The Official English Rugby Thread

[Paddington Bear]

Just got around to watching Sarries on record having jibbed a five shot lead on the last three holes.

In the end improved my mood but that seemed on the edge for a while, this is far off the side it used to be.
Nice to see Barnet basically full and nice to be back, Faz and Billy in particular showing a lot of smoke with room for fire.

[ASMO]

Sarries have a limited gameplan but they are utterly ruthless in how they exectute it, the difference between them and Bristol or England is their complete belief in themselves, even when they are under the cosh, they dont panic and just do what they know how to do and generally that gets them over the line....built very much in the SA mould.

[Kawazaki]

...this is far off the side it used to be.
Nice to see Barnet basically full and nice to be back, Faz and Billy in particular showing a lot of smoke with room for fire.

Itoje will improve Saracens significantly, heck he'd improve the All Blacks. The best Sarries teams have had a defensive monster called Burger in the backrow, be it Jacques or Schalk. Isiekwe played six today, Wray has played there, as has Reffel and Venter but none of them offer the fury and work-rate that either of the Burgers gave.

Would be good to see Saracens go for Pieter-Steph du Toit when he's fully fit again. For two reasons really; 1. He's the best backrower in the world when fit, and 2. It would really annoy the other clubs.

[FalseBayFC]

Just finished watching the Prem highlights so far. Sam Simmonds is a real try scoring machine. Just cant see him being a Test level 8 with that frame though. You'd need to play a big 6 like Lawes, who can't have much longer. But the England openside options are also shorties. Does Dombrandt ever go at blindside flanker cos I rate that guy.

[FalseBayFC]

Quins-Bristol match looked amazing from the highlight package. Lynagh, Marcus Smith and Dombrandt. England future superstars. I will be gutted if Tyrone Greene ever becomes available for England though.

[SaintK]

Quins-Bristol match looked amazing from the highlight package. Lynagh, Marcus Smith and Dombrandt. England future superstars. I will be gutted if Tyrone Greene ever becomes available for England though.

Yes, butJones has to select them as starters first.
I agree with what you said above about Simmonds at 8 and it looks as if Jones is like minded. Never seen Dombrandt at 6 but he's got all the attributes of a very good No8 and should get a call up for the AI's along with Smith
Interestingly Billy Vunipola had easily his best game in months for Sarries yesterday and could well be back in the reckoning.
I thought Green was only eligible for SA?

[Kawazaki]

Malins is the best English 15. Steward is great under the high ball but that's the start and end of his highlights reel. His lack of pace would get badly exposed against decent test sides.

[sockwithaticket]

Wasps basically doing nothing but defending at the moment, pressure tells. Nice try from Saints.

Proctor off, though, which is a big blow for them.

[Oxbow]

Early days, but Augustus looks a really good signing.

[sockwithaticket]

Good to see us strike back against the run of play. Kibirige is so quick.

[sockwithaticket]

High octane, but scrappy game with ball changing hands a lot.

[sockwithaticket]

3rd blatantly shit penalty Maxwell-Keys has given against us...

[notfatcat]

Forward pass my arse.

[Raggs]

That looked benefit of the doubt to me, but clear foot in touch, so 6 of one etc.

[Raggs]

Saints have been offside twice though, clearly so. Not setting up there, but jumping the gun at the base of the ruck.

[sockwithaticket]

Enjoyed that scrum.

[Raggs]

Lawes killed that ruck before. Stopped wasps getting quick ball. If he'd gotten away with it for England I'd have been happy.

[sockwithaticket]

Lawes killed that ruck before. Stopped wasps getting quick ball. If he'd gotten away with it for England I'd have been happy.

Players being allowed to leave their hands on the ball for crucial seconds after refs tell them no is a real bug bear of mine. It does kill the ball and defences really don't need to be given that kind of helping hand.

[sockwithaticket]

There's been basically no flow in the game this half.

[sockwithaticket]

That's what we've been missing while Young was sidelined, he's such a good link man.

[Raggs]

Got away with that, clearly brought back into the 22.

[sockwithaticket]

A yellow is getting away with it imo.

[Oxbow]

By the letter of the law that should have been a red, Maxwell Keys seemed to be trying very hard to find reasons for it not to be.

[Raggs]

Very lucky yellow, one of those that could have easily been a red with little to argue. Just (literally just) enough of an excuse to keep it to yellow.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

A good game of rugby keeps threatening to break out, but then somebody does something stupid.

[sockwithaticket]

Really nice to hear that cheer for Carr.

Saints really are hemorraging pens at the moment.

[Raggs]

Really nice to hear that cheer for Carr.

Saints really are hemorraging pens at the moment.

Like Wasps were doing in the first half. First half Saints were dominant but couldn't finish, this time Wasps have been in control and have just been that little bit more in control.

[sockwithaticket]

Good to get the win, but that was an annoying way to finish things.

[Oxbow]

Not sure we really deserve anything from, far too many stupid penalties, so I'll take a bonus point. Never happy with a 6-2 bench, leaves you far too exposed when someone goes off early, as Proctor did.

[Raggs]

Not sure we really deserve anything from, far too many stupid penalties, so I'll take a bonus point. Never happy with a 6-2 bench, leaves you far too exposed when someone goes off early, as Proctor did.

Did you have a scrum half on the bench?

[Oxbow]

Not sure we really deserve anything from, far too many stupid penalties, so I'll take a bonus point. Never happy with a 6-2 bench, leaves you far too exposed when someone goes off early, as Proctor did.

Did you have a scrum half on the bench?

Yeah, Lomani, but he ended up playing the whole second half on the wing.

[Raggs]

Not sure we really deserve anything from, far too many stupid penalties, so I'll take a bonus point. Never happy with a 6-2 bench, leaves you far too exposed when someone goes off early, as Proctor did.

Did you have a scrum half on the bench?

Yeah, Lomani, but he ended up playing the whole second half on the wing.

Ah OK, didn't recognise his name (not been following that closely recently). Thought he was just a winger.

[Oxbow]

Did you have a scrum half on the bench?

Yeah, Lomani, but he ended up playing the whole second half on the wing.

Ah OK, didn't recognise his name (not been following that closely recently). Thought he was just a winger.

Fijian scrum half, bit of an emergency signing this season after Henry Taylor suddenly retired. We had five second rows in the 23, which is just daft.

[assfly]

I know this has already been discussed at length, but the talent England currently have at their disposal is mind-boggling. But Jones just doesn't appear to be the best coach to let them shine in England jerseys.

Great for the rest of us! But it must be very frustrating as an England fan.

[Ovals]

I know this has already been discussed at length, but the talent England currently have at their disposal is mind-boggling. But Jones just doesn't appear to be the best coach to let them shine in England jerseys.

Great for the rest of us! But it must be very frustrating as an England fan.

It's an odd one. He got the side he inherited, to play really well - but hasn't been able to build a really good, new, team despite having better reources. And, I worry that he is still wedded to the idea of playing Youngs and Farrell.

[sockwithaticket]

I appreciate that you can't change half the team every international period to throw in whichever players are currently in the best form - experience and cohesion count for a lot. However, there needs to be more flex than Jones has been willing to show. A lot of his discoveries have been forced by injury or other unavailability.

At the same time what's the point bringing in someone like Marcus Smith if you're just going to ask him to play a highly structured kick chase game plan? He can probably do it, but that's not going to get the best out of him. Nor is it what people want to see. George Ford is a phenomenal player, but we've seen nothing like his best at international level, even when he was singlehandedly dragging Leicester through games, for a while because Jones won't unleash him.

[FalseBayFC]

Louis Lynagh and Marcus Smith are already ready. I can see long futures ahead of them if they stay fit. Just such skilled footballers the both of them.

[SaintK]

Louis Lynagh and Marcus Smith are already ready. I can see long futures ahead of them if they stay fit. Just such skilled footballers the both of them.

Not sure about his defensive abilities or under the high ball. Though you can't doubt his ability to be in the right place at the right time to finish off tries
Marcus Smith is very ready.

[Raggs]

Smith is definitely ready to be included and played. I'd still be starting Ford for now though, so Smith can get some experience at top level, without being either starting, or expected to do something after a Farrell fest at 10.

[Hells Bells]

I know it probably didn’t alter the end result of the game as we were leaking penalties at this point but the George try should have been chalked off at the weekend. Farrell is clearing holding the ball only for a water boy to throw a new one to George who then takes a quick tap to score.