Sum up our 6N

I went into thinking that we were going nowhere under Gatland (indeed i have been banging this drum for at least the last 18 months to anyone who will listen) and nothing i have seen during this tournament has changed my mind.

England - Not at any point did we look like we could beat them, they came with a gameplan and they outplayed and out thought us through the 80mins, always felt they had another gear to engage if they needed it.

Scotland - The only game where didnt seem to be troubled by the opposition, mind you the Scots were terrible on the day.

Italy - If they had a kicker it could have been a different outcome.

Ireland - Got away with it with that try and the fact Sexton had a nightmare when he came on, they also butchered an overlap at the end (probably due to the fact of Sexton having a mare they wanted to get under the posts).

France - Shocking, if Gatland and his coaching team couldnt see we needed to change things earlier then he is either extremly stubborn or more worringly cant read the game at international level.


Positives from the 6N -
Warburton and Lydiate (and to a lesser extent Bradley Davies) have been nothing short of brilliant which in turn has at times has let Ryan Jones come back to some sort of form (nowhere near his Lions 2005 form mind).
I thought Mitchell did quite well standing in for Adam Jones.
Foxy has cemented a place in the team and looked quite comfortable.

Negatives -
We dont seem to have a Plan B if Plan A is not working (have yet to workout what our Plan A is mind ).
It seems the players are being 'over coached', it looks like they are being told to play within a rigid structure which negates any of their natural flair.
The team does not look like a united camp (Sean Edwards not travelling just adds weight to this).
Gatland obviously has his favourites and if you are on this list it would seem to make you immune from being dropped.

Anyway its back to the day job next weekend, i for one cant wait and im looking forward to seeing some of you in the barn .

now the 6n s over we can get back to the real deal

it looked like that....totally rubbish

A Evans wrote: I went into thinking that we were going nowhere under Gatland (indeed i have been banging this drum for at least the last 18 months to anyone who will listen) and nothing i have seen during this tournament has changed my mind. England - Not at any point did we look like we could beat them, they came with a gameplan and they outplayed and out thought us through the 80mins, always felt they had another gear to engage if they needed it. Scotland - The only game where didnt seem to be troubled by the opposition, mind you the Scots were terrible on the day. Italy - If they had a kicker it could have been a different outcome. Ireland - Got away with it with that try and the fact Sexton had a nightmare when he came on, they also butchered an overlap at the end (probably due to the fact of Sexton having a mare they wanted to get under the posts). France - Shocking, if Gatland and his coaching team couldnt see we needed to change things earlier then he is either extremly stubborn or more worringly cant read the game at international level. Positives from the 6N - Warburton and Lydiate (and to a lesser extent Bradley Davies) have been nothing short of brilliant which in turn has at times has let Ryan Jones come back to some sort of form (nowhere near his Lions 2005 form mind). I thought Mitchell did quite well standing in for Adam Jones. Foxy has cemented a place in the team and looked quite comfortable. Negatives - We dont seem to have a Plan B if Plan A is not working (have yet to workout what our Plan A is mind ). It seems the players are being 'over coached', it looks like they are being told to play within a rigid structure which negates any of their natural flair. The team does not look like a united camp (Sean Edwards not travelling just adds weight to this). Gatland obviously has his favourites and if you are on this list it would seem to make you immune from being dropped. Anyway its back to the day job next weekend, i for one cant wait and im looking forward to seeing some of you in the barn .

An excellent summary. As for the plans:

Plan A, B &C is to keep passing the ball in the same direction, then when you reach the touch line - pass it back the other way across the field. This possibly worked in Gats' first year - but now it is totally predictable, other teams know what to expect and can defend it easily.

This also stops players using their brains (Carwyn: "Don't forget it's a thinking game" - Gats has forgotten), so they look clueless as they follow the plan even when it doesn't make sense to do so.

Byrne's reputation as possibly the best FB in the world is in tatters as is Phillips' at SH.

As posted above, there have been some positives, especially Warburton.

One word: boring.

Division 2 rubbish at best 

Yes ..The friggin 1790's