Irish bag title as England slump in France

It's obviously harder to win the Rugby Championship because the best player in the world is in it (New Zealand)... At least it is harder for non-New Zealand sides.

Still you as you seem to be deliberately missing the point. That's the charitable interpretation, anyway - it may not be deliberate.

Yee haaa, the insults are coming. Jerry in the year that NZ hammered all rugby championship sides by 21 plus points (2016) Ireland beat all of NZ, SA (in SA with 14 men) and Australia (with a B side) in the exact same year and yet only finished 3rd in the six nations. In 2017 when Ireland finished 2nd in the 6 nations they hammered South Africa by 35 points and Scotland hammered Australia by 29 points. Who is obtuse now?

Jeez are you really that obtuse? You wrote " Ireland have won 3 from last 5 six nations tournaments which is now a harder tournament to win than winning the rugby championship is for NZ" So, most people would infer from that sentence that the Six Nations was a harder tournament to win than the RC for all 3 of those Irish tournament wins. I disagree and have provided my evidence to support my opinion. In the years that provided Ireland 2 of those 3 tournament wins, the RC was just as hard, if not harder, to win as the 6N. And in the 3rd, the RC hasn't even been played so essentially your implication that the Irish wins were harder to come by is largely without basis.

Well yes Jerry, Ireland came first this year and my comment was which you highlighted.. "I am saying they are now better" Now. Ireland are currently 6 nations champions. Wales and Scotland haven't won it in years. Scotland 20 years wales about 6. I also don't see how pointing out that Ireland have won the championship two other times since Wales last won it doesn't strengthen that argument further.

Have to agree with you there Fionn...I'm not worried. :-)

Don't worry, Taylorman, Pocock will outplay him.

At the moment - but really only one of those 3 Irish 6N wins happened when this was the case. 2 of them were when the RC was competitive. 2014 NZ had a narrow win and a loss vs SA. 2015 (when the RC teams made up the entire RWC semi-finals remember), Australia won the RC. 2016 and 17, sure - but Ireland didn't win then, did they? Or is coming 2nd and 3rd hard for them also? So actually, you've got ONE Irish win when the RC is not competitive not 3 .....and even then the RC hasn't actually been played this season so we don't know how competitive it will be.

Heres one for you... Where can you win three out of five tournaments and not score the most tries? Only in the 6N thats where.?

Yes it might, such a shame with all tgat depth we keep hearing about.

Well theyve kinda been wasting their time here then huh? The last Lions win here was fifty years ago as well. So they get exhausted from touring here without winning, then get exhausted because of it. Kinda weak dont ya think?

Schmidt selects kiwis who would never even make the ABs, you honestly think hes not going to select one of our very best? Dream....on.

Hmm so the Telegraph has in November Cane ‘definitely cementing’ himself as the number one flanker in world rugby and our henry doesnt have him in the top seven. Now, the telegraph may not be the greatest rag in the world but the words definite and cement have quite definitive meanings, not a long of ambiguity there. Yet our Henry doesnt rate him in the top seven, and, cannot find another soul on the planet who agrees with him. Hansen is a kiwi and has him in tests where hes the best player on the field. I am a kiwi, and I rate him, as do most others. Schmidt is a kiwi and would without a single shred of doubt, have himin the Irish squad and probably start him. Henry on the other hand, well, really diesnt have a clues what hes on about. But hey, good 6N win... but get your head out of the honey pot henry, its clouding your thinking.

Jerry, competition in the rugby championship is poor at the moment. NZ have had much tighter games against NH opposition than rugby championship opposition in the last two years so I think its a no brainer to say the six nations is a tougher tournament to win at the moment. In 2016 NZ beat all teams by a minimum of 21 points. In their NH tour they lost to Ireland and beat a very poor France by only 5 points. The 2017 rugby championship was closer with Australia and SA coming close in one game each but the same SA side that lost to NZ by 1 point in Capetown lost by 35 points to Ireland in November and by about 60 points to NZ in NZ. All in all the 6 nations is a much better tournament at the moment. Fionn, you haven't a clue when it comes to Irish rugby. It is obvious from reading your posts. TM, Itoje's form is suffering because England do not have a player management program nor control over their clubs and therefore Itoje is over worked compared to Irish and NZ players. Ireland used much more advanced science in their statistical analysis (Kitman Labs) of player performance in determining whether players need a rest or not and as a result they can ensure key players are peaking at the right times. England just flog their best players until they break. England have also historically struggled the year after a Lions tour. The last post Lions tour six nations they won was 50 years ago

One thing is for sure Cane wouldn't even make the Ireland bench. Times have changed Taylorman. The ABs are still the better side but Ireland have better forwards now particularly at front row and 7 as has been demonstrated in all three of Ireland's last tests v NZ. Does the truth hurt or something? I accept that Cane is hardworking and adds value to the ABs side but compared to VdF, Leavy and O'Brien he lags a good bit behind in terms of talent. I would pick all of the following players ahead of Cane: Yakouba Camera Sean O'Brien Sam Warburton Josh Van Der Flier Dan Leavy Hamish Watson Michael Hooper David Pocock

Sam cane vs Wales last year, the telegraph: “ Sam Cane – 9 The All Blacks’ best. Tackled anything in a red jersey, often with brutal effect. This performance will definitely cement him as the number one openside for next season” Vander fulla got one of those anywhere?

Its just a case of a fan on a high with the 6N win.A bit like England when they won. Where are they now? Itojes still as good as or better than the AB locks? Not from what I saw he isnt. Show me a better test from van der wats his name than cane against wales last year. Youd be lucky to find a more dominant defensive effort than that in ten years. This is the new breed of seven, where the hits come big and often. The six is becoming more the ball carrier punisher on attack. One things for sure, Cane will be turning out innall the big tests for the ABs this year. Wat will van der flier be doing? Carrying water? Wont be a better seven in this calendar test year than an uninjured Cane. Easy bet that one.

"I’m saying they are now better. Ireland have won 3 from last 5 six nations tournaments which is now a harder tournament to win than winning the rugby championship is for NZ." Well, I'd argue it's only harder cause NZ are better than Ireland. If you swapped the two around and NZ had to beat England, Wales, Scotland & France, I reckon they'd have won at least 4. Besides which, two of those Irish tournament wins were in 2014 and 15 when I don't think you can make the same argument that the 6N was harder to win.

So because I don't overrate Irish players I'm not an Irish fan? Righto, chump, silly comment. Smith isn't Australia, so why would I overrate him? It would apply to Genia but not to Smith. Maybe all those guys like Tim Horan and Warren Gatland are just correct when they say Smith is the best player in the world?

Maybe to you everything points to Chicago but logically if you are comparing two players it makes sense to compare them in the one game they have faced each other. In that game Cane looked like a schoolboy compared to VdF. Your fault if you don't know him.