The Official English Rugby Thread

[sockwithaticket]

Outrageous

iirc Steve Hansen wondered after the game why we never really gave May the ball again. Shrewd man that world cup winning All Black's coach.

[Woddy]

May was fantastic when he still had express pace and I think being thick as mince (allegedly) might have helped: if he didn't know where was running, nor did the defenders. Could score tries out of nowhere, rather like Robinson, albeit in a different style. Remember 2 he scored against France, beating several men each time, to win from behind.

Once he lost his pace (remember him being run down by Scott Barrett in the '19 semi?), he then learnt to be useful on the kick-chase and could still finish off moves.

[epwc]

Ashton wasn't too bad, apart from the swallow dive

[Woddy]

On his day, Watson could be Rolls Royce, but he's in the layer of wingers below May, along with Ashton, Cohen, Sinbad, Daly (for all his annoyances, a good utility left wing), Usain and Croft.

[epwc]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

[Sandstorm]

Croft

[Sandstorm]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

2007 RWC Final

[Lobby]

When he started to play for England May's main (only?) attribute was his pace. However, unlike some others he worked really hard on improving all his weaknesses. At his best he was lethal in attack and could score tries from nowhere. Even when he started to lose his pace, he continued trying to improve the other parts of his game such at chasing restarts and his defence.

There were several years when he was one of England's most invaluable players, which was quite a surprise given how erratic he had been at the beginning of his international career.

[Woddy]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

It was an important purple patch. And Lions form complicates things: Daly was excellent on the wing against the ABs, whereas I can't remember May even playing for the Lions.

Struggling to remember many properly good England wingers, which is odd as it feels like it's been a position of depth for the last several years. Still think Wade could have been something special, like an Ickle Williams with turbo.

[Woddy]

Croft

Glad that someone's awake!

[Woddy]

When he started to play for England May's main (only?) attribute was his pace. However, unlike some others he worked really hard on improving all his weaknesses. At his best he was lethal in attack and could score tries from nowhere. Even when he started to lose his pace, he continued trying to improve the other parts of his game such at chasing restarts and his defence.

There were several years when he was one of England's most invaluable players, which was quite a surprise given how erratic he had been at the beginning of his international career.

+1. He was one of the first names on the sheet for quite a while. On defence, his cover tackling could be crucial; not unlike Kyle Walker for the England footie team at the moment. As you can tell from me likely doubling my post count just on this one subject, I am a fan of May!

[Lobby]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

It was an important purple patch. And Lions form complicates things: Daly was excellent on the wing against the ABs, whereas I can't remember May even playing for the Lions.

Struggling to remember many properly good England wingers, which is odd as it feels like it's been a position of depth for the last several years. Still think Wade could have been something special, like an Ickle Williams with turbo.

Being chosen for the Lions isn't always the best guide to determining who the best players are. If it was, Ugo Monye would be being lauded as one of England's best wingers.

[sockwithaticket]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

2007 RWC Final

That was Mark 'Usain' Cueto.

[sockwithaticket]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

It was an important purple patch. And Lions form complicates things: Daly was excellent on the wing against the ABs, whereas I can't remember May even playing for the Lions.

Struggling to remember many properly good England wingers, which is odd as it feels like it's been a position of depth for the last several years. Still think Wade could have been something special, like an Ickle Williams with turbo.

It feels like our longest serving often lack a bit of the x-factor all great wingers need and the ones with it are injury ravaged and/or not selected.

[geordie_6]

May was fantastic when he still had express pace and I think being thick as mince (allegedly) might have helped: if he didn't know where was running, nor did the defenders. Could score tries out of nowhere, rather like Robinson, albeit in a different style. Remember 2 he scored against France, beating several men each time, to win from behind.

Once he lost his pace (remember him being run down by Scott Barrett in the '19 semi?), he then learnt to be useful on the kick-chase and could still finish off moves.

When he stopped being Jonny SIde-Mays and started going forward with purpose, he became a real weapon.

[Saint]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

It was an important purple patch. And Lions form complicates things: Daly was excellent on the wing against the ABs, whereas I can't remember May even playing for the Lions.

Struggling to remember many properly good England wingers, which is odd as it feels like it's been a position of depth for the last several years. Still think Wade could have been something special, like an Ickle Williams with turbo.

It feels like our longest serving often lack a bit of the x-factor all great wingers need and the ones with it are injury ravaged and/or not selected.

We have been, and continue to be, largely distrustful of the x-factor. All too often we pick our backs based on who is strongest defensively, rather than who gives us the best options in attack. Whilst defence is important for backs, and more so at Test level than the prem, if you don't score points you're going to struggle to win many games.

[epwc]

Wade was good, shame he didn't get more caps. Varndell had the potential but was shit for England

[Sandstorm]

Cohen? Nah, he had a purple patch but he wasn't a great wing. Shit on the Lions tour

2007 RWC Final

That was Mark 'Usain' Cueto.

Ah yes. Thank-you.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

When he started to play for England May's main (only?) attribute was his pace. However, unlike some others he worked really hard on improving all his weaknesses. At his best he was lethal in attack and could score tries from nowhere. Even when he started to lose his pace, he continued trying to improve the other parts of his game such at chasing restarts and his defence.

There were several years when he was one of England's most invaluable players, which was quite a surprise given how erratic he had been at the beginning of his international career.

Agree.

The first few games he played his core skill was running sideways - fast. I was concerned he would be one of those players who don't quite make the step up to international level however he learnt to run straight, became a reasonable tackler, good kick chaser and decent in the air.

I do think England should be more ruthless with wingers who lose their pace though. As May showed, it's possible to add a breadth of skills to pace, you can't really do it the other way round.

[Hal Jordan]

2007 RWC Final

That was Mark 'Usain' Cueto.

Ah yes. Thank-you.

Cohen was gone by 2004, I think, although he had fallen off badly even by the 2003 Final.

[sockwithaticket]

That was Mark 'Usain' Cueto.

Ah yes. Thank-you.

Cohen was gone by 2004, I think, although he had fallen off badly even by the 2003 Final.

Last capped in '06, but in and out of squads for the couple of years before that. The way his form fell off a cliff and never got close to reaching the peak again should be studied.

[epwc]

The way his form fell off a cliff and never got close to reaching the peak again should be studied.

Who by, DAC?

[sockwithaticket]

The way his form fell off a cliff and never got close to reaching the peak again should be studied.

Who by, DAC?

Well if it keeps him from screeching about the Illuminati or whatever, then sure.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

May was fantastic when he still had express pace and I think being thick as mince (allegedly) might have helped: if he didn't know where was running, nor did the defenders. Could score tries out of nowhere, rather like Robinson, albeit in a different style. Remember 2 he scored against France, beating several men each time, to win from behind.

Once he lost his pace (remember him being run down by Scott Barrett in the '19 semi?), he then learnt to be useful on the kick-chase and could still finish off moves.

Pretty sure May went into that semi-final with a hamstring problem. Although it is funny when a supposed speedster is caught by one of the lumberers, my favourite remains Victor Costello chasing down Jerry Guscott

[Woddy]

May was fantastic when he still had express pace and I think being thick as mince (allegedly) might have helped: if he didn't know where was running, nor did the defenders. Could score tries out of nowhere, rather like Robinson, albeit in a different style. Remember 2 he scored against France, beating several men each time, to win from behind.

Once he lost his pace (remember him being run down by Scott Barrett in the '19 semi?), he then learnt to be useful on the kick-chase and could still finish off moves.

Pretty sure May went into that semi-final with a hamstring problem. Although it is funny when a supposed speedster is caught by one of the lumberers, my favourite remains Victor Costello chasing down Jerry Guscott

He did to be fair to him. I am not sure he ever really got his speed back afterwards. Matthew Tait didn't have that excuse when he broke for the line but was chased down by Matfield in the '07 final.

[epwc]

Matthew Tait! I'd forgotten all about him

[Woddy]

Matthew Tait! I'd forgotten all about him

He made Henson.

[Saint]

Ah yes. Thank-you.

Cohen was gone by 2004, I think, although he had fallen off badly even by the 2003 Final.

Last capped in '06, but in and out of squads for the couple of years before that. The way his form fell off a cliff and never got close to reaching the peak again should be studied.

Lots of personal life issues caused by club team-mates.

[SaintK]

So final round of the Premiership today and too close to call
Semi finalists accoring to my Superbru selections
Saints
Sarries
Bath
Exeter (by the skin of their teeth!)

[Stranger]

I have

Saints
Sarries
Bath
Quins

Saints and Sarries tied on points - I thinks that means Saints 1st

[sockwithaticket]

Cohen was gone by 2004, I think, although he had fallen off badly even by the 2003 Final.

Last capped in '06, but in and out of squads for the couple of years before that. The way his form fell off a cliff and never got close to reaching the peak again should be studied.

Lots of personal life issues caused by club team-mates.

Oh that's lame, especially when he was a club man for a decade.

[sockwithaticket]

Saints and Sarries are nailed on for 1 and 2, could be that they swap depending on how today goes, but that's fairly immaterial.

Exeter or Quins for the fourth spot seems most likely. Leaning Quins since Exeter are away at Welford Road.

[Oxbow]

Bath v Saints went pretty much as expected, other results, not so much.

[Torquemada 1420]

How do Quins run Toulouse close and then concede a century in the next 2 games to be annihilated in each?

[Saint]

Saints and Sarries are nailed on for 1 and 2, could be that they swap depending on how today goes, but that's fairly immaterial.

Exeter or Quins for the fourth spot seems most likely. Leaning Quins since Exeter are away at Welford Road.

This aged well.....

[petej]

Wade was good, shame he didn't get more caps. Varndell had the potential but was shit for England

This always bugs me and similar with Tait. The England teams for these players were appallingly shite. Tait getting mashed after hospital balls from noon or tindall et al and varndell being given the ball in zero space with about 5 players on him. Which went as well as you would expect.

[petej]

Saints and Sarries are nailed on for 1 and 2, could be that they swap depending on how today goes, but that's fairly immaterial.

Exeter or Quins for the fourth spot seems most likely. Leaning Quins since Exeter are away at Welford Road.

This aged well.....

The league has done a good job of making itself very unpredictable (apart from Newcastle).

[Hal Jordan]

How do Quins run Toulouse close and then concede a century in the next 2 games to be annihilated in each?

Tank ran completely dry.

[sockwithaticket]

Saints and Sarries are nailed on for 1 and 2, could be that they swap depending on how today goes, but that's fairly immaterial.

Exeter or Quins for the fourth spot seems most likely. Leaning Quins since Exeter are away at Welford Road.

This aged well.....

Welp, that's why I don't play the lottery.

Tbh, I hadn't read the team sheets before kick off, so I expected Saints to be much better than they were and Bath to maybe get 4 points out of it, but not 5. I definitely didn't expect Sarries to be so crap and for all that Bristol have improved as the season's gone on I couldn't see them living with a Quins side that went toe to toe in France with Toulouse.

[ASMO]

a Saints v Bath Final for me and that would be a fitting one, entertaining rugby as opposed to smash it up and kick and hope for the best shite peddled by the other 2 teams.