Credit Where It's Due, Well Done Italy....

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39067728
You had us scratching our heads for sure! I for one am grateful to get past this innovative tactic. Even with 15 mins to go noting was certain. Do you think the uncontested ruck will become a more often used feature?

[Togo]

With you in some respects ToraX3, but I thought I was watching a game of Rugby League first half. Even Sir Clive said he had never encountered anything like it. Eddie Jones (the rascal) said "eeyt aynt ragbeey ease eeyt".

[Baldric]

Second half was brilliant, the boys did good.
Fair play to the Italians they played well, just not well enough ;o)

[DTCwordfan]

Phew - well done, and congrats to the Cornishman, our Jack the Rat - his second try was very rattish! George looks like he could be a handful for the opposition. Man of the match, spot on for Launchbury....

[naomi24]

TTT, off topic, but I just have to say congratulations for writing in plain English for once. I think this is the first time I've understood one of your questions without having to decipher it. Well done, and thank you. :o)

[Togo]

Wilkinson summed it up nicely 3T when he said that if a close game was coming to the wire, and the attacking team could win with a drop goal, it may have some merit as a tactic. Certainly all teams will now be on the lookout for it. What about timed periods of play when you engage for 10 minutes then don't contest the ruck for ten minutes or something similar? Wouldn't half uck fup a team who should be overpowering you all game. Hey ho always England who have to confront the "unusual" in all respects I suppose.

[Dinapal]

I thought level pegging and Italy were giving England a good hard fought battle,then, pfffff. England pressed Turbo charge and the Italian's lost their legs.I enjoyed that match and Italy are no longer the whipping boys.

[jourdain2]

We got home at half-time and I thought 'Wow - I'd love Italy to win', because it is so often them and Scotland slogging it out for the bottom place. So I missed all the rule-book stuff and the incidents. I'll have to find somewhere to catch up. Well done Italy anyway. I'm not disloyal (although as a half-Scot I support Scotland - there's masochism over the last few years for you - and of course I lived in France, so support the French, too - oh, heck!) but England are riding so supreme that I think a defeat would do them, and the game, good.

[ichkeria]

"I just have to say congratulations for writing in plain English for once. I think this is the first time I've understood one of your questions without having to decipher it."

It's a new tactic by Tora to confuse the opposition :-)
I must say Tora's reaction to this match is most sporting and the England coach could learn a thing or two from it: I think Mr Jones was embarrassed by his failure to adapt and lashed out.

[ToraToraTora]

yeah ich, I thought Eddie did resort to whining Aussie mode. It looked odd but it's a test match, the game itself is being tested and Italy used a legal, valid, tac tic and took us by surprise. This kind of innovation is so rare in top class sport so it's always refreshing when something new is tried.

[ichkeria]

Also, as has been pointed out, Eddie was not averse to a bit of "innovation" in the scrum back in 2003 in the World Cup Final