The Official English Rugby Thread

[SaintK]

Wasps are going to need to stage the mother of all comebacks. I thought we were getting over the need to have Launchbury and Robson on the field to know what we're tryign to do...

Fair play to Quins, though, haven't seen them play like this in a while. If it were against someone else it'd be nice to see.

A Gustard size weight off their shoulders

[sockwithaticket]

Wasps are going to need to stage the mother of all comebacks. I thought we were getting over the need to have Launchbury and Robson on the field to know what we're tryign to do...

Fair play to Quins, though, haven't seen them play like this in a while. If it were against someone else it'd be nice to see.

A Gustard size weight off their shoulders

Looking that way.

I'm desperately hoping this doesn't turn into a re-run of Wasps vs. Sarries the first game after Dai was gone, but with us on the receiving end...

[sockwithaticket]

That's not going to help. Morris is a decent enough player, but he's nowhere near Young's quality.

[sockwithaticket]

Well we had to get something from that pressure.

Would like to see the 'tackle' on Harris at the quick tap again.

[Hal Jordan]

Thank you and good night!

[sockwithaticket]

Outplayed in every facet, well done Quins.

Don't think we've got time to claim a LBP of any kind.

[sockwithaticket]

Well that pretty much sums up the afternoon.

[JM2K6]

That'll do nicely. Nice to see us trying to play attacking rugby from the start and really putting a shift in in defence too.

Still, I'm sure the weather's lovely in Italy.

[SaintK]

Played Quins and Irish

[Margin__Walker]

Nice win from LI today. Controlled the game. Defence was generally very good, hitting them behind the gainline for most of the match. Bit of a wobble at the end, but got it done. LI pack looks a completely different proposition than the one playing at the start of the season.

Was already feeling pretty good about it, but Deano opening a big can of sour grapes post match put the cherry on the top.

Not helped by the first-half sin-binning of full-back Tom Penny for what was judged to have been a late hit on his opposite number, Richards said: “With the sin-binning we’re wondering why their full-back wasn’t taken off for an HIA with the way he stayed down and rolled around, and we were a little bit aggrieved about that.

https://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/news ... ch-verdict

Nice to see him have an opinion on players feigning injury. Was a stone cold yellow by the way

[sockwithaticket]

After losing Young and McIntyre at the weekend and some more players to international call ups Wasps' list of absentees and injuries is growing disturbingly long ahead of a crucial part of the season:

International call up: Odogwu, Rowlands, West, Willis, Zhvania
Injured: Alo, Barbeary, Bassett, De Jongh, Launchbury, McIntyre, Mills, Spink, Young, Watson

McIntyre's not thought to be too severe, but he's touch and go for this weekend, so it looks like we only have one available LH prop.

[sockwithaticket]

Nice win from LI today. Controlled the game. Defence was generally very good, hitting them behind the gainline for most of the match. Bit of a wobble at the end, but got it done. LI pack looks a completely different proposition than the one playing at the start of the season.

Was already feeling pretty good about it, but Deano opening a big can of sour grapes post match put the cherry on the top.

Not helped by the first-half sin-binning of full-back Tom Penny for what was judged to have been a late hit on his opposite number, Richards said: “With the sin-binning we’re wondering why their full-back wasn’t taken off for an HIA with the way he stayed down and rolled around, and we were a little bit aggrieved about that.

https://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/news ... ch-verdict

Nice to see him have an opinion on players feigning injury. Was a stone cold yellow by the way

That sort of sour comment really annoys me as it has no relevance to anything. If the player on the receiving end of the foul play milks it or just wears it, foul play was still committed. It's also none of Deano's business whatsoever if players don't get recommended for an HIA either by their team medical staff, the officials or the independent doc reviewing footage.

[Hal Jordan]

After losing Young and McIntyre at the weekend and some more players to international call ups Wasps' list of absentees and injuries is growing disturbingly long ahead of a crucial part of the season:

International call up: Odogwu, Rowlands, West, Willis, Zhvania
Injured: Alo, Barbeary, Bassett, De Jongh, Launchbury, McIntyre, Mills, Spink, Young, Watson

McIntyre's not thought to be too severe, but he's touch and go for this weekend, so it looks like we only have one available LH prop.

Uncontested scrums and pizzas all round!

[Hells Bells]

Any predictions for the England team this weekend? What I think Eddie will do (not what I’d pick..):

Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Wilson, Vunipola
Youngs, Ford, May, Farrell, Slade, Watson, Daly

Subs: LCD, Obano, Williams, Hill, Earl, Robson, Malins, Lawrence

[sockwithaticket]

After losing Young and McIntyre at the weekend and some more players to international call ups Wasps' list of absentees and injuries is growing disturbingly long ahead of a crucial part of the season:

International call up: Odogwu, Rowlands, West, Willis, Zhvania
Injured: Alo, Barbeary, Bassett, De Jongh, Launchbury, McIntyre, Mills, Spink, Young, Watson

McIntyre's not thought to be too severe, but he's touch and go for this weekend, so it looks like we only have one available LH prop.

Uncontested scrums and pizzas all round!

A part of me would love to do that for the lols if we were playing Sale, it won't have quite the same impact against Saints.

[sockwithaticket]

Any predictions for the England team this weekend? What I think Eddie will do (not what I’d pick..):

Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Wilson, Vunipola
Youngs, Ford, May, Farrell, Slade, Watson, Daly

Subs: LCD, Obano, Williams, Hill, Earl, Robson, Malins, Lawrence

Hard to argue any of that, though I suspect Hill might start with Lawes on the bench and Odogwu might ride the pin instead of Lawrence.

[Kawazaki]

Any predictions for the England team this weekend? What I think Eddie will do (not what I’d pick..):

Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Wilson, Vunipola
Youngs, Ford, May, Farrell, Slade, Watson, Daly

Subs: LCD, Obano, Williams, Hill, Earl, Robson, Malins, Lawrence

The crazy antipodean bastard will only pick two backs subs which will be Robson and Malins. Hopefully that will mean Willis on the bench as well with Earl being the hybrid.

[Margin__Walker]

No players or staff tested positive for the latest batch of testing. 2nd in succession that has been all clear

https://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/l ... me-results

[Margin__Walker]

Nice win from LI today. Controlled the game. Defence was generally very good, hitting them behind the gainline for most of the match. Bit of a wobble at the end, but got it done. LI pack looks a completely different proposition than the one playing at the start of the season.

Was already feeling pretty good about it, but Deano opening a big can of sour grapes post match put the cherry on the top.

Not helped by the first-half sin-binning of full-back Tom Penny for what was judged to have been a late hit on his opposite number, Richards said: “With the sin-binning we’re wondering why their full-back wasn’t taken off for an HIA with the way he stayed down and rolled around, and we were a little bit aggrieved about that.

https://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/news ... ch-verdict

Nice to see him have an opinion on players feigning injury. Was a stone cold yellow by the way

That sort of sour comment really annoys me as it has no relevance to anything. If the player on the receiving end of the foul play milks it or just wears it, foul play was still committed. It's also none of Deano's business whatsoever if players don't get recommended for an HIA either by their team medical staff, the officials or the independent doc reviewing footage.

Wasn't even factually correct. He was lying still, not rolling around. Should be having a go at his 15 for shitting the bed. All good fun.

[Raggs]

Farrell at 10, Ford benched. FFS.

[tc27]

1) Genge
2) George
3) Stuart
4) Itoje
5) Hill
6) Wilson
7) Curry
8) Vunipola
9) Youngs
10) Farrell
11) May
12) Lawrence
13) Slade
14) Watson
15) Daly

16)LCD
17)Obano
18)Williams
19)Lawes
20)Earl
21)Robson
22)Ford
23)Malins

[tc27]

Will Ford get enough game time to be blamed for Farrell's fuck ups?

[JM2K6]

Good to see Ben Youngs being given a shot...


I am not convinced by that backline but we tried something similar against the Aussies and gave them a paddling. Hopefully all that time off has let Farrell rediscover some form. I remain completely unconvinced that Lawrence is as good as the hype, will be a good test for him. Hope Billy is in shape after looking like a fat mess in the ignominous loss to Ealing.

[sockwithaticket]

I had some small measure of hope that we wouldn't be kicking the leather off the ball. Then the 10 selection.

How many times are we going to play this game of dropping Ford for Farrell only to have to restore the former because the latter isn't up to it?

[JM2K6]

I think the kicking plan is independent of who gets selected at 10. Plenty of it comes from 9 and 15, some from 13, and Ford will happily kick the shit out of it for 80 minutes if that's the plan.

[sockwithaticket]

I know, it's just when I see Ford, there's the glimmer of hope, however faint, that he might do something off script. That's fully extinguished with Farrell.

[JM2K6]

Agreed. Faz isn't exactly the most free thinking 10...

[Paddington Bear]

Faz has been 10 for some of our best recent performances - tearing Australia apart in the World Cup, the win in Dublin etc. He had a poor autumn but this idea he offers nothing remains silly.

[Torquemada 1420]

Biggest interest for me will be how the Sarries players go given lack of any serious competitive action.

[sockwithaticket]

Faz has been 10 for some of our best recent performances - tearing Australia apart in the World Cup, the win in Dublin etc. He had a poor autumn but this idea he offers nothing remains silly.

He doesn't offer nothing, Ford just offers more.

Ford's also been at 10 for lots of our impressive victories starting with the whitewash of Australia on their own turf (bar the first half hour) and most recently the semi-final against the All Blacks.

I don't think we've had any particularly notable performances since then, although putting Ireland in their place last February was pretty good and he was pulling the strings that day.

[Paddington Bear]

Faz has been 10 for some of our best recent performances - tearing Australia apart in the World Cup, the win in Dublin etc. He had a poor autumn but this idea he offers nothing remains silly.

He doesn't offer nothing, Ford just offers more.

Ford's also been at 10 for lots of our impressive victories starting with the whitewash of Australia on their own turf (bar the first half hour) and most recently the semi-final against the All Blacks.

I don't think we've had any particularly notable performances since then, although putting Ireland in their place last February was pretty good and he was pulling the strings that day.

None of this is a criticism of Ford, I like both of them.

[Hal Jordan]

Daly still at full back, but all our comments are essentially the same as ever.

England are generally a good team whoever plays and we win a lot of games, so it sometimes feels a bit first world problems when we moan about the team, as it's bitching about only one Michelin star.

[SaintK]

Biggest interest for me will be how the Sarries players go given lack of any serious competitive action.

Yep, particularly as three of them are in the key positions of 2, 8 and 10

[Raggs]

Daly still at full back, but all our comments are essentially the same as ever.

England are generally a good team whoever plays and we win a lot of games, so it sometimes feels a bit first world problems when we moan about the team, as it's bitching about only one Michelin star.

Malins on the bench though, have hope. A few good performances off the bench, in those 2 minutes, may see him leapfrog Daly...

[Hal Jordan]

He is promising, what are his core full back skills like? I genuinely haven't seen him outside his limited England appearances to know whether he can catch a high ball and tackle, or whether he's another Goode - titan at club level, lovely for the highlights reels, opinion pieces and internet chat, but actually a bit crap doing the hard stuff at Test level.

[Raggs]

He is promising, what are his core full back skills like? I genuinely haven't seen him outside his limited England appearances to know whether he can catch a high ball and tackle, or whether he's another Goode - titan at club level, lovely for the highlights reels, opinion pieces and internet chat, but actually a bit crap doing the hard stuff at Test level.

Well he's looked better in the air than Daly, better in attack too I'd say. One of those fullbacks that just seems to be able to unlock defences.

[Paddington Bear]

He is promising, what are his core full back skills like? I genuinely haven't seen him outside his limited England appearances to know whether he can catch a high ball and tackle, or whether he's another Goode - titan at club level, lovely for the highlights reels, opinion pieces and internet chat, but actually a bit crap doing the hard stuff at Test level.

I sometimes wonder what sort of international Goode would have turned out to be were it not for that one absolute shocker of a game.

[JM2K6]

He is promising, what are his core full back skills like? I genuinely haven't seen him outside his limited England appearances to know whether he can catch a high ball and tackle, or whether he's another Goode - titan at club level, lovely for the highlights reels, opinion pieces and internet chat, but actually a bit crap doing the hard stuff at Test level.

I sometimes wonder what sort of international Goode would have turned out to be were it not for that one absolute shocker of a game.

The same one who played in all the other games, presumably.

[Madness]

He is promising, what are his core full back skills like? I genuinely haven't seen him outside his limited England appearances to know whether he can catch a high ball and tackle, or whether he's another Goode - titan at club level, lovely for the highlights reels, opinion pieces and internet chat, but actually a bit crap doing the hard stuff at Test level.

Well he's looked better in the air than Daly, better in attack too I'd say. One of those fullbacks that just seems to be able to unlock defences.

Helped by playing in a confident Bristol team where there are lots of other threats. However I think he's got all the skills and seems to have bulked up and stayed quick. Be interesting to see if he goes back to Sarries with Goode and Farrell blocking spots. If I was the Bath owner, once I'd got rid of Hooper then I'd throw money at Malins to be my 10.

[Raggs]

He is promising, what are his core full back skills like? I genuinely haven't seen him outside his limited England appearances to know whether he can catch a high ball and tackle, or whether he's another Goode - titan at club level, lovely for the highlights reels, opinion pieces and internet chat, but actually a bit crap doing the hard stuff at Test level.

I sometimes wonder what sort of international Goode would have turned out to be were it not for that one absolute shocker of a game.

The same one who played in all the other games, presumably.

Yeah, Goode had plenty of chances at international, and never looked great, but did look poor a few times. Just one of those players that failed to make the step up.