Happy?

[Which Tyler]

I think I already said this elsewhere, but I’d have been happy if Farrell had been carded and I would have had no issue with a penalty try.

If he continues to go unpunished, his ‘tackling’ technique is not going to improve. I think there’s a fair few of us that want him to be pulled up on it. I’d prefer that moment to be for Sarries than for England, but it needs to happen and the sooner the better IMO.

I'd rather it happened for England, where the press might notice, especially if it costs us the match. I'd just rather it happened in a match that didn't matter too much, like maybe South Africa or Australia in November 2018

[Mellsblue]

With no wish to labour a point, but Farrell tackling is going to cost you a game at some point. The no arm tackles are going to get him a card, a ref will be brave enough to do it. He has been lucky in two games and if he feels that it’s ok then you can just see him repeat g that effort in a RWC quarter final, giving away a penalty try and getting carded, as he should have done yesterday.

Whilst he keeps getting lauded as world class it won’t change, but I am surprised that he is getting away with challenges which are so risky.

I’m just happy you think we’ll make the quarterfinals

[WaspInWales]

With no wish to labour a point, but Farrell tackling is going to cost you a game at some point. The no arm tackles are going to get him a card, a ref will be brave enough to do it. He has been lucky in two games and if he feels that it’s ok then you can just see him repeat g that effort in a RWC quarter final, giving away a penalty try and getting carded, as he should have done yesterday.

Whilst he keeps getting lauded as world class it won’t change, but I am surprised that he is getting away with challenges which are so risky.

I’m just happy you think we’ll make the quarterfinals

Same

[Renniks]

Ach, I'm still holding out hope we'll reach a semi-final against NZ… And then I think our luck will run out…

[WaspInWales]

The 6N will be the real acid test before the wc.

As it stands, Ireland are head and shoulders above the rest. England, Scotland and Wales all have reasons to be confident without being favourites. France as always, will do the French thing and Italy, well they're going backwards at the moment.

We're at home for 3 matches and if we can't turn that into success, then there really is some problems, but away form going into a wc is also important and we have matches in Dublin and Cardiff

Maybe I'm being harsh on the team, but I thought we would have an identity by now. A clear plan of attack and a competent defence, as well as key positions like 9, plus backups sorted by now. At times, it's like watching a scratch team play, but at least with the Baabaas you get entertainment!

Eddie wants us to be #1, but barring massive weather intervention every time we play someone ranked higher than us, I can't see it happening.

[Oakboy]

Opinions vary on how close Jones is to his 1st choice XV. This close to the RWC, we should be in no doubt and a settled team should be building its fluidity with every player comfortable in his role. Based on the AIs and allowing for an average injury list, we are well behind where we should be.

[Mikey Brown]

I think we’ve made some steps player wise, usual blind-spots excepted, but I still don’t particularly know what our plan is with or without that ball.

We keep chopping and changing at very odd times. I am happy to see Wilson at 6, Daly at 15 etc. but wanted to do that a year ago ideally. Token experimental selections at 9 and then reverting to W’Worth pretty much sums it up.

Again, the midfield hinges so massively on whether we want to reinstate Tuilagi or Joseph.

The point about not clearing past the ball in rucks is an interesting one. It doesn’t appear we want to give up our opportunity to have the scrum-half pat the ball around with their feet a bit and then kick it. That’s pretty much the only consistent plan we’ve had.

Happy? No idea. The players are there to do well, they are clearly capable of raising their game to compete with NZ/Ire, but for a full 80?

[Rich]

I’m just happy you think we’ll make the quarterfinals

Did you see France's latest performance against Fiji ?

[Rich]

The 6N will be the real acid test before the wc.

As it stands, Ireland are head and shoulders above the rest...

Wales and Ireland away are the two key matches.


Scotland, France and Italy are basically givens.


If England want to make a statement for the world cup, Dublin is the place to do it.
Win in Dublin and the whole landscape changes.

[Rich]

Ach, I'm still holding out hope we'll reach a semi-final against NZ… And then I think our luck will run out…

We'll just have to use skill and brawn then.


By your thinking we may as well not even try to beat New Zealand.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Very Happy with the AI's TBH I learnt a lot
Excellent
Moon gone from what 7th choice LH to being a International LH prop who can go up against the 3 SH teams, massive with Marler ruling himself out.
Wilson always thought he wouldn't be that impactful at test level just a good all round backrower at prem level, but i was very wrong. Doesn't have the same threat as Bunipola BUT his workrate was up there withRobshaw's and offers a much better carrying threat.
Cokasigna defence still yet to be properly tested but he offered something May, Nowell, Watson, Daly doesn't and that is a powerful running game.
Sinckler finished with the same world class form he showed with the lions.

Good
May is still world class at test level IMO, Leicester might be struggling but May has improved a lot in his all round game.
Tuilagi 10 mins still showed players are fearful of him, creating a massive hole for Farrell to jog in.
Ewels has put serious pressure on the Second row players, and offered impact in every game.
Wigglesworth played well with his chances.

The fact that we have found some more depth at LH, Backrow, Wing and Lock makes it worth while going into the 6N's.
The centre combo isn't close to being fixed but I reckon Eddie thinks it is and will IMO favour 10. Faz, 12. Te'o, 13. Manu if fit IMO.

I think Eddie is 5 steps closer to finding his RWC squad, (I don't like the squad I can see him picking but reckon it will fit his desired plan well) whereas after the summer tours I was very worried that Eddie Jones was having no idea who to pick.

Very much so for me. He's nowhere near Billy, but showed a hell of a lot. Gave away too many penalties, but maybe that's just eagerness. A different carrying player than Robshaw.

[Mellsblue]

Wilson was quality but he has always been every time he put the Eng jersey on. I think his penalty count is skewed by a mad 10 mins in a 7 shirt. The poor bloke is a 6 who has occasional played 8. We asked him to play 8 and occasionally 7. I think he did remarkably well considering. Up there with Sinckler as our player of the series.

[WaspInWales]

The 6N will be the real acid test before the wc.

As it stands, Ireland are head and shoulders above the rest...

Wales and Ireland away are the two key matches.


Scotland, France and Italy are basically givens.


If England want to make a statement for the world cup, Dublin is the place to do it.
Win in Dublin and the whole landscape changes.

Bit overconfident there regarding Scotland and France imo. I'm aware France just lost to Fiji, but they will likely be a different prospect come the 6N. Scotland will be tough too I think. They're continuing to improve, but still put in the occasional soft performance.

Agree about Dublin though. Perfect place to make a statement, but based on what we've seen recently, I don't think we will trouble Ireland.

[Stom]

I'm reasonably content.
3 wins and a 1 point loss to NZ is a very decent return. At the start of the series most of us would have been pleased with that. Werent our rookie back row going to be overwhelmed? Could we be competitive with so many front line players absent? Had Jones the capacity to produce a winning side? in terms of results we've done well.
The performances have been scratchy. We've alternated between being very good, through mediocre to occasionally being woeful. Mostly we've been OK without scaling too many heights, or hitting too many lows.
We are a fit, resilient, tough side. We generally look composed and can handle sides coming strongly at us. We've come back to win games and have shown the ability to turn things around.
Two important elements have really improved. Our work at the breakdown has been transformed, both with and without the ball. Also, our discipline is a lot better.
We need far more fluency in our attack, we need our backs to handle far more, we need to kick less and test defences with greater variety. Defensively we need to make a higher percentage of one on one tackles.
To the players. Sinckler is now our No 1 tight head. Wilson has emerged as a key squad man. Cokanasiga is here to stay. Manu is back. Moon is a real find. We have proper options at 7. Our depth at lock is tremendous.
On the debit side i'm not convinced with Shields, whether Te'o has the kind of subtlety you would like, whether Daly is a FB and the perennial issue of our substandard options at 9.
Right now there are still far too many marginal selection decisions that need to be nailed down. A year out from a WC, you would expect at least 12 out of the starting 15 to be established.

You see, I continuously see this idea we should know 60%+ of our 15 by now. I don't agree.

We have:
Mako
Hartley / George
Sinckler
Itoje
Launch / Kruis / Lawes
Robshaw / Wilson / Shields
Curry / Underhill
Billy
Youngs
Farrell / Ford
May
Te'o / Farrell
Slade / Joseph / Tuilagi
Cokanasiga / Watson / Daly
Daly / Brown / Watson

I think that's a perfectly good place to be in at this stage.

I think you make my point for me!
6 nailed on starters at this stage is not ideal and puts us well behind some of the other main contenders.
Now we do have some depth in most positions but still too many calls to make on the definitive starter.
I guess we could make a decent stab at predicting Eddie's first choice team, but have they actually played together much, and how many chances will they get to play together before the WC?

Who's nailed on for the kiwis? The locks, Read and Cane, Barrett, Bin Smuff... That's 6...the rest is up for discussion.

So, no, I don't think we're in a bad position on that front.

[Mellsblue]

You see, I continuously see this idea we should know 60%+ of our 15 by now. I don't agree.

