Blood & Mud

Mark Ring gives his view on England vs Wales - you just know this is going to be worth a look

England play Wales this Saturday at Twickenham and the word on the street, both the real one and the digital one, is that Wales should win - the only arguments are about by how much.

The Guardian today featured interviewd some members of Wales's 1988 Twickenham winning team, it's an interesting read if you have a spare few mins.  

But as nice as the recollections are, the outstanding bit is when former centre/out-half/maverickgenius Mark Ring and respected/legendary scrum-half Rob Jones have their say on the upcoming game.  Despite being off the field for quite some time, their comments could not mirror their respective on-field personas more perfectly.

Jones said

"You've got to base it on performances to date. I think if you do that you've got to forecast a Welsh victory. I think Wales have looked very comfortable in the two games they've played. Even when they've been absorbing pressure they've looked comfortable in doing it. They're very strong in the way they defend and confident in the way they defend and probably they've shown a clinical edge to their finishing that we haven't seen in quite some time. I think England will be better, it's their first home game, they've ground two wins out away from home – which you've got to applaud – but I've not seen anything from them which is going to worry Wales too much. It will probably be tighter than people think, but I still think there will be a little bit of daylight between the two sides."

Analytical, reasoned, logical and hard to argue with.

Ring steams in, flailing haymakers, with this:

"Everyone is talking about Stuart Lancaster being a breath of fresh air for England but the players are exactly the same type. They are just different personnel. They are really ordinary rugby players. The English game is very bland and mundane and safety-first. They don't make many mistakes but you just expect a bit more flair. The Welsh players will have a lot more confidence playing against those kind of players – who are basically just good club players but nothing more."

Argumentative, forthright, insulting.  Trouble is, many would say he's hard to argue with as well. 

 

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Mark Ring gives his view on England vs Wales - you just know this is going to be worth a look

England play Wales this Saturday at Twickenham and the word on the street, both the real one and the digital one, is that Wales should win - the only arguments are about by how much.

The Guardian today featured interviewd some members of Wales's 1988 Twickenham winning team, it's an interesting read if you have a spare few mins.  

But as nice as the recollections are, the outstanding bit is when former centre/out-half/maverickgenius Mark Ring and respected/legendary scrum-half Rob Jones have their say on the upcoming game.  Despite being off the field for quite some time, their comments could not mirror their respective on-field personas more perfectly.

Jones said

"You've got to base it on performances to date. I think if you do that you've got to forecast a Welsh victory. I think Wales have looked very comfortable in the two games they've played. Even when they've been absorbing pressure they've looked comfortable in doing it. They're very strong in the way they defend and confident in the way they defend and probably they've shown a clinical edge to their finishing that we haven't seen in quite some time. I think England will be better, it's their first home game, they've ground two wins out away from home – which you've got to applaud – but I've not seen anything from them which is going to worry Wales too much. It will probably be tighter than people think, but I still think there will be a little bit of daylight between the two sides."

Analytical, reasoned, logical and hard to argue with.

Ring steams in, flailing haymakers, with this:

"Everyone is talking about Stuart Lancaster being a breath of fresh air for England but the players are exactly the same type. They are just different personnel. They are really ordinary rugby players. The English game is very bland and mundane and safety-first. They don't make many mistakes but you just expect a bit more flair. The Welsh players will have a lot more confidence playing against those kind of players – who are basically just good club players but nothing more."

Argumentative, forthright, insulting.  Trouble is, many would say he's hard to argue with as well.