Back from my corporate jolly to game...some thoughts having not seen any replays or TV. Long-ish post. (Skip to he last 2 paras for the incisive bit)

Twickenham a pain to get to...and into. Ticket entry barriers weren't working, RFU needs to get its act together - pretty crap really. The crowd was far more respectful to the opposition and the kickers. First time I'd been to Twickenham for a test in about 10 years, so credit to the RFU. Atmosphere was great.

Pom tactics and decision making were excellent in the first 30 minutes - crap after that. Thought Farrell had a poor game - zero variation in his game. Underhill was astonishingly good for England and was my MoM.

AB backline was poor until Crotty came on and he seemed to give a lot of solidity. Thought SBW was poor and you wonder how long he'll be in the team. England targeted DMac with the high ball but he did OK and as well as anyone else - he certainly doesn't lack guts, thats for sure. On attack he was probably the most dangerous AB back. Thought our kicking game (inc. DMac) was shite. We looked way more dangerous when keeping the ball in hand.

Retallick & Savea were immense. BBBR utterly owned the Pom lineout, ruck, maul and, well, the whole pitch. Ardie seemed to be everywhere.

Ben Kay and Ugo Monye hosted a post match analysis for the corporate clients which was excellent. No argument that Lawes was offside from them. We then had a Q&A with Itoje and Danny Care.

Itoje & Care seemed good blokes but I was surprised by the complacency in their attitude. They thought that as they had only lost by 1 point they had scored a famous victory. Astonishing attitude in many ways. Hope I never hear an AB talk like that.

All in all, a mistake-strewn game. But we dogged a win - which I sense Hansen will be happy with

It's a childish, unfair thing to say but it's a pity Sexton wasn't playing.

Would have loved to seen his face at the final whistle

Fitzy's reaction is impressive...

Good to see Krusty keepin his powder dry...

@kiwimurph said in England vs All Blacks:

This will be a proper test of how DMac handles 15.

Yes, Ironically. All those games at 15 he played against Sth Africa, Wales, the Wobbles, Argentina. France and Scotland were a walk in the park....

@Crucial said in Bledisoe #1:

Mate, here at the fern we have memories like elephants and not much imagination.

I blame Deans.

@Bones

My only fond memory of 2007 was walking back to the car thru Cardiff and seeing a drunk twat in an England shirt, taunting any Kiwi he could find, getting decked by a Saffa fan.

@junior said in RWC: All Blacks v Ireland (QF2):

Whitelock and Retallick and Read also at the peak of their powers

Cane is the unsung hero for me.

We don't play so well when he isn't there.

After a nights sleep...

I really think we could have pinched that game - and I'm not taking anything away from England. There were times when we started to come good and then buggered things up by forgetting the basics. E.g.:

• BBBR took the wrong decision on the breakout. Had he passed we should have scored. 7-7 and we'd have been back in it.

• We had a line-out throw 5m from the English line - and blew it. How that happened with our lineout options is beyond me,

• When Cole made the break up-field there was very little support. Opportiunity was wasted.

• Whitelock's penalty. Again, if we'd kicked that it would have been game on

Read at times had a strange look in his eyes - like a rabbit facing a car. Think he epitomized the almost total lack of leadership from the senior players in the game. He really isn't good under pressure.

@booboo said in Coronavirus - Overall:

Yeah. But since when have common flu cases overwhelmed the health system,?

I think we monitor the strains of the Flu virus and vaccinate people at risk.

Everyone over 60 (I think) gets offered a Flu jab every year in the UK

@booboo said in Coronavirus - Overall:

As an aside I read, or at least saw, an article today suggesting the greatest associated risk factor is smoking

Read the same thing. Smoking has more dire effects as you get older so perhaps a lethal combination when it comes to Coronavirus

@chimoaus said in Coronavirus - Overall:

@Victor-Meldrew said in Coronavirus - Overall:

@canefan said in Coronavirus - Overall:

For right or wrong I was taught not to spend what I didn't have

Best life-lesson Mrs & Mrs Meldrew Snr ever taught me.

Mrs & Mrs? Your house was very progressive.

Yeah. Come to think of it, my wife and mother both held the same views on money.....

@canefan said in Coronavirus - Overall:

For right or wrong I was taught not to spend what I didn't have

Best life-lesson Mrs & Mrs Meldrew Snr ever taught me.

@canefan said in Coronavirus - Overall:

Saving habits don't appear to have improved in the wake of the GFC and I'm sure that in the coming years people will quickly forget again

Gummints don't want people to save.

They want them to spend all they get to keep the economy growing to raise the tax revenue to pay the interest on the money the Gummint borrowed to grow the size of itself.

I think.

@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Overall:

Chatting with my best friend who used to be a copper about the current state in Australia bearing in mind this post and his point was "police officers and power are an insanely dangerous mix".

TBF, I had no problem with the Police using a drone to video people driving out to the Dales to walk their dog and using that as a reminder to stay at home wherever possible. And, sure, it will take time for their new powers to bed down.

But fining a shopheeper for vandalism after he chalked the pavement so people could keep 2m apart or going thru peoples groceries to see if their purchases were "essential" shows a complete lack of common sense, respect for the public and knowledge of the law.

The one thing we can be thankful for is the lack of involvement by the army which would be worse

True, But the long litany of cover-ups, cock-ups, corruption, falsifying evidence, colluding in sexual abuse and lying to the public the UK police have been involved in in recent years does stretch the point at times.

@Catogrande

Could be. Dartmouth-born I think

@Bones said in Coronavirus - Overall:

@Victor-Meldrew I hope she didn't have to put her white lightening down to take his details.

Nah, she hardly drinks much at all. Former Army officer - great fun but not the sort of lady you'd want to try to push around