The Rugby Six Nations “Super Saturday” was a bit much for me. Three consecutive, televised matches (all fairly closely fought and all ending with the wrong result) were too much of an emotional drain. Unlike the England vs. France match the previous weekend I had not taken the precaution of dosing myself with large quantities of Dorset bitter and Australian red before the first kick-off. Accordingly I lasted the full eighty-minutes-times-three without even the shortest nap and ended up tired, head-achey, depressed and fed up with TV.
Anyway, well done France and Ireland, but what do we do about England? Oddly today's Sunday Times (Jeremy Guscott) and the Sunday Telegraph (Paul Ackford) agree that Andy Robinson must stay on for next year’s World Cup, but that he must change his coaching staff - particularly for the backs. Guscott named eight or nine uncapped players with great potential who might be considered, although Robinson is not known as a risk-taker. Ackford picked his dream team from all the Six Nations teams and there wasn’t an Englishman in sight. The New Zealander Sean Fitzpatrick (in the Sunday Times) described England as “one of the dullest teams on the planet, not just in its style of play but when it comes to applying a bit of grey matter when it counts”. Stern stuff, but on reflection is it not so far from the truth? Let’s hope for better stuff next year.
Next weekend we’re off to Ireland to see if the Emerald Isle is still celebrating threefold – the Triple Crown, St Patrick’s Day and a hugely successful Cheltenham. I’ve no doubt that there will be plenty of smiling faces over there and maybe, just maybe the weather will warm up a bit.
Old fogey, less-than-totally-successful bookseller, husband, parent and grandparent holds forth on his own issues of the day.
About Me
- Rumbling Nappa
- Sometimes referred to as the Rumbling Nappa I occasionally return to blogging. This time it is to comment on the Languedoc marriage of my neice, Louise Ticehurst to Rich Astley.