England v Australia, Sat 13 Nov KO 5.30pm

[fivepointer]

Well thats less than ideal.
Start Rodd and bench Davidson (one making his debut, the other primarily a TH who hasnt played LH in a test), or go to someone outside the squad?
Mako has to get a call, surely.

[SDHoneymonster]

Odd that only one person seems to be testing positive at a time, like covid's operating a one-in-one-out policy at a shite nightclub.

[Mikey Brown]

Genge out with a positive covid test.

That's a blow.

Shit.

Well, that's put a major damper on my pre-match predictions. Slipper'll be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Surely Mako's got to be called up from here, possibly straight into the starting XV? Not like Rodd's really had time in camp to learn the calls and get primacy and Mako knows the ropes well enough, no matter how much has changed. We can't possibly put Davidson in, can we?

Puja

Lol. Imagine being Davidson, the 3rd loosehead in the squad, and you can't get a game even when the other 2 are out.

I agree I'd bring Mako but just what was the point in having Davidson there if he's not going to play this one? It's not like he's particularly young. Is his ability to play both sides worth anything if he's not really trusted on either?

[Scrumhead]

Hmm - our hopes of scrum dominance are basically gone now … I rate Rodd but he’s definitely not a dominant scrummager.

[Scrumhead]

Genge out with a positive covid test.

That's a blow.

Shit.

Well, that's put a major damper on my pre-match predictions. Slipper'll be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Surely Mako's got to be called up from here, possibly straight into the starting XV? Not like Rodd's really had time in camp to learn the calls and get primacy and Mako knows the ropes well enough, no matter how much has changed. We can't possibly put Davidson in, can we?

Puja

Lol. Imagine being Davidson, the 3rd loosehead in the squad, and you can't get a game even when the other 2 are out.

I agree I'd bring Mako but just what was the point in having Davidson there if he's not going to play this one? It's not like he's particularly young. Is his ability to play both sides worth anything if he's not really trusted on either?

In fairness to Eddie, Obano would almost certainly have been in the squad had he not done his knee again, so even if we discount Mako, Rodd is still at best 4th choice.

[Timbo]

Mako is on holiday abroad apparently. Even if Eddie wanted him he couldn’t get back and pass covid protocols in time any way.

Rodd is starting and Davidson to bench.

[SDHoneymonster]

Also, not sure I fancy Big Bev and Trev up against the Saffers next week

Are there any other England-qualified looseheads apart from Mako playing well enough to be picked? I think Marler's isolation period ends in time for him to play the SA game but there's no guaranteeing he will be well enough to and not being able to train for the best part of two weeks doesn't help. Trying to think of anyone else he's either already called up or capped and I'm left with Boyce, Hepburn and Moon.

[Mikey Brown]

I always liked Moon. Not a thrilling option but solid in the scrum and put some big hits in on defence.

[Raggs]

West may well have been in the squad too had he not been injured.

[fivepointer]

Fair enough we go with what we've got.
Big test for Rodd. Slipper aint a powerhouse TH but he's got a ton of experience and the Aussie scrum isnt exactly lacking in poundage.
Its time for a call to go out to the best uncapped LH in the Prem, Val Rapava-Ruskin.

[Puja]

Odd that only one person seems to be testing positive at a time, like covid's operating a one-in-one-out policy at a shite nightclub.

Excllent line. I would imagine the vast majority of the non-Slade players have been vaccinated, so that's probably stopping the spread. Still, a bit worrying that there's been three (and a bit, depending on how count Master Farrell's miraculous recovery) cases in the camp already. Will we have anyone fit to play by the time we reach SA?

Been a hell of a week for young Mr Rodd though. Wonder what the odds are on him scoring a try to really cap his Roy of the Rovers story off?

Puja

[Puja]

Its time for a call to go out to the best uncapped LH in the Prem, Val Rapava-Ruskin.

Either that or we piss off the Scots by repoaching Auterac.

