England Squad - 6 Nations

[Mellsblue]

If Mallinder was 5’10” would he be so highly rated?

[Scrumhead]

Eddie is starting to pi$$ me off. I just can’t fathom where he’s going with some of these selections.

[Raggs]

Just noticed, no Manu.

[Digby]

No, Manu, which is different to Te'o, and no opensides

[OptimisticJock]

Can somebody explain what the current rules are about the national squad. To what extent is Eddie committed by naming these players? Can he change, say, 8-10 names for the Wales match?

From the interviews alongside, this is a squad for the Italy game only, which suggests that Eddie is doing whatever the hell he feels like, again.

I really hope Vellacott knew this was happening, given his withdrawal from Scotland's squad.

Puja

To be pedantic he was never named in the Scotland squad to withdraw from it. Besides poaching one jock is enough.

[Raggs]

Would Vellacott been likely to get a number of caps for Scotland before the rwc? I suspect he knows his real look in, is 2020, and he may as well wait and see.

[Puja]

Can somebody explain what the current rules are about the national squad. To what extent is Eddie committed by naming these players? Can he change, say, 8-10 names for the Wales match?

From the interviews alongside, this is a squad for the Italy game only, which suggests that Eddie is doing whatever the hell he feels like, again.

I really hope Vellacott knew this was happening, given his withdrawal from Scotland's squad.

Puja

To be pedantic he was never named in the Scotland squad to withdraw from it. Besides poaching one jock is enough.

Technically, he wasn't named, but if you look at the announcement graphic, Nathan Fowles is put in out of alphabetical order, in the precise spot that someone with a V-surname would go if they hadn't withdrawn and required another scrum-half to be called up.

Hopefully Eddie has been on the level with him and he knows what level of promise he was working on.

Puja

[OptimisticJock]

Pretty well stocked Tbf. Price has Horne nipping his heels and if SHC recovers his form (which he's doing bit by bit) he'll also be in the mix, there is also Laidlaw who would have probably been capt just now if not returning from injury.

[OptimisticJock]

From the interviews alongside, this is a squad for the Italy game only, which suggests that Eddie is doing whatever the hell he feels like, again.

I really hope Vellacott knew this was happening, given his withdrawal from Scotland's squad.

Puja

To be pedantic he was never named in the Scotland squad to withdraw from it. Besides poaching one jock is enough.

Technically, he wasn't named, but if you look at the announcement graphic, Nathan Fowles is put in out of alphabetical order, in the precise spot that someone with a V-surname would go if they hadn't withdrawn and required another scrum-half to be called up.

Hopefully Eddie has been on the level with him and he knows what level of promise he was working on.

Puja

Laidlaw is returning from injury, entirely possible Fowles is an after thought as back up for him. I can't see Toonie naming him without talking to him and having to remove him from the official announcement.

[Guwuffle]

Nick Mullins tweet after press briefing.



And in text for those with tweet viewing issues.

Headlines from Eddie’s media briefing:
• Looking at Nowell as a 13
• Wigglesworth, Robson & Vellacott the back-up 9s
• Mercer graduated from apprentice, hardened-up since November
• Not many fit looseheads around.

[Mikey Brown]

I really can’t understand how Woodburn isn’t much, much better than Earle/Solomona/Nowell.

[TheNomad]

Good to see in relation to Mercer

Well earned in my opinion - he's stood out on most of the occasions I've watched him. His arms are weirdly small/thin though!

[Mikey Brown]

It's his stupid shaped head that bothers me more. Either way, get rid of him.

[Mellsblue]

Nowell as 13. Where the hell did that come from? Obviously, he has the required pace but really. I know he played there in extremis for Exeter a couple of years ago but no. Pick him as a wing or don’t bother. I’m not sure I have ever seen him pass.

[Banquo]

Really, still surprised at no 3rd scrum half? Eddie has never chosen a 3rd scrum half.

not surprised, its just stupid. Though he has at least said its one of Robson, Wigglesworth, and Vellacott.

[Puja]

Given that this is a squad initially for the Italy game only, that raises the question of if we're going to go experimental. That squad allows us to pick a sensible team as well, but do we think Eddie's likely to go weird with the XXIII as well?

Puja

[Timbo]

Nowell as 13. Where the hell did that come from? Obviously, he has the required pace but really. I know he played there in extremis for Exeter a couple of years ago but no. Pick him as a wing or don’t bother. I’m not sure I have ever seen him pass.

I don’t have a problem with it as an idea. He’s played some great games at 13 for Exeter in the last couple of seasons, and the way they use their wings is much like a centre or fullback anyway.

[Timbo]

Really, still surprised at no 3rd scrum half? Eddie has never chosen a 3rd scrum half.

not surprised, its just stupid. Though he has at least said its one of Robson, Wigglesworth, and Vellacott.

As per The Telegraph Vellacott is in the 45 man EPS and will be training with the squad. That’s your 3rd scrumhalf for the moment.

