England squad for start of 6N’s

[Oakboy]

We need Banquo to explain it to









nope. Beyond me.

Just good to know you are still breathing!

[Puja]

Murray or Sexton will target Daly at the first chance they get and Stockdale, Earls and Henshaw will be all over him. If he’s having a mare, what are we going to do? Swap him with Nowell or bring on Ashton? Idiocy of the highest order.

Swap him with Nowell I guess, but how bad will it have to get?

I'd rather swap him with Slade

Why Slade? He's got far less full-back experience, doesn't have the positional know-how, and is never picked out of the two there for Exeter.

Puja

[Banquo]

We need Banquo to explain it to









nope. Beyond me.

Just good to know you are still breathing!

Just about

[p/d]

One positive is the number of ball carriers... Mako, Sinkler, George, Itoje, Billy, Manu, Genge, Hughes. There have been games in which we've not had one serious carrier.

Dasher!!!! How could ya leave out LCD

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I expect to see Nowell at 15 and Daly on the wing. It's just a bit of misdirection.

No Launch must be a blow for you boys, and a relief to ours.

Unless the weather is evil I expect us to hold onto the ball most of the time. Win the breakdown win the game. SOB on the bench might be monumentally bad news for you.

[morepork]

I expect to see Nowell at 15 and Daly on the wing. It's just a bit of misdirection.

No Launch must be a blow for you boys, and a relief to ours.

Unless the weather is evil I expect us to hold onto the ball most of the time. Win the breakdown win the game. SOB on the bench might be monumentally bad news for you.

The Irish loosies will overpower the English ball carriers.

[Renniks]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

[Oakboy]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

Would you be surprised if Lawes came on for one of the flankers?

[Renniks]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

Would you be surprised if Lawes came on for one of the flankers?

No, and, as the game goes on - I'm not sure I hate the idea (based on who's been picked)

I'd just have preferred someone else to be picked…

[Mellsblue]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

Clifford was sent back to Quins after suffering a knock to the head. But, yeah, if fit I’d agree with you.

[Mikey Brown]

Is Hughes playing better than Morgan or Mercer? Or just the incumbent?

[Renniks]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

Clifford was sent back to Quins after suffering a knock to the head. But, yeah, if fit I’d agree with you.

Ah bugger, yeah!

Well there goes that argument

(Though, I'd still say the same for Kvesic, )

[Gloskarlos]

Is Hughes playing better than Morgan or Mercer? Or just the incumbent?

I can honestly say I have seen both Morgan and Mercer play better this season than I have seen Hughes play for a year or two.

Another Eddie mystery for me this one.

Ball carrying? my erse. Driven back a country mile by Faf de clerk? that sticks in my mind unfortunately.

[Digby]

I expect to see Nowell at 15 and Daly on the wing. It's just a bit of misdirection.

No Launch must be a blow for you boys, and a relief to ours.

Unless the weather is evil I expect us to hold onto the ball most of the time. Win the breakdown win the game. SOB on the bench might be monumentally bad news for you.

The Irish loosies will overpower the English ball carriers.

As we've seen in our last two games against Scotland that can be hard to predict unless you know how the ref will rule, there are plenty of other examples but those two games against Scotland offer a stark contrast between obviously similar teams

[Mellsblue]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

Clifford was sent back to Quins after suffering a knock to the head. But, yeah, if fit I’d agree with you.

Ah bugger, yeah!

Well there goes that argument

(Though, I'd still say the same for Kvesic, )

It does defy logic that we have 2 no8’s and 6 who won player of the series in the autumn whilst predominantly playing at no8, and had his worst game at no7, whilst having no cover at open side. That said, if he doesn’t rate the other options and/or he thinks it too late to bring in someone from outside camp he’s got no choice. If Clifford weren’t injured he may have been in the match day squad.

[Oakboy]

Jones's loyalty to one or two players and his stubborn persistence with selection reminds me of Alf Ramsey and Martin Peters. Peters was selected when his club form was atrocious but Sir Alf doggedly claimed to base selection only on a player's last international performance.


