Dunno about that, North at outside centre? Well, saves himself cutting off the wing I guess. Sensibly dropped Phillips.
I haven't got a good feeling about North's move to centre, I'll readily admit.
Very pleased with Phillips' benching, he's a liability. Webb deserves the chance on his own merit though, following his performance for the Ospreys last week.
I thought he was subbed last match by Gatland to avoid being carded, but have just found he was yellow-carded. No wonder Gatland said "It's probably an opportunity [for Phillips] to reflect on his performance against Ireland".
I thought he was subbed last match by Gatland to avoid being carded, but have just found he was yellow-carded. No wonder Gatland said "It's probably an opportunity [for Phillips] to reflect on his performance against Ireland".
A few people I've spoken to turned out not to notice that he had actually been sin-binned, in the chaos of the end of the match.
England: 15 Mike Brown (Harlequins); 14 Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), 13 Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), 12 Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester), 11 Jonny May (Gloucester); 10 Owen Farrell (Saracens), 9 Danny Care (Harlequins); 1 Joe Marler (Harlequins), 2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), 3 David Wilson (Bath), 4 Joe Launchbury (London Wasps), 5 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), 6 Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), 7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), 8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens).
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers), 17 Mako Vunipola (Saracens), 18 Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks), 19 Dave Attwood (Bath), 20 Ben Morgan (Gloucester), 21 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), 22 George Ford (Bath), 23 Alex Goode (Saracens).
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (c), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Paddy Jackson, 23 Fergus McFadden.
Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Alberto De Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Paul Derbyshire, 21 Tobias Botes, 22 Luciano Orquera, 23 Tommaso Iannone.
What's wrong with Webb getting an opportunity? He's been playing a better game than Phillips has lately, and he can keep a lid on his temper.
Fair play, I'll admit when I'm wrong. Rhys Webb had a bloody good game today.
He's not the second coming of Gareth Edwards but he reminded me a bit of when Dwayne Peel was thrown in instead of Rob Howley way back in the day. On paper a terrible decision but it all worked out well on the pitch.
Guess I erred in my prediction. France are very poor. One day, France will actually appoint a coach who picks & gets their team playing to their strengths but probably won't be in my lifetime.
That's a good lead too.....won't be easy for France to claw their way back into the game seeing as they are the away side.
I don't think France are playing at all well. Some flashes of good play but it's all very messy and disjointed.
I'll be the first to admit I wasn't holding out much hope pre-match, but it would appear they've pulled their socks up. Gethin Jenkins is, as always, an absolute powerhouse.
Do France have a game plan?
Seems like they want to make up as they go but without the ball!
Wales score reflects possession and intent, though their try was a bit of a fluke (a bit like France 2 v England).
Scrums a shambles, but yet again a substandard pitch ensures the scrum will be insecure at times.
Comments
I haven't got a good feeling about North's move to centre, I'll readily admit.
Very pleased with Phillips' benching, he's a liability. Webb deserves the chance on his own merit though, following his performance for the Ospreys last week.
Sensibly dropped Mike Phillips? Have you seen who they've picked in his place?
I have a feeling I'll be watching Friday's game from behind the sofa.
What's wrong with Webb getting an opportunity? He's been playing a better game than Phillips has lately, and he can keep a lid on his temper.
A few people I've spoken to turned out not to notice that he had actually been sin-binned, in the chaos of the end of the match.
Wales v France
England v Ireland
Italy v Scotland
I think all 3 matches will be very tight.
As it stands, any one of England, Ireland, Wales or France can win it yet.....I suppose it makes for an exciting championship.
And great for Wales themselves....there's only one team in it so far.
Fair play, I'll admit when I'm wrong. Rhys Webb had a bloody good game today.
He's not the second coming of Gareth Edwards but he reminded me a bit of when Dwayne Peel was thrown in instead of Rob Howley way back in the day. On paper a terrible decision but it all worked out well on the pitch.
That's a good lead too.....won't be easy for France to claw their way back into the game seeing as they are the away side.
I don't think France are playing at all well. Some flashes of good play but it's all very messy and disjointed.
I'll be the first to admit I wasn't holding out much hope pre-match, but it would appear they've pulled their socks up. Gethin Jenkins is, as always, an absolute powerhouse.
Seems like they want to make up as they go but without the ball!
Wales score reflects possession and intent, though their try was a bit of a fluke (a bit like France 2 v England).
Scrums a shambles, but yet again a substandard pitch ensures the scrum will be insecure at times.
Is he? Wales will rejoice