I can see where wales went wrong

I didn't feel that was a second or third string team that England put out, I think the points you make above are valid. I hoped they may miss there regular second rows in the line out but sadly didn't happen
I feel there has been an underlying prescriptive game plan with Gatland throughout and personally I don't believe he has done that well, given the quality of players he has had to pick from since he took the position I think we should have won more games, especially against Southern Hemisphere. Having said that I also agree that due to the lack of depth in Welsh rugby it must be very difficult to compete against teams that can fill each position 4 times with top class players who play top class rugby week in week out!
I am not a fair weather welsh fan, I am Welsh and proud of it til the day I die win or lose. I think we collectively underestimated England last night and will play better in Sept but there where fundamental tactics that where flawed last night and an inability to play what is in front of them is a good example of the prescriptive way Wales have played under Gatland I also think it was an all to familiar sight of one win against a very tired South Africa made the Welsh players and management and to a degree their fan base, think they could just turn up and there superior ability and size would ensure another victory and again it proved to be wrong!

That said I take nothing away from England who soaked up our early pressure kept their cool and came out in the second half believing and willing to front up, twelve trees who I don't particularly rate epitomised the desire and hunger of the English team in his brief period on the pitch. It wasn't so much the defeat as the manner that worries me.

 

Maybe people can't be so arsed with the inevitability of Australia winning again

 

Lots of good points...I just think we are keeping our powder dry...my point on a weakened pack was media musings, not yours.

A disaster for Wales would have been a 10 point plus win...we'd have had to lock the team selection and aimed for a slam.

A one point win after a massacre would have been best....a win by big margin would have set us up badly for the pool game...we are crap favourites, thrive on underdog status.

Mostly academic now, we were well beaten.

 

Or NZ but yeah and it's a real shame that, because we are a good team, we just can't quite compete with the best national team in any sport the world has ever seen, it's a pity they don't get the recognition in our union biased press

 

Worm of can open please don't that

Make a sentence out of the above!

 

Ha Ha I won't, It just irks me, always has and always will

 

While we are talking about rugby, does any one know when and why the replacement scrum half number has changed from 20 to 21?

 

I think he was knocked out the second time he went down late on. The way you see him fall

 

I think its the hookers head that catches him

 

Does anyone know what they have in their shirts between the shoulder blades? A rectangular lump.

 

Think it is GPS trackers/ accelerometers to help the coaches with post match stats etc

 

It's for live in game stats...it also monitors work rate so they can see whose flagging etc...but the guys at the front with the laptops when you see pics of the coaches feed info onto the water carriers which is why they wear headsets.

 

Ahh ok, didn't know it was live,

Do you know the scrum half number question I asked earlier?

 

He was sparko twice....irks me because Liam Williams club form has been awesome.

The doc can overrule a coach..I doubt Gatland knew anyway...what you see at home isn't relayed to the screens in the stadium live all the times at the milenium, and in breaks in play the coaches tend to look at what the analysts show them, not the BBC.

He should have known though.

 

It's because since 2010 I think that they have to have a full front row of subs, plus one other forward, and three backs....it used to be three three, now it's often 4 3 though the French sometimes go 5 2 forwards backs blend.

 

Good game. C'mon Scotland.

 

Could be the surprise package of the year, they have one of the best coaches in the world now...

 

but they are playing a superior team ...