JB

Well I'm not a doctor or physio so don't put too much stall in what I'm saying but I've seen and experienced stuff similar to your symptoms a fair bit. The reasons COULD be one or more of the following: 1. Lack of conditioning. As you suggest, you might not be physically "fit" enough to cope/recover. Solution: do more conditioning work (steady-state low intensity, intervals, sprints etc). 2. Tightness: judging by the areas where you've described your tightness, this sounds more likely and you could probably benefit from daily stretching of commonly tight areas like hips flexors, hamstrings and glutes/piriformis. Tightness in these areas (as well as lats) can cause lower back pain/tightness, which is often just "referred" pain. Dynamic stretching is generally better before exercise with static after. I've started doing 30-60 second stretches for these body parts every (most) morning and feel a lot better and suffer from a lot less tightness. Foam rolling before stretching really helps. Focus on IT band, hamstrings, quads and maybe lats. I use a lacrosse ball on the glutes. Bear in mind that long periods of sitting contribute to tightness as hip flexors (and sometimes hamstrings) are shortened in a typical sitting position. I try and stay on my feet for as much of the day as possible. Admittedly, that's a bit easier with my job. 3. Locking knees too early on deadlift: if you deadlift, then this is really common. If I **** up and do this myself, particularly when going heavy, I really feel it for the next few days. Simply put, locking out the knees too early in the deadlift takes tension off the hamstrings and puts it onto the lower back, which never leads to good things. At the top of the lift, knees and hips should lock out at roughly the same time. Try and keep tension on the hamstrings for as long as possible during the eccentric part of the lift.

That was some of the best defence I've ever seen there from Aussies. Phenomenal. What a side they are. They just look fitter, stronger, quicker and smarter than everyone else. Not bad for a country where half the kids don't even know what union is!

Didn't we play at Twickenham for each of the group games in '99? I can't remember to be honest! If we did then that's just as dodgy.

I think that's an excellent point and I'm surprised more hasn't been made of it. I don't think it can be blamed for England going out but like you say, small margins. Who's to say Wales haven't been boosted by it almost seeming like a home World Cup for them? Fiji were certainly on the receiving end of a few dodgy calls. I remember thinking it was pretty crazy when the fixtures were announced. Not sure the exact process of how they ended up staging games but if it was in exchange for bid support as has been suggested, then it seems pretty unsporting behaviour to me...

Really interesting insights those. Cheers. Just out of interest, what is it about Andy Farrell that makes him a problem? Not being a dick - just genuinely don't know and would like to [emoji4]. My view on Lancaster has softened somewhat now I've calmed down a bit... He did a really good job of tidying up the mess left by Johnson and his predecessors and we've outplayed pretty much every other team in the world at some point during his tenure. I still think he monumentally ballsed up preparation for the World Cup, though. So it's a tough call.

That is very true. However, it goes beyond that. They are celebrating our failure more than their own success. It would be the same if they weren't even in our group. I've seen countless memes knocking about already, one of which contains the line "Arrogant English words removed get what they deserve" (that's a term that I've heard a hell of a lot). I haven't seen one post that even mentions that Wales are through to the next round. I said before that I went to uni in Cardiff and live in Wales now so I've seen a hell of a lot of it. I think the worst thing is that if you call them on it, they tell you it's only "banter" and to lighten up but they can't take it when you give it back. It sounds extreme but the hatred borders on racism and seems to be pretty deeply ingrained in their upbringing. I will say, however, that's it far, far from all Welsh people who are like this. I've got lots of really close Welsh friends, and my girlfriend as well, and all of them are massively embarrassed by it. It's pretty pathetic to be honest and I shouldn't let it bother me but it's worn me down over the years!

So? So what?

A lot of Welsh people on Facebook etc being absolute words removed about this. It's going beyond rivalry and banter. I know they've gone through at our expense but it's seems like they're taking more pleasure in our failure than their own success. Posting photos mocking upset England fans. How are they supposed to react? I know that it would've been the same regardless of whether they were in our group as well. Give it back to them when they lose and they do not like it at all. It's no wonder that every non-Welsh person I know who's ever spent any significant time here absolutely hates them when it comes to rugby. England often called arrogant by some of the most arrogant bell ends I've ever met.

Well said, sir. It just seems so obvious - we ALWAYS play our best rugby when we run it and are at our shittest when we stick up the jumpers. We seemed to have been building to something and Lancaster played it like he had a grand plan. It just strikes as a really **** massive lack of bottle by the coaching team.

Four years of promising build comes to this. Lancaster found out. Baffling selections, no discernible tactics. Devastating. Humiliating. Sickening etc etc. And the worst thing is, this will be the happiest night of some people's (not including Aussies) lives.

Just look at the body language coming off at half time - heads down, hands on hips. They've **** given up already. Absolute words removed. It's men against boys out there. Aussies easily holding us at arms length.

How do you mean? I'm not sure what it was about my post that you're referring to but I'm only drawing on my own experiences.

I've had to put up with so much snide arrogant shit today it's actually made me interested in a rugby result. As an Englishman living in Wales, I can empathise. With putting up with snide, arrogant shit that is.

I bloody love Fiji. Was there for a month a couple of years back and the people were amazing. They should've won that game. Missed points through poor kicking and there were at least a couple of dodgy pens given against them. What a game Botia had.

Something I've not really noticed before, Dan Biggar is a bit of a word removed isn't he?

It's not Robshaw I'm worried about. Always exceeds expectations on the playing front. Barritt and potential injuries to any one of Morgan, Joseph or Ben Youngs - given the replacements for them - are what could really **** us. That and the Aussie back line being amazing! The qualification permutations make my head hurt. If things unfold the way you say, why does that mean England go out? Unless I'm missing something (or haven't thought it through carefully enough) then the Aussies finish third thanks to the missed bonus point against Fiji? Assuming they don't put 4 tries on Wales and England get the bonus point against U-R-gay of course.

Haha yes! Tends to be gym-related. There is nothing beastly about choosing to lift some weights. rocket polishers.

The phrase "beast mode". clearings in the woods.

Finished Bloodline last night. It was pretty good without ever being totally gripping. Solid 7.5/10.

So Barritt keeps his place... Great news that JJ is back but will he even get the ball? We're going out I feel.

Hoping the Fijians have a field day against Cuthbert! Thinking of sporting a Fijian shirt on the streets of Cardiff over the next couple of days after the amount I saw round here in the lead up to the opening game [emoji6].

Yep. As much as I rate Slade, picking him seems completely pointless if Lancaster doesn't have the balls to pick him for the big games. Not a fan of Goode. Has the odd decent game but doesn't offer enough consistently.

I might be wrong here but I'm pretty sure the RFU didn't contribute towards bringing Burgess over? Seem to remember Mike Ford saying something along the lines of England not being able to dictate what position Bath play Burgess in because the RFU didn't finance any part of the deal. As I say, I might be wrong, though. Anyway, I'd like to have seen Burrell AND Burgess and no Barritt.

I agree with nearly all of that. Sitting back and not attacking that makeshift Welsh back line was pathetic and Ford for Burgess was a shocking call. I've always quite liked Lancaster but I've lost count of the number of games we've lost (or at least not put out of sight) due to lack of discipline and the fact that he seems to have done nothing about it speaks volumes. That and picking Barritt over, well, pretty much anybody. Nearly all my Welsh mates hated Biggar when he first started getting in the team but as you say, he's been awesome for the last year or so.

Exactly. So much for the "open gate"!