1st Test Ratings

[Timbo]

Warburton, but i’d play him at 6 and stick with TCurry at 7. We have some talented 7’s coming through , they’re just all still kids.

[WaspInWales]

If you could pick one Welsh 7 to play in the England team....which one would it be....I look at the way you are trying to play the game and just think any one of Warburton, Tupuric, Jenkins, Davies, Young would massively add to your game.

Yep, the backrow and breakdown continue to be one of our biggest problems.

I'd get Tips to check for an English grandmother.

[Digby]

So has anyone got a scooby as to why Isiekwe was "tactically" replaced. I though he'd been going ok, he was one of the more involved Eng players. When I saw Shields come on my immediate thought was yeah Robshaw's still not himself.

EJ said we needed to change the momentum of the game, and thought an extra back row was the answer.

Isiekwe did keep running out of the line, though under Gustard that's often deemed a good thing. Isiekwe also wasn't clearing out as I'm sure Eddie would want, but I'd have thought having been picked away in SA at altitude we could allow at the very worst he was looking to pace himself aware there were no locks on the bench

[Digby]

6 still isn't a good mark, but there were no glaring mistakes that really got me for farrell, whereas Ford did get boffed around quite a bit.

Faz did rather amusingly get gone for pace by a lock, you could say that's not a mistake, fair enough, but if you're marking Ford down for lacking physicality then a lack of pace at 12 isn't to be ignored even if there's little either can do about it

[Stom]

OK, I've only watched the first half so far, but I thought both Curry and Slade were very good.

We seem to have a problem keeping our heads and shape in defense after giving away soft penalties. I feel like the players suddenly feel like the ref is picking on them and let it cloud their judgment, it's surely the only possible explanation.

This time, it was a marginal holding-on call against Sinckler, after which we suddenly cannot hold a defensive line and cannot make the tackles. And the biggest culprits? Sorry, but it was the Sarries lot. They're often our best tacklers, so it's odd to see it, but all of Billy, Mako, Itoje, George and Farrell either got their positioning wrong or fell off tackles in the immediate aftermath of that marginal penalty call.

Oh, and on Isiekwe, I wasn't following him, but I feel like his ruck marks were poor. Which is a shame.

I do feel like there are some good positives from that first half. Notably Curry, who was really excellent, I thought. Even when he didn't manage to actually make the tackle/impact a turnover, he was so quick to the action and so strong in contact. Looked like he's made for this level.

[bitts]

Mako 6
George 5
Sinckler 4
Itoje 6
iskwie 5
Robshaw 4
Curry 6
Vunipola 4

Youngs 5
Ford 5
May 6
Farrell 6
Slade 5
Brown 4
Daly 4

Surprised to see you mark Itoje that high, given your comment during the game. Not sure how Faz gets a 6 if Ford gets a 5. But its pretty irrelevant tbh.

Had a good final quarter and im not too prideful to not fall on my sword.

6 still isn't a good mark, but there were no glaring mistakes that really got me for farrell, whereas Ford did get boffed around quite a bit.

I know I'm biased, but my issue with Faz was just how little he actually did in attack or defence.

Ford was at the heart of some of our best work. He did lose group in defence, but FHs do tend to do that a bit (see Pollard missing brown) and not sure our defensive structure should rely on our FH not being targeted in general.

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[Beasties]

One thing I pondered over during the game was that the Sarries players weren't used to being harshly treated by the ref and that baffled them to the point they were out of their comfort zone. Itoje looked confused on several occasions unsurprisingly but kept annoying the ref. I'll cut him some slack as at least he was trying to turn the tide somehow. And George just plain got picked on bizzarely. But you've gotta play the ref lads, unfamiliar territory I know but deal with it.

[Mellsblue]

Just for the lols, here are Mr S Jones’s:
Daly - 6
May - 8
Slade - 6
Farrel - 7......he must’ve found it painful as England collapsed around him, but he kept himself together for the late rally*
Brown - 7
Ford - 5
Youngs - 6

Mako - 6
George - 8
Sinckler - 5
Itoje - 5
Isiekwe - 4
Robshaw - 4
Billy - 4
Curry - 4


*it seems the capt is not to blame for the team falling to pieces but rather praised as a beacon of dependability

[pandion]

I swear in these forums people used to post their own ratings as opposed to just critiquing the first one posted

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

[Tigersman]

Just for the lols, here are Mr S Jones’s:
Daly - 6
May - 8
Slade - 6
Farrel - 7......he must’ve found it painful as England collapsed around him, but he kept himself together for the late rally*
Brown - 7
Ford - 5
Youngs - 6

Mako - 6
George - 8
Sinckler - 5
Itoje - 5
Isiekwe - 4
Robshaw - 4
Billy - 4
Curry - 4


*it seems the capt is not to blame for the team falling to pieces but rather praised as a beacon of dependability

How does he get work?