Puja

[SDHoneymonster]

Its time for a call to go out to the best uncapped LH in the Prem, Val Rapava-Ruskin.

Either that or we piss off the Scots by repoaching Auterac.

Puja

In fairness, I think we've already done that by nicking Rodd in the first place!

[Oakboy]

It's weird if all protocols are being applied to the squad set-up. The clubs will start bellyaching, "If the camp is not injuring our players, it's giving them covid-19."

[twitchy]

Well that evens it up then.

[p/d]

Davidson on bench

[SDHoneymonster]

Mako is on holiday abroad apparently. Even if Eddie wanted him he couldn’t get back and pass covid protocols in time any way.

Rodd is starting and Davidson to bench.

If he's double jabbed then surely Mako wouldn't have to isolate on return?

[SDHoneymonster]

Also, not sure I fancy Big Bev and Trev up against the Saffers next week

Are there any other England-qualified looseheads apart from Mako playing well enough to be picked? I think Marler's isolation period ends in time for him to play the SA game but there's no guaranteeing he will be well enough to and not being able to train for the best part of two weeks doesn't help. Trying to think of anyone else he's either already called up or capped and I'm left with Boyce, Hepburn and Moon.

Jamal Ford-Robinson's another he's called up - I think he cropped up in one of those summer training squads Jones would randomly do when the play-offs were going on. Intriguing options: Val Rapava Ruskin, as mentioned - fight the Bokke Bomb squad with some Georgian beef! - and Francois van Wyk, who qualified last year.

[Which Tyler]

If he's double jabbed then surely Mako wouldn't have to isolate on return?

The "If" is doing quite a lot of heavy lifting there.
Given the Vunipola's religious feelings, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't - anyone know what their church leaders say about vaccines?

[Puja]

Also, not sure I fancy Big Bev and Trev up against the Saffers next week

I think the best option is for Genge and/or Marler to slip the Covid testers a fifty like Fazlet did and have their tests mysteriously come back as false positives.

Puja

[Timbo]

Mako is on holiday abroad apparently. Even if Eddie wanted him he couldn’t get back and pass covid protocols in time any way.

Rodd is starting and Davidson to bench.

If he's double jabbed then surely Mako wouldn't have to isolate on return?

Presumably he’d need to get a flight, get PCR tested, wait for results and obviously be negative before he could even come into camp. As good as he is I guess it’s just cutting it too fine when you already have 2 loose heads in the squad.

Personally I’m quite looking forward to seeing Rodd. Think he’ll go well and seems a really unflappable kind of character. Really hop Marler is fit for the Boks though.

[Puja]

Mako is on holiday abroad apparently. Even if Eddie wanted him he couldn’t get back and pass covid protocols in time any way.

Rodd is starting and Davidson to bench.

If he's double jabbed then surely Mako wouldn't have to isolate on return?

Presumably he’d need to get a flight, get PCR tested, wait for results and obviously be negative before he could even come into camp. As good as he is I guess it’s just cutting it too fine when you already have 2 loose heads in the squad.

Do we though? Do we really?

Puja

[Puja]

If he's double jabbed then surely Mako wouldn't have to isolate on return?

The "If" is doing quite a lot of heavy lifting there.
Given the Vunipola's religious feelings, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't - anyone know what their church leaders say about vaccines?

Good point; well made.

Puja

[twitchy]

Mako is on holiday abroad apparently. Even if Eddie wanted him he couldn’t get back and pass covid protocols in time any way.

Rodd is starting and Davidson to bench.

Personally I’m quite looking forward to seeing Rodd. Think he’ll go well and seems a really unflappable kind of character. Really hop Marler is fit for the Boks though.

I agree he does seem like some one that won't be overawed.

[jngf]

The last 20 could see our scrum v. underpowered now you mention it. Rodd, Blamire, Stuart, Itoje, Ewels, Curry, Simmonds? Dombrandt would not strike fear into many packs.

You do know that Dombrandt (edging 19 stone) has a fair degree of ballast?