Team for Japan

[Oakboy]

Totally agree about Curry at his best, pre-(major)injury. I'm not convinced by him now at current levels of form and fitness. He has been called up too soon on his recovery journey, that's all. I hope it does no long-term damage.

Aye fair enough

Danno!! Read between the lines. Oakboy is calling him a journeyman.

No, I'm not, you stirring sod. I'm calling him a shadow of his former self, playing international rugby before he should be after major hip reconstruction. If you go back far enough through my posts you'll find I was harping on about Curry, Willis and Willis being our best back row. Under a different head coach it may still be one day.

[Banquo]

Aye fair enough

Danno!! Read between the lines. Oakboy is calling him a journeyman.

No, I'm not, you stirring sod. I'm calling him a shadow of his former self, playing international rugby before he should be after major hip reconstruction. If you go back far enough through my posts you'll find I was harping on about Curry, Willis and Willis being our best back row. Under a different head coach it may still be one day.

.....I'm more bothered re concussion. At this point either reason is good enough for a 26 year old (or anyone) with nothing to prove to sit it out.

Though no reason to label him an utter to55er.

[Mr Mwenda]

I find back row selection confusing. Didn’t we win a World Cup with a rangy workhorse 6, a link man workhorse 7 and a big carrying 8? Didn’t SA just win 2 world cups like that? Why would anyone move away from that?

We have endless options to make that work too. Earl should go play centre where he belongs.

6- chessum, hill, Pearson, kenningham (carnduff)
7- Underhill, curry, curry, pepper, evans (pollock)
8- Willis, ccs, Barbeary, fisilau

My theory is the rfu have a clock counting down the time until Willis' next cap. Every time he's mentioned on a thread on rugby rebels they restart it.

[Danno]

Wrong Willis my good Sir

[francoisfou]

Earl should go play centre where he belongs.

Indeed! Here in France, it’s the other way round, with former France centre, Jonathan Danty, being selected at 6 for La Rochelle in tomorrow’s Top14 match at Castres.

[FKAS]

Earl should go play centre where he belongs.

Indeed! Here in France, it’s the other way round, with former France centre, Jonathan Danty, being selected at 6 for La Rochelle in tomorrow’s Top14 match at Castres.

Not the first time O'Gara's blurred the line between 12 and backrow iirc. Didn't he field Tanga at 12 last season?

[FKAS]

I find back row selection confusing. Didn’t we win a World Cup with a rangy workhorse 6, a link man workhorse 7 and a big carrying 8? Didn’t SA just win 2 world cups like that? Why would anyone move away from that?

We have endless options to make that work too. Earl should go play centre where he belongs.

6- chessum, hill, Pearson, kenningham (carnduff)
7- Underhill, curry, curry, pepper, evans (pollock)
8- Willis, ccs, Barbeary, fisilau

....21 years ago, yes- game has moved on a tad.. Though not sure Hill was exactly 'rangy' at 6ft 1, and hardly a PSDT lookalike; ditto Kolisi was no Neil Back, more a ruck smasher workhorse than luxury linker. Other than that...

I do agree backrow selection is confused; though you have omitted CCS who has a bit of x factor imo- still quite green, and think Pearson currently spends most games at 7.

Backrow feels like another horses for courses selection. We are anticipating a high tempo from Japan so are going for maximum mobility in the backrow. CCS as impact when Japan inevitably fade in the second half should be good.

[Banquo]

I find back row selection confusing. Didn’t we win a World Cup with a rangy workhorse 6, a link man workhorse 7 and a big carrying 8? Didn’t SA just win 2 world cups like that? Why would anyone move away from that?

We have endless options to make that work too. Earl should go play centre where he belongs.

6- chessum, hill, Pearson, kenningham (carnduff)
7- Underhill, curry, curry, pepper, evans (pollock)
8- Willis, ccs, Barbeary, fisilau

....21 years ago, yes- game has moved on a tad.. Though not sure Hill was exactly 'rangy' at 6ft 1, and hardly a PSDT lookalike; ditto Kolisi was no Neil Back, more a ruck smasher workhorse than luxury linker. Other than that...

