I'll be there I'll be there with a flight on Ryan Air I'll be there!
With the excitement of my World Cup adventure now but a memory and those 'what if' thoughts becoming increasingly irregular it is time to raise the curtain on the 2012 RBS Six Nations.
Having dismissed other options including rail and sail, goat and boat and jog and log I will board Ryan Air Flight FR 443 bound for Dublin at circa 6.10am tomorrow (subject to weather delays). Despite the promise shown by Wales out in New Zealand I travel with a feeling of uncertainty. Welsh rugby is by its very nature unpredictable and history would warn us against becoming over excited and cocky on the basis of autumns endeavours. There are of course those that will gladly remind you that this weekends opponents were in fact Wales' only major scalp during their run to that World Cup Semi Final in Auckland. In order to prove both the doubters and historians wrong Wales must produce a performance and perhaps more importantly a result that demonstrates that Gatland and his team remain on an upward trajectory.
The Game on Sunday promises to be another clash between two nations who have established a bitter rivalry over the past decade but one that seems to be driven by an underlying level of mutual respect. Within this period both teams have had their triumphs with Ireland securing the Grand Slam in Cardiff and Wales ending Ireland's world cup hopes in Wellington's cake tin. Also did you hear the one about the ball boy, the linesman and the luck of the Welsh? We won't go there!
Both teams enter the championships with reason to believe that they are genuine contenders for the Championship. As fans assemble in the bars of Dublin on Sunday the Irish will refer no doubt to the recent form of their provinces in the Heineken Cup and also that Landsdowne Road (Aviva Stadium) factor that helped them blow away England's Grand Slam dream a year ago. The Welsh supporter after pushing back the hangover with another pint of the black stuff will hope that their boys have once again been recharged by spending a week in a freezer. They will long for a performance to match the Wellington quarter final in which they nullified the all star Irish back row trio.
To all rugby fans reading this enjoy the weekend! Hope to see plenty of red in Dublin. Bring on the early start, bring on the Guinness and fingers crossed for a Welsh win come the Sabbath.
Predictions:
France v Italy - France 38 - 12 Italy.
Scotland v England - Scotland 18 - 25 England.
Ireland v Wales - Ireland 15 - 19 Wales.
Doing Damage:
Wesley Fofana (France), Tom Croft, George North,
Having dismissed other options including rail and sail, goat and boat and jog and log I will board Ryan Air Flight FR 443 bound for Dublin at circa 6.10am tomorrow (subject to weather delays). Despite the promise shown by Wales out in New Zealand I travel with a feeling of uncertainty. Welsh rugby is by its very nature unpredictable and history would warn us against becoming over excited and cocky on the basis of autumns endeavours. There are of course those that will gladly remind you that this weekends opponents were in fact Wales' only major scalp during their run to that World Cup Semi Final in Auckland. In order to prove both the doubters and historians wrong Wales must produce a performance and perhaps more importantly a result that demonstrates that Gatland and his team remain on an upward trajectory.
The Game on Sunday promises to be another clash between two nations who have established a bitter rivalry over the past decade but one that seems to be driven by an underlying level of mutual respect. Within this period both teams have had their triumphs with Ireland securing the Grand Slam in Cardiff and Wales ending Ireland's world cup hopes in Wellington's cake tin. Also did you hear the one about the ball boy, the linesman and the luck of the Welsh? We won't go there!
Both teams enter the championships with reason to believe that they are genuine contenders for the Championship. As fans assemble in the bars of Dublin on Sunday the Irish will refer no doubt to the recent form of their provinces in the Heineken Cup and also that Landsdowne Road (Aviva Stadium) factor that helped them blow away England's Grand Slam dream a year ago. The Welsh supporter after pushing back the hangover with another pint of the black stuff will hope that their boys have once again been recharged by spending a week in a freezer. They will long for a performance to match the Wellington quarter final in which they nullified the all star Irish back row trio.
To all rugby fans reading this enjoy the weekend! Hope to see plenty of red in Dublin. Bring on the early start, bring on the Guinness and fingers crossed for a Welsh win come the Sabbath.
Predictions:
France v Italy - France 38 - 12 Italy.
Scotland v England - Scotland 18 - 25 England.
Ireland v Wales - Ireland 15 - 19 Wales.
Doing Damage:
Wesley Fofana (France), Tom Croft, George North,
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