Well, the 2017 Six Nations championship season is finally here so here's the preview of the tournament so far according to Sky Sports UK:
The Six Nations Championship (Although for the 1st time this season will feature the bonus points system so 1 bonus point is awarded for scoring 4 tries or more & by losing less than 7 points (Although 4 points will be awarded if a team wins & 2 points for a draw) & 3 added bonus points on offer if one of the 6 countries win all games such as a grand slam could also win the title) kicks off on Saturday as the defending Grand Chelem champions England (Led by Dylan Hartley who returns from suspension for a swinging arm prompting changes to the tackling laws which was in effect from the 3rd of January this year in an attempt for the players like Hartley to fine tune or change the tackling technique being implemented) attempt to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2001.
Eddie Jones (Japanese Aussie coach who once coached the Wallabies as well as his mother's homeland, Japan because he turned up at the Six Nations launch, sporting a black eye, well that was unusual because he forgot to shave because he had to be slipped in the bathroom of his hotel after he had a shower in a hotel room for his 57th birthday by squad players & management, while exiting the shower to fetch his razor, requiring a nasty wound above his cheekbone to be treated. And I mean, was that even funny? Was it? Well to say the least, yes, probably) has promised that England will defend the Grand Slam won last year with a brave brand of rugby that he hopes will ignite the entire Six Nations, but he knows the champions enter the tournament with a target on their backs after 14 successive victories.
The most dangerous of their rivals are Ireland, the team responsible for ending New Zealand's record-breaking run last year, and a thunderous climax to the tournament awaits in Dublin on March 18 when white and green shirts collide.
Wales have a new captain in Alun Wyn Jones and could be ready to make their presence felt once more, and Vern Cotter will be hoping to end his Scotland reign on a successful note.
Italy will anticipate that Conor O'Shea's presence will help them avoid the wooden spoon, while Jones is among those to speak enthusiastically of France's revival under Guy Noves.
England
Only five teams have successfully defended the Grand Slam and in seeking to become the sixth, Eddie Jones' England have pledged to adopt a bold approach.
The Six Nations title launched Jones' regime with Twickenham's first silverware for five years and by the end of 2016 the Australian had presided over a sequence of 13 successive Test victories (That's 14 because the winning streak began when England defeated Uruguay at a Rugby World Cup match in 2015 after being knocked out of the tournament after 2 straight defeats (Which cost Stuart Lancaster his job meaning that they had to send the coach of Japan to coach the team which happened to be in all of a sudden, Eddie Jones (The so called Savior, Second City Saint because he is the 1st foreigner to coach for the England rugby team) against Wales & eventual runners up who lost to the All Blacks in the final, the Wallabies).
England are now 2nd in the global rankings and the next stage on their mission to supplant New Zealand at the pinnacle of the sport is to rid themselves of any conservatism against their European rivals.
France
It is a question which seems to accompany every staging of the Six Nations - and 2017 is no exception. Which France team will turn up?
There used to be no doubt, as illustrated by Les Bleus winning five Six Nations titles in nine seasons between 2002 and 2010. But that 2010 season - a Grand Slam campaign - was France's most recent taste of Six Nations silverware, as Wales, Ireland and England have dominated since then.
It is eminently possible that France could again find themselves on a slippery Six Nations slope after the opening weekend of this year's tournament, given that their opening game is against England at Twickenham.
But international rugby's most recent form guide - the autumn Tests - showed a French squad appearing to make strides under head coach Guy Noves. Even though they were beaten narrowly by Australia and New Zealand, performance levels were high and sustained.
Ireland
Ireland finished 3rd last year in fending off a host of injuries having won the title in 2014 and 2015, and Joe Schmidt is seeking a top 2 finish after November wins over New Zealand and Australia.
Schmidt says "indomitable" England are the team to beat but wants an improvement on his side's finish of 12 months ago.
Ireland face a tough opening assignment in Murrayfield and concerns remain over Johnny Sexton's fitness, but a favorable fixture list presents them with the chance to build momentum heading into their key clashes with Wales and England in March.
Italy
When Conor O'Shea took the Italy job he talked of bringing the team to the highest point in their history. For now, that entails securing a respectable finish in the Six Nations.
The former Ireland full-back has improved Italy's fortunes in the six months since he swapped the Stoop for Rome. Few expected two-time world champions South Africa to struggle in Florence in November, but the Springboks were stunned as Italy registered a first-ever victory against one of the 'big 3' southern hemisphere nations (Such as Australia, New Zealand & South Africa).
Having picked up a head of steam, and with accomplished defensive coach Brendan Venter recruited on the eve of the tournament, Italy are further boosted by a 2-game opening home stand against Wales and Ireland.
Scotland
Vern Cotter's path as Scotland head coach has not always been smooth but the Kiwi will hope he can bow out this summer having steered the Dark Blues down the road to lasting success.
The 54-year-old is gearing up for his final Six Nations campaign after Scottish Rugby took the unilateral decision to replace him with Glasgow boss Gregor Townsend when his contract expires later this year.