I do agree backrow selection is confused; though you have omitted CCS who has a bit of x factor imo- still quite green, and think Pearson currently spends most games at 7.

Backrow feels like another horses for courses selection. We are anticipating a high tempo from Japan so are going for maximum mobility in the backrow. CCS as impact when Japan inevitably fade in the second half should be good.

I didn't mean specifically for this game tbh

[FKAS]

....21 years ago, yes- game has moved on a tad.. Though not sure Hill was exactly 'rangy' at 6ft 1, and hardly a PSDT lookalike; ditto Kolisi was no Neil Back, more a ruck smasher workhorse than luxury linker. Other than that...

I do agree backrow selection is confused; though you have omitted CCS who has a bit of x factor imo- still quite green, and think Pearson currently spends most games at 7.

Backrow feels like another horses for courses selection. We are anticipating a high tempo from Japan so are going for maximum mobility in the backrow. CCS as impact when Japan inevitably fade in the second half should be good.

I didn't mean specifically for this game tbh

Fair enough.

[p/d]

Curry shouldn’t be playing. This looks more like coach survival trumps player welfare.

Plenty of options available that would provide mobility to start and impact off the bench.

[Mikey Brown]

Curry shouldn’t be playing. This looks more like coach survival trumps player welfare.

Plenty of options available that would provide mobility to start and impact off the bench.

England rugby twitter hiding responses to the team announcement that express this opinion is a really poor look too.

[Mellsblue]

#freertcuzza

[Mellsblue]

At least we’re not Welsh.

[p/d]

Knock on. I think Wales have got this in the bag. SA look spent

[Mellsblue]

Remember. It could be worse. You could be Welsh.

[Danno]

*sharp intake of breath*

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... apan-rugby

[Oakboy]

*sharp intake of breath*

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... apan-rugby

Will Twickers be handing out 'I love Eddie' hats to anyone that wants one? If so, i'd guess the initial order, to be on the safe side, would have been several hundred.

[Danno]

That's generous. I've no issue with 2016-19, but you're only as popular as your last game, which I think he and the team were booed off from

[Puja]

*sharp intake of breath*

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... apan-rugby

Will The Allianz Stadium be handing out 'I love Eddie' hats to anyone that wants one? If so, i'd guess the initial order, to be on the safe side, would have been several hundred.

FTFY.

[Danno]

[twitchy]

*sharp intake of breath*

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... apan-rugby

I like the idea that twickenham (sorry THE ALLIANZ STADIUM) is some sort of bear pit and not full of 55 year old men who work in finance (an actual stat I read about the average punter) who had to pay same amount as a small car to take their family out for the day.

Also is eddie really unpopular now among normal fans? I think they probably remember him as being tough but ultimately winning stuff and then burning out at the end.

[Oakboy]

*sharp intake of breath*

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... apan-rugby

I like the idea that twickenham (sorry THE ALLIANZ STADIUM) is some sort of bear pit and not full of 55 year old men who work in finance (an actual stat I read about the average punter) who had to pay same amount as a small car to take their family out for the day.

Also is eddie really unpopular now among normal fans? I think they probably remember him as being tough but ultimately winning stuff and then burning out at the end.

Ah, now I know I am not normal!! Nobody among those with whom I discuss rugby face-to-face has a good word to say about him. Two chaps who had been close to his training environment (one as a drug tester, one via family connection to an England player) were scathing in condemnation (maybe more about the person than the coach).

[pjm1]

He’s a nasty shit, creates a toxic but short-term effective culture and has never created long term success or succession.

But at least he had short-term success. Unlike Sleepwalking Borefest.

[Oakboy]

He’s a nasty shit, creates a toxic but short-term effective culture and has never created long term success or succession.

But at least he had short-term success. Unlike Sleepwalking Borefest.

Fair.

[Banquo]

He’s a nasty shit, creates a toxic but short-term effective culture and has never created long term success or succession.

But at least he had short-term success. Unlike Sleepwalking Borefest.

I'd even say three/four years is more than short term....and the appropriate shelf life for most coaches in the same gig tbh. Had we done as we all thought would happen and appoint a new head coach after RWC 2019, it might look quite different; you sometimes need different leadership for different times....crisis mode being different to development etc.