There, the similarity ends, of course.

[ckeyn]

You lot are strange...both Launchbury and Clifford aren't fit.

It's our best front-row, a very good 2nd row unit, a balanced back-row.

Daly at FB is a worry. But wouldn't be surprised to see Nowell field deeper. He'll be roaming all game.

Tuilagi at 12 and Slade at 13 is only important position wise in first-phase play.

May is a world-class winger.

Happy with the team. Cries of "insanity" are bizarre.

[Mellsblue]

Tuilagi at 12 and Slade at 13 is only important position wise in first-phase play.

Unless the plan is to have 100% possession or we believe that Ireland will kick the ball every time they have possession, I can’t see how that it is true.

[Digby]

Without Ford we can still split the field with Farrell and Slade. Which is very different to what for instance NZ now do with overload plays all going one way. But it is much safer for us with our handling and breakdown skills, or lack of

What I find odd is having no sense of whether our attack will try to play toward some centre field position and then split the pitch with 2 players comfortable at first receiver, it doesn't seem like the right kind of thing when we're left with the England attack game constantly saying we'll get back to you on what are plans are. And if we do split the field what does that mean for JJ?

[Scrumhead]

You lot are strange...both Launchbury and Clifford aren't fit.

It's our best front-row, a very good 2nd row unit, a balanced back-row.

Daly at FB is a worry. But wouldn't be surprised to see Nowell field deeper. He'll be roaming all game.

Tuilagi at 12 and Slade at 13 is only important position wise in first-phase play.

May is a world-class winger.

Happy with the team. Cries of "insanity" are bizarre.

Unfortunately I’d argue that Daly at 15 is enough to outweigh the positives that you’ve (correctly) outlined in the pack.

Daly is lucky to make the 23 on current form playing in his preferred position, let alone in a position where he looked anything but comfortable. Considering what we will be up against from an aerial perspective, it’s a potentially suicidal selection. Even more so without Brown on the bench.

[Oakboy]

You lot are strange...both Launchbury and Clifford aren't fit.

It's our best front-row, a very good 2nd row unit, a balanced back-row.

Daly at FB is a worry. But wouldn't be surprised to see Nowell field deeper. He'll be roaming all game.

Tuilagi at 12 and Slade at 13 is only important position wise in first-phase play.

May is a world-class winger.

Happy with the team. Cries of "insanity" are bizarre.

Unfortunately I’d argue that Daly at 15 is enough to outweigh the positives that you’ve (correctly) outlined in the pack.

Daly is lucky to make the 23 on current form playing in his preferred position, let alone in a position where he looked anything but comfortable. Considering what we will be up against from an aerial perspective, it’s a potentially suicidal selection. Even more so without Brown on the bench.

Don't worry. Once Daly has ballsed up the bombs, we can all be reassured when Ashton comes on and does the same.

[Banquo]

Daly is a classy player, his head is messed up a bit by playing three positions and his move to sarries. I'd hope he is really playing wing, but then that means Nowell at 15, which doesn't cheer me up much.

[Mellsblue]

Whatever option they go for at 15 it’s a muggers buddle.

[Spiffy]

I'm starting to feel like we'd have been better off including Clifford instead of Hughes…

We're going to be asking a lot of Curry and Wilson, and Hughes just isn't the player to help them out at 60 minutes

(It's okay though, Nowell will do a lot of the work!)

Would you be surprised if Lawes came on for one of the flankers?

It's not unlikely. A few late hits on Sexton would certainly help the England cause.

[Oakboy]

Daly is a classy player, his head is messed up a bit by playing three positions and his move to sarries. I'd hope he is really playing wing, but then that means Nowell at 15, which doesn't cheer me up much.

Agreed. If I could have one change for tomorrow it would be Brown for Daly. It's not for the result either. It's a genuine concern that Daly could suffer long-term damage if he has a bad game. I just can't see that it's worth the risk. He is just too good. For everyone's sake, I hope Jones has got this call right - presumably based on close-up observation that we cannot know about.