NPR

SaintK wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:09 pm Slade injured in training on Monday. Marchant called up as squad cover
Sounds doubtful for Ireland. Shame if true, had one of his best matches for England last weekend

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:21 pm Great, so we lose Marchant for basically no reason. We already have Odogwu and Lawrence ready to play 13, and Daly can play there too. Absolutely no reason to call up a 4th option just to hold tackle bags for the final game of the tournament.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:21 pm Great, so we lose Marchant for basically no reason. We already have Odogwu and Lawrence ready to play 13, and Daly can play there too. Absolutely no reason to call up a 4th option just to hold tackle bags for the final game of the tournament.

Raggs wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:29 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:21 pm Great, so we lose Marchant for basically no reason. We already have Odogwu and Lawrence ready to play 13, and Daly can play there too. Absolutely no reason to call up a 4th option just to hold tackle bags for the final game of the tournament.

Odogwu apparently hasn't been playing due to a shoulder complaint, I don't know if that's holding true for this game as well, but it may explain calling up cover.

Random1 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:42 pm I know absolutely nothing about Martin. Anyone seen him play? As Eddie might be throwing him in there.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... eland.html

Margin__Walker wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:49 pm Yeah, you could argue that he's not the best 13 available, but I still think he's likely to be better there than at 15.

This statement will probably good for a day or two, before Henshaw and Ringrose inevitably eat him alive.

SaintK wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:55 pm

Margin__Walker wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:49 pm Yeah, you could argue that he's not the best 13 available, but I still think he's likely to be better there than at 15.

This statement will probably good for a day or two, before Henshaw and Ringrose inevitably eat him alive.

Ringrose is out I thought

Margin__Walker wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:49 pm Yeah, you could argue that he's not the best 13 available, but I still think he's likely to be better there than at 15.

This statement will probably good for a day or two, before Henshaw and Ringrose inevitably eat him alive.

ASMO wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 1:54 pm

Margin__Walker wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:49 pm Yeah, you could argue that he's not the best 13 available, but I still think he's likely to be better there than at 15.

This statement will probably good for a day or two, before Henshaw and Ringrose inevitably eat him alive.

Elliot "Pea Heart" Daly will miss even more tackles than Slade did.

Skipper Joe Launchbury starts, while England hopeful Alfie Barbeary is back, named on the bench.

Ovals wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:58 am Some good news for Wasps

Skipper Joe Launchbury starts, while England hopeful Alfie Barbeary is back, named on the bench.

I hope Odogwu isn't too broken when he returns from the England camp - albeit he's probably forgotten how to play by now.

“We are really pleased at the way he is going," said Jones. "Some players need a period of adaption and he is a much better player now. If he keeps working hard on his game and keeps attending to areas of his game that he needs to do to be a Test player he is going to be a great prospect. So we are really pleased with the way he is going. But for this game given the context of the game against Ireland where it is going to be a huge aerial game we feel that Joe Marchant is better coming off the bench for us."

For the trip to Ireland on Saturday Jones has made just one change, recalling Elliot Daly and restoring him to his natural position of outside-centre for the first time in five years with Henry Slade ruled out through injury. Jones acknowledged that Daly – part of the Saracens contingent who had not played for two months before the start of the tournament – has struggled for form but, when asked if his confidence had taken a knock, the head coach lashed out.

“I’ve never seen confidence walk through the door, so I don’t know what confidence is,” he said. “Players might think differently, they might work a bit harder, they might work a little bit less. I don’t think there is any such thing as confidence, you either think rightly or you think wrongly, and the wrong time you start to listen to the poison that’s written in the media, that rat poison gets into players’ heads. We try to keep it out of their head. We try to spray all that rat poison that you try to put in and get it out of their head, so we are always working hard to keep it out of their heads. It keeps me busy, mate.”

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:27 am

Ovals wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:58 am Some good news for Wasps

Skipper Joe Launchbury starts, while England hopeful Alfie Barbeary is back, named on the bench.

