Team for the Barbarians game

[Banquo]

I'd be in favour of going very young and exciting for this lineup, roping in the U20s if they can be spared from their pre-JWC camp. There's no way that an England C team containing a load of never-was and never-will-bes like Symons and Sam James are going to get anything but spanked against this Barbarians side, so go young and fearless and invite them to throw caution to the wind.

You could have:

Obano
Singleton
Brookes
Kpoku
Moon
Hill
BCurry
Dombrandt/Mercer

Mitchell
Smith
Thorley
Redpath
Marchant
Collins/McConnochie
Olowofela/LJames


Puja

JWC'ers fly out on Thursday I think

[fivepointer]

No U20s are going to be involved. They have Ireland first up on the 4th June.

I'll say it again. Send out an old lags XV. Seasoned guys, some capped, who wont interest Jones but might fancy an outing in an England shirt at Twickenham.

Save the youngsters from getting a pasting.

[Banquo]

No U20s are going to be involved. They have Ireland first up on the 4th June.

I'll say it again. Send out an old lags XV. Seasoned guys, some capped, who wont interest Jones but might fancy an outing in an England shirt at Twickenham.

Save the youngsters from getting a pasting.

yep I thought that; as said above, the U20's fly to Argentina on Thursday in any case.

[Puja]

No U20s are going to be involved. They have Ireland first up on the 4th June.

I'll say it again. Send out an old lags XV. Seasoned guys, some capped, who wont interest Jones but might fancy an outing in an England shirt at Twickenham.

Save the youngsters from getting a pasting.

yep I thought that; as said above, the U20's fly to Argentina on Thursday in any case.

Ah, hadn't realised it was so soon. Thought they were just in camp, rather than flying out. In which case:

Obano
Thacker
Brookes
Ewels
Moon
Dombrandt
BCurry
Mercer

Mitchell
Malins
Thorley
Williams
Marchant
Collins/McConnochie
Olowofela

Even without the U20s, I'd still say we're best going young, fast, and attacking everything. Old lags would just get embarrassed 97 Australia style, whereas at least attacking everything would turn it into a basketball game.

Puja

[Banquo]

No U20s are going to be involved. They have Ireland first up on the 4th June.

I'll say it again. Send out an old lags XV. Seasoned guys, some capped, who wont interest Jones but might fancy an outing in an England shirt at Twickenham.

Save the youngsters from getting a pasting.

yep I thought that; as said above, the U20's fly to Argentina on Thursday in any case.

Ah, hadn't realised it was so soon. Thought they were just in camp, rather than flying out. In which case:

Obano
Thacker
Brookes
Ewels
Moon
Dombrandt
BCurry
Mercer

Mitchell
Malins
Thorley
Williams
Marchant
Collins/McConnochie
Olowofela

Even without the U20s, I'd still say we're best going young, fast, and attacking everything. Old lags would just get embarrassed 97 Australia style, whereas at least attacking everything would turn it into a basketball game.

Puja

Old lags can take being embarrassed, such an experience can wreck a young career imo. particularly how they are perceived. As with all these things, you need to have a decent core....and also depends on Baa-baas team. Probably won't matter too much in reality in a WC year.

[Scrumhead]

Barbarians looking strong.

Mark Atkinson called up for them!:

https://www.englandrugby.com/news/barba ... d-fixture/

[Puja]

Good for Atkinson - he deserves recognition for the season he's had and I hope he gets a good long game for the BaaBaas.

Puja

[Tigersman]

England XV squad

Forwards

Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Tom Dunn (Bath Rugby)
Tom Ellis (Bath Rugby)
Ross Harrison (Sale Sharks)
Teimana Harrison (Northampton Saints)
Paul Hill (Northampton Saints)
Beno Obano (Bath Rugby)
Ehren Painter (Northampton Saints)
Will Spencer (Leicester Tigers)
Elliott Stooke (Bath Rugby)
Tommy Taylor (Wasps)

Backs

Josh Bassett (Wasps)
Simon Hammersley (Newcastle Falcons)
Ben Loader (London Irish)
Joe Marchant (Harlequins)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Piers O’Conor (Bristol Bears)
Callum Sheedy (Bristol Bears)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Ben White (Leicester Tigers)
Johnny Williams (Newcastle Falcons)

[Puja]

Looks like I mostly got my wish, although a few old lags in Bassett, Harrison, Harrison, and Beaumont. Presumably Smith is travelling to the JWC late?

That squad in order is:
Harrison
Obano
Dunn
Taylor
Hill
Painter
Stooke
Spencer
Beaumont
Dombrandt
Ellis
Curry
Harrison

Mitchell
White
Smith
Sheedy
Williams
Marchant
O'Conor
Loader
Bassett
Hammersley

Potentially good news for Francis and Mercer that they're not in this squad?

Puja

[fivepointer]

Not enough old lags for me.
These squads are always a compromise and this one does have a few very good picks. Dombrandt and Ellis are good calls and I'm very pleased T Harrisons excellent form has been recognised. In the backs, I like the selections of Mitchell, O'Conor and Williams, while Loader is a bold pick.
Would have preferred Smith go with the U20's.
Based on the squads, we will do very well to get within two scores of the Baabaas.

[Mikey Brown]

Really struggling to feel any excitement about this and normally I quite enjoy seeing these alternate England sides.

[Peej]

Bassett is only 27, not much of an old lag!

They picked the second-best hooker at Wasps

[Puja]

Bassett is only 27, not much of an old lag!

They picked the second-best hooker at Wasps

Maybe not an "old" lag, but someone who won't be troubling an England shirt outside of this game, good solid player though he is.

