I saw that yesterday I think, Ding. The Welsh have a few problems obviously those injuries and the likely ba of Evans to come.

think the evans decision should be due today. Normally anyway the citing judgement comes on the following tuesday.

Lads

Tino

What do you make of Ronnie's chances in this tournament? Oh, wait...

Ronnie could win this tourny..he could play for Italy England and Ireland no?

I can't even type the name of the country that I think will win it but it does sound like a disease The F

Canale,Masi,Favaro out atleast we have Sergio

One thing's for sure "The F" need a better tourny than last year

They do if they wanna win it...but I'd be glad if that became their new vintage

Wouldn't mind seeing Italy beat them again

In Paris would be awesome....looks like both Bergamasco's are back in the squad

You play them early on too. Couldn't wish for a tougher start Wales and then France both away.

nice an easy England at home game tho

scotland game to be the spoon decider I think

Tino

How dare you have aspirations on our spoon. Leave it.

A trophy's a trophy...I remember cue X-Factor style story...my grandad always going on that one day Italy would have a good rugby side and we'd cause some upsets...he died shortly before our first ever 6N's game...we beat scotland I thought get in...got that hopes taken some punishment down the years...if only we could have a new Diego Dominguez now we finally get the ball 30 metres out

Diego Dominguez that was a cracking player. Still you have the all singing all dancing sergio parisse! i would offer him my wife in the hopes of producing an irish player even 50% as good.

So glad we helped colonise Argentina
Diego...Sergio....Castro

I wonder what side Wales will field next Saturday with all these injury doubts etc.

Ian Evans suspended for 16 weeks reduced to 13 because he pleaded guilty to "at least two stamps"

He has the right to appeal.
----
The independent judicial officer Jeremy Summers (England) upheld the red card and then “determined that the offence was at the top end of the IRB sanctions ... and selected 16 weeks as the appropriate entry point.”
“As there were no aggravating factors, he reduced the suspension by four weeks due to the player’s guilty plea, good conduct and remorse during the hearing,”an ERC statement explained today. “The period of suspension runs over 13 weeks as the judicial officer chose to take into account one week during the Six Nations period when the player would not have played. Evans is therefore free to play on April 21st, 2014.

I guess they still have Alun Wyn Jones and Charteris, but it looks a bit dickey after that, if one of those two gets injured Wales will be in trouble, especially with Adam Jones seemingly tiring a little recently, it will make the backs even more important, but if scrums can drive them back on top of Phillips and Biggar(?) then theres the chance to shut North and Halfpenny out of the game or force them to cone from very deep

Agrred SARS. Add to that that the welsh front row as individuals don't seem to be coping well with the touch bind set scrum rule i think it weakens them a somewhat. As it stands wales look weaker than in the past 3 years or so. But a wounded animal etc etc. still a highly dangerous bunch.

At least the length of Evans' ban is justified. Glad he's missing the tournament after that. No room in any sport for that kind of behaviour.

Yes RKW
THe citing commissioner so often get it wrong. but in this case i think they are right on the money. 16 reduced to 13 weeks. But considering he has a very bad record he can count himself lucky he got a reduction.

Why has he done it before? Still not sure he's serving the gravest punishment, could they not have given him a longer ban? Especially if like you say, his record is against him.

The Saxons are playing today. Score do we reckon?

Tournament preview up on the thread. Couldn't put France's captain's full name because P.a.p.e is a banned word apparently!

Cheers!

Does anyone know why that word is banned, surely it can't be some form of Papist disrespect?

Oddschecker have Wales at 9/4, England at 5/2, France at 11/4, Ireland at 13/2, Scotland at 33/1 and Italy at 150/1

I Just fancy France, I don't think they can be as bad as they've been recently and the absence of Dusattoir might force them to be more creative