Stade de France Saturday 19th March

[FKAS]

This is with a large caveat of not having watched Falcons for a couple of seasons, but McGuigan seemed a decent nuts and bolts hooker, but nothing screaming Pick Me! At now at the age of 28, I don't see the point of him being a 3rd choice hooker. 3rd choice in my mind should either be someone old and internationally experienced to steady the ship in the event of injury (Marler, whilst Genge and Mako were being chosen), or young and upcoming to try and find the next big thing.

I'd have McGuigan in the top 5 hookers in the Prem on current form. He's been very good for Falcons, does lots of carrying effectively for not the biggest guy and then does those nuts and bolts things well. Unsure why he is consistently overlooked really.

I had presumed that Blamire was included more as he is on the bigger hooker side which Eddie has tended to prefer with LCD and George. Blamire looked a natural successor where as Dolly doesn't really fit, Blamire is a few inches taller and a stone and a half heavier. All of Blamire, George and LCD are in the 17 stone range but Dolly is 15 and a half. All I can think is that Dolly is quite handy around the breakdown so could offer that impact off the bench if the English defence is tiring or struggling without Curry.

On current form, OK, but again, do we need a non-internationally experienced, 28 year old hooker as 3rd choice? Or are we better off investing camp time and caps onto someone younger who will hopefully develop into a good international?

Well as the world cup is only a year and a bit away you can either have a couple of blokes who are early 20s and second choice at their clubs or someone who's first choice at his club, at 28 should be in his prime (certainly his performances suggest he is) and must be well over 150 Prem games by now. If the world cup was four years away I'd go young guys but as it's nearly upon us and we're only looking at injury cover then maybe McGuigan. Let's also be realistic in that 28 isn't old particularly for a front rower.

There's also Singleton but he seems out of favour these days. Eddie liked him because he could drop onto the flank as well, I wonder if that's why Dolly is getting looked at as Borthwick has once or twice popped him on at 7 when Tigers were struggling with fit options.

[Mellsblue]

Let’s just hope he doesn’t plan to station Steward on the wing against the two best wingers in the comp. Anything else is a bonus.

Oh gods, that is *exactly* what he's planning to do, isn't it? Steward on the wing so they can target the French back three with cross-field kicks.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

Ah yes, even more disruption will make us even more unpredictable.

[Mellsblue]

The same piece also states that Youngs has been back at no9 in training. Looks like we could be going back to 2020
with a plan to kick first and think later.

[Which Tyler]

The same piece also states that Youngs has been back at no9 in training. Looks like we could be going back to 2020
with a plan to kick first and think later.

Where else would anyone expect Youngs to stand in training?

Or is that we expect the bench players not to train?

[Beasties]

Barbeary back to being a hooker!

Do we really need obvious solutions?

[Mellsblue]

The same piece also states that Youngs has been back at no9 in training. Looks like we could be going back to 2020
with a plan to kick first and think later.

Where else would anyone expect Youngs to stand in training?

Or is that we expect the bench players not to train?

Apols… first choice 9 working with Smith. Tbh, thought it would be obvious.

[Which Tyler]

Meh. He seems more likely to play alongside Smith than Ford for England, and has spent more than a little time alongside Ford over the last decade or so.

[Mikey Brown]

I’m confused what bit of Mells’ post you seem to be objecting to.

Wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Youngs come back in to start. That horrendous lobbed box kick to give Ireland possession before their two late tries might have done the job.

[Puja]

Let’s just hope he doesn’t plan to station Steward on the wing against the two best wingers in the comp. Anything else is a bonus.

Oh gods, that is *exactly* what he's planning to do, isn't it? Steward on the wing so they can target the French back three with cross-field kicks.

Puja

As soon as Malins was dropped, I knew this would happen. It's like Peter Crouch - if you have a tall player, it doesn't matter what their other skills are or aren't, sooner or later someone's going to revert to the U13s tactic of lump it high to the lanky one.

Puja

[Banquo]

Let’s just hope he doesn’t plan to station Steward on the wing against the two best wingers in the comp. Anything else is a bonus.