[Mellsblue]

Nowell as 13. Where the hell did that come from? Obviously, he has the required pace but really. I know he played there in extremis for Exeter a couple of years ago but no. Pick him as a wing or don’t bother. I’m not sure I have ever seen him pass.

I don’t have a problem with it as an idea. He’s played some great games at 13 for Exeter in the last couple of seasons, and the way they use their wings is much like a centre or fullback anyway.

I thought he looked very much like a winger when he played 13 for Exeter - lots of beating the first man but no passing.

[Banquo]

Mallinder has a lot of good attributes and I can see why Eddie's interested. He's rapid, huge boot, good sense at picking a line, nice range of passes, capable of carrying a crash ball up, has the creativity to play 10, can cover any position from 10-15 from the bench - he's got an awful lot going for him. He's basically been Northampton's attacking game for large swathes of this season.

If Eddie can teach him not to be so bloody wet and not to shy away from uncontrolled contact and tackling like a scolded puppy, then he could be anreally good player. I would've thought the time to see that was in the last training camp though.

Puja

Aside from being yellow, he is also a pretty poor decision maker. And when you say cover any position from 10-15, you mean could play there, and I wouldn't let him play any of them for England at this point.

[Which Tyler]

I've always said that 13 (or15) looked like Nowell's position of best fit - but surely that should have been trialled 5 years ago!
I'll stick with assuming that this is just Eddie being Eddie.

Surprise inclusions for me are Mallinder and Boyce - largely because Mallinder's defence isn't up to Prem standard, let alone international standard (but he's enough talent that any coach will think they can get more out of him); and because I'm not sure I've ever heard of Boyce. He is though 7th choice LHP (at best), so it seems reasonable that I wouldn't be too familiar. He's also unlikely to play any actual part beyond training, so getting someone young with an eye to the future seems reasonable.

Beyond that, most of the upset seems to be about who isn't selected, rather than who is. Presumably Eddie sees something in Graham that he doesn't in Armand / Ewers / Curry, and was impressed enough the other week to give him another shot. Beyond that, I can't really complain about who actually is there, and TBH, those where I'd have selected differently are unlikely to play any part in actual matches anyway, so I can be pretty sanguine about it really. Let's face it, the backrow will be 4 from Robshaw, Underhill, Simmonds, Mercer and Lawes; and would have been even if Armand/Ewers/Curry had been selected here.

LHP: Vunipola, Hepburn, Boyce - seems fair once you remove Marler, Mullan, Genge, Obano, Catt, Auterac from the equation.
HK: Harltey, George, Dunn - given that Taylor is injured, LCD is only just back from injury and not properly match fit yet; whilst Dunn has been in genuinely good form
THP: Cole, Sinckler, Williams - seems about right TBH
LK: Itoje, Launchbury, Lawes, Kruis, Isiekwe - Kruis seems a bit lucky, but in the absence of Ewels, and given that Eddie seems to think that Lawes at 6 is a viable option; I can't really complain about that.
FL: Robshaw, Underhill, Graham - seems a little light in numbers, easily explained byt he Lawes at 6 option.
#8: Simmonds, Mercer

SH: Youngs, Care - did we REALLY expect Eddie to chose this moment to suddenly introduce a 3rd choice SH? OK, he should have done so 2 years ago, but he wasn't about to start now, and it sounds like Vellacott has been included in the wider EPS.
FH: Ford, Farrell (Smith) - no surprises at all
CE: Jospeh, Te'o, Slade, Lozowski, Mallinder - He was always going to want to see Mallinder for himself; no other surprises at all.
WG: Nowell, May, Solomona, Earle - No surprises here, Earle's inclusion was only a matter of time; he won't be playing.
FB: Brown, Watson - So much like every other selection Eddie has made.

[Banquo]

Really, still surprised at no 3rd scrum half? Eddie has never chosen a 3rd scrum half.

not surprised, its just stupid. Though he has at least said its one of Robson, Wigglesworth, and Vellacott.

As per The Telegraph Vellacott is in the 45 man EPS and will be training with the squad. That’s your 3rd scrumhalf for the moment.

ok

[p/d]

Eddie is starting to pi$$ me off. I just can’t fathom where he’s going with some of these selections.

Just starting!!! Been pissing me off for quite a while now.

Defeat to Ireland, underwhelming AI and now fannying about for opening game of 6n

[Beasties]

Really, still surprised at no 3rd scrum half? Eddie has never chosen a 3rd scrum half.

not surprised, its just stupid. Though he has at least said its one of Robson, Wigglesworth, and Vellacott.

I see you've adjusted the order there. Is that to your preferred order?

[Banquo]

Really, still surprised at no 3rd scrum half? Eddie has never chosen a 3rd scrum half.

not surprised, its just stupid. Though he has at least said its one of Robson, Wigglesworth, and Vellacott.

I see you've adjusted the order there. Is that to your preferred order?

no