JB

It’s only a game... it’s only a game... it’s only a game. I’m going to need to repeat that to myself again and again tonight. Disasterous result with the top 4 within touching distance. Movement off the ball was non-existent.

The lack of movement is quite alarming. Very similar to last season.

I’ve always liked Keinan Davis but I’m willing to admit I must be wrong now I know Chris Sutton rates him.

Absolutely gutting, this. Yet another one of those games. So frustrating when our games in hand have us in touching distance of the top four, with one of those games against the team rooted to the bottom of the league.

Got a feeling Ramsey will score.

The Leeds of the rugby world. Absolute belters.

Obviously Twitter is a cesspit but the Ellis Genge thing stems from the latest example of a video of an English player being a big horrible nasty baddie going viral amongst certain Wales supporters. It’s not just the usual Alf Garnett word or kids who do this with football - it’s seemingly ‘normal’ adults having meltdowns about it. A teacher I work with has shared and written a bit of a diatribe about it and as far I can tell, it all started with a post from a former Welsh international. Personally slating English rugby players is a form of populism I swear. People are still laying into Genge about it in the comments of his tweet, apparently. I was feeling quite magnanimous and apathetic about this result but they’re just the worst team to lose to if you step outside your own bubble. Even when they win, there’ll be someone hunting for something that’ll get the anti-English brigade frothing at the mouth. Just utter **** nutters. It’s going beyond banter. This hostility and lack of perspective kind of ruins the game in some ways. Sport in general seems to be becoming pretty toxic with social media emboldening this behaviour and it’s really bloody depressing. Just makes me want retreat further into my own echo chamber of people who are alright. Says a lot that the best place I’ve found to talk about rugby with fans of different nations is a brummie football team forum.

He’s got to go. Immediately. There is so, so much wrong with this side An England loss was very predictable to anybody who’s watched them in recent times. Welsh mentality was far superior. Even allowing for some of the worst refereeing I’ve ever seen in a rugby match, they got what they deserved.

Absolutely **** over with the first try, too. England haven’t been great but **** me, this is ridiculous.

One of my mates is watching it on S4C. Apparently Nigel Owens can’t believe it. Says it’s a scandalous decision.

What an absolutely **** appalling decision! **** VAR.

Well that looks like the game, then. As expected from England.

Yeah, to be fair none of my Welsh mates nor my in-laws are confident at all. I just think you’re more likely to get a bit of spirit out of the Welsh team and that’ll count for a lot. They’ve also got better players than us in some key areas. Two teams playing below average rugby. Should be a cracker...

Yep, I’m struggling to see anything other than a Cymraeg win. I think we’ll have a fairly good idea of who’s going to win after the first ten minutes. There’s an overlap with the first half of the Villa game so may well switch over to that at half time if it plays out how I expect. Although I’m tempted to give both a miss. Watching my teams probably get beaten by sides I really don’t like won’t make for a great Saturday night

Not watching the game but this quote on the BBC text coverage caught my eye: ’James Ward-Prowse has a go from range but it is catching practise for Illan Meslier. In the next move, Danny Ings blasts one over from the edge of the D.’ Of course, they both pinged them in the top corner against us

We’ve made it incredibly easy for Leicester. I don’t think they’ve been great at all - barely got out of second gear. The effort levels have been unacceptable and Watkins is totally isolated. Something has to change at half time, surely?

Leicester strolling through this. We’re making it so, so easy for them. No excuses for that.

Eternal Darkness! I forgot about that. Loved that game. I completely agree that they should be porting as much stuff as possible but just not as headline releases. I’d love access to all my old N64, Gamecube and Wii games. I was more than happy to pay £10ish each for RE4 and Okami. I’ll also almost definitely be buying Skyward Sword so not really helping my own argument .

Yeah you’re right on both counts to be fair. I’m judging Skyward Sword purely on my Zelda scale . It was good game but was far from great IMO. Maybe if it wasn’t Zelda, I’d have loved it. Switch versions of all the classics would be welcome, too. I’d love access to all the Zeldas (I’m desperate to play Majora’s Mask again) and I really fancy replaying the Metroid Prime trilogy, too (great shout btw). I love retro games - two of the best games I’ve got on my Switch are RE4 and Okami. My issue is that the remakes are the Switch’s ‘big’ releases. They’re £40-50 but should be cheap downloads on the eShop IMO. There’s a dearth of original content. It’d be great to see some new classics that people will want to be replaying in the future. There are very, very few Switch exclusives that fall into that category nearly four years after release. Which is shit, quite frankly.

Yeah the highlight was another re-release. I think Skyward Sword won’t have aged well and will really suffer post-BotW. I think it was already possibly the worst 3D Zelda but the linear, highly constrained structure will seem really limited after the unprecedented levels of freedom. The amount of re-releases on the Switch is becoming a joke. It’s been a really underwhelming purchase and by far the least impressive Nintendo console games-wise. I think I’d definitely sell it if it wasn’t for always wanting the option to be able to play BotW. Although after that rant about re-releases, I’m playing through Super Mario 3D World at the moment and it’s bloody brilliant.

I keep wondering what the catch is. He’s so good. How has he ever not been first choice for Arsenal or Argentina?! Or at least been picked up by another club before us. He’s absolute class and seems like a top bloke, too.

Pretty disgusting from Negri, having watched it again. I don’t believe for a second that it was intentional but it’s very, very reckless to the point of deserving punishment. Comes over the top (arguably from the side), drops onto Willis’s calf, pinning it to the ground, then pulls him to the floor. Got to have more of a duty of care to your peers than that.

One of my less enjoyable lockdown Saturday nights. It was like we were playing without a midfield at times. I can’t recall many games where the team as a whole have struggled with the basics like passing and controlling the ball. Really very strange. Hopefully we’re just in a dodgy patch of form. I’m weirdly encouraged by how we’ve generally been very poor since the second half against Burnley but still picked up points. Bodes well for when we pick up again. Not looking forward to the Leicester or Leeds games as things stand, though.

He’s a bit limited isn’t he? If England aren’t bullying teams then he’s a wasted shirt. He’s anonymous when we’re on the back foot. I think you need more than just a big lump as an 8 in general, too. I really don’t like how this team are regressing now under Jones. He seems too set on an idea of what he wants the team to be and it’s pretty grim stuff. Yep it was great. Who knew international rugby could be so entertaining That tap tackle at the end! On another note, I was absolutely gutted for Jack Willis. I always find serious injuries pretty upsetting but this was a particularly tough watch, seeing a young player, buzzing from scoring in his first 6N match, screaming in pain, especially after his previous injury problems. Fingers crossed it’s not as bad as it looks.

England summed in an image.