Oh gods, that is *exactly* what he's planning to do, isn't it? Steward on the wing so they can target the French back three with cross-field kicks.

Puja

Please god no.

[Mikey Brown]

Wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Youngs come back in to start. That horrendous lobbed box kick to give Ireland possession before their two late tries might have done the job.

I went back to check this after posting, as I do tend to get blinded by my frustration with Ben Youngs, and yes it was a terrible kick but Steward got his fair share of awful kicks in too in that late period. I can't say I have an opinion on Furbank's kicking game, but maybe that would be a contributor too? I assume he's decent enough if he can ever be considered to play 10.

Malins misses a couple of tackles when chasing box kicks (and gets barged over quite easily when chasing the awful Youngs one, not that he would have got there) towards the end too. I know someone said he'd missed 5 overall, but I wonder how much weight that last 10-15 minutes held for Eddie. Still seems odd he hadn't brought Daly on already if he was so unimpressed with Malins, but I guess he needed him if Marchant was injured.

Lol. Daly immediately misses a tackle on the kick chase.

Lucky you guys getting treated to this impromptu rundown of the worst part of last weeks game.

Some of Simmonds' defensive work was very impressive.

[p/d]

Oh gods, that is *exactly* what he's planning to do, isn't it? Steward on the wing so they can target the French back three with cross-field kicks.

Puja

As soon as Malins was dropped, I knew this would happen. It's like Peter Crouch - if you have a tall player, it doesn't matter what their other skills are or aren't, sooner or later someone's going to revert to the U13s tactic of lump it high to the lanky one.

Puja

Marchant at 12 doesn’t look so stupid now

[francoisfou]

So Eddie is thinking that Gabin Villière has a potential weakness under the high ball. Maybe he has, but he's a hell of a competitor and will probably run rings around Steward, should Steward be on the wing, a slection that will come back and bite Eddie's bum.
Strangely enough, France have a fullback at fullback, centres at centre and wingers on the wing, and that seems to work well.
FFS, Eddie, prenez un grip (à la Boris!!) I'd even be happy with Daly on the wing!!

[ad_tigger]

Barbeary back to being a hooker!

Nah mate, blindside wing. Frees Nowell up for 7.

[FKAS]

So Eddie is thinking that Gabin Villière has a potential weakness under the high ball. Maybe he has, but he's a hell of a competitor and will probably run rings around Steward, should Steward be on the wing, a slection that will come back and bite Eddie's bum.
Strangely enough, France have a fullback at fullback, centres at centre and wingers on the wing, and that seems to work well.
FFS, Eddie, prenez un grip (à la Boris!!) I'd even be happy with Daly on the wing!!

Steward on the wing at club level has been trialled and abandoned as it doesn't really work. Doing it at international level against the French side could be horrible. He's solid defensively but has not got close to the acceleration that Viliere has got, he's been leaving people grasping at thin air all tournament I'd rather we didn't risk giving him the ball let alone up against Steward in a potential foot race.

Nowell Vs Villiere and Steward Vs Jaminet would have been the more expected match ups for England to seek based on last weekend.

I was expecting Northmore to 13 and Marchant to the wing more than I was expecting this.

[32nd Man]

Planning to put Steward up against Villiere on the wing for the high ball is just so skull numbingly reductive. Attacking plans don't and shouldn't need hundreds of moving parts to work but if we're reduced to just trying tall bloke vs short bloke jumping for a ball then we should probably just give our spot in the tournament to the Georgians.

The Welsh showed you can absolutely get at the French in the air, but they didn't screw over their entire backline to do it.

[Mellsblue]

So Eddie is thinking that Gabin Villière has a potential weakness under the high ball. Maybe he has, but he's a hell of a competitor and will probably run rings around Steward, should Steward be on the wing, a slection that will come back and bite Eddie's bum.
Strangely enough, France have a fullback at fullback, centres at centre and wingers on the wing, and that seems to work well.
FFS, Eddie, prenez un grip (à la Boris!!) I'd even be happy with Daly on the wing!!