I hope Odogwu isn't too broken when he returns from the England camp - albeit he's probably forgotten how to play by now.

Full team


A little surprised to see Gopperth at 10. That hasn't happened in a while. Umaga and Willis jr. missing out on the 23 entirely is also a bit eye brow raising. The latter has played a lot of rugby recently due to back row injuries and is still pretty young, so maybe just giving him a break. Umaga isn't at his best, but he' been improving. Apparently Sopoaga is also fit now, but just not being selected.

Brookes and Launch back is big for the pack. Hopefully Launchbury has his usual transformative impact on the team and we finally pick up a worthwhile win (scraping past Worcester counts in league points only).

Didn't see anything about Wolstenholme coming in for Porter. Injury again? Can't see the sense in chopping and changing the 9 after so much disruption in that position recently unless forced too.


Falcons squad for tonight




Found this on Odogwu in the Cov Telegraph

“We are really pleased at the way he is going," said Jones. "Some players need a period of adaption and he is a much better player now. If he keeps working hard on his game and keeps attending to areas of his game that he needs to do to be a Test player he is going to be a great prospect. So we are really pleased with the way he is going. But for this game given the context of the game against Ireland where it is going to be a huge aerial game we feel that Joe Marchant is better coming off the bench for us."

Which reads to me - as a fuming Wasps supporter - like Eddie called up a player he had no intention of playing into a reduced squad and after two months with the guy hasn't been able to get him ready to even come off the bench in a test match to the extent that a player who hasn't been involved in the 6 Nations prep at all is better placed to do so...

Ovals wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:07 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:27 am

Ovals wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:58 am Some good news for Wasps



I hope Odogwu isn't too broken when he returns from the England camp - albeit he's probably forgotten how to play by now.

Spoiler

Show

Full team


A little surprised to see Gopperth at 10. That hasn't happened in a while. Umaga and Willis jr. missing out on the 23 entirely is also a bit eye brow raising. The latter has played a lot of rugby recently due to back row injuries and is still pretty young, so maybe just giving him a break. Umaga isn't at his best, but he' been improving. Apparently Sopoaga is also fit now, but just not being selected.

Brookes and Launch back is big for the pack. Hopefully Launchbury has his usual transformative impact on the team and we finally pick up a worthwhile win (scraping past Worcester counts in league points only).

Didn't see anything about Wolstenholme coming in for Porter. Injury again? Can't see the sense in chopping and changing the 9 after so much disruption in that position recently unless forced too.


Falcons squad for tonight

Found this on Odogwu in the Cov Telegraph

“We are really pleased at the way he is going," said Jones. "Some players need a period of adaption and he is a much better player now. If he keeps working hard on his game and keeps attending to areas of his game that he needs to do to be a Test player he is going to be a great prospect. So we are really pleased with the way he is going. But for this game given the context of the game against Ireland where it is going to be a huge aerial game we feel that Joe Marchant is better coming off the bench for us."

Which reads to me - as a fuming Wasps supporter - like Eddie called up a player he had no intention of playing into a reduced squad and after two months with the guy hasn't been able to get him ready to even come off the bench in a test match to the extent that a player who hasn't been involved in the 6 Nations prep at all is better placed to do so...

Utterly ridiculous treatment of Odogwu. He was in brilliant form but now hasn't played for 2 months. Bringing in a player, at the last minute, who hasn't been involved with the squad, and playing him ahead of Odogwu simply demonstrates how poorly he's been managed. Wasps must be very frustrated with the whole thing.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:31 am Eddie's been a full-on twat again, mind:

For the trip to Ireland on Saturday Jones has made just one change, recalling Elliot Daly and restoring him to his natural position of outside-centre for the first time in five years with Henry Slade ruled out through injury. Jones acknowledged that Daly – part of the Saracens contingent who had not played for two months before the start of the tournament – has struggled for form but, when asked if his confidence had taken a knock, the head coach lashed out.

“I’ve never seen confidence walk through the door, so I don’t know what confidence is,” he said. “Players might think differently, they might work a bit harder, they might work a little bit less. I don’t think there is any such thing as confidence, you either think rightly or you think wrongly, and the wrong time you start to listen to the poison that’s written in the media, that rat poison gets into players’ heads. We try to keep it out of their head. We try to spray all that rat poison that you try to put in and get it out of their head, so we are always working hard to keep it out of their heads. It keeps me busy, mate.”

He also think it'll be an attritional game, so expect England to kick the ball away all day long to a 4-point defeat where we throw no punches until the 76th minute...

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 1:43 pm Odogwu's career was drifting and he's only really turned things round this season, so I doubt he's at all worried about not having played in the 6N.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:20 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:31 am Eddie's been a full-on twat again, mind:

For the trip to Ireland on Saturday Jones has made just one change, recalling Elliot Daly and restoring him to his natural position of outside-centre for the first time in five years with Henry Slade ruled out through injury. Jones acknowledged that Daly – part of the Saracens contingent who had not played for two months before the start of the tournament – has struggled for form but, when asked if his confidence had taken a knock, the head coach lashed out.

“I’ve never seen confidence walk through the door, so I don’t know what confidence is,” he said. “Players might think differently, they might work a bit harder, they might work a little bit less. I don’t think there is any such thing as confidence, you either think rightly or you think wrongly, and the wrong time you start to listen to the poison that’s written in the media, that rat poison gets into players’ heads. We try to keep it out of their head. We try to spray all that rat poison that you try to put in and get it out of their head, so we are always working hard to keep it out of their heads. It keeps me busy, mate.”

He also think it'll be an attritional game, so expect England to kick the ball away all day long to a 4-point defeat where we throw no punches until the 76th minute...

Funny that the media are never a problem when exaggerating England's successes...

I was looking forward to the match, but I'd forgotten about the Away Game Template™. Thank you for reminding me to moderate expectations accordingly.

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:28 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:20 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:31 am Eddie's been a full-on twat again, mind:



He also think it'll be an attritional game, so expect England to kick the ball away all day long to a 4-point defeat where we throw no punches until the 76th minute...

Funny that the media are never a problem when exaggerating England's successes...

I was looking forward to the match, but I'd forgotten about the Away Game Template™. Thank you for reminding me to moderate expectations accordingly.

Hopefully he's just saying Scotland try to play the ball and Ireland shut them down, France play with power and pace and Ireland shut them down, so there's a reality to playing Ireland that means you cannot just assume you can get pace on the game because they're such effective spoilers, or from their pov such good defenders. Surely though the game will be better for England if they start fast and then just keep the foot down.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:34 pm What looks to be a fairly obvious gouge attempt caught on camera and seemingly ignored in the Wasps - Falcons game.

Comms later told is being put on report for the citing officer. What in the actual fuck is that about? They had the footage before Gopperth finished taking a pen for a different advantage, so I'm baffled as to why it wasn't being looked at in game. Can hardly argue time elapsed. Of course it will elapse if the officials refuse to check...

Ovals wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:42 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:34 pm What looks to be a fairly obvious gouge attempt caught on camera and seemingly ignored in the Wasps - Falcons game.

Comms later told is being put on report for the citing officer. What in the actual fuck is that about? They had the footage before Gopperth finished taking a pen for a different advantage, so I'm baffled as to why it wasn't being looked at in game. Can hardly argue time elapsed. Of course it will elapse if the officials refuse to check...

It was a shocker too - the guy will get a very long ban for that - the video evidence is very clear - just needed the ref to view it - ony needed a minute. The ref also gave a try to Newcastle when Launchbury had his arm under the ball and held it up. Wasps really not getting the rub of the green with this ref. Very frustrating.

Ovals wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:52 pm Great work from Shields there - Wasps back in this - looking quite fired up in the 2nd half.

Barbeary comes on with 34 minutes to play