RugbyRebels

ffs.

I mean, the original idea was to load the team with carriers, which was fine with Mako there. But Mako is gone and you replace him with Moon, and then drop Big Joe...

And have no wing cover on the bench. So it's all "meh". It's another bench lacking in impact.

Oh come on guys, it's a good team. You were predicting he was going to play brad shields at 10 and hughes at 9 post the italy match.

We've got a 10 & 15 who can play in the centres so why no pace cover or at least fullback cover on the bench?

Don't get dropping Genge or Cockanasiga either

twitchy wrote:Oh come on guys, it's a good team. You were predicting he was going to play brad shields at 10 and hughes at 9 post the italy match.

It's better than expected in that Shields has not ousted one of Curry or Wilson and that Te'o isn't starting. However, Genge being dropped for Moon is staggering and picking Te'o on the bench when we have Farrell, Nowell, Daly, and even May in a pinch who are all capable of moving into the centres beggars belief, especially when you consider that Cokanasiga needs as many minutes as he can get if he's going to be a viable RWC option.

Puja

Banquo wrote:Teo on the bench is utterly ridiculous.

Fuck. I didn't even spot that. I saw the headline as Cokansiga out for Nowell and just assumed he was on the bench. I am sure Nowell will score because he always does against Scotland, but it seems like a massive backwards step. Whatever were to happen if we played Cokanisiga, it's surely worth seeing now rather than waiting until the summer to look at him again.

I guess that means Slade covering 15 and Daly covering wing?

It’s often ignored because he’s a forum favourite, but Genge’s defence around the fringes is weak. Always has been an area of improvement for me, but it was noticeably poor against italy. Juxtaposed to Moon who is very strong in this area, and I think that’s why Moon is favoured.

Finally someone spots Gregor has Scotland attacking the guard with the same attritional approach as Wales

Let's hope they only play 13.

Coka on the bench for T'eo and a lock on the bench instead of Shields would make it all look better.

How the hell can Grey only be on the bench for that Scottish team? He is their best player.

Not really.

I'm a fan, but he's not tearing up trees at the moment.

Skinner and Toolis in does look like a side getting ready to attack lineouts and defend mauls.

Scotland really badly weakened by injuries.
Our team does have issues but its hard to see anything other than a very comfortable home win. This is not a Scottish side we should be losing to, especially at Twickenham.

I really like McInally and Watson, after that it's not bad, it's just all a bit boring

I feel your pain Digby. It’ll be okay. This horrendous, unenjoyable tournament will be over soon.

I can’t remember the last time I felt like this about a 6 nations. Probably last time Wales won a devalued grandslam. (Which is every single one)

Digby wrote:I really like McInally and Watson, after that it's not bad, it's just all a bit boring

Agree with you on McInally, and I also like Skinner.

The centres, though...the centres are going to have a tough time...

I personally think we should have picked Cokanasiga just for the amusement value of pairing him up against Darcy Graham. Size may not be everything, but a 7 inch height difference would be fun for cross-field kicks.

Puja

Stom wrote:

Digby wrote:I really like McInally and Watson, after that it's not bad, it's just all a bit boring

Agree with you on McInally, and I also like Skinner.

The centres, though...the centres are going to have a tough time...

Bradbury is a strong carrier.

Stom wrote:

Digby wrote:I really like McInally and Watson, after that it's not bad, it's just all a bit boring

Agree with you on McInally, and I also like Skinner.

The centres, though...the centres are going to have a tough time...

Nothing wrong with Skinner, but he's not carving up test rugby. It's like being asked to get excited about Slade at test level at this point in time, things might change but as of today there's little to be excited about

There’s some good players in there, but no direction. 13 outwards is just nonsense and might well get shown up.

To be honest I wouldn’t mind seeing Manu shatter this illusion that Grigg is up to is physically at this level.

I’d say Skinner has looked very promising though. Only had a couple of games. Don’t really see him as a 6 but he’s still pretty young/green.

Assuming Wales pull off the win. What would we need to see in this game to make the tournament a success?

Mikey Brown wrote:
Assuming Wales pull off the win. What would we need to see in this game to make the tournament a success?

Time travel, some better selections and some vastly better performances

Mikey Brown wrote:There’s some good players in there, but no direction. 13 outwards is just nonsense and might well get shown up.

To be honest I wouldn’t mind seeing Manu shatter this illusion that Grigg is up to is physically at this level.

I’d say Skinner has looked very promising though. Only had a couple of games. Don’t really see him as a 6 but he’s still pretty young/green.

Assuming Wales pull off the win. What would we need to see in this game to make the tournament a success?

Skinner is a very good player and definitely good enough for test rugby IMO, although he’s much better at lock than at 6. He’s just unfortunate that he was competing for a position of real strength for England. I wish him good luck with Scotland, just not this weekend.

Manu vs. Grigg will be irrelevant unless we actually give him the ball. I’m really hoping we don’t revert to the kick, kick, kick and kick again ‘tactics’.

I’m not quite as pessimistic about the tournament overall. The performance against Ireland was arguably our best under Eddie Jones and even with very limited ambition in attack, I think we’ve comfortably looked like the most dangerous side in the competition. We haven’t seen as much of Robson, Genge and Cokanasiga as I would have liked, but Wilson and Curry have both been very good so at least some of Eddie’s selection lottery is working out.

Digby wrote:

Stom wrote:

Digby wrote:I really like McInally and Watson, after that it's not bad, it's just all a bit boring

Agree with you on McInally, and I also like Skinner.

The centres, though...the centres are going to have a tough time...

Nothing wrong with Skinner, but he's not carving up test rugby. It's like being asked to get excited about Slade at test level at this point in time, things might change but as of today there's little to be excited about

He's had, what, 2 games? And went off injured... So it's hardly like there's a bank of evidence

Big fan of Skinner. Reminds me a lot of Launchbury. Shame we couldn’t keep hold of him, but he deserves test rugby and that would be hard to come by anytime soon for England.

Mikey Brown wrote:
Assuming Wales pull off the win. What would we need to see in this game to make the tournament a success?

I think the biggest problem will be over-valuing a 6N win (but missing out on the GS). This close to the RWC, losing a game we should have won should be seen as absolute failure. Lose one game in that way in the knock-out stages and we are out. This was the last meaningful trial and we blew it whatever other interpretation might be cobbled together. What it amounted to was that Jones and his cronies cannot manage two top performances (in terms of achieving results) in succession.

Let's face it, with their injuries and performances so far, Scotland should be easy meat. France were useless and Italy should not be in the 6N.

That left hard games away in succession against Ireland and Wales - an excellent comparison to, say, the QF/SF at the RWC in Japan.

Skinner is an excellent player, one who I think will go on to win 50+ caps. But he is just starting out in test rugby and playing in a struggling side.
We'll surely win tomorrow and likely finish in 2nd place. This is what most of us thought would happen before the tournament started.
A GS would have been nice, but I dont think missing out makes us any less a genuine WC contender.
On the whole, this years 6N's has been poor. I expected a really close fought competition. Unfortunately the games have been largely dull with few coming up to scratch.