No worries on Taylor - no doubt he'll trip over a doorstep and pull a hamstring this week, so Cruse can be called up. That man needs to visit Manu's witchdoctor.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Really struggling to feel any excitement about this and normally I quite enjoy seeing these alternate England sides.

Indeed.

We look very short of back three players. Not sure whether that means the likes of Solomona and McConnochie will be in the training squad?

The best 23 from that lot is probably something like:

1. Obano
2. Dunn
3. Hill
4. Beaumont
5. Stooke
6. Dombrandt
7. Curry
8. T. Harrison
9. Mitchell
10. Smith
11. Bassett
12. Williams
13. Marchant
14. Loader
15. Hammersley

16. Taylor
17. R. Harrison
18. Painter
19. Spencer
20. Ellis
21. White
22. Sheedy
23. O’Connor

[Puja]

Double-edged squad this one. It either means that you're in the RWC extended training squad, or Eddie has looked at you and decided that you will be of no interest to England at any point in the future. I'm genuinely not sure which category the likes of Solomona, Francis, Ewels, McConnochie, Singleton, and Mercer fit into in Eddie's eyes.

Pretty sure I know where Thacker does though. He's the major absentee for me, and a crying shame. He's made for this type of game.

Puja

[fivepointer]

No one in that squad is going to the WC, but there are a few players who should be of interest to England post the WC.
For now this is very much a 4th/5th choice looking side with a few promising young players thrown in.
Its not a bad line up, though the addition of players like Thacker, Rapava-Ruskin, Schonert, Slater, Ross, Morgan, Chudley, Burns, Banahan, Woodward and Pennell wouldnt have hurt.

[Scrumhead]

Double-edged squad this one. It either means that you're in the RWC extended training squad, or Eddie has looked at you and decided that you will be of no interest to England at any point in the future. I'm genuinely not sure which category the likes of Solomona, Francis, Ewels, McConnochie, Singleton, and Mercer fit into in Eddie's eyes.

Pretty sure I know where Thacker does though. He's the major absentee for me, and a crying shame. He's made for this type of game.

Puja

I’d assume not being in the squad is good news for the first bunch you mentioned. Less so for Thacker, unfortunately.

I was hoping not to see Cipriani and Morgan in this squad so presumably they’re in the training squad?

[fivepointer]

Sobering to look at this squad and who turned out last year for this fixture. We put out Marler, Singleton, Sinckler, Stooke, Launchbury, Robshaw, T Curry, Mercer, Youngs, Ford, May, Francis, Trinder, Brown, Daly with Genge, Wilson, Robson and Cipriani on the bench.
Good side that, which lost 45-63.

[Timbo]

Has it been released how big the World Cup training squad likely to be? Can’t see how the likes of Francis, Solomona and Morgan can be in it unless it’s 40-50 players tbh.

[Scrumhead]

No. I think it’s usually around 45. Based upon who’s in the squad for the Barbarians game, we’re probably looking at something like:

1. M. Vunipola / Genge / Moon / Hepburn
2. George / Hartley / Cowan-Dickie / Singleton
3. Sinckler / Williams / Cole / Schonert
4. Itoje / Lawes / Isiekwe
5. Kruis / Launchbury / Ewels
6. Wilson / Robshaw / Shields
7. T. Curry / Underhill / Clifford
8. B. Vunipola / Hughes / Morgan
9. Youngs / Spencer / Care / Robson / Wigglesworth
10. Farrell / Ford / Cipriani
11. May / Cokanasiga / Thorley
12. Tuilagi / Te’o / Francis / Tompkins
13. Slade / Joseph / Lozowski
14. Watson / Nowell / Solomona
15. Daly / Brown / McConnochie

I make that 50. It may not be that big, but I think that’s a realistic list including a couple of bolters (Tompkins and McConnochie).

[Puja]

Sobering to look at this squad and who turned out last year for this fixture. We put out Marler, Singleton, Sinckler, Stooke, Launchbury, Robshaw, T Curry, Mercer, Youngs, Ford, May, Francis, Trinder, Brown, Daly with Genge, Wilson, Robson and Cipriani on the bench.
Good side that, which lost 45-63.

Mind, I think the mistake we made last year was to take it too seriously. We treated it like a test match and couldn't react when the Barbarians refused to follow the script. We've had worse teams than we're putting out dismiss better Barbarians sides in the past by approaching the game with a spirit of adventure and taking ridiculous chances which pay off.

Puja

[Puja]

Marcus Smith has now been fully withdrawn from the U20s squad, which is interesting. Wonder if that means he's going to be in the extended training squad for the RWC?

Also, the coaching team has been named and it's arguably more interesting than the playing side. While Mallinder had a dire last couple of years at Saints, he was good at Sale and in his first part of his Saints career, and he's due to be assisted by Phil Dowson, Dave Walder, and Joe El-Abd, which is a pretty good backroom staff.

Not saying I'd necessarily be happy if that was the next England staff, but we have certainly had worse in our time.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

TBH, I think I would have preferred him to go to the JWC and have a really strong tournament. I am a big fan, but he’s not even close to being ready for this RWC IMO.

[Puja]

TBH, I think I would have preferred him to go to the JWC and have a really strong tournament. I am a big fan, but he’s not even close to being ready for this RWC IMO.

In general, I agree, but he's almost certainly 4th in the fly-half pecking order. It makes sense for him to train in case of a double-injury.

Puja

[Raggs]

A pre-rwc camp may expose him to the level of training required at the very highest level though, he's already outdoing what the JWC u20s cup will offer for the most part.