Japan vs England - Sat 6.50am

[Mr Mwenda]

I suspect if he lay over them they'd be pretty safe from the rain.

[Mr Mwenda]

Reduced to the grain's updates. It'd be nice if Japan got some reward for their efforts

[Puja]

Dan Cole just abusing the young player at that scrum. Age and treachery beats youth and energy.

Feyi-Waboso is just ridiculous.

Puja

[Puja]

Reduced to the grain's updates. It'd be nice if Japan got some reward for their efforts

England counter-drive at the lineout forced the knock-on, then Cole brutalised the scrum to get the penalty. We kicked for touch and then Randall skied a box-kick, but IFW regathered in traffic, bounced off the floor to run again and we got quick ball to attack wide. Randall looked good and got the ball away well over a multi-phase attack, and got rewarded when Japan overfolded and left him a massive hole to just dive over the line.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Earl and Randall shouldn't be disappointed. We dominated after ref had told us to use it.

[Puja]

KADAB from Lawrence.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Reduced to the grain's updates. It'd be nice if Japan got some reward for their efforts

England counter-drive at the lineout forced the knock-on, then Cole brutalised the scrum to get the penalty. We kicked for touch and then Randall skied a box-kick, but IFW regathered in traffic, bounced off the floor to run again and we got quick ball to attack wide. Randall looked good and got the ball away well over a multi-phase attack, and got rewarded when Japan overfolded and left him a massive hole to just dive over the line.

Puja

Good gods. He's starting his minute-by-minute already!

That's dedication for you.

[Which Tyler]

How the hell did he take that?

[Renniks]

Great step by Roebuck

[Renniks]

Maybe this will be enough to keep Ewels out for the NZ tests…

[Which Tyler]

Ewels doing Ewels things.
At least it's not a high contact, I guess...


Really, really hate targeting a knee like that.

[p/d]

What an idiot

[Mikey Brown]

Haha. Fucking hell. Has anyone in history received two consecutive reds at test level?

[Which Tyler]

Glad it's red.

He's been a man transformed this season, but if he's still doing shit like that, this should be his last cap.

[fivepointer]

Idiotic from Ewels.

Thought the backrow went very well. Some bright moments from most of the players. A satisfactory result.

[Puja]

As far as results go, that could've gone a lot worse. Morale-boosting victory, hopefully knocking a bit of rust off, and no injuries. Not really a lot that could be learned from it, but it was a good team-run and a decent warm-up.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Glad it's red.

He's been a man transformed this season, but if he's still doing shit like that, this should be his last cap.

100%. If it had been a misjudged tackle with accidental head contact, I’d be sympathetic, but that was a real grub move. Hard to see how it wasn’t malicious?

[loudnconfident]

Replacements guilty of trying too hard? Randall's box kicking was awful - all straight up in the air. Less said about Ewels the better.

Enjoyable start to the weekend tho.

[Puja]

Glad it's red.

He's been a man transformed this season, but if he's still doing shit like that, this should be his last cap.

100%. If it had been a misjudged tackle with accidental head contact, I’d be sympathetic, but that was a real grub move. Hard to see how it wasn’t malicious?

I think slow-mo does him a disservice and makes it look hugely deliberately targeted - at full speed, I think he's just clumsy and reckless rather than aiming for a joint. Definitely a red card, mind, but I don't think he's going out there to hurt someone.

Puja

[Oakboy]

How did Ewels end up being on the pitch in place of Freeman in the first place? Was Freeman injured or was it some tactical master-plan?

[Beasties]

Awful from Ewels. Leach and Ewels lucky he was just about lifting his foot off the ground before contact. Could’ve been an awful injury, which wouldn’t have been a great outcome for either player.

[oldbackrow]

Glad it's red.

He's been a man transformed this season, but if he's still doing shit like that, this should be his last cap.

100%. If it had been a misjudged tackle with accidental head contact, I’d be sympathetic, but that was a real grub move. Hard to see how it wasn’t malicious?

I think slow-mo does him a disservice and makes it look hugely deliberately targeted - at full speed, I think he's just clumsy and reckless rather than aiming for a joint. Definitely a red card, mind, but I don't think he's going out there to hurt someone.

Puja

It was a pretty dumb and reckless move but tend to agree that don't think it's targeted, Leitch does move back and to the side meaning Ewels hits the knee rather than the thigh but a definite red card and hopefully his last opportunity for England.
Can he call up Ted Hill?

[Epaminondas Pules]

Enjoyed that game. Good test for the defence, and probably the attack most like the All Blacks.

Main thing that worried me was our scrum looked under pressure from Japan’s second shove. I know we won a good pen in the second half, but at most scrums we were holding on a bit. It helped that the ref wanted to play, otherwise that second shove from Japan could have caused much more problem.

[Puja]

How did Ewels end up being on the pitch in place of Freeman in the first place? Was Freeman injured or was it some tactical master-plan?

I actually missed that was the case - had assumed he was on for a forward. Might've been a tactical choice to use a pressure-free environment to give Earl a chance to play centre, with an eye on potentially running a 6:2 bench in the future?

Puja

[twitchy]

I missed this, worth seeking out a replay?