Squad for AIs

[Timbo]

Really not sure how I feel about this ...

Why bother calling up Morgan only to discard him again?

I don’t think Mercer is ready to go up against the likes of Vermeulen as an 8. Wilson will fill in manfully if needed but he isn’t an 8.

As far as the backs go, I truly hate the idea of Te’o and Tuilagi together with Farrell at 10. No creativity, no subtlety and not good enough to win a test IMO.

If Ashton plays, I think he could do well. A desire to prove himself to Eddie seems to be firing him up.

On Morgan and Rhodes, it may be as simple as they haven’t picked up all the calls and got to grips with the systems yet. He may also have looked at them and thought they simply won’t replace the power that we’ve lost, so plans to set up the backrow in a completely different way.

I expect us to kick a lot, get Ashton and May chasing kicks all day (which they’re both excellent at) and look to pressure and niggle the Boks into mistakes. The backrowers we’ve got might actually win us some turnover ball- I reckon it’ll be Shields-Wilson-Curry. I think he’s picking a pack that will be comfortable operating on the backfoot, big work rate, but attitude, lots of niggle around the ruck. I don’t think we’ll play many phases, strike moves and short range kicks in the red zone. I do think Slade will start with Tuilagi.

[Stom]

I actually kinda feel like we might stick with Ford-Farrell at 10-12. With Tuilagi outside that may not be so bad. And Slade in the 22 shirt.

And if the back 3 are going to be May, Daly and one of Ashton or Nowell, we're going to have wings coming in to play off 10/12 a lot. Which will be very interesting.

Good that Curry is going to keep his spot, he's been good so far and his pace to the breakdown will be key. Don't ignore Tuilagi's influence there, either: he's decent at securing ball for a back. As much as we maligned Tindall, he was excellent at securing ball if the forwards were slow to arrive. And during that time they often were...

I honestly can't saw I remember much of Moon. He's never left any impression on me whatsoever. Hepburn is a very slight prop but he punches above his weight. Kruis back to form gives us a little bit of extra power and tight ability, which is handy. Wilson is a very good Robshaw deputy and a little bit more powerful, which will, again, be handy.

But 9 is the weak link. Youngs has been terrible so far this season. Care has been very good. But they both play very different systems...and Care has never really been able to translate club form to international rugby anyway.

I'm glad Jones has allayed my worst fears and done away with Rhodes and Morgan.

[Puja]

Do Teo or Nowell actually have any minutes this season?

Te’o about 25 minutes. Nowell’s started Exeter last 5/6 European/Prem games.

Oh right. Whoops.

Has he done anything to merit being ahead of Cokanasiga?

He's looked very useful actually - back to his elusive, steppy self. While Cokanasiga's got huge potential, he's far from the finished article and can go missing if the ball's not coming to him. I think Eddie's made the right choice there at the present time.

Puja

[Oakboy]

Why must he surely be better? How many times have you seen Shields play?

I've seen him every time he's appeared for England and I watched him for Wasps in the European match where he was visibly off the pace, arriving too late at every breakdown and never making a significant tackle - an absolute contrast with Armand for Exeter, for example. Rhodes has looked more effective than Shields in European club games - not marginally but significantly.

Are you suggesting that something from Shields' past record in NZ leads you to believe that there is far more to come than I have seen?

The guy was captain of the Hurricanes, i’d guess there’s a bit more to come from him. The likes of Blade Thompson and Vaea Fifita couldn’t get in their team at 6 ahead of him.

But fundamentally you really need to watch someone play more than 3 or 4 times (in teams they’ve never played in before) to see what they’re all about.

Mmm! Perhaps. All I know is that players worthy of being described as great internationals can be summed up as such within minutes. So far, Shields has looked like an enthusiastic flounderer. I suspect that he is over-rated just because of his NZ background but time will tell.

My suspect opinion has him way behind Armand, whom Jones obviously rates not at all. I would replace Jones with Baxter in a heartbeat at this point and the latter coach rates Armand enough to always pick him for Exeter, a far better side than Wasps currently.

[richy678]

Tin hats on. Might get easier next week.

Who can we send for that might help?

Only a miracle can save us now!

WILL CARLING........"Well...y'know..."

[Rich]

I'm surprised. There's still a best and worst...

Moon
Hartley
Williams
Kruis
Ewels
Itoje
Curry
Wilson
Youngs
Farrell
May
Te'o
Tuilagi
Ashton
Nowell

I think the best XV would be:

Hepburn
Hartley
Williams
Itoje
Kruis
Wlson
Curry
Shields

Youngs
Farrell
May
Te'o
Tuilagi
Ashton
Daly

[TheDasher]

How he can leave Morgan out against South Africa is beyond me. We're going to get beasted up front.

[p/d]

He’ll start Itoje in the back row. And Shields probably at 8

[Oakboy]

He’ll start Itoje in the back row. And Shields probably at 8

That's what the DT is predicting.

[p/d]

He’ll start Itoje in the back row. And Shields probably at 8

That's what the DT is predicting.

Probably wrong then. Pretty sure they were touting Rhodes and Morgan to start......................mind you that might have been Greenwood.

[Stom]

Seriously, if from that 25 we get Kruis and Ewels, Itoje at 6, Shields at 8 and Te'o...I'll have lost all faith.

[Scrumhead]

I read a quote from Eddie prior to the squad announcement yesterday saying 8 was between Wilson, Mercer and Morgan.

Clearly Morgan lost out on that one, but that suggests Wilson at 8 with Itoje at 6 and Ewels in the row with Kruis. Not the lineup I’d be going for ...

The thing is, the more Eddie screws around, the more he alienates everyone (including the players) becomes. If we lose that just gets worse.

[Oakboy]

I'd rather have Itoje at 6 than Shields anywhere in the back row. Having said that, I'd be happiest to see (from those remaining) Wilson, Curry and Mercer. Also, I think Kruis is only just international standard if he is paired with Itoje.

[fivepointer]

What a state we are in.
A year out from the WC we are going to field what effectively is going to be a new team with limited experience in key areas, new caps and players returning after years of being away.
We are going to have to take a punt on players and partnerships coming good, and have very few established high class international calibre players to hold this together.
Whatever side we put out will be significantly understrength and likely to lack the kind of cohesion necessary for effective performance.
The omens are not at all good.

[Beasties]

I really hope SA are gonna turn up on Sat. I can't see a poor performance from them as being of any use to us in our current state of selctorial muddlement.