England v Barbarians

[fivepointer]

BaaBaas squad named. Not a bad one either featuring a certain C Ashton from Toulon.

Backs:

Niyi Adeolokun (Connacht & Ireland)
Bundee Aki (Connacht & Ireland)
Chris Ashton (Toulon & England)
Greig Laidlaw (Clermont & Scotland)
Luke McAlister (Toulon & New Zealand)
AJ McGinty (Sale Sharks & USA)
Charles Piutau (Ulster & New Zealand)
Semi Radradra (Toulon)
Josua Tuisova (Toulon & Fiji)
Rhodri Williams (Dragons & Wales)

Forwards:

John Afoa (Gloucester & New Zealand)
Ultan Dillane (Connacht & Ireland)
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon & Argentina)
Ramiro Herrera (Stade Francais & Argentina)
Benjamin Kayser (Clermont & France)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (Leicester & Australia)
Sateki Timani (Clermont & Australia)
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys & Wales)
Loni Uhila (Clermont)
Flip van der Merwe (Clermont & South Africa)
Victor Vito (La Rochelle & New Zealand)

[Mikey Brown]

How on earth is Lobbe still going?

[Tigersman]

Assume Baabaas have 2 more to be named?
Could be a team of
1. Uhila
2. Kayser
3. Afoa
4. van der Merwe
5. Dillane
6. Lobbe
7. Tipuric
8. Vito
9. Laidlaw
10. McGinty
11. Tuisova
12. Aki
13. Radradra
14. Ashton
15. Piutau

16. TPN
17. ?
18. Herrera
19. Timani
20. ?
21. Williams
22. Mcalister
23. Adeolokun

[Puja]

How on earth is Lobbe still going?

Animatronics.

I'm intrigued to see what kind of side we put out - are we treating it as a "Let's see how the fringe do, but not really care about it because it's only the Barbarians" side? Or are we treating it as first game on tour and a chance to get some combinations going?

Assuming Willis is out and Shields will not be playing, these are the people available from our main touring squad.

Genge
Marler
Sinckler
Launchbury
Robshaw
Curry
Wilson

Youngs
Robson
Ford
Cipriani
May
Daly
Drunkie Dennie
Redpath
Te'o
Brown


You can add to that from the training squad:
Singleton
McGuigan
Schonert
Paul Hill
Stooke
Ross
Ellis
Harrison
McNally
Mercer
Beaumont

Vellacott
Smith
Cokanasiga
Loader
Francis
Lawrence
Woodward


So we could in theory set out: Genge, Singleton, Sinckler, Launchbury, Stooke, Robshaw, Curry, Mercer, Youngs, Ford, May, Francis, Te'o, Daly, Brown, which would be as close to the 1st XV as we can get. Or we could chuck the likes of Vellacott, Smith, Redpath, Cokanasiga out there and give them a run.

I mean, I'd suggest picking Vellacott to tie him to England, but Haley has shown that playing for England doesn't actually tie you to England, so that removes that incentive.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

The team you’ve picked there is more or less what I’d expect although I doubt the guys from the losing semi-finalists will be parachuted straight in. I imagine we’ll need at least a couple from the training squad for the bench.

I’m expecting something like:

1. Genge
2. Singleton
3. Sinckler
4. Beaumont
5. Stooke
6. Robshaw
7. Curry
8. Mercer
9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Francis
13. Te’o
14. Solomona
15. Brown

16. McGuigan
17. Marler
18. Hill
19. Ellis/McNally
20. Ross
21. Vellacott
22. Trinder
23. Woodward

[Mikey Brown]

The idea of Beaumont and Stooke at lock is really uninspiring.

[Lizard]

Is Luke McAlister still playing?

[morepork]

Is Luke McAlister still playing?

I think quadzilla fills in at first five these days, when needed.

[Lizard]

He must be 35 at least

[Mikey Brown]

Is Luke McAlister still playing?

I think quadzilla fills in at first five these days, when needed.

Always seemed like he was good enough to go back and earn an AB spot again over the last few years, but maybe he was a bit of a flake.

On that note, did you happen to see this? http://www.rugbydump.com/2018/05/6321/m ... n-thriller

Still got a surprising amount of pace there.

What would it take to try and get him back for next year? Would it be worth the disruption? Has anyone at 12 really come close since?

[Lizard]

Looks quick. It’s hard for players to come back and re-enter the frame. Kaino did it but that was planned from day one. Mid-field is definitely one area where we have not settled on a combination. Mind you, Nonu/Smith is a pretty big 2 pairs of boots to fill.

[fivepointer]

Modified squad named

Backs

Full backs
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Danny Cipriani (Wasps)
Joe Cokanasiga (London Irish)
Elliot Daly (Wasps) **Wednesday
Jonny May (Leicester Tigers)
Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks)
Jason Woodward (Gloucester Rugby)*

Inside backs
George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
Piers Francis (Northampton Saints)
Ollie Lawrence (Worcester Warriors) *
Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks) *
Dan Robson (Wasps) *
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors)
Henry Trinder (Gloucester Rugby)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Forwards

Back five
Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks) *
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Tom Ellis (Bath Rugby) *
Teimana Harrison (Northampton Saints)
Nathan Hughes (Wasps) ** Tuesday
Joe Launchbury (Wasps) ** Thursday
Zach Mercer (Bath Rugby) *
Josh McNally (London Irish)*
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Jono Ross (Sale Sharks)*
Elliott Stooke (Bath Rugby) *
Mark Wilson (Newcastle)

Front row
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
Paul Hill (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
George McGuigan (Leicester Tigers)*
Nick Schonert (Worcester Warriors) *
Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors) *

* Uncapped players
** Arrival into camp

[Mellsblue]

Cipriani named as a fullback. I wonder if he has a get out clause with Glos.

[Mikey Brown]

Yeah. That’s pretty worrying. But that can’t have been a discussion he hasn’t had with EJ?

[francoisfou]

Is Luke McAlister still playing?

Toulon released him from his contract cos he was "not as effective as expected", and he went to Clermont and they no longer want him, so the Barbarians must be desperate to call on him.

[Beasties]

Piers Francis is clearly in front of Cips in the 10 queue. Urgh. On a serious note, Cips being seen as a possible 15 by Eddie isn't really a surprise is it? That was my worry when I saw he'd been named in the squad. I'm just getting the feeling he's gonna look at him at 15 and say meh when Cips doesn't put in a stellar performance.

[Scrumhead]

Piers Francis is clearly in front of Cips in the 10 queue. Urgh. On a serious note, Cips being seen as a possible 15 by Eddie isn't really a surprise is it? That was my worry when I saw he'd been named in the squad. I'm just getting the feeling he's gonna look at him at 15 and say meh when Cips doesn't put in a stellar performance.

I share your concerns on how Cipriani could be used as a 15 and then binned, but Francis can’t be ahead of him when he’s not actually in the full squad (he’s not touring).

Typical Eddie fu**ing about for no good reason.

[Bloggs]

Why is Marcus smith there when the u20 World Cup starts 3 days later?!

[Puja]

Why is Marcus smith there when the u20 World Cup starts 3 days later?!

Because Eddie wanted a look at him and considers that more important than playing Argentina U20s? It's not a huge issue - the JWC's in France, so no timezone issue, and if he misses the first game, he'll have a whole week to train with the team and get up to speed.

Puja

[Raggs]

Why is Marcus smith there when the u20 World Cup starts 3 days later?!

Because Eddie wanted a look at him and considers that more important than playing Argentina U20s? It's not a huge issue - the JWC's in France, so no timezone issue, and if he misses the first game, he'll have a whole week to train with the team and get up to speed.

Puja

Games aren't a week apart though are they? It's like 4 days between each?

I still think the baabaas game/training is more useful to him as a player though.

[Puja]

Why is Marcus smith there when the u20 World Cup starts 3 days later?!

Because Eddie wanted a look at him and considers that more important than playing Argentina U20s? It's not a huge issue - the JWC's in France, so no timezone issue, and if he misses the first game, he'll have a whole week to train with the team and get up to speed.

Puja

Games aren't a week apart though are they? It's like 4 days between each?

I still think the baabaas game/training is more useful to him as a player though.

Barbarians is the Sunday, Argentina is on the Weds, Italy is the Sunday, and Scotland on Thurs. So if he misses Arg, then he'll have had a week in camp.

Puja

[Raggs]

Ah ok, then I really don't see the problem. Needs to be some rotation regardless with the whole "everyone must play" rule.

[fivepointer]

Smith's retention just really irritates me. He's been named in the U20 squad and thats where he should be. There's no point naming him unless he isnt going to be a key member of the team out in France.
For all his undoubted talent, he is not going to make the RWC.
far better to concentrate on people who might. Which brings me to my next irritation: Cips named as a full back. This is just f******* stupid. Over the season Cips has been by far the best FH in England. He needs to play in his proper position to make a case for longer term selection. Eddie could easily have named him as an "inside back" and used him as a ready made club half back pairing with Robson, who is set to play some part. Youngs and Ford to start with Cips and Robson on the bench. What is there not to like about that option?

[Banquo]

Smith's retention just really irritates me. He's been named in the U20 squad and thats where he should be. There's no point naming him unless he isnt going to be a key member of the team out in France.
For all his undoubted talent, he is not going to make the RWC.
far better to concentrate on people who might. Which brings me to my next irritation: Cips named as a full back. This is just f******* stupid. Over the season Cips has been by far the best FH in England. He needs to play in his proper position to make a case for longer term selection. Eddie could easily have named him as an "inside back" and used him as a ready made club half back pairing with Robson, who is set to play some part. Youngs and Ford to start with Cips and Robson on the bench. What is there not to like about that option?

this

[Raggs]

From baabaas twitter:

Good News - Welcome

@MalakaiFekitoa
@finn_russell
Nili Latu
Josh Matavesi

Bad News - Withdrawals

Aki / Piutau (Injured)
MacGinty withdrawn by Sale

-------

Withdrawn by Sale seems a bit odd?