Six Nations Championship – Week 2

Join us at Gormley’s Pub in Rocky River to watch the second week of the Six Nations Championship!!

WALES vs. SCOTLAND – SATURDAY 2/12 09:00 ET

FRANCE vs. IRELAND – SATURDAY 2/12 11:30 ET

ITALY vs. ENGLAND – SUNDAY 2/13 09:30 ET

Enthusiastic Commentary from our Chairman Bruce Lowe below!

ROUND TWO BRINGS YET ANOTHER DELECTABLE DOUBLE-HEADER. FIRST, SCOTLAND TRAVEL TO CARDIFF, WHERE THEY HAVE A VERY CHECKERED RECORD ( ONE MIGHT USE THE TERM“GRAVEYARD”) AND HAVE NOT WON THERE SINCE 2002. GROWING UP IN THE UK IN THE 60’S AND 70’S, I RECALL VALIANT SCOTTISH TEAMS HAVING TO GO UP AGAINST THOSE FABULOUSLY TALENTED WELSH SIDES OF THAT ERA. NOTWITHSTANDING THE ABSOLUTE THRASHING WALES TOOK IN DUBLIN LAST WEEKEND ( CAN IT FAIRLY BE CALLED ANYTHING ELSE- THE SCORE COULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE?)AND SCOTLAND’S TIGHT AND DRAMATIC VICTORY AT MURRAYFIELD, FOR A SCOTLAND SUPPORTER THE BATTLE IN CARDIFF MUST NONELESS BE APPROACHED WITH TREPIDATION. WALES WILL BE BACK IN FRONT OF THE MOST PARTISAN AND VOCAL CROWD IN THE SIX NATIONS AND, WITH AT LEAST SOME OF THEIR EIGHT MISSING LIONS LAST WEEK BACK IN THE RED JERSEY, AND WILL BE MIGHTILY FIRED UP TO ATONE FOR DUBLIN.  SCOTLAND, MINUS THE INDEFATIGABLE AND INSPIRING INJURED JAMIE RITCHIE, BUT INCLUDING THE EXCITING FIRST MEMBER OF THE McTUIPULOTU CLAN EVER TO DON THE NAVY SHIRT , IN THE CENTRE, WILL DEFINITELY NEED TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THEIR REESE-DAMMIT NEMESIS AND PLAY BETTER THAN LAST SATURDAY—A GAME WHICH ENGLAND CONTROLLED FOR LONG PERIODS OF PLAY– NOW HAVING TO SWITCH FROM THE UPLIFTING  MOTIVATION PROVIDED BY THEIR OWN HOME CROWD TO FACING THE EXCEEDINGLY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT OF THEIR OPPONENTS.  IF WALES GET ANY KIND OF A LEAD, LISTEN FOR STRONG STRAINS OF “LAND OF OUR FATHERS”, “SOSPAN VA” AND SUCHLIKE ANTHEMS AND HYMNS TO URGE THE TEAM TOWARDS VICTORY. A SCOTTISH VICTORY WILL BE HARD-EARNED. WHETHER THE SCOTS HAVE IT IN THEM REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

THEN, ON TO PARIS, AND A FACE-OFF BETWEEN THE TOURNAMENT’S TWO BEST TEAMS, BASE ON THE EARLY RUNNING. IRELAND WERE RELENTLESSLY DOMINATING LAST SATURDAY, AND DESPITE LOSING JOHNNY SEXTON THIS WEEK( HAMSTRING) , HAVE A GOOD SUBSTITUTE IN CARBERY, AS WELL AS TWO VERY STRONG RETURNING B&I LIONS ON THE BENCH IN HENSHAW AND HENDERSON…BUT, FRANCE IN PARIS ARE A DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISH. A BIG, TALENTED TEAM, QUARTERBACKED BY WORLD-CLASS HALFBACKS IN DUPONT AND NTAMACK, WAS SUITABLY WARMED UP WITH A COMFORTABLE OPENING OUTING AGAINST ITALY. IF IRELAND SUPPORTERS FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT THEIR JUGGERNAUT TEAM, THEY SHOULD REMEMBER THAT A GOOD IRELAND TEAM TWO YEARS AGO LOST 35-27, AND THAT FOUR YEARS AGO A 5-O GRAND SLAM WINNING TEAM ONLY WON IN PARIS BY COMING FROM BEHIND TO WIN WITH A “HAIL MARY” SEXTON DROP GOAL IN THE 83^RD MINUTE!  A DELICIOUS INTERNATIONAL RUGBY ENCOUNTER IS IN PROSPECT!

FINALLY, ENGLAND TRAVEL TO ROME ON SUNDAY. WHILEE THE AZZURRI WERE GRADUALLY WORN DOWN IN PARIS, THEY SHOWED IMPROVED SKILL AND ORGANIZATION COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS, IN ADDITION TO THE TYPICAL HARD WORK AND ENDEAVOUR, AND WILL BE KEEN TO SHOW UP WELL IN FRONT OF THE HOME CROWD. ENGLAND HAD BETTER NOT LET DOWN.

HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!