Six (6) Nations 2025
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I’m not gloating about the Welsh until we see off the sweaties on their patch 😬2
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The Welsh being shit at the moment has rather muted the usual Welsh rugby bore fest media clap trap. Not a bad thing.1
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Ireland well on top. But if Scotland had too many injuries before the tournament, they do now. Hope Darcy Graham is ok, Finn Russell looks ok but failed the HIA0
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Here’s my prediction for the 6N table 2025:1: It’s2: too3: early4: to make5: predictions6: Wales4
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If this prediction proves to be correct, then it will have to go down to a tie-break, which will be won by @guinnessaddick who made the same prediction on 1 February._MrDick said:Here’s my prediction for the 6N table 2025:1: It’s2: too3: early4: to make5: predictions6: Wales3 -
😳😳Chizz said:
If this prediction proves to be correct, then it will have to go down to a tie-break, which will be won by @guinnessaddick who made the same prediction on 1 February._MrDick said:Here’s my prediction for the 6N table 2025:1: It’s2: too3: early4: to make5: predictions6: Wales1 -
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Gareth Edwards was interviewed after Saturday's game and was asked how much his team from the 1970s would have beaten the current team by. He said "only just". Asked what he meant by "only just", he explained that six of the team are now dead and the rest are all in their 70s.16
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I thought he was doing a great job! Hopefully the new man in can keep the run goingMarcusH26 said:3 -
Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.2 - Sponsored links:
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that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.1 -
Not quite, you have to have 25 Wales caps to be available for selection playing abroad I thinkLincsaddick said:
that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.3 -
Ireland have the same restrictions.Lincsaddick said:
that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.1 -
If the Welsh coach can pick the best players regardless of who they play for, he'll just pick Irelandguinnessaddick said:
Ireland have the same restrictions.Lincsaddick said:
that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.11 -
Apparently they want Simon Easterby as manager.Chizz said:
If the Welsh coach can pick the best players regardless of who they play for, he'll just pick Irelandguinnessaddick said:
Ireland have the same restrictions.Lincsaddick said:
that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.0 -
Fenaddick said .. Not quite, you have to have 25 Wales caps to be available for selection playing abroad I think
I've learnt something today .. BUT, read this (if you have the time lol)
Welsh Rugby: Are Wales' eligibility rules fit for purpose? - BBC Sport
Another article names many Welsh players playing all over the place who should be eligible.
The 81 Welsh rugby players overseas and the clubs employing them
Sorry to be so long winded but the rules border on the incomprehensible
An extract from BBC Website May 2023: Those playing outside of Wales are now required to have 25 caps to represent their country after the number was dropped from 60 in February 2023.Hawkins falls foul because he only has five caps when he made his move, while Thomas (MY INPUT played for England previously !) is eligible because he is uncapped in Wales' eyes which makes him exempt from the regulations.
Compare also the case of Hawkins with Max Llewellyn, another young Welsh centre who is leaving to join an English side next season.
In Llewellyn's case it is Gloucester, but unlike Hawkins, he remains eligible to play for Wales and has been named by Gatland.
This is because Llewellyn is uncapped. Because he has not been handed a first international appearance or been involved in a national training squad, he can still be selected even though he is also crossing over to English club rugby.
Llewellyn missed the Six Nations campaign through injury but had he been picked by Gatland for that campaign, he would not have been eligible now.
Then there is the case of Dragons lock Will Rowlands, who is leaving Wales to join Racing 92 next season.
Rowlands was Wales' player of the year in 2022 and his physicality was missed during the recent Six Nations tournament because he was unavailable with a shoulder injury.
He has currently won 23 caps so is two short of the threshold needed to be able to leave Welsh rugby and still be available for the national side.
The Professional Rugby Board (PRB) have decided Rowlands remains eligible to play for Wales because they say his registration is being kept in Welsh rugby over the summer. What that looks like they have not elaborated on.
Wales have three World Cup warm-up games in August where Rowlands could make it up to the threshold required.
There are other confusing results that could be cited.
