A Wandering Minstrel,

Yes, Thom Evans was lucky that a skilled team removed him from the pitch.Let's hope he is OK.

The breakdown reffing does seem to have been a problem in some games. The referee and linesmen do not always seem to spot the offside players, or the ones taking out players at the side of(unconnected to) the rucks. The ref for the England/ Ireland game filled me with hope at first, because he pinged a player from each side for being offside -next to the ruck - even though they "didn't interfere" directly with play (just "cut the options" for clearing the ball out).However, he then seemed not to be so interested and a number of players got away with it,especially at the end of the match.Incidentally,the Welsh number 3 is very good at this! He is usually to be seen wandering about slowly on the wrong side, looking earnestly as though he is trying to get back onside.I find myself looking for him at every ruck. Try it. It's entertaining!

Paula