tenter de se forger une carrière de footballeur américain. C’est alors que Cameron Winnett a fait son entrée en scène, révélé après seulement trois tests. Le joueur de 21 ans excelle dans tous les domaines et a sans doute été le meilleur joueur du Pays de Galles contre l’Irlande. Rien ne semble le perturber.
Comments on RugbyPass
The key point I think that is missing is that if Joseph wants to guarantee a Lions spot, he really has to play wing in his first year. He is easily going to nail down whatever he wants to do, but with just half a season, how much of a factor he proves to be in the Lions series could be dictated by this initial choice of playing position.
5 Go to commentsthe game was 2 weeks before the challenge cup final. I really don’t believe they needed to rest that many players.
1 Go to commentsI really feel like neither of the Vunipolas is given the respect they deserve. I would have liked to see both of them get a few more caps than they have gotten in the past couple of years, but unfortunately the fact that they both peaked young has meant that for a number of years they have been perceived as disappointments. When they are both retired, in the cold light of day they will be recognised as two of the best players of their generation of any nation.
2 Go to commentsthis generation of saracens players could produce some really incredible coaches. When Farrell retires he could walk into any premiership team as a defence, attack, or kicking coach. Itoje could make it as a defence or a lineout coach, and Jamie George as a lineout or scrum coach. The problem the Vunipolas are going to have is that its not clear what their coaching speciality would be. Neither are great in the set piece, and while they were good in attack and defence, they were never tactical masterminds. Perhaps contact skills would be their ideal brief? Mako perhaps could work in strength & conditioning, but Billy has a bit of a reputation for not taking that side of the game seriously.
2 Go to commentsA very good player.We are finally getting some balance in our team. Plummer..Heem ..Lam a solid..experienced combo who take the sensible options consistently. Clarke was a grt impact of the bench option until Lam moved to 13 to replace an injured Reiko. Cotter is doing a grt job building his team. .
1 Go to commentsSaturday was last straw. Terrible record in Premiership since Jan 23. Capitulation against Bath at home. There are 3 conclusions. Players aren't good enough. Coaching team aren't good enough or combination of both.
2 Go to commentsAs you say in your article Brett, the point was Hamish and his vanity - plain and simple. The crazy bit is that sua’ali’i has to be probably twice the player of mark N, no easy feat, just for RA to get their money's worth!?! And as you say, tahs aren't short of wingers, props on the other hand id like to see $1.6m spent on. I still shake my head at the absolute carry on in the media and comments section around the boon of getting sua’ali’i and the revenue it'd generate. It was all such hogwash imo and short sighted, real sugar hit stuff. And wasnt Waugh (and others) on the board at the time this money was spent? You say silver bullet, I'd say sugar hit but without the flavour.
5 Go to commentsNZR should play hard all a bit with some of these players and make them sign up to the next world cup. If they won’t, offer it to someone who will. Because what happens is the NH (especially France) swoop on a bunch of nz players coming off contract, weakening their depth, and nz scrambles less than 2 years out trying to get replacements up to speed.
1 Go to commentsNo thanks. Savea almost always leaves easy points out there and goes for the corner, no matter how many times it’s not working. He claimed he took “the learnings” from this when he kept making the same mistake against the Boks a few years ago. Then went out the very next week and did the same thing and SA snatched victory because of it. Years later he still does it, right up to and including the world cup final. Great player, not so great rugby nous.
10 Go to commentsIt certainly wasn't a rhetorical masterpiece coming from big E …. (just as a side remark: Eben is the better player, Siya by far the better talker - maybe that's why they don't seem to like each other very much) …. but could we please move on?
63 Go to commentsMan who wasn't there and hasn't held a conversation with those who were present weighs in on dead rubber debate and is presented as representative of the Irish Rugby Union’s spokesperson on subject he has no apparent knowledge of whatsoever.
63 Go to commentsanybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
4 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
63 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
10 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
10 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
63 Go to commentsGood option for the lineout lost there.
1 Go to commentsIt’s not like Saffas have a long history of spouting absolute shite at any & every occasion. Oh wait… The dangers of an inferior third world education strike again.
63 Go to comments