Image source,Gareth EverettImage caption,Will Rowlands was a Wasps player when he made his Wales debut prior to joining Dragons in 2021
Why have the policy?
The cap rule was brought in during 2017 in a bid to keep the top players at the four regions and let the Wales head coach have more preparation time with the national squad.
The number was initially set at 60 and captured a high-profile casualty in Webb, who left Ospreys for Toulon without having the requisite number of internationals under his belt. Webb has since become available.
The policy appeared to work with some top talent returning to Wales, although the fortunes of the struggling regions never really changed.
The amount of caps has come under scrutiny over the last year because of the decreasing amount of money and reduced contracts being offered.
With Welsh players threatening to strike for the Six Nations match against England in February 2023, one of the bargaining tools of the players was to have the number of internationals played reduced.
The PRB agreed and it was announced the number would go down by 35 to its new number. So Hawkins has become the first major test case because he officially signed for Exeter from Ospreys in April.
His international debut came against Australia in November 2022 before he started the first four matches of the Six Nations campaign.
The PRB have ruled because he is leaving Wales and has played five caps he can no longer play international rugby.
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As I mentioned up the page a bit, the English rules are there to protect the Gallagher Prem, else all the top players would be playing in France, Japan, USA or anywhere else that pays BIG salariesguinnessaddick said:
Ireland have the same restrictions.Lincsaddick said:
that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.0 -
He certainly has the Welsh connections, but hopefully he stays exactly where he is. At least for now.guinnessaddick said:
Apparently they want Simon Easterby as manager.Chizz said:
If the Welsh coach can pick the best players regardless of who they play for, he'll just pick Irelandguinnessaddick said:
Ireland have the same restrictions.Lincsaddick said:
that happens now, it's England that restricts selection to home based playersKBslittlesis said:Whoever they bring in must be allowed to pick the best Welsh players regardless who they play for.
Until then, nothing changes.
Welsh rugby is a mess & needs fresh ideas from the bottom up.0 -
I reckon Wales will (or they sure should) offer Joe Schmidt the job, though a t m the role is the proverbial poisoned chalice and Joe might opt for a quieter life in Japan or the USAPelling1993 said:
I thought he was doing a great job! Hopefully the new man in can keep the run goingMarcusH26 said:1 -
The big problem for Wales is lack of money in the Welsh League structure. The clubs can’t attract top players from abroad so the club games are not high enough standard so when the international fixtures come up it’s a massive step up for the players in terms of intensity and quality1
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Told you it needed changing.
It's ludicrous.
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Is the English league any better, with 4 clubs going under in the last few seasons?AndyG said:The big problem for Wales is lack of money in the Welsh League structure. The clubs can’t attract top players from abroad so the club games are not high enough standard so when the international fixtures come up it’s a massive step up for the players in terms of intensity and quality1 -
I can see Pendergast getting the nod for the Lions tour.0
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I think the standard of club games is far higher than in Wales.guinnessaddick said:
Is the English league any better, with 4 clubs going under in the last few seasons?AndyG said:The big problem for Wales is lack of money in the Welsh League structure. The clubs can’t attract top players from abroad so the club games are not high enough standard so when the international fixtures come up it’s a massive step up for the players in terms of intensity and quality0 -
hope so. he hasn't a lot of experience and that showed against England but i believe he will become a very good fly half. only 21 and only has 25 appearances for Leinster but the irish selectors went for him.guinnessaddick said:I can see Pendergast getting the nod for the Lions tour.0 -
I'll be surprised if the Lions weren't full of irish players.2
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I read predictions of the squad after the first round of the 6N and the consensus was 1 more Irish than Scottish and the rest English. Maybe that has changed a but after England's good winKarim_myBagheri said:I'll be surprised if the Lions weren't full of irish players.0 -
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Ireland will wear white shirts today when playing Wales as there is a clash of red & green if you are colour blind.1
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If you're watching in black and white, Wales are the team losingguinnessaddick said:Ireland will wear white shirts today when playing Wales as there is a clash of red & green if you are colour blind.11