From suffering a humiliating whitewash during Cotter's first Six Nations campaign in charge, the Scots have grown into an exciting side packed with attacking intent and backed up by an ever-deepening pool of talent.
Their run to the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup has been the clear highlight of the Cotter reign so far, yet he will also have to admit that just two wins from 10 games in the Six Nations has hardly persuaded Murrayfield chiefs he is irreplaceable.
Cotter now has five matches left to write his final Scotland chapter and shape his legacy.
Wales
Wales have been excluded from the majority of Six Nations title talk, with the competition widely billed as a two-horse race between England and Ireland.
However, Wales will have a major say as they face both teams in Cardiff during a campaign that will see them targeting a first Six Nations crown since 2013.
Rob Howley, in charge this season while Warren Gatland concentrates on British and Irish Lions business, oversaw Wales' most successful autumn series since 2002 last November as victories were recorded over South Africa, Argentina and Japan.
And when he was last at the helm 4 years ago, Wales recovered from a comprehensive opening Six Nations weekend loss against Ireland to reel off four successive wins and secure Six Nations silverware in scintillating fashion by crushing England 30-3 in Cardiff.
And finally in this blog, the city of Houston in the Lone Star state of Texas is getting prepared to host the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots featuring coach Bill Belichick & star quarterback Tom Brady (AKA TB12) & of course, the Falcons of Atlanta (Featuring Matt 'Matty Ice' Ryan), Georgia so here's the preview of Super Bowl LI according to Yahoo Sports:
This Sunday the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will meet in Houston as they matchup for Super Bowl LI. Atlanta will be seeking their first Super Bowl title, in just their second appearance in the NFL’s championship game during their 51-year franchise history. The Patriots meanwhile, make their ninth trip while in search of their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Sunday’s game will not be lacking in excitement as the NFL’s top scoring defense comes to a head with the league’s top scoring offense.
New England has been here before. This will be their second Super Bowl appearance in Houston as they came away victorious in Super Bowl XXXVIII. After sitting out the first four games of the season for his role in the Deflategate scandal, Tom Brady is just one win away from his NFL record fifth Super Bowl win. Head coach, Bill Belichick, will be making his 10th showing in the big dance — seven as a head coach and three as an assistant — as he looks for his seventh Super Bowl victory.
The Patriots and Brady thrilled this year on their way to a 14-2 record. At 39-years-old, Brady managed to put together one of the finest seasons of his career, despite only playing in 12 games. He finished with 3,554 yards passing while throwing for 28 scores and only two picks. The future Hall of Famer has been nearly impossible to slow down, let alone stop.
Legarrette Blount led New England’s rushing attack, averaging 3.9 yards per carry and racking up a league-best 18 rushing touchdowns on 299 carries. He could end up playing a big role in Sunday’s contest if the Patriots opt to go with a heavy-run power football gameplan.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots were just as prolific, finishing as the NFL’s top ranked group in points allowed, averaging just 15.6 points per game. They will be tested by the Falcons’ bevvy of offensive weapons and will have to pick their poison when trying to reign in Atlanta’s potent offensive attack.
After a disappointing finish to his freshman campaign as the Falcons’ head coach, Dan Quinn has managed to rebound, taking Atlanta to the NFL’s biggest stage, in his just second year with the team. Quinn has also been here before. Two years ago, he played a key role in helping the Seattle Seahawks punch their ticket to the Super Bowl, after building one of the preeminent defenses the league has ever seen.
This season, Atlanta established one of the premier offensive attacks in NFL history and lead the league with an average of 33.8 points per game. For his work, offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, was named Assistant Coach of the Year and appears to be heading to San Francisco next year.
Leading the Falcons’ offensive attack was quarterback, Matt Ryan, who took home Offensive Player of the Year honors and is the frontrunner to receive the league’s MVP award. He played at an unprecedented pace, finishing with 4,944 passing yards while tossing 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Aside from their aerial assault, Atlanta thrived on the ground with the tandem of Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman, who averaged more than 170 yards from scrimmage. However, the offensive line deserves just as much of the credit as they finished the year as the only team to start the same five linemen — including Pro Football Focus’ top-rated run blocker — in every game this season.
While they were the NFL’s top-ranked group on the offensive side of the ball, Atlanta’s defense was not nearly as formidable, ranking 27th in points allowed, though some of which can be attributed to the Falcons sitting on large leads late in games and ceeding points to the opposition in garbage time.
Atlanta will attempt to fluster an unshakable Brady by getting their hands up and applying pressure to make him uncomfortable in the pocket, with hopes of disrupting his tempo and throwing him off rhythm. The Patriots are likely to employ a similar tactic while trying to slow Ryan down, moving him outside of the pocket and forcing him into committing costly mistakes. Whichever team is able to do this best, is the favorite to come out ahead as turnovers are likely to decide the outcome of the game.
So that is my 6th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 86th overall (Only 14 remaining until I reach the so called 100 mark).
P.S. Well I'll tell you a funny thing which is when Pops says close, I say nearby (Which means not far away or close by).
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