2011 Six Nations Round 1
Results:
France 34 - 21 Scotland - no surprise there.
Italy 11 - 13 Ireland - Big surprise here!
Wales 19 - 26 England - Pretty much what the general consensus was… 
Forumosa Rugby Club Log
Jimipresley wins the first Yellow Cap. :bravo: Overall, it really came down to margins as we all picked all three winners. The Irish result was the only real surprise and jimi got the England result exactly right (hence the YC and pole position) and I missed two results by a point or two (hence my second place standing).
That said, this was a fairly easy round to predict. I still have to watch all three games, but the following round may get trickier.
Superbru Pool Code: snagpave
Still four out of five rounds left. Come join jimi, Elf and myself for a bit of fun.
Round 2 Fixtures:
England v Italy (London)
Scotland v Wales (Edinburgh)
Ireland v France (Dublin)
2011 Six Nations log - Round 1
1 France 2
2 England 2
3 Ireland 2
4 Italy 0
5 Wales 0
6 Scotland 0
Some interesting stats for the next round to help your picks.
England v Italy (London)
No surprise that Italy has never beaten England. The average score in the last 12 tests between the two (1999-2010) is England 42 - 11 Italy. However, Italy is much improved and the last three results are:
Sun, 14 Feb 2010 [color=#FF0000]England[/color] 17 - 12 Italy - Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Sat, 07 Feb 2009 [color=#FF0000]England[/color] 36 - 11 Italy - Twickenham, London
Sun, 10 Feb 2008 [color=#FF0000]England[/color] 23 - 19 Italy - Stadio Flaminio, Rome
However, although Italy has improved, so has England, and with the last 8 tests between the two at Twickenham (1991-2009) the average is England 47 - 11 Italy, with the last three tests in London being:
Sat, 07 Feb 2009 [color=#FF0000]England[/color] 36 - 11 Italy
Sat, 10 Feb 2007 [color=#FF0000]England[/color] 20 - 7 Italy
Sat, 12 Mar 2005 [color=#FF0000]England[/color] 39 - 7 Italy
Something like the above three tests seems more likely on Saturday. Cueto and Tindall should run riot again.
Scotland v Wales (Edinburgh)
In the last 12 tests Scotland beat Wales in 2007, 2003 and 2002. The average score in the last 12 is Scotland 20 - 26 Wales (2000-2010), so it’s been pretty tight overall and looks good for a resurgent Scotland (two good wins over Argentina last year and a surprise win over the Springboks) over a sad looking Wales. The last three:
Sat, 13 Feb 2010 Scotland 24 - 31 [color=#FF0000]Wales[/color] Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Sun, 08 Feb 2009 Scotland 13 - 26 [color=#FF0000]Wales[/color] Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Sat, 09 Feb 2008 Scotland 15 - 30 [color=#FF0000]Wales[/color] Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
They’ve met 45 times at Murrayfield/Edinburgh (1883 - 2009) with Scotland winning 26, Wales 18 and one draw with an average score of Scotland 13 - 12 Wales. However, of the last three Scotland has 1 win to two losses (although Scotland has two and Wales two from the last four, but I’m only considering the last three):
Sun, 08 Feb 2009 Scotland 13 - 26 [color=#FF0000]Wales[/color]
Sat, 10 Feb 2007 [color=#000080]Scotland[/color] 21 - 9 Wales
Sun, 13 Mar 2005 Scotland 22 - 46 [color=#FF0000]Wales[/color]
In recent years, Wales has had the rub on Scotland, but at Murrayfield it’s been a lot closer. Both lost their last game, but Wales has eight losses on the trot now, so I reckon it will be a very tough close game with the Scots possibly pulling it off in the end. Hard one to call, at any rate.
Ireland v France (Dublin)
The last 12 between France and Ireland have been surprisingly one sided with Ireland only managing three wins in 2009, 2003 and 2001 with an average of France 29 - 18 Ireland (2001-2010). In the last three Ireland has managed one win in 2009:
Sat, 13 Feb 2010 Ireland 10 - 33 [color=#0000BF]France[/color] Stade de France, Paris
Sat, 07 Feb 2009 [color=#00BF00]Ireland[/color] 30 - 21 France Croke Park, Dublin
Sat, 09 Feb 2008 Ireland 21 - 26 [color=#0000BF]France[/color] Stade de France, Paris
That said, they’ll be playing at Landsdown Road and over the years (1909-2009) they’ve played there 36 times with Ireland winning 14, France 18 and 4 draws, with an average score of Ireland 12 - 14 France. The last three meetings in Dublin are also pretty much in France’s favour with two wins from 3:
Sat, 07 Feb 2009 [color=#008000]Ireland[/color] 30 - 21 France
Sun, 11 Feb 2007 Ireland 17 - 20 [color=#0000BF]France[/color]
Sat, 12 Mar 2005 Ireland 19 - 26 [color=#0000BF]France[/color]
France is coming off a good win against Scotland in Paris, and Ireland barely escaped with a narrow win in Rome over Italy. One would have to favour France at this point, but the Irish have been known to rally for some famous wins at home. Another close one to call, but I’d have to marginally go with France at this stage and wait till the end of the week when the teams are announced.
So, in conclusion, England is a safe bet, but the other two games could go either way. At this point, without seeing the teams for the weekend, I’d go with a low win for France and Scotland.
Jimipresley holds on to number one spot for another week as Frikkie surges into second pushing myself to third and Kiki to fourth. Elf is still last, but I expect that to change in the next round or two.
The Tainan Rugby Club ended 4th overall, though.
The log remains otherwise unchanged and Frikkie wins the Runner-Up honours. :bravo: