New and Improved EPS Watch/Player Form Thread

[Which Tyler]

If he could stop the Eddieesque bollocks of Earl at 12 I would be completely on board

To stop it, first he'd need to start it.
Do you really want that?

[FKAS]

Shiny Baldpatch has pre-emptively declined any approach to join the Lions in Australia, which I am thoroughly pleased about. I enjoy the Lions a lot and want as many of our players involved as possible, but the rebuild of England is at too early a stage to lose our coach for a time or have his attention divided. I suspect he's got a plan for the next 4 years and I don't want anything getting in the way of that.

Puja

It's the second Lions Tour in a row where's he declined the invitation to join as an assistant having also coached with the Lions previously. Good sign that he's so sort after by his peers. I wouldn't be surprised if other England coaches aren't given the chance, Felix Jones in particular should have a great chance at going.

[Puja]

Shiny Baldpatch has pre-emptively declined any approach to join the Lions in Australia, which I am thoroughly pleased about. I enjoy the Lions a lot and want as many of our players involved as possible, but the rebuild of England is at too early a stage to lose our coach for a time or have his attention divided. I suspect he's got a plan for the next 4 years and I don't want anything getting in the way of that.

Puja

It's the second Lions Tour in a row where's he declined the invitation to join as an assistant having also coached with the Lions previously. Good sign that he's so sort after by his peers. I wouldn't be surprised if other England coaches aren't given the chance, Felix Jones in particular should have a great chance at going.

I'm hopeful he won't go either - our defence could be our USP and I don't particularly want it being taught to the other home nations.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

I kind of get you, but does it really work that way? Did anybody successfully steal Sean Edwards’s defence? Or did it help our attackers break it down?

[FKAS]

Shiny Baldpatch has pre-emptively declined any approach to join the Lions in Australia, which I am thoroughly pleased about. I enjoy the Lions a lot and want as many of our players involved as possible, but the rebuild of England is at too early a stage to lose our coach for a time or have his attention divided. I suspect he's got a plan for the next 4 years and I don't want anything getting in the way of that.

Puja

It's the second Lions Tour in a row where's he declined the invitation to join as an assistant having also coached with the Lions previously. Good sign that he's so sort after by his peers. I wouldn't be surprised if other England coaches aren't given the chance, Felix Jones in particular should have a great chance at going.

I'm hopeful he won't go either - our defence could be our USP and I don't particularly want it being taught to the other home nations.

Puja

It's a great learning experience for a coach though and I'd rather see our coaches develop and improve over this world cup cycle. It's not like Jones defensive style is a particularly new concept either. The other nations have years of analysis of how it's implemented. I'd rather Jones felt valued and that England were backing his development.

[pjm1]

Shiny Baldpatch has pre-emptively declined any approach to join the Lions in Australia, which I am thoroughly pleased about. I enjoy the Lions a lot and want as many of our players involved as possible, but the rebuild of England is at too early a stage to lose our coach for a time or have his attention divided. I suspect he's got a plan for the next 4 years and I don't want anything getting in the way of that.

Puja

It's the second Lions Tour in a row where's he declined the invitation to join as an assistant having also coached with the Lions previously. Good sign that he's so sort after by his peers. I wouldn't be surprised if other England coaches aren't given the chance, Felix Jones in particular should have a great chance at going.

I'm hopeful he won't go either - our defence could be our USP and I don't particularly want it being taught to the other home nations.

Puja

I hope Felix doesn't go, largely because his defensive system is not an overnight fix. I really don't think it would suit the Lions and the amount of time & matches they have together (far less so than SE's)...

[Mellsblue]

I believe Satisfactory Beginning is on record as saying he’d be very happy for any of his coaches to go with BIL.

[Mikey Brown]

Didn't deserve its own thread but I liked this little snippet from Ford.



It's been a thing for a while where people talk as if the backs have little to do with creating quick ball in the first place, unless you've got an Esterhuizen or a Manu.

[Puja]

I believe Satisfactory Beginning is on record as saying he’d be very happy for any of his coaches to go with BIL.

One advantage of that would be an ambassador convincing JWillis to come back in 2026 for a crack at the RWC. Although I suppose, if we keep improving at our current rate, there'll be more than a few England players to make that argument too.

Didn't deserve its own thread but I liked this little snippet from Ford.



It's been a thing for a while where people talk as if the backs have little to do with creating quick ball in the first place, unless you've got an Esterhuizen or a Manu.

Definite future coach.

Puja

[FKAS]

I suspect Youngs and Ford will both end up as coaches. Youngs is surprisingly insightful, not sure he's head coach material though. Skills or attack coach maybe. Rumours are Ford is effectively a player coach already and I think Borthwick referred to him as a coach on the pitch when at Tigers. He seems a likely head coach of the future though given it's the family business, not much of a surprise.

[pjm1]

I suspect Youngs and Ford will both end up as coaches. Youngs is surprisingly insightful, not sure he's head coach material though. Skills or attack coach maybe. Rumours are Ford is effectively a player coach already and I think Borthwick referred to him as a coach on the pitch when at Tigers. He seems a likely head coach of the future though given it's the family business, not much of a surprise.

Interesting and agree it’s an almost certainty with GF.

Now, coaches don’t have to be intellectual geniuses but I think it is essential that they can tie their own shoelaces and have an IQ in spitting distance of 90, so not convinced on the BY argument…

[FKAS]

I suspect Youngs and Ford will both end up as coaches. Youngs is surprisingly insightful, not sure he's head coach material though. Skills or attack coach maybe. Rumours are Ford is effectively a player coach already and I think Borthwick referred to him as a coach on the pitch when at Tigers. He seems a likely head coach of the future though given it's the family business, not much of a surprise.

Interesting and agree it’s an almost certainty with GF.

Now, coaches don’t have to be intellectual geniuses but I think it is essential that they can tie their own shoelaces and have an IQ in spitting distance of 90, so not convinced on the BY argument…

Yeah, I really didn't have him down as one before his podcast. Showed some interesting takes on the game there. Still don't think he'll be a head coach type but a backs or skills coach maybe.

That or he'll try and use the podcast to get media and speaking gigs.

[Mikey Brown]

I thought this was a semi-interesting stat.

England have played South Africa, Ireland and France over the past eight months, in addition to two games against New Zealand. The aggregate score against these top four sides in the world is 101-111, with one narrow win and four narrow defeats.

Plus Slade completing his transformation into Owen Farrell

“We are definitely trending in the right direction,” vice-captain Henry Slade said.
“We are pushing the top four sides now and getting better and better week by week.”

Overall I’m pretty happy with where have advanced in the last year. I’ve actually enjoyed watching them again.

[Beasties]

I thought this was a semi-interesting stat.

England have played South Africa, Ireland and France over the past eight months, in addition to two games against New Zealand. The aggregate score against these top four sides in the world is 101-111, with one narrow win and four narrow defeats.

Plus Slade completing his transformation into Owen Farrell

“We are definitely trending in the right direction,” vice-captain Henry Slade said.
“We are pushing the top four sides now and getting better and better week by week.”

Overall I’m pretty happy with where have advanced in the last year. I’ve actually enjoyed watching them again.

[pjm1]

Enjoying watching is the best bit for me. That’s why do it after all!

Wins are great and we watch in the hope of a win every time, but to end up winning ugly or losing ugly every is where we’ve come from and it’s not fun.

The next biggie for me is starting to beat Scotland again regularly (at all would be nice!) and just more of the same, really.

[Scrumhead]

100%. I cannot wait to start beating Scotland again.

It’ll be blues at home in 2025 which (with Wales’ decline), is the easier set of fixtures IMO.

[Danno]

Yeah, if we don't nail both of those to the floor, particularly Scotland, then I think we get to start complaining again. Until then though, it's a pretty good place to be. Some issues in the front row, centres suck, frankly, but we've made NZ very scared in their backyard and only peak Ireland have done that in 20 years.

[pjm1]

Peak Ireland and “random France” back in the days when we also, randomly made a RWC final.

But yes, we’re in a far better place than we have been for years. The two false dawns (with hindsight) being Lancaster’s “nice lads” and the 20-odd game streak Eddie managed to put together before the wheels fell off.

Let’s hope this is also not a false dawn a but a true new day!

[LongForgotten]

100%. I cannot wait to start beating Scotland again.

It’ll be blues at home in 2025 which (with Wales’ decline), is the easier set of fixtures IMO.

Tough fixtures in 2025 though - Ireland away on the first Sunday then a six day turnaround to France at home.

[pjm1]

Two payback matches - excellent for the viewer! Ireland will be wanting to mash us…

[Scrumhead]

100%. I cannot wait to start beating Scotland again.

It’ll be blues at home in 2025 which (with Wales’ decline), is the easier set of fixtures IMO.

Tough fixtures in 2025 though - Ireland away on the first Sunday then a six day turnaround to France at home.

Unusual too. The Irish normally like to host us on the St Patrick’s day weekend.

[pjm1]

Surely if we want to feel like we’re taking steps forward, we need to be targeting 4 wins after an initial weekend loss out in Dublin? Even though it’s tough, we’ve just scraped in two away losses to NZ with local supporters there being very complimentary - so let’s not let our standards drop!

[Timbo]

Listening to some NZ pundits talk about how they’ve got a tough Autumn because they’re facing France & Ireland. Was waiting for the ‘and England at Twickenham’ but it never came. Id really like to win that game.

[TheNomad]

Profile on Windbush of Exeter in the Telegraph. Wasn't aware he'd played at 12 up until this year - I like the look of him, whether at 12 or 13. The former where we could obviously do with someone putting their hand up!

[Oakboy]

6ft 6in and 17st 9lb! Skilful with it.