England squad for start of 6N’s

[Raggs]

It's OK everyone, Faz is in training.

[Digby]

I just vomited a little

[Mikey Brown]

I'm a bit concerned that Sexton and Kearney can kick the ball a considerable amount higher than this.

[Raggs]

They were practicing from actual kicks too. The balls they're using are absolutely smooth and slippery.

[Mikey Brown]

Gross.

[Puja]

They were practicing from actual kicks too. The balls they're using are absolutely smooth and slippery.

That's a good idea. I was just thinking that catching in Portugal might bear no resemblence to catching in rainy Dublin, but it looks like they've thought that too.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Gross.

Haha. Very good.

[richy678]

I don't think Nowell's defence is as bad as some make out. He played a blinder against Munster and does trouble even the best teams' defenders. Agree he is not the fastest on the pitch but believe his other attributes more than make up for this. I also have to admit, and understand I am in the minority, that I am not a big Jonny May fan, but that's just me. I like rugby players who understand rugby

I think May gets a bad rap. He might be (allegedly) thick in real life, but I feel he's grown into a very astute rugby player across the last 2-3 years. He's got a much better understanding of manipulating defences, what he can and can't get away with, his positioning in defence is excellent, and he's now involved in attack a lot more through his reading of the game and when to involve himself inside. Most importantly, for a player who plays with Ben Youngs, he's learned to read when Youngs isn't going to make it to a ruck, and go in to play scrum-half to speed up the game.

He might look goofy running across the pitch, but I don't remember the last time he got caught doing that, whereas in his youth, he was always misjudging it and getting snared behind his forwards.

Puja

I'm a fan of his when he has got the ball in his hands and running straight towards the opposition line.

I just have a terrible premonition that one day he is really going to give us a such an exhibition of Advanced Muppetry, the likes of which we have never seen.

I am sure I remember in one of the AI's he miss fielded a ball and it seemed to squirt away from him - but he was able to use his pace to recover. I said at the time - to nobody in particular as Mrs Richy finds ways to stay in the kitchen when I'm watching England play rugby in the living room....."There you go - a bit of Advanced Muppetry from the Muppet". At the time I received no reply from the kitchen, which is the usual response, to be fair.

[Which Tyler]

Watson hoping to play a part in the 6N campaign: https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/sport/ot ... 5ZHMpcEN0g

[Mellsblue]

I know nothing about this sort of thing, but when has that ever stopped......surely he just needs to ease himself I and get fit for the summer training camp.

[Scrumhead]

100% agree. He should concentrate on getting back on any pitch first.

[Which Tyler]

Same here, but I can completely understand why he'd WANT to get back in and prove his point directly to Eddie before the RWC squad is named

[Raggs]

Clifford back to Quins due to a head knock.

[Puja]

And so it begins...

Puja

[Shiny]

Underwater ju-jitsu on trampolines this time

[Digby]

Clifford back to Quins due to a head knock.

One has long wondered how they got people to go there, maybe this is it.

[Shiny]

Daily Fail are reporting Shields is unlikely to play.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... train.html

[Puja]

Daily Fail are reporting Shields is unlikely to play.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... train.html

Great news. I was somewhat worried that we'd get a Shields, Wilson, Billy backrow, rather than the Wilson, Curry, Billy one that everyone else in the world would pick.

Puja

[fivepointer]

Shields is no great loss, Wilson is a far superior player to my mind. With Clifford out of the running it looks like a Wilson-Curry-Billy back row with Hughes on the bench.

[Oakboy]

Shields is no great loss, Wilson is a far superior player to my mind. With Clifford out of the running it looks like a Wilson-Curry-Billy back row with Hughes on the bench.

That might mean Lawes or Itoje at 6 at some point, perhaps, not that it would bother me. Failing that it would be Billy or Hughes, assuming both were on the pitch at the same time.

[Timbo]

Don’t know if any of you listen to the Eggchasers podcast, but they’ve released their 6N’s preview show with Byron Michigan as special guest.

Just a couple of interesting England related tidbits from a current prem/international player; said that Henry Slade is the best player he’s ever played with, although admitted that he hasn’t really delivered for England yet, Chris Ashton is incredibly quick and that him or Solomona are the fastest players at Sale, also very high praise for Jack Nowell who he is a big fan of.

[ad_tigger]

Teo out. Side strain

[Insouciant]

Teo out - I think Eddie may go with Ford, Farrell & Tuliagi, although an experimental Ford, Tuliagi and Slade would be more interesting.

[Scrumhead]

Ford, Farrell, Tuilagi is the best combination of the players we have available. I don’t completely hate the idea of Farrell, Slade, Tuilagi, but since Slade barely ever plays at 12 and has failed to shine at 13 where he plays regularly I’m not sure about the wisdom of that, regardless of what Byron ‘Michigan’ McGuigan says.

[Mikey Brown]

Ford, Farrell, Tuilagi is the best combination of the players we have available. I don’t completely hate the idea of Farrell, Slade, Tuilagi, but since Slade barely ever plays at 12 and has failed to shine at 13 where he plays regularly I’m not sure about the wisdom of that, regardless of what Byron ‘Michigan’ McGuigan says.

Ha. Pretty much agree.

I can only dream we start with the first scenario, then Slade gets a go at 12 (maybe Farrels hand hurts and they want to be cautious) then suddenly all of Slade’s skills magically come to the fore after all this time, alongside our most skilled distributor and most dangerous runner.