Now that I have given the tripping incident a little more thought, here is what I think is the logic conclusion based upon the facts as we know them.
Seventeen points scored whilst a player was in the sin bin is absolutely unheard of in international rugby. It is the most points any national team has ever given up I am lead to believe.
Therefore that would mean that Alun Jones on the pitch is worth at least 17 points.
Those are the facts.
That says that Wales must select Alun W. Jones as he is too important not to select.
If there is some sort of tribunal. England will naturally vote that he go unpunished as England have already beaten Wales and Jones being worth 17 points only enhances the chance thaqt Wales with Jones will be given a better chance against France or Ireland.
It also means that Wales knows that they can't possibly make up 17 points in a game without Jones.
Hence Jones will go unpunished and selected because the 6N is about winning and Wales need him in they are to endeavor to beat either France or Ireland.
Now whatever tribunal could punish him for one game and that is the Scotland match, which would be a match that Wales could easily win without Jones.
It would look good to Wales, good to England, good to the world, good to the sport and bad for Ireland and France.
France and Ireland could go the extra mile and just have him killed and be done with it.

There is plenty of company right now in pursuit of any of the titles the 6N offers up.
Whilst I didn't see the Ireland/Italy encounter, I did hear the word 'leaden' to describe Ireland who were coasting something like 23-3 at or about halftime. I have always felt that Ireland does not have that chainsaw massacre personality and can well see them flubbing the dub in the second half.
I don't know about Italy. I had expected something a bit more dramatic in my readings other than just woeful.
But the Italians do have some good players. Unfortunately they are not really Italians. I believe I counted 10 foreigners...Castrogiovanni, Geldynhys,Del Fava, Zanni, Gower, Canale, Garcia, McLean, Robertson,and Sole. You aren't going to build much unity in an Italian side comprised of expats and second raters but what is to be done ask you?
I leave the courage of ther Azzurri in the hands of Mallett and will see just how good both England and Italy are this week.
The England match, albeit a much need win, was not exactly classic rugby. There was a great deal of the rub of the green in that victory and I sincerely believe that Wales is not that bad either.
So we have matches this week of the four IMHO weaker sides but not necessarily horrible sides.
I can see Wales beating Scotland at home at Scotland beating Wales away as soon as they quit feeling sorrow for themselves.
As for the so-called easy match to tout, Italy/Ireland, I wouldn't automatically count the Azzurri down and out. Certainly that could and would be an automatic response.
But for me, this match could prove a tantalizing one too. England will be playing for the reputaion of country and history. There aren't enough Italians on the Italian side to make them play for Italy. I like that because it offers up a differnt psychological perspective to and for me.
It will be the only 6N rugby match this weekend that is really not a 6N fixture.
In reality it is a club match for the Italians and if they play it as a club match rather than a national fixture, well, anything could happen. I don't appreciate the fact that Mallet's 'schtick' is not to play to be humiliated. In other words don't get destroyed.
I also beleiev that when teams fail to put the two edged sword to another side for whatever reason the side that is expected to be sworded desewrves some credit for not being dissected. Suxh maybe was the case in the Ireland match.
Which now brings me to the battle of the hevayweights.
Like I said, this is a 6N that there is no 'it's lonely on the top rating'. It's early on and teams are going to be brought to their knees until after the third week. At that time we can reassess the competition and hope that it will be more than a two dog fight.
I'm hoping for an international flea circus.
If Adam Jones can waggle an open try and barely be touched and Mattheu Bastareaud can waddle untouched for another , anything can happen. And , I almost forgot, James Haskell, who is so musclebound he can barely move his upper torso, can manifest the plight of England with his two trys, I must say openly, anything can indeed happen.
This week's matches hopefully set the stage for a dramatic conclusion for an interestin 2010 6N.

