Next up.....France

[Banquo]

They're just waiting to see what the blockers can do. Which is fine as long as the blockers manage to block someone.

It's very rare at the top level there's enough space to warrant just putting your head down and charging, even if you get a mismatch you're probably running at a 2 or a 3 who'll work as a unit.

So the problem is more not deciding to kick early enough and/or well enough.

Top end pace is an interesting idea, and is he more about acceleration. Though a lot of 15s don't have sustained high end pace, some wingers don't, even some good ones

I am not advocating just a head down and charge approach, but even that will make more ground than simply marking time while you invite tacklers to come and get you.

It's a cracking plan for schools level. But at test level you can get into trouble doing that.

Really you need clearer thinking on your go/no go decision making. There's little gain to hoping a channel will be opened up for you when you're about to be in trouble

well yes, and round we go.

[TheDasher]

Malins looks pretty rapid to me... and whilst I've never timed him over 100 metres, he's got some serious acceleration, which we've seen a glimpse of here and there in his appearances from the bench, but not really vs France. I think he got turned over 3 times was it? I seem to remember that it was his fault twice, from running away from support or for slowing down and doing a jig before contact.

This probably had an effect on him, can't have done much for his confidence. Those instances aside, I thought he showed some real promise and is worth giving a run of games to. Similar skill set to Daly as we've all said, but Daly hasn't excelled in the role and someone else should have a chance to do so.

[Digby]

I am not advocating just a head down and charge approach, but even that will make more ground than simply marking time while you invite tacklers to come and get you.

It's a cracking plan for schools level. But at test level you can get into trouble doing that.

Really you need clearer thinking on your go/no go decision making. There's little gain to hoping a channel will be opened up for you when you're about to be in trouble

well yes, and round we go.

Sort of around. Spiffy's point was in part he should just run fast, and I'm not sure that is much a solution. It'd be better than running slowly and getting caught as long as it didn't force a handling error, but it wouldn't be what you'd want.

[Banquo]

It's a cracking plan for schools level. But at test level you can get into trouble doing that.

Really you need clearer thinking on your go/no go decision making. There's little gain to hoping a channel will be opened up for you when you're about to be in trouble

well yes, and round we go.

Sort of around. Spiffy's point was in part he should just run fast, and I'm not sure that is much a solution. It'd be better than running slowly and getting caught as long as it didn't force a handling error, but it wouldn't be what you'd want.

I'd highlighted better decision making. So that's agreed then.

[Banquo]

Malins looks pretty rapid to me... and whilst I've never timed him over 100 metres, he's got some serious acceleration, which we've seen a glimpse of here and there in his appearances from the bench, but not really vs France. I think he got turned over 3 times was it? I seem to remember that it was his fault twice, from running away from support or for slowing down and doing a jig before contact.

This probably had an effect on him, can't have done much for his confidence. Those instances aside, I thought he showed some real promise and is worth giving a run of games to. Similar skill set to Daly as we've all said, but Daly hasn't excelled in the role and someone else should have a chance to do so.

Not interested in 100m tbh. Acceleration is good, but then you need a good degree of top end pace to be really effective as a 15- or at least my view of a 15 . He's skilled alright- I'm hoping that nightmare pass into touch was a rare event , and that the stutter step and turnovers and overrunning were just settling in. I did really like the slide on the deck to tidy up loose ball, and a couple of jinky steps in traffic. I've also said he should get another go. But as Digby has said, he wasn't any better than Daly on a poor day.

[FKAS]

Is that the Curry jackal where everyone but the ref thought how's that legal?

There was a couple of those for both teams. I was quite happy the ref overturned the one at the end even though I'm English because that should never have been our penalty.

Not sure how that one at the end was revered, I'm choosing to hope it was a call from the touch judge.

It was an interesting game, if Curry gets a yellow there, if France's locks don't give away 2 cretinous penalties, and maybe we don't get the lineout pen where Willemse ripped the ball away that game could have skewed massively in proceedings. And we'd probably be going nuts about penalties again when almost nothing had changed from a game we probably all hugely enjoyed, we could've lost that at the end (or not won it) and I'd still have enjoyed that game.

I think the ref saw the replay on the screen and changed his mind.

The French locks were always likely to give away penalties, the are the weakness in the French side. Possibly why Wales will win the Grand Slam as AWJ will be up to his usual antics and those locks are not the brightest.

[Digby]

There was a couple of those for both teams. I was quite happy the ref overturned the one at the end even though I'm English because that should never have been our penalty.

Not sure how that one at the end was revered, I'm choosing to hope it was a call from the touch judge.

It was an interesting game, if Curry gets a yellow there, if France's locks don't give away 2 cretinous penalties, and maybe we don't get the lineout pen where Willemse ripped the ball away that game could have skewed massively in proceedings. And we'd probably be going nuts about penalties again when almost nothing had changed from a game we probably all hugely enjoyed, we could've lost that at the end (or not won it) and I'd still have enjoyed that game.

I think the ref saw the replay on the screen and changed his mind.

The French locks were always likely to give away penalties, the are the weakness in the French side. Possibly why Wales will win the Grand Slam as AWJ will be up to his usual antics and those locks are not the brightest.

I thought it was possible the ref saw the screen too, which is why I'm choosing to hope it was a shout from the TJ.

And they missed Le Roux, no question. As with many of England's indiscretions they simply didn't need to do what they did, it's just stupid