Six Nations 2019

[jeremyp]

Anyway, can Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff?

If Wales win the Grand Slam, you’d have to say that it was against the run of form. So far England’s have only played one bad half of rugby whereas Wales have played three or perhaps five if you count their Italy match.

[ProfessorDavey]

Italy don’t always lose all their matches in the Six Nations.

Italy have lost their last 21 games. Frankly that isn't viable in a league structure without relegation and therefore without any impact on losing game after game after game.

Can you name any side in the Rugby World cup that is on a similar losing streak.

[jeremyp]

Italy have lost their last 21 games. Frankly that isn't viable in a league structure without relegation and therefore without any impact on losing game after game after game.

Can you name any side in the Rugby World cup that is on a similar losing streak.

Let it go.

[ProfessorDavey]

Let it go.

Why - you brought it up, by specifically comparing the 6 Nations and RWC in terms of one sided matches. You claimed:

'... there are no games between wildly mismatched opponents unlike the RWC.'

Yet in Italy we have a team that has lost its last 21 games in the 6 Nations - that sounds pretty mismatched to me. And as you claimed there weren't mismatched opponents in the 6 Nations but were in the RWC it is completely reasonable for me to ask you for an example in the RWC of a team with a similar losing streak to Italy in the 6 nations.

Plus of course minnows in the RWC have no effect on the overall outcome as they are long gone before the sharp end of the season, unlike Italy in the 6 nations.

[ProfessorDavey]

Italy have lost their last 21 games. Frankly that isn't viable in a league structure without relegation and therefore without any impact on losing game after game after game.

Can you name any side in the Rugby World cup that is on a similar losing streak.

To answer my own question - the nearest is Namibia

They are on a 19 game losing streak in the RWC - indeed they've yet to win a game, despite qualifying for every RWC since 1999.

And just to be clear that I criticise the RWC too - that is nuts and demonstrates that it is too easy to qualify. Namibia's record in qualifying is 28 wins 7 defeats, yet in the actual tournament 0 wins, 19 defeats.

The RWC should be trimmed to 16 teams which would make the qualifying tournament more challenging (and therefore help those teams to develop), and that would reduce the numbers of really weak sides in the actual tournament. Plus it would also mean 4 teams per group allowing the final games to be played at the same time which has been standard in other sports tournaments for years (since Germany and Austria played out an infamous 1-0 game in the world cup in 1982 ensuring both went through).

[jeremyp]

To answer my own question - the nearest is Namibia

They are on a 19 game losing streak in the RWC - indeed they've yet to win a game, despite qualifying for every ReWC since 1999.

And just to be clear that I criticise the RWC too - that is nuts and demonstrates that it is too easy to qualify. Namibia's record in qualifying is 28 wins 7 defeats, yet in the actual tournament 0 wins, 19 defeats.

The RWC should be trimmed to 16 teams which would make the qualifying tournament more challenging (and therefore help those teams to develop), and that would reduce the numbers of really weak sides in the actual tournament. Plus it would also mean 4 teams per group allowing the final games to be played at the same time which has been standard in other sports tournaments for years (since Germany and Austria played out an infamous 1-0 game in the world cup in 1982 ensuring both went through).

Ok you’re right. We bow to your infinite knowledge. Now shut the fuck up

[ProfessorDavey]

Ok you’re right. We bow to your infinite knowledge. Now shut the fuck up

Jeremy - why on earth do you make the comments you make if you don't want to discuss them and defend them. You seem perfectly happy to make hand-waving (and frankly wrong) comments and then when someone pulls you up over them you simply tell them to shut up (except you aren't even that polite).

[ProfessorDavey]

Anyway, can Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff?

They certainly can, whether they will is another matter. So far this 6 nations there has likely just been a single match that hasn't gone with prediction based on ranking and home advantage - Ireland vs England. I think Wales vs Ireland is probably the nearest to a close call of the tournament so it is probably too close to call.

Problem for Ireland is that even if they win, most likely they'll just let England come through and win the tournament. So they probably wont have anything like the motivation as the Welsh and there is (of course) no benefit to coming second in the 6 nations, although there would be if it were the route to qualify for the new global tournament. That, and relegation, would certainly help with motivation in the tail end of the 6 nations.