Team for Australia

[Oakboy]

Ah'd 'erd dat 'bout Derbyshire.

Bloody hell, I didn't know Shields played there!

[Stom]

What would be the benefit to that? Slade's played 13 for the past 2 seasons and Te'o's played 12 almost all his union career. Putting them the other way around seems a little Andy Robinson.

Puja

Gut feel that both players would benefit, as a positional shift would better suit their natural skills. Slade, imo, is wasted receiving ball in open space and having the responsibility of straightening the attack. Put him nearer the defensive line where he can use his feet and soft hands to release others just might create a better focus of attack than the direct running of Te'o.

Though I could just be getting misty-eyed about Grenwood and Tindall 15 years ago..

Thinking back to the 2002 set-up and arguing that two playmakers at 10/12 added creativity is not just nostalgia. What it required was an intelligent SH who knew by experience and natural ability where both were without having to look for them for ages as our current ones do. Also, it worked with functionality (JW) at 10 and the greater flair/carrying skill (Greenwood) at 12. When we play Ford and Farrell, they often seem the wrong way round to me. Going back, when CH and JW played, it was CH at 12, despite his apparent defensive frailty.

The difference is Greenwood was a centre. Like Carling or Catt or Eastmond...

Ford alongside Eastmond has looked very good for Tigers. I wish it had got a run out for England.

[Tigersman]

Farrell
Te'o
Tuilagi

Then we can have curry twins on the wing and Shields at 15 because it won't matter at all how you attack with the back 3.

Because Farrell, Te'o and Tuilagi don't know how to pass ?


You should watch more rugby.

TBF how many games have Te'o and Tuilagi played in?
and then how many passes have they made in those games.

anyway i'm looking forward to Toomua and Manu injuring themselves in a tackle.

[Oakboy]

Ford alongside Eastmond has looked very good for Tigers. I wish it had got a run out for England.

You are a very naughty boy! We are no longer allowed to suggest an England team without Farrell at 10 or 12!

I'd still pick Cipriani at 10 and Slade at 12 but . . . .

[Mellsblue]

Pocock out.

[Renniks]

Samu to start, and likely reverting to 5-3 split on bench (Beale or someone else?)

Not sure that Pocock missing out is the best thing for our RWC prep, but it will likely help our chances

[Puja]

Actually glad Beale's in the XXIII - I know you can't pick on sentiment or off-field reasons, but it seems a bit off for Australia to be showing off their Indiginous Pride jerseys while dropping their only indiginous player.

Puja

[Digby]

Why is Foley named at centre, and will he actually play there, and is there a competition between the Aussies and the Scots to pick the smallest 12?

This may mean Jones has been getting it wrong for ages and Ford should play outside Farrell

[Renniks]

Why is Foley named at centre, and will he actually play there, and is there a competition between the Aussies and the Scots to pick the smallest 12?

This may mean Jones has been getting it wrong for ages and Ford should play outside Farrell

Foley played with a 12 on his back against Italy…

I didn't watch the game so no idea who was at first receiver most often, and who did other things people expect of 10s

[Digby]

And a bad win against Italy made them want to line Foley up Vs Te'o further from the forwards? No accounting for taste

[richy678]

Pocock, Ashley-Cooper and Beale all out for tomorrow.

Pocock crocked - think its head inury stuff, Coops and Beale disciplinary - taking women back to the Cardiff hotel.

[Mikey Brown]

Ashley-Cooper? Didn’t he retire like 3 years ago?

[Puja]

Ashley-Cooper? Didn’t he retire like 3 years ago?

Yup. Went to chase the franc and then the yen, but Australia are desperate for something or someone to kick them into gear.

Anyone else starting to think that this is becoming a game where we really ought to be making a statement? Pocock out, inconsistent selection and poor morale generally, illness in midweek, late disciplinary withdrawals - New Zealand would be putting 50 points on them and I'm starting to think that, if we still have ambitions of being a top 3 side, we should be looking to put at least a comfortable victory in.

Puja

[Renniks]

Ashley-Cooper? Didn’t he retire like 3 years ago?

Yup. Went to chase the franc and then the yen, but Australia are desperate for something or someone to kick them into gear.

Anyone else starting to think that this is becoming a game where we really ought to be making a statement? Pocock out, inconsistent selection and poor morale generally, illness in midweek, late disciplinary withdrawals - New Zealand would be putting 50 points on them and I'm starting to think that, if we still have ambitions of being a top 3 side, we should be looking to put at least a comfortable victory in.

Puja

That's what we should be thinking

I'm only just thinking that we might be in with a chance to win it…

[fivepointer]

Well, the Aussies are in a bit of disarray, final game of the year, eyes on a bit of downtime and results havent exactly been stellar.
I dont think the Aussie pack is that good and they seem to be struggling to find combinations. We look in a better place than seemed to be on the cards a few weeks back.
i fancy us. Be nice to round off the autumn with an emphatic win.

[Oakboy]

I fancy us. Be nice to round off the autumn with an emphatic win.

Agreed. Jones must be hoping for 3/4 from the AIs with just that single-point defeat. As ever, though, there's pressure on him. Defeat would paint a rather different picture.

I just hope we get off to a really positive start. Bury the apprehension early and put all the pressure on Australia.

[Stom]

This is not a good Aus team. We should be beating them convincingly.

I don't see how anything else can be a success. We will really need to be better in the final stages, though. For the 2nd half in both matches against good teams we were poo.

Hopefully we get to see Ford, Farrell, Tuilagi for a good period of time. Like from 50 minutes...

[WaspInWales]

This is probably going to be the kiss of death now, as I said SA and NZ would take us to the cleaners and both were close matches. I was so confident that we would hammer Japan with the team we fielded, that I went out on the bike for the first half.

But looking at the Aussie team and the issues they're having, I think we'll destroy them. There's just no way we can lose this.

Right?

Mind you, I am currently concussed, have a fractured skull and look like Chuck Norris has just caught me ploughing his wife.

[Digby]

It might not be a good Aussie side but we're not ripping up any trees

[Mellsblue]

I have a good feeling about today

[Scrumhead]

I fancy us. Be nice to round off the autumn with an emphatic win.

Agreed. Jones must be hoping for 3/4 from the AIs with just that single-point defeat. As ever, though, there's pressure on him. Defeat would paint a rather different picture.

I just hope we get off to a really positive start. Bury the apprehension early and put all the pressure on Australia.

Yep. 100%. IMO, anything other than a convincing win would still leave some pressure on Eddie. Scrape through and there will still be obvious question marks.

At the beginning of the series, I would have happily taken a victory over SA, a 1 point loss to NZ and a 20 point win over Japan. However, we’ve only played well for 30mins in the AIs (first half vs. NZ) and we need a good performance and comfortable win over Australia to build some form ahead of the 6N opener in Dublin.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

[quote="Rich" Again I don't get the hate for Shields...]

It's simple. He's an overseas qualifier portrayed as better then the EQPs in the mix. He needs to justify that assessment with performances and he never has in any game. Worse, he never has for even a significant part of any game.

He is not as good as Robshaw who is unavailable. He is not as good as Lawes who is a lock. Where does that leave him? He's simply a SH player revered by a SH head-coach who is determined to not be proven wrong.

If you've seen something different, I am prepared to be enlightened.

Dors, he is class. You just can't see it (or need to watch some rugby)

[/quote][/quote]

I've always admitted to being a yokel and not the quickest on the uptake. You know how the saying goes,'Dorset born and Dorset bred, strong in the arm and thick in the head'.

I'll certainly wait to hear what Shields's good points are supposed to be and hope I am able to understand. [/quote][/quote][/quote][/quote]

Speak for yourself boy! Its good in bed not thick in the head

[Scrumhead]

I’m yet to see anything to suggest Shields is any better than Robshaw or Wilson either. The fact that I’d prefer Lawes at 6 speaks volumes.

[Mikey Brown]

I’m yet to see anything to suggest Shields is any better than Robshaw or Wilson either. The fact that I’d prefer Lawes at 6 speaks volumes.

Exactly this. Hard-nosed, lineout jumping 6 who can keep up with the pace of S14 and is a known leader sounds great. But I don’t know how anyone could claim to have seen that since he’s been in England.

[TheDasher]

I’m yet to see anything to suggest Shields is any better than Robshaw or Wilson either. The fact that I’d prefer Lawes at 6 speaks volumes.

Exactly this. Hard-nosed, lineout jumping 6 who can keep up with the pace of S14 and is a known leader sounds great. But I don’t know how anyone could claim to have seen that since he’s been in England.

Can't argue with that.

Nz game was his best so far though, he did cover a lot of ground and was physical.