Steward on the wing at club level has been trialled and abandoned as it doesn't really work. Doing it at international level against the French side could be horrible. He's solid defensively but has not got close to the acceleration that Viliere has got, he's been leaving people grasping at thin air all tournament I'd rather we didn't risk giving him the ball let alone up against Steward in a potential foot race.

Nowell Vs Villiere and Steward Vs Jaminet would have been the more expected match ups for England to seek based on last weekend.

I was expecting Northmore to 13 and Marchant to the wing more than I was expecting this.

He got burnt badly twice whilst on the wing against Ireland. One for pace and one for positioning. He just isn’t a winger.

[FKAS]

So Eddie is thinking that Gabin Villière has a potential weakness under the high ball. Maybe he has, but he's a hell of a competitor and will probably run rings around Steward, should Steward be on the wing, a slection that will come back and bite Eddie's bum.
Strangely enough, France have a fullback at fullback, centres at centre and wingers on the wing, and that seems to work well.
FFS, Eddie, prenez un grip (à la Boris!!) I'd even be happy with Daly on the wing!!

Steward on the wing at club level has been trialled and abandoned as it doesn't really work. Doing it at international level against the French side could be horrible. He's solid defensively but has not got close to the acceleration that Viliere has got, he's been leaving people grasping at thin air all tournament I'd rather we didn't risk giving him the ball let alone up against Steward in a potential foot race.

Nowell Vs Villiere and Steward Vs Jaminet would have been the more expected match ups for England to seek based on last weekend.

I was expecting Northmore to 13 and Marchant to the wing more than I was expecting this.

He got burnt badly twice whilst on the wing against Ireland. One for pace and one for positioning. He just isn’t a winger.

Yeah he doesn't do well there at club level it really shouldn't be taken to the international stage.

[Oakboy]

Our back line from that squad should be Randall, Smith, Nowell, Slade, Marchant, Daly/Lynagh, Steward with any further pondering restricted to the bench. Furbank's retention makes a 6:2 bench more likely with just him and Youngs on it. I'd prefer 5:3 with Youngs, Ford and Daly/Lynagh.

All we can hope for is that Jones is just trying to introduce conjecture to keep the French guessing but all his crackpot ideas/utterings just diminish his credibility in the job, IMO.

[Peej]

So Eddie is thinking that Gabin Villière has a potential weakness under the high ball. Maybe he has, but he's a hell of a competitor and will probably run rings around Steward, should Steward be on the wing, a slection that will come back and bite Eddie's bum.
Strangely enough, France have a fullback at fullback, centres at centre and wingers on the wing, and that seems to work well.
FFS, Eddie, prenez un grip (à la Boris!!) I'd even be happy with Daly on the wing!!

Villière has been one of France's better players on both sides of the ball. He might not have Steward's height, but he's quick, strong and good at a jackal.

Jaminet, however, is a bit ropey in the air - so having some flat out pace to get up and challenge him would be a decent strategy. Though that depends on having kicks that allow England to compete.

[p/d]

Please god no.

Wouldn’t read anything into it. Just Jones going with Gorgeous George as cover at fb and 10 as he lines up a 6:2 split with Ford ditched.

[ckeyn]

France team - it means over the course of the 6 nations they've made a total of one change to their starting XV for tactical reasons.

[Which Tyler]

Our back line from that squad should be Randall, Smith, Nowell, Slade, Marchant, Daly/Lynagh, Steward with any further pondering restricted to the bench. Furbank's retention makes a 6:2 bench more likely with just him and Youngs on it. I'd prefer 5:3 with Youngs, Ford and Daly/Lynagh.

All we can hope for is that Jones is just trying to introduce conjecture to keep the French guessing but all his crackpot ideas/utterings just diminish his credibility in the job, IMO.

Exactly this

[Mikey Brown]

FFS just announce the team already. I can't even bring myself to post a wind-up version I just want to know what selection of innovative positional changes we've gone with this week. I wonder if Sinkler, Dombrandt and Underhill are really 100%