The first fifth of the 6N is over with France putting a very dull sword to the Scots who were persistent and ineffective under Andy Robinson as much as they were under Frank Hadden. I wouldn't blame Robinson too much for the blandness of Scottish rugby. In keeping with what I have reminded all that the Scots are just a hurricane of go nowhere rugby.
Lots of action in the open play that fizzles out long before a TRY is even considered.
In the pack, as expected, the French front row made hunchbacks and bobbleheads of the poor frustrated Scots and the boys in blue are damn lucky Nigel Owens was the referee. He just doesn't like the French because the Scots should have been penalized at least ten times for collapsing the scrum in about as many different ways as you can do it but in their case only two, either side dropping or boring in like a wedge of Swiss cheese.
The French cleverly tried to screw the scrum in an attempt to enunciate just how bad the Scots scrummage was but it came to an end when Owens gave the French a penalty.
Bastaread got his two soft trys but I would have to say that they were about as difficult and absolutely very much like the Adam Jones' try for Wales. I do believe Karl Miffentoff could have got one of those in his usual euphoric and stumbling state.
Bastaread will have a tougher time against better opposition because he knocked the ball on several times and was lazy in what some called the French pressure defence which was arguably misinterpreted. I would have described the backline defense anti-inflammatory at best.
Benjamin Fall failed to make the wing position his and I would suspect that the recall of Caveman Chabal will be met with much enthusiasm.
Morgan Parra was consistent. Trinh Duc forever tried to run the ball without success.
Jauzion was invisible. Rougerie was a bright spot briefly, Vincent Clerc was not to b e found and Clement Poitrenaund of all the backs looked the best and he did nothing.
That goes to show you how bad the Scots were and it was at the set pieces that their descent accelerated. Of course, Phil Godman should never have been there in the first place and Andy Robinson would do well to pepper next week's side with Cris Paterson or Dan Parks at ten.
But, more importantly, he will be devoid of backline displeasure if he doesn't make the necessary tight five adjustment by taking five giants steps into the realm of , at the very least, mediocrity.
It's not balderdash to suggest that all six nations will undergo some beneficial transformation because this week's preformances were less laudable than laughable.
I do admit to a few chuckling sighs when I found myself getting somewhat excited watching these potables, not notables, playing a form of European rugby not exactly champagne. I'd have to describe the action as cold beer diluted with piss.

It was a bleak day for me rugbywise. I did not see the Ireland match but winning by 18 points is two points shy of my tout. I heard that Italy took their chances like Wales took theirs. In other words, the chances were there for the taking but were not taken.
Wales simply played poorly in a bizarre match that found me thinking Warren Gatland is a fool and Alun W-Jones should have been red carded and allow England to score 138 points which is something like 8 times the number of points England scored when Jones was sitting in his cubicle watching the match.
17 points, yes, 17 points is what England scored while Jones was vacationing.
It doesn't happen that often in international matches that the team up a man scores two trys and a penalty.
I am flummoxed at the thought of this Welsh side that was simply ordinary.
Cooper the scrumhalf, despite his two breaks, was a liability with his slow ball.
Luke Charteris was not even an impact player.
Tom James should be banished along with Cooper and most probably Alun W-Jones.
Those three decisions are just routine.
James Hook looked awkward at outside centre but managed to see Tim Payne opposite him and went for the glory and got it.
Hook's kicking was shameful.
And, my favorite hunchback, Stephen Jones , well, erred in his pass to Armitage. The Wales guys wear red, not white, Stephen.
Call it what you will but between bad bounces, tripping players, dropping passes, throwing passes to nobody, kicking directly to the opposition, losing lineouts in buckets, well, there is a very good reason that Wales lost.
The problem with England is that it was a close game despite the above failings.
Duly noted.
Wales will be looking down and England will be ecstatic. Who cares how they won?

Ireland will win by more than the spread; France will win and Wales will win! That is all ye need to know.

I am dedicating this week to my old chum Flann O'Brien, Myles na gCopaleen/Brian O'Nolan and my favorite poem in the title.
I'll give you the first two verses for betting men like me.

"When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night-
A pint of plain is your only man.

When money's tight and hard to get
And your horse has also ran,
When all you have is a heap of debt-
A pint of plain is your only man."

That's how I am feeling now and later I'll complete the whole poem.
Thanks for standing by me and buying the plain.

What is a dark horse. The origin of dark horse comes out of a novel by Ben Disraeli I think called the A Young Duke or some such odious and redundant royal theme.
The Duke of St. James loses out to a surprize horse entree and refers to the winner as the dark horse that came out of nowhere.
So goes the dark horse. Since it is English origination perhaps England should be the dark horse.
It's possible certainly. They do have the horses if you know what I mean.
I have a tendency to agree despite the fact that I have concluded in all of my betting and writing that England will finish dead last.
And I base my thinking on the general effect that Martin Johnson has had on the English game since taking it over.
He has made some odd and demoralizing selections and I believe that the English as a rugby group are battlling to get their minds right.
I don't see the halfback combo of Care and JW performing much magic but I have underestimated him far too often not to be overly confident.
I just don't rate Nick Easter. I cannot comment on his leadership qualities but I note that he is huge and ponderous.
I sort of rate Flutey because he is a Kiwi and he knows his stuff.
The dramatic pause is Mattew Tait. He could be the dark horse. He still lacks consistent game time at any particular position but I think that he has the undeveloped tools presently but he isn't too far off if he allows JW and Riki Flutey to nurture him. Now worries in the back three.....I still believe in Monye.
The scale of betting says that the money is on Wales despite playing at Headquarters but no matter it is a massive match, one not to be missed because I think whomever gets the nod in this will carry on with the momentum, unlike the Ireland/Italy and France/Scotland matches.
BTW, I am pleased that Fred Michalak has been given a Bastareaud chance to make thing right. It shows that somebody in the French camp is willing to take a chance, which is generally very Frenchlike anyway.

The inclusion of troubled, enigmatic, former rugby leaguer, ex brawler, Aussie flyhalf for Italy is a plus and could pose some problems for the Irish.
He has two strong points.
The first is that he can defend so the likes of Heaslip and Wallace will be looking down the scope of a high powered rifle should they decide to attack his channel.
The second awesome feature of his game is that he cannot kick.
The ball might go anywhere and if it does, well, like I said many times, the vision boys won't be there and the chasers might very well be. That would mean that Ireland could not counterattack as much as they had hoped against the booting Azzurri because they will be unsure of justy exactly that ball might go.
It's too late for me to change my bet but if I could I would definitely pack on some sterling on the Italians to beat the spread of twenty points.

Take for granted Nick Mallett is a fine coach, ditto Declan Kidney. No problems in that department.
The Italians will and do have a grizzly pack of forwards even so Parisse is out.
No need to elaborate.
The Azzurri are better kickers of the rugby ball than the Irish and that is saying something.
What good is that ability, and to be sure that is the game they will play, because the Italians don't have another game.
They are afraid to open the game up because they have not done enough of it to cut out the silly errors like passing and catching a rugby ball.
The Azzurri do not have a halfback pair of any international note even with North Tower Cell 5 Aussie Craig Gower playing.
Mallett would love nothing better than to run with the ball but he knows as well as we that it is impossible because that aspect is suspect.
Mallett would like to play South African murderous rugby but he lacks discipline and size throughout the side despite the preponderance of Argentines and South Africans and Kiwis and Aussies. Where are the Italians?
That tells anybody who knows anything about rugby what to expect.
The Italians will run out of puff in the quarter; the Italians will miss a number of kickable kicks whether for a penalty or just for space; the Italians will start dropping off important tackles at jump street.
The score should read 50 - 10 but will not likely be so bad because the Irish are not merciless like the Welsh and the English.
I am willing and have given up 21 points but am not at all certain that is a thoughtful wager.
Giving up 25 points was the bet but I just couldn't fathom that even at 4-1.
Nick Mallet is making a big mistake IMHO by not opening the game up and losing 85-21 because he thinks the Italians need to build team confidence by keeping it close.
I also do not think the Italians are thinking why they were not accepted into the Magners League.
The reason is simple.
They are not ready and may not be for another two years and byt that time the RWC will have been played and we will all see how they front up.

Australia is and alwasys had an inferiority complex and is desperate always to win at all costs.
That is why the ARU has forgiven a criminal in one Quade Cooper and allowed him to play for Queensland.
This is not a drunken incident; this is not a lying imcident; this is not an incident to be overlooked.
The facts are that Quade Cooper was caught in somebody's house stealing personal; property.
The very idea that Australia, Queensland, and the ARU would slap his wrist is just encouraging that wrist to carry an axe next time round.
This is why Australia is and always will remain a penal colony.
I am sympathetric with Lote Tuquiri who got the axe for God knows what.
It is my wish that the Reds lose every and Fatass McKenzie gets the axe the sooner the better.