I enjoyed the firt half!

I saw the scoreline for tonight. All I really want this 6n is to beat Ireland. Not looking good!

Here's hoping for upsets a plenty tomorrow indeed

Tomorrow is gonna be a long day lol. I watched Ire v Arg so I wont spoil that.

I am just hoping for some upsets. Mainly Fiji. Yeah Go Scotland!!

Enjoy the match - jealous!

Ire, SA, NZ, Wal, Fra, Eng are my calls. Some of those spreads will be closer, Ireland and England to both be under 4 and Scotland to be under 7 I'll say. Meaning this is a coin flip for those predictions really. And loads of this worth watching, on ITV/stv for free in the UK.

I've got tickets for Murrayfield, so will post from my nose bleeds, and I've a pound at 13:1 on NZ ht Sco ft. Come on Scotland!

Yes, I thought NZ the favourites but I that the Wallabies would be way better than this

If only. They are doing better, but NZ also on the rise currently. World cup gonna be juicy!

If you end up as a forward you will always be screamed at by your scrum half to move so definitely don't take personally, it's part of their job.

10pm BST in the UK. Sky Sports. Might tune in, we'll see later

With invest, I take it you may mean that thing where you spend and hope for a return. But these USA fixtures can be instant wins. The Springboks vs All Blacks game in Baltimore will be in front of more than 62,300, making a heap more more money for both the Springboks and All Blacks than any of the ones played in South Africa. It will be the most-attended single rugby match in North American history - not only making money but also showcasing the game.

Nations Cup games would be great for this idea as well - not only in America but also in other places you mentioned such as Madrid

I agree that a stronger presence outside the big 8 countries is important. Hence why we invited Italy, Argentina, Japan, and Fiji to major tournaments every year.

And the USA offers a potential for growth. But so does Spain. And Romania. And Georgia. And Canada. And Uruguay. And Chile. And Portugal.

Which tbh I'd invest in any of those before the USA today. Finals weekend for the Nations cup in Madrid anyone? Bucharest? Santiago? Toronto?

Maybe saying there should be six nations games in America is taking it too far, because of the tradition etc as you say. But World Rugby is correct to want to promote the game in America.

Not only to grow the game but also to compete with NFL, since NFL is already targeting rugby countries for their growth, using this same idea.

Just yesterday the San Francisco 49ers played the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in front of a sold out stadium.

Rugby will either compete and grow or go into terminal decline.

Yeah, having a 6 Nations match played outside the 6 Nations seems ridiculous.

One of England's kickers, Helena Rowland, has found a much bigger margin for error with the smaller ball, saying: "If you get it slightly wrong, the difference is massive."

The fly-half says England players have noticed passes "dying", falling to the floor earlier than expected, "which they wouldn't have done previously".

Is that meant to say a much smaller margin for error with the smaller ball (or that the normal ball has a smaller margin for error than the new ball)? I tried to find the quote somewhere else, but this Beeb article seems to be the source.

Extended highlights were good last night

https://youtu.be/G7ZBUB04bpE

Worth a watch, as the Boks took a pumping. Gonna be a juicy series!

Congratulations! Nice one indeed. I've no advice, having never actually been on field. But training is tough, so attend religiously, practice ball handling often, and volunteer at your club

I commend you for wanting to start so late on. Suffice to say, you need to get used to the hits and the contact especially if you intend to play competitively. I've met many people who take up rugby relatively late on, get properly hit and just sack it off and never play again. For your experience and size, I'd suggest trying as a blind side flanker (in the pack but away from the direction play when in scrums). Its a relatively simple position in that your job is to support your ball carrier and tackle the opposition when they have it. Support and tackle, thats all you do. Some of the best flankers of all time (Neil Back, Phil Waugh) were smaller guys, though the game has come a long way since them. The hits though, they can be a real shock to the system. Don't dip out of the contact sessions in training, hit tackle bags, run into people with the ball. Go in 100% because otherwise you'll end up hurting yourself! It is certainly a mindset. Just ask your training buddies for help too. Doesn't matter how fit you are. If you can't take the physicality of the game, you'll fail.

Did you struggle with imposter syndrome or embarrassment when you first started?

Honestly, your first 2 or 3 games are gonna be rough, especially on offense. You’re gonna constantly be confused about where to stand, you’re gonna be stepping on people’s feet, and the scrum half is gonna constantly be yelling at you to move out of the way - don’t take any of it personally, and don’t be embarrassed because everyone you’re playing with was in the exact same situation when they started playing. It will click eventually, don’t worry.

This is awesome advice, I appreciate it! Definitely feeling the lack of strength in my legs and I need to work on squats and back shape.

I don’t know if you are based in the US, but I need to figure out where I can watch some professional games on TV. We usually get the Six Nations, but outside of that I might need to look further afield.

Your last comment was inspiring AF, I’m hurting today, but it felt good to meet some people and move my body.

Did you struggle with imposter syndrome or embarrassment when you first started? I definitely felt like I was bumbling around last night and had to tap out a few times.

You’re about the same age and weight as me. I would say for adult amateur rugby, cardio conditioning matters a lot more than strength. Rugby is an endurance sport and it is much easier/more fun when you’re fit. There’s a surprising amount of people in my league that neglect cardio. So, endurance stuff like jogging, cycling, swimming etc. are great. Also interval training.

For the times you do lift, focus on legs and glutes. So many of the injuries and penalties in my league come from people’s legs getting tired and they don’t squat down far enough to tackle with good form.

For learning the rules, watching the pros play on TV is great because the ref is usually mic’d up. Anytime they say something you don’t recognize or understand, google it. You’ll learn the bulk of what you need to know in just a couple games.

Have fun! Rugby changed my life for the better in so many ways

Love those posts, great to see some grassroots rugby on display

Cannot believe how many cards we saw Argentina vs England have! What a game though. Next international window is the The Rugby Championship in August

Scotland did it the hard way today. Some second half talk there!

And Wales currently on a nilling...

Gonna predict a 4-2 SH win this weekend. Argentina to beat England, and Aus to beat Its about the only two likely close games

Improvement is evident. But they are going to be sitting 5th or 6th in the NH for this comp. Just as in the 6n. More academy players needed, this is a numbers game