We have:
Mako
Hartley / George
Sinckler
Itoje
Launch / Kruis / Lawes
Robshaw / Wilson / Shields
Curry / Underhill
Billy
Youngs
Farrell / Ford
May
Te'o / Farrell
Slade / Joseph / Tuilagi
Cokanasiga / Watson / Daly
Daly / Brown / Watson

I think that's a perfectly good place to be in at this stage.

I think you make my point for me!
6 nailed on starters at this stage is not ideal and puts us well behind some of the other main contenders.
Now we do have some depth in most positions but still too many calls to make on the definitive starter.
I guess we could make a decent stab at predicting Eddie's first choice team, but have they actually played together much, and how many chances will they get to play together before the WC?

Who's nailed on for the kiwis? The locks, Read and Cane, Barrett, Bin Smuff... That's 6...the rest is up for discussion.

So, no, I don't think we're in a bad position on that front.

I’d include Coles, Franks, Aaron Smith, Crotty (if he doesn’t have early onset dementia by next year) and Ioane.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I'm not sure who's nailed on for us. Best, Furlong, Murray, Sexton, Stockdale, Earls, Kearney, maybe. i wouldn't event be sure of all of them. That's not really the issue. the issue is whether whoever starts knows what it is that they are supposed to do and how it is they are supposed to break down the opposition and shore up your defence. It will be interesting to see what lessons Eddie thinks he has learned

For what it's worth, it seems to me that it was important for you to win your games and not lose by much to NZ. Yes the performances will be more important long term but actually if you'd lost consistently in the AIs your confidence would have been shot, the press would have been on everyone's back (except maybe Farrell) and that's no place to build from. As it is your way to a RWC semifinal isn't that complicated.

[Digby]

Earls nailed on ahead of Ryan and Stander is interesting, granted I think Earls much improved these last few years but even so it's a big claim

[Mikey Brown]

It’s hard to say how much this argument means when it’s either about finding one player who is good enough or whittling down multiple good options, even if one of them is Devin Toner.

Should we be sticking with a pair of locks for example? I’d call lock a strength, but I wouldn’t want to give any one of them the green light and say their place is secured for the RWC.

[Stom]

It’s hard to say how much this argument means when it’s either about finding one player who is good enough or whittling down multiple good options, even if one of them is Devin Toner.

Should we be sticking with a pair of locks for example? I’d call lock a strength, but I wouldn’t want to give any one of them the green light and say their place is secured for the RWC.

Well, indeed.

Most of our selection choices are that, choices. We don't have many gaps left where we're scrabbling for someone.

And some of those decisions are really good ones to have. Watson, Daly, Big Joe, Brown and Nowell for 2 of the back 3 slots...I think most international teams would bite your hand off for that.

Lawes, Launch and Kruis for one lock spot. Ditto.

Tuilagi or Joseph?

Two of Ford, Farrell and Te'o?

We're not talking about a failure to find someone: these are options. I have absolutely no problem with not knowing our "best XV". There's no such thing anymore and nor should there be.

I DO have a problem with some aspects of our play and the selection at 10 when we cannot seem to attack well.

[Peat]

I'd be a lot happier if I could have watched the games. Could never find a good stream.

Although equally from what I've seen maybe I'd be less happy.

In terms of progress towards winning more cups... I think this AI was acceptable, but its also just kicked a lot of the questions down the line to the 6N.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Earls nailed on ahead of Ryan and Stander is interesting, granted I think Earls much improved these last few years but even so it's a big claim

Ryan actually is probably nailed on. If SOB is ever fit for more than 5 minutes he may well take a place from someone who doesn't deserve to lose it. Might be Stander. Might be one of the 7s. Earls has started every single big game he's been fit for.

[Peat]

I am also happy that Andy Farrell will be Ireland's next head coach and we have been spared from the threat.

[Which Tyler]

I am also happy that Andy Farrell will be Ireland's next head coach and we have been spared from the threat.

If he does well, I'd be happy to have him back for England... After Owen has retired

[Puja]

I am also happy that Andy Farrell will be Ireland's next head coach and we have been spared from the threat.

I am really uncertain if Ireland have made a good choice. He's proven to be a very good defensive coach, but last time he was allowed free rein, it didn't go well. Question is whether he's learned and grown from the experience.

Puja

[WaspInWales]

I am also happy that Andy Farrell will be Ireland's next head coach and we have been spared from the threat.

I am really uncertain if Ireland have made a good choice. He's proven to be a very good defensive coach, but last time he was allowed free rein, it didn't go well. Question is whether he's learned and grown from the experience.

Puja

That's the key thing. I'm not sure Burt was a strong enough character to keep people in check, but that is based on nothing by rumour and internet conspiracy theory. I don't think Schmidt looks like the type that takes shit. Although, again...I base that on seeing him on the telly box.