Leicester Tigers v Newcastle Falcons 3PM Saturday

[Oakboy]

Let's see him get really fit first by playing, say, 10 successive club games.

Aren't you about 6 months late for that requirement?

After two games, you mean? I just want him back for England fully fit with some real endurance in his fitness bank. I know no way of achieving that without playing and the operative word is 'successive'. If he needs resting or rotating for his club, he's not fit enough for his country.

[Which Tyler]

I think we should hold off until til we've seen if he can play in the same backline as the England SH &/ the England FH before judging anything. If he could also show an ability to play alongside one of the England wingers, that'd just be the icing on the cake!

[Mikey Brown]

I think we should all just wait and see if the doctor says this latest groin injury needs surgery or not.

[Renniks]

Can he play 12 yet? (Genuinely)

[Puja]

Can he play 12 yet? (Genuinely)

Well if Anthony Watson can play 15 for England without playing there for his club, I don't see why Tuilagi at 12 would be a problem.

He can and has played there in the past, but he's never going to play there regularly for Leicester with Toomua, Eastmond and Hardwick there. Besides, I don't think it's the best use of him - put him at 12 and you're tempted to run him back inside into bodies and anyone can do that. His value is in running at outside shoulders and drawing the defence to him to make spaces both inside and out.

Puja

[Puja]

Let's see him get really fit first by playing, say, 10 successive club games.

Aren't you about 6 months late for that requirement?

After two games, you mean? I just want him back for England fully fit with some real endurance in his fitness bank. I know no way of achieving that without playing and the operative word is 'successive'. If he needs resting or rotating for his club, he's not fit enough for his country.

Which was referring to him having played 10 consecutive games at the end of last season. Granted, he was average to poor in them, but be was physically fit and present.

I'm with you in spirit - we're getting ahead of ourselves with one good game. If he repeats the Newcastle form week in week out, then he'll be playing for England, but one swallow doesn't make a porn star, etc.

Puja

[Raggs]

Can he play 12 yet? (Genuinely)

Well if Anthony Watson can play 15 for England without playing there for his club, I don't see why Tuilagi at 12 would be a problem.

He can and has played there in the past, but he's never going to play there regularly for Leicester with Toomua, Eastmond and Hardwick there. Besides, I don't think it's the best use of him - put him at 12 and you're tempted to run him back inside into bodies and anyone can do that. His value is in running at outside shoulders and drawing the defence to him to make spaces both inside and out.

Puja

He'll definitely help tempt defenders further out, making potential easy channels for our 12 to attack. Just remind me again about the 12, and how often they attack the line?

[Stom]

Can he play 12 yet? (Genuinely)

Well if Anthony Watson can play 15 for England without playing there for his club, I don't see why Tuilagi at 12 would be a problem.

He can and has played there in the past, but he's never going to play there regularly for Leicester with Toomua, Eastmond and Hardwick there. Besides, I don't think it's the best use of him - put him at 12 and you're tempted to run him back inside into bodies and anyone can do that. His value is in running at outside shoulders and drawing the defence to him to make spaces both inside and out.

Puja

He'll definitely help tempt defenders further out, making potential easy channels for our 12 to attack. Just remind me again about the 12, and how often they attack the line?

I wonder if Eastmond could get a chance? He looked good, no? Could he keep it up and keep Toomua out of the team?

[Raggs]

Well if Anthony Watson can play 15 for England without playing there for his club, I don't see why Tuilagi at 12 would be a problem.

He can and has played there in the past, but he's never going to play there regularly for Leicester with Toomua, Eastmond and Hardwick there. Besides, I don't think it's the best use of him - put him at 12 and you're tempted to run him back inside into bodies and anyone can do that. His value is in running at outside shoulders and drawing the defence to him to make spaces both inside and out.

Puja

He'll definitely help tempt defenders further out, making potential easy channels for our 12 to attack. Just remind me again about the 12, and how often they attack the line?

I wonder if Eastmond could get a chance? He looked good, no? Could he keep it up and keep Toomua out of the team?

I've not seen the tigers game, but I do love what Eastmond brings.

