England EPS + Saxons

[TRF_Olyy]

I'd debate that - he's as good a fetcher as any 6.5s, but wouldn't rate him against the Pococks, Tipurics and Seymours p) of this world - ESPN Scrum International stats be damned! :lol:

 

[McTallshort]

The stats dont lie......what did Steve Walsh say to him in the 2nd test against SA? Something like "thats some of the best fetching work I have ever seen".

This 6.5 thing is a red herring. Robshaw is as good a 7 as anyone else.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Didn't say he's a bad fetcher, probably the best at it of the 6.5s around.
However there are many players better, and they're pretty much all 7s (Dan Cole isn't )

 

[mstar]

The stats dont lie......what did Steve Walsh say to him in the 2nd test against SA? Something like "thats some of the best fetching work I have ever seen".

This 6.5 thing is a red herring. Robshaw is as good a 7 as anyone else.

He didn't actually say that it was more along the lines of "thats some great fetching mate -well done"

 

[Patchey]

I read somewhere that the EPS can technically only be changed by 5 players (and the same for the Saxons) this time round. Does anyone know if this is true?

 

[mstar]

i said this before (see my posts) but don't be surprised to see Robshaw in the Lions.... as a 6 or 7.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I read somewhere that the EPS can technically only be changed by 5 players (and the same for the Saxons) this time round. Does anyone know if this is true?

That rings a bell, actually.
To only be able to change up to 5 players, twice a year (or is it once? Can they change them pre-Summer tour?) is madness. I understand them wanting consistency in selection, but it's stupid not allowing a coach to select all of the players he wants.

 

[McTallshort]

That rings a bell, actually.
To only be able to change up to 5 players, twice a year (or is it once? Can they change them pre-Summer tour?) is madness. I understand them wanting consistency in selection, but it's stupid not allowing a coach to select all of the players he wants.

isnt it more for the clubs? So if you have a team doing well they dont suddenly lose all their players to international duty?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Suppose - Still think it's a terrible idea. No other country has it, don't see why we need it.

 

[McTallshort]

Suppose - Still think it's a terrible idea. No other country has it, don't see why we need it.

Because our EPS can only work with agreement from the clubs, it all goes back to those dark days in 1995 when the RFU had its head firmly in the sand and refused to believe the game would go professional. On the upside it has allowed us to keep our club game together and not watch it replaced by some barely functioning Regional system like they have in Scotland or Wales.

 

[j'nuh]

The stats dont lie...

The stats are very limited in what they tell you and can be very misleading. You cannot tell a fetcher's contribution solely by the number of turnovers, just like I suppose you can't tell a winger's contribution by the number of tries he scores. For what it's worth, ESPN stats regularly show those in the backline leading in the turnover count, and no one considers 12s or 13s to be out-and-out fetchers. Fetchers do more than win turnovers (which doesn't happen all that often anyway) - they slow opposition play down and generally make a nuisance of the possession that the opposite team has, and stats don't evaulate this. Robshaw does get involved with rucks, but every 6 should anyway. Every decent 6 is a 6.5.

 

[McTallshort]

The stats are very limited in what they tell you and can be very misleading. You cannot tell a fetcher's contribution solely by the number of turnovers, just like I suppose you can't tell a winger's contribution by the number of tries he scores. For what it's worth, ESPN stats regularly show those in the backline leading in the turnover count, and no one considers 12s or 13s to be out-and-out fetchers. Fetchers do more than win turnovers (which doesn't happen all that often anyway) - they slow opposition play down and generally make a nuisance of the possession that the opposite team has, and stats don't evaulate this. Robshaw does get involved with rucks, but every 6 should anyway. Every decent 6 is a 6.5.

Stuart Lancaster thinks hes a good 7, I think he is better than any 7 we have had since Neil Back, he was arguably Englands best player in the Autumn and is a great captain, I really dont get why no-one rates this guy in the position he is currently playing in.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Have we had a 7 since Neil Back?

I rate him playing 7 - he's just not an openside flanker. Nothin' wrong with that as the backrow/pack work well together and are a balanced unit. England don't play blindside, openside, 8 - they play flanker, flanker, 8 (or occasionally blindside, blindside, blindside ).

 

[Peat]

Johnson-esque stuff - the 25 or so players everyone can agree with, and then filling up the gaps with weird, weird calