NPR

SaintK wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:38 am

Openside wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:39 pm

Kawazaki wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:07 pm




Random/WTF/eh? post of the day winner.

Why?? I was agreeing that Auterac looked really good for a spell ??

To be fair you could have probably timed that spell in minutes!!!

Glaston wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 6:27 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:12 am It would be astonishing if that main Quins trio weren't involved.


I would be genuinely disappointed if O'Flaherty got picked. He's definitely no better than other wingers who've already dropped out of the squad (Hassell-Collins), let alone those already there. Equally don't see any point picking Nowell and as someone who's basically been injured all season he'll get more out of a full pre-season than being beasted in England camp. We'll also learn absolutely nothing new by chucking him on against Canada or the US.

O' flaherty had some very poor games earlier in the season.


Still confused by Eddie picking McConnachie for the RWC and ignoring him after that. One of the most pointless squad picks .

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 6:58 pm Pleased for but slightly confused by Kennigham's selection. He's looked good on the run in to the title but I'm not sure he's Test level (yet).

Anyway, he won't get picked, Jones will probably do an Andy Robinson and pick Ludlam, Curry and Underhill in a tombola number selection with Dombrant and Hill on the bench to come on at 6 and 7 respectively in the second half.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:19 am

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 6:58 pm Pleased for but slightly confused by Kennigham's selection. He's looked good on the run in to the title but I'm not sure he's Test level (yet).

Anyway, he won't get picked, Jones will probably do an Andy Robinson and pick Ludlam, Curry and Underhill in a tombola number selection with Dombrant and Hill on the bench to come on at 6 and 7 respectively in the second half.

I get that Eddie sees a kid like that put in some pretty eye catching performances and he wants to bring them into camp, with no intention of playing them in a test, to cast an eye over them in his super tough environment.

Surely, though, it's more worthwhile to bring these players in once they've had a more sustained level of performance across a couple of seasons so that you can see it wasn't just a fluke or lack of analysis done by the opposition on a fresh player on whom they have very little game tape. As impressive as Kenningham stopping LCD's quick tap pen carries was, is he afforded that opportunity if Exeter know who he is and have a season's worth of games to analyse which show this is a thing he's good at? Perhaps instead they change their option and kick sticks or go for the lineout drive.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:47 am

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:19 am

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 6:58 pm Pleased for but slightly confused by Kennigham's selection. He's looked good on the run in to the title but I'm not sure he's Test level (yet).

Anyway, he won't get picked, Jones will probably do an Andy Robinson and pick Ludlam, Curry and Underhill in a tombola number selection with Dombrant and Hill on the bench to come on at 6 and 7 respectively in the second half.

I get that Eddie sees a kid like that put in some pretty eye catching performances and he wants to bring them into camp, with no intention of playing them in a test, to cast an eye over them in his super tough environment.

Surely, though, it's more worthwhile to bring these players in once they've had a more sustained level of performance across a couple of seasons so that you can see it wasn't just a fluke or lack of analysis done by the opposition on a fresh player on whom they have very little game tape. As impressive as Kenningham stopping LCD's quick tap pen carries was, is he afforded that opportunity if Exeter know who he is and have a season's worth of games to analyse which show this is a thing he's good at? Perhaps instead they change their option and kick sticks or go for the lineout drive.

While Kenningham's chop tackles on LCD were very impressive, and I do think this is very premature, I think it's pretty unfair to say that's the reason for his selection. He's an academy kid who's been asked to fill the gap left by the most dominant breakdown 7 this season, who has put in several ridiculous tackling displays and shown some good heavy carrying ability (partly due to excellent footwork, which is no bad thing) and has scored some useful tries as well. In the 6 full games he played that Premiership rugby want to give me stats for (can't get the ones from our thrashing of Newcastle) he's made 106 tackles and missed 12, which is pretty damn impressive, including the standouts of 24/2 against Wasps and 20/0 in the final (to go with 10 carries).

He's obviously not better than the existing options at 7 for England (or Ben Curry), but he's already stood out more than the rest IMO.

Having said that, if his chop tackling is that good it stops Exeter using one of their favourite plays, that definitely isn't a negative! I think there's only so much a team can do if they know that a player a) tackles a lot and b) carries well with good footwork.

I was really worried when we lost Evans as the early Kenningham displays were that of a really good tackler and not much else, but he's added enough to his game already that I'm pretty happy with him being a live option for Quins selection. I can see why Eddie would be interested in taking a look for the future.

tl;dr: WOO QUINS!!! I mean uh, Kenningham seems like a real talent who's been outstanding in almost every match he's played this season, though I agree it seems premature regardless.

(edit: Everyone was this excited about Luke Wallace when he first came through, so, y'know...)

Raggs wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:04 am

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:27 am I think ring-fencing is a sane idea for English rugby and a 14 team league with no ring-fencing is the worst of both worlds.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:27 am I think ring-fencing is a sane idea for English rugby and a 14 team league with no ring-fencing is the worst of both worlds.

Brazil wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:39 am

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:27 am I think ring-fencing is a sane idea for English rugby and a 14 team league with no ring-fencing is the worst of both worlds.

How so? On the basis of the play offs it seems unlikely that the top team in the championship will be able to make the step up, and that's before you take into account that most of them will be ineligible due to stadium size.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:29 am

Brazil wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:39 am

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:27 am I think ring-fencing is a sane idea for English rugby and a 14 team league with no ring-fencing is the worst of both worlds.

How so? On the basis of the play offs it seems unlikely that the top team in the championship will be able to make the step up, and that's before you take into account that most of them will be ineligible due to stadium size.

I missed the play-offs bit, actually, which does make it less bad. But 14 teams is stretching it to begin with - I can see the schedule being bananas, which is no good for player welfare, and we all know that the 14th team is likely to be Ealing, i.e. a bad London Welsh tribute act with no fans, no players, and no ground, but a ton of cash and willing to blow it all. A properly ring fenced Premiership with actual effort put into thinking about what the 2nd tier should look like and having it be better funded but without chasing the impossible dream of becoming Exeter strikes me as much better than a 14-team Premiership that still carries the risk of relegation and encourages teams even worse than Ealing and Welsh to try and break the bank to compete.

I do like the idea of enforcing EQP numbers, though.

Brazil wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:43 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:29 am

Brazil wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:39 am

How so? On the basis of the play offs it seems unlikely that the top team in the championship will be able to make the step up, and that's before you take into account that most of them will be ineligible due to stadium size.

I missed the play-offs bit, actually, which does make it less bad. But 14 teams is stretching it to begin with - I can see the schedule being bananas, which is no good for player welfare, and we all know that the 14th team is likely to be Ealing, i.e. a bad London Welsh tribute act with no fans, no players, and no ground, but a ton of cash and willing to blow it all. A properly ring fenced Premiership with actual effort put into thinking about what the 2nd tier should look like and having it be better funded but without chasing the impossible dream of becoming Exeter strikes me as much better than a 14-team Premiership that still carries the risk of relegation and encourages teams even worse than Ealing and Welsh to try and break the bank to compete.

I do like the idea of enforcing EQP numbers, though.

I'd much prefer your plan, but can't see it happening when there's so much magical thinking in the Championship and its cheeleaders in the press make it out to be some sepia-tinted home of Real Rugby, rather than what it actually is, which is Premiership lite. I previously thought that the most English Rugby could sustain was two professional leagues of ten teams each. That's evidently far too ambitious, and will be for the foreseeable future, and in reality the championship needs reconfiguring more radically so that it serves a purpose in the wider structure of English rugby, possibly as a development pool for young players, but even that will be unlikely if the premiership teams have to expand their EQP squads. Until anyone is willing to admit that doing an Exeter is nothing more than a pipedream, then the 14 team prem, with in all likelihood some very lopsided results, is about the best fix.

The EQP numbers is good, though I wonder whether there's not a risk of diluting the quality of the teams, particularly given how thinly talent will be spread across 14 teams (or more likely concentrated in a few teams).

Raggs wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 9:38 am Wasps sign Vaea Fifita.

Good signing that's hopefully not too expensive with current form. In addition, rumour is he wants to switch to Tonga like Fekitoa, so I imagine release for 7s events was discussed in the talks. Covers lock and backrow, which is exactly what we were looking for.

ASMO wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:30 am I really really hate the idea of a play off, you have bust your balls all season, won your league and now have to play another game to get promoted, it is just a moneymaker. Win your league, you should be rewarded with promotion, come bottom you get relegated its simple as that.

Eleven-times capped All Blacks forward Vaea Fifita has signed for Gallagher Premiership side Wasps.
The 29-year-old becomes Wasps' ninth summer signing and follows hot on the heels of Monday's announcement that former Springbok Nizaam Carr will be starting a third spell at the Coventry club ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Fifita, who made his New Zealand debut four years ago, is a second row who is also a capable flanker, starting on the blindside for the Hurricanes against the British and Irish Lions and scored a crucial late try in the 31-31 draw.
He joins fellow Kiwis Brad Shields and Jeff Toomaga-Allen in Wasps' squad, having won the Super Rugby title alongside the pair for the Hurricanes in 2016. Like Malakai Fekitoa, Fifita was born in Tonga before going on to represent the All Blacks.

ASMO wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:30 am I really really hate the idea of a play off, you have bust your balls all season, won your league and now have to play another game to get promoted, it is just a moneymaker. Win your league, you should be rewarded with promotion, come bottom you get relegated its simple as that.

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:28 pm My Twitter feed has allowed the RFU to suggest I get excited about the USA match by showing me a clip of squad practise. Of a box kick. And someone taking a couple of high balls.

ASMO wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 7:05 pm England being their usual brainless self, 2 penalties in 2 minutes.

Madness wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 8:45 pm Riley the England hooker looks a good player

England backs not doing a lot but good defensively, Charlie Atkinson having a shocker

Hells Bells wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am England team for the USA game:

1) Genge
2) Langdon
3) Heyes
4) McNally
5) Ewels
6) Ludlow (c)
7) Underhill
8) Chick
9) Randall
10) Smith
11) Malins
12) Lawrence
13) Slade
14) Cokanasiga
15) Steward

Subs: Blamire, Obano, Davison, Hill, Curry, Ludlam, Robson, Umaga.

Disappointed at no Radwan and don’t see the point in a 6/2 split on the bench.

Hells Bells wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am England team for the USA game:

1) Genge
2) Langdon
3) Heyes
4) McNally
5) Ewels
6) Ludlow (c)
7) Underhill
8) Chick
9) Randall
10) Smith
11) Malins
12) Lawrence
13) Slade
14) Cokanasiga
15) Steward

Subs: Blamire, Obano, Davison, Hill, Curry, Ludlam, Robson, Umaga.

Disappointed at no Radwan and don’t see the point in a 6/2 split on the bench.

Raggs wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:09 am

Hells Bells wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am England team for the USA game:

1) Genge
2) Langdon
3) Heyes
4) McNally
5) Ewels
6) Ludlow (c)
7) Underhill
8) Chick
9) Randall
10) Smith
11) Malins
12) Lawrence
13) Slade
14) Cokanasiga
15) Steward

Subs: Blamire, Obano, Davison, Hill, Curry, Ludlam, Robson, Umaga.

Disappointed at no Radwan and don’t see the point in a 6/2 split on the bench.

I'd guess the 6/2 is to rescue the game if things aren't working correctly. Tighten it up, and just muscle through.