[pandion]

Just for the lols, here are Mr S Jones’s:
Daly - 6
May - 8
Slade - 6
Farrel - 7......he must’ve found it painful as England collapsed around him, but he kept himself together for the late rally*
Brown - 7
Ford - 5
Youngs - 6

Mako - 6
George - 8
Sinckler - 5
Itoje - 5
Isiekwe - 4
Robshaw - 4
Billy - 4
Curry - 4


*it seems the capt is not to blame for the team falling to pieces but rather praised as a beacon of dependability

A new captain is to blame but an experienced half backs pairing who fell apart under pressure are blameless?

[Mellsblue]

Just for the lols, here are Mr S Jones’s:
Daly - 6
May - 8
Slade - 6
Farrel - 7......he must’ve found it painful as England collapsed around him, but he kept himself together for the late rally*
Brown - 7
Ford - 5
Youngs - 6

Mako - 6
George - 8
Sinckler - 5
Itoje - 5
Isiekwe - 4
Robshaw - 4
Billy - 4
Curry - 4


*it seems the capt is not to blame for the team falling to pieces but rather praised as a beacon of dependability

A new captain is to blame but an experienced half backs pairing who fell apart under pressure are blameless?

Where have I said Youngs and Ford are blameless? It is possible to believe that many have a blind spot over Farrell without thinking the rest are untouchable. I’ve had a pop at Youngs on the match thread, for example. As it happens I’d give both Farrell and Ford a 6. I’d have Youngs idown at 5, rather than 6, because of the awful non-touch finder under pressure that led to an SA try.

[Mellsblue]

I swear in these forums people used to post their own ratings as opposed to just critiquing the first one posted

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

[Banquo]

I swear in these forums people used to post their own ratings as opposed to just critiquing the first one posted

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

Explain?

[Digby]

I swear in these forums people used to post their own ratings as opposed to just critiquing the first one posted

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

FFS, 'an' EMB safe space

[Scrumhead]

Perhaps other ratings weren’t posted because people agreed with the all of the ones they didn’t challenge?

No-one better than a 6 for me and all too many at 4 or 5.

[padprop]

I swear in these forums people used to post their own ratings as opposed to just critiquing the first one posted

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

Jesus, you've been watching too much Ben Shapiro, I was just wondering why more people didn't ratings down in the same way they did when I was first on these forums, you can criticise and debate me as much as you wish

[Mellsblue]

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

Jesus, you've been watching too much Ben Shapiro, I was just wondering why more people didn't ratings down in the same way they did when I was first on these forums, you can criticise and debate me as much as you wish

I used to do ratings but it's a time consuming way of not really saying much.

[Banquo]

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

Jesus, you've been watching too much Ben Shapiro, I was just wondering why more people didn't ratings down in the same way they did when I was first on these forums, you can criticise and debate me as much as you wish

I used to do ratings but it's a time consuming way of not really saying much.

..or Rowan-itis

[Mellsblue]

You can't criticize Ford especially if you praise Farrell on rugby forums.

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

FFS, 'an' EMB safe space

Twas a typo, as I'm sure you're aware.

[Mellsblue]

You can critisise both Ford and Farrell and plenty have. To put up your own marks and not expect discussion is very of the times. Do we need a EMB safe space?

Jesus, you've been watching too much Ben Shapiro, I was just wondering why more people didn't ratings down in the same way they did when I was first on these forums, you can criticise and debate me as much as you wish

I used to do ratings but it's a time consuming way of not really saying much.

Exactly

[Digby]

Jesus, you've been watching too much Ben Shapiro, I was just wondering why more people didn't ratings down in the same way they did when I was first on these forums, you can criticise and debate me as much as you wish

I used to do ratings but it's a time consuming way of not really saying much.

Exactly

I rather like the practice of spending a long time putting out what some may consider a lengthy discourse without actually saying anything, and to mix that up with lengthy discourse which is ambiguous... well that's the dream

[Stom]

I used to do ratings but it's a time consuming way of not really saying much.

Exactly

I rather like the practice of spending a long time putting out what some may consider a lengthy discourse without actually saying anything, and to mix that up with lengthy discourse which is ambiguous... well that's the dream

I could never have guessed.

[Mikey Brown]

I keep seeing Slade’s physicality mentioned. I’m a bit of a biased admirer I think, but it seemed he was putting himself about quite a bit wasn’t he? He had very little to work with. I remember a missed tackle in the lead up to a try when we were pretty stretched, but it seemed he was making a lot of tackles and cutting out the attack in the first half.

I don’t think midfield balance is right at all, but I’m interested if I got that assessment right at all. Stream was pretty dodgy all game.

[Mellsblue]

It was definitely Slade’s best game to date. You’re right, though, the Ford - Farrell - Slade combo isn’t balanced.