[Renniks]

Can he play 12 yet? (Genuinely)

Well if Anthony Watson can play 15 for England without playing there for his club, I don't see why Tuilagi at 12 would be a problem.

He can and has played there in the past, but he's never going to play there regularly for Leicester with Toomua, Eastmond and Hardwick there. Besides, I don't think it's the best use of him - put him at 12 and you're tempted to run him back inside into bodies and anyone can do that. His value is in running at outside shoulders and drawing the defence to him to make spaces both inside and out.

Puja

Can't really disagree with any of that…

More that I want to change what we have at 12 currently - and I think there's more chance with a player who has shown sparks of being potentially world class than someone like Devoto or Eastmond who have shown sparks of being better than our current offerings (at 12)

[Oakboy]

It's hard to debate the 12 slot dispassionately when I just don't want Farrell there.

[Mikey Brown]

I'm curious about that distinction. I'd love for Manu to be as effective at 12 as he was (at his best) at 13, but it's still hope at this stage. Eastmond has put in some impressive performances there, while Devoto has a massive range of skills but not been consistent in form/injury/position for long enough.

Both are far more rounded players than Tuilagi, but I'll be happy if any of them show enough to displace Farrell from 12.

[Renniks]

I'm curious about that distinction. I'd love for Manu to be as effective at 12 as he was (at his best) at 13, but it's still hope at this stage. Eastmond has put in some impressive performances there, while Devoto has a massive range of skills but not been consistent in form/injury/position for long enough.

Both are far more rounded players than Tuilagi, but I'll be happy if any of them show enough to displace Farrell from 12.

Again, no disagreement with this…

I just think there's more chance of someone like Tuilagi displacing Farrell than an Eastmond or Devoto — Not for any rational reason, but more because he brings something EJ would struggle to ignore…

Personally I prefer the idea of having Tuilagi at 13, but less than I prefer the idea of not having Farrell at 12

[Beasties]

I'd rather any of those three at 12 but then we'd have Faz at 10, hmmm. Also there's the problem of a Faz/Manu centre partnership; how's our defence gonna look then by having no JJ when there have been times when JJ was the only thing holding it together? I'd be interested in Faz at 10 if we had proper centres alongside such as Devoto/Eastmond and/or Manu JJ. Actually, I'd be far more interested in that than the combinations we've seen for ages.

[Stom]

I'd rather any of those three at 12 but then we'd have Faz at 10, hmmm. Also there's the problem of a Faz/Manu centre partnership; how's our defence gonna look then by having no JJ when there have been times when JJ was the only thing holding it together? I'd be interested in Faz at 10 if we had proper centres alongside such as Devoto/Eastmond and/or Manu JJ. Actually, I'd be far more interested in that than the combinations we've seen for ages.

I'd much prefer Faz, Eastmond, Tuilagi to Ford, Faz, Tuilagi. But I'd prefer Ford, Eastmond, Tuilagi to both of those...

And I'd still like to see Ford, Tuilagi, JJ. Or Ford, Eastmond, JJ. With May, Daly and Watson as the back 3, those combinations would be really amazing.

[Renniks]

Cipriani, Eastmond, Tuilagi // Cipriani, Tuilagi, JJ would be where I'd love us to go…
(Also with May, Daly, Watson back 3)

Oh, and if we can get a SH who can pass, keeps up the intensity for 80 minutes, and doesn't whinge at the ref, I'd be very happy

[Oakboy]

Cipriani, Eastmond, Tuilagi // Cipriani, Tuilagi, JJ would be where I'd love us to go…
(Also with May, Daly, Watson back 3)

Oh, and if we can get a SH who can pass, keeps up the intensity for 80 minutes, and doesn't whinge at the ref, I'd be very happy

Agree with all that but I'd not completely write off Slade yet, at 12 or 13. IF Tuilagi gets back to his international best and IF Cipriani were to be running things, I like the idea of Slade and Tuilagi inter-changing. I also rate Slade's quality of pass in tight situations.

Eastmond is the 12 for accelerating through gaps. JJ is the best defender at OC.


SH? F--k knows.