Sorry, I'm new to Rugby outside the U.S.?

Question

What was going on with the England-Wales game? Is that normal? Usually I only see U.S. college matches, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

Answer 1

Well it was normal if you consider that England played typical 10 man rugby. (For you Americans that means the play is mostly kept to the forwards, and the ball gets no further than the flyhalf before getting kicked downfield. 8 forwards + scrum half + flyhalf = 10 man rugby).

Bash it up in the forwards, play the percentages & field position. I'll give credit where it's due, England play that style quite well, and actually beat us in the last RWC final using these tactics.

Their backline did fu<k all until late in the game when they started to throw it wide; Welsh lack of fitness then showed as English backs scored a few late tries.

IMO, any team that can match England up front (e.g Aus, NZ, Sth Africa, France, Argentina, Ireland) & gain their fair share of possession is gonna tear them apart with their backline.

Watch the SA - Eng pool match on Sept 14th or the 1st quarter final on October 6th (should be Australia - England) to see what I mean............................. ;-))

Answer 2

England are always a tough propposition for any team they have some of the toughest forwards in the business ask any All Black forward pack.  They can testify to that.  Wales didn't play a full strength team and are not the team who won the six nations not so long ago because they are making preparations for the Rugby World Cup.  I suggest you watch the Rugby World Cup to get a true picture of both teams before you make a decision.

Answer 3

That is not normal but you will every now and then see a huge score like the England - Wales game. Wales did beat England in the six nations series and is not a bad team at all. Watch the world-cup later this year. You will get hooked and will see some good matches especially between South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and France.

Answer 4

If you want to learn watch Australia V New Zealand or South Africa.

Answer 5

No,not all games are like that.As a Welshman i can honestly say that was a one-off for Wales to play that badly.We are currently ranked 8th in the world and England 7th.usually Wales play much better and we have beaten england twice in our last four encounters.In 2005 we won the grand slam(We beat every one in the six nations in one go)ans we are also one of the only five teams to beat New Zealand.We are better than Argentina,Scotland,Ireland,Italy,Samoa,F... and everyone else above 7th in world rankings.(By below i mean lower than)

Thanks and watch this for proof!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Czn8Pp0jRT...