RugbyRebels

Chris Foy in the Daily Mail predicts the following 31:


My only doubt is the need for another specialist half back at the expense of a center (Slade):


World Cup squad of 31 (possible): Brown, Cokanasiga, Daly, May, Watson; Te’o, Tuilagi, Joseph, Slade; Farrell, Ford; Youngs, Care; Genge, Moon, Mako Vunipola, Cole, Sinckler, Williams, Cowan-Dickie, George, Hartley, Itoje, Kruis, Launchbury, Lawes, Shields/Robshaw, Curry, Underhill, Billy Vunipola, Hughes.

Predicted stand-by players: Chris Ashton, Jack Nowell, Alex Lozowski, Danny Cipriani, Dan Robson, Ben Spencer, Alec Hepburn, Tom Dunn, Charlie Ewels, Nick Isiekwe, Sam Simmonds, Mark Wilson.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... hs-go.html

If Wilson loses out to Shields I’m not watching.

Mikey Brown wrote:If Wilson loses out to Shields I’m not watching.

This.

If JR was still an 80 min. man, it may be 3 SH's and 2 hookers.Eng desperately need something from a 9.

Galfon wrote:If JR was still an 80 min. man, it may be 3 SH's and 2 hookers.Eng desperately need something from a 9.

Going with only 2 hookers would be very risky imo. So's only two scrum-halves mind...

Mikey Brown wrote:If Wilson loses out to Shields I’m not watching.

Never mind Shields - Wilson should be in ahead of Hughes, who has had plenty of chances nowand remains unimpressive.

Keeping his options open by not specifying which Curry I see!

very similar conclusions here - https://www.rugbypass.com/news/ten-mont ... -rwc-squad

Forwards (17)

Mako Vunipola, Ben Moon, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dylan Hartley, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Harry Williams; Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury; Chris Robshaw, Mark Wilson, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola, Nathan Hughes.

Backs (14)

Ben Youngs, Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth, Owen Farrell, George Ford; Ben Te’o, Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Joseph; Jonny May, Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell, Joe Cokanasiga.

fivepointer wrote:very similar conclusions here - https://www.rugbypass.com/news/ten-mont ... -rwc-squad

Forwards (17)

Mako Vunipola, Ben Moon, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dylan Hartley, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Harry Williams; Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury; Chris Robshaw, Mark Wilson, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola, Nathan Hughes.

Backs (14)

Ben Youngs, Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth, Owen Farrell, George Ford; Ben Te’o, Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Joseph; Jonny May, Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell, Joe Cokanasiga.

"For example, Itoje and Lawes both also cover six, potentially allowing the Australian to go a bit lighter in the back row..."

Not a great idea that.

Neither squad includes Cole. Is the general assumption that he’s permanently out of favour?

Sinckler’s made a decent case to be first choice, but has Williams done anything to justify being ahead of Cole? Granted Cole isn’t anywhere near as good as he once was but he’s no worse than Williams IMO and has at least shown that he is capable of more.

Admittedly Cole’s most notable impact in recent times has been giving away penalties, but at least he’s trying to get involved rather than watching mauls from first receiver as Williams did in the summer.

Anybody know what the standby/injury replacement rules will be? The squad looks like containing a lot of players that I would consider injury-prone.

morepork wrote: "For example, Itoje and Lawes both also cover six, potentially allowing the Australian to go a bit lighter in the back row..."

Not a great idea that.

Against decent teams no, but for things like the 4-day cross-country turnaround in the pool to play the USA, we can rest a back row and bring in one of our 5.5s.

Scrumhead wrote:Neither squad includes Cole. Is the general assumption that he’s permanently out of favour?

Sinckler’s made a decent case to be first choice, but has Williams done anything to justify being ahead of Cole? Granted Cole isn’t anywhere near as good as he once was but he’s no worse than Williams IMO and has at least shown that he is capable of more.

Admittedly Cole’s most notable impact in recent times has been giving away penalties, but at least he’s trying to get involved rather than watching mauls from first receiver as Williams did in the summer.

Cole has been doing his best to get out of contention with the way he's playing for Leicester. Williams was rubbish in the autumn as well, so it's more a game of least worst rather than best.

Puja

Edit: in response to Dors’ question.

Same as usual I’d suspect. You can only make permanent injury replacements.

You’d struggle in some positions to get a good standard of player if you didn’t pick injury prone players.
For example, I’d consider all of Kruis, Launch and Lawes injury prone. Similarly, you’ve got both Te’o and Tuilagi in the centres which leaves you with no ‘bosh’ option if you dont select them, and you could possibly add Joseph now that he’s been out for so long.

Puja wrote:

morepork wrote: "For example, Itoje and Lawes both also cover six, potentially allowing the Australian to go a bit lighter in the back row..."

Not a great idea that.

Against decent teams no, but for things like the 4-day cross-country turnaround in the pool to play the USA, we can rest a back row and bring in one of our 5.5s.

Scrumhead wrote:Neither squad includes Cole. Is the general assumption that he’s permanently out of favour?

Sinckler’s made a decent case to be first choice, but has Williams done anything to justify being ahead of Cole? Granted Cole isn’t anywhere near as good as he once was but he’s no worse than Williams IMO and has at least shown that he is capable of more.

Admittedly Cole’s most notable impact in recent times has been giving away penalties, but at least he’s trying to get involved rather than watching mauls from first receiver as Williams did in the summer.

Cole has been doing his best to get out of contention with the way he's playing for Leicester. Williams was rubbish in the autumn as well, so it's more a game of least worst rather than best.

Puja

Yep. Lawtoje is ok against tier 2/3, you’d hope.

If we lose Sinckler it’s a really big drop off in quality, it’s also a big change in ‘style’ of player. We really don’t have any other carrying tight heads, other than Thomas.

I’d have had Thomas ahead of Williams anyway. I think he’s a very good player who could definitely have been more established but for his injury record. If he can stay injury free, we shouldn’t ignore him IMO.

Mellsblue wrote:Edit: in response to Dors’ question.

Same as usual I’d suspect. You can only make permanent injury replacements.

You’d struggle in some positions to get a good standard of player if you didn’t pick injury prone players.
For example, I’d consider all of Kruis, Launch and Lawes injury prone. Similarly, you’ve got both Te’o and Tuilagi in the centres which leaves you with no ‘bosh’ option if you dont select them, and you could possibly add Joseph now that he’s been out for so long.

Maybe Hartley and Watson are so afflicted. Plus, Underhill definitely is. Then, there are LCD and Taylor, not forgetting Billy V and Hughes.

It is odd, too, that Robshaw, who I would consider the least prone is out too. Mind you, I'd replace him with Armand who rarely misses a game.

If I was being unkind for a change , I'd wish injuries on a few but the most advantageous absence would be Jones so I'll just 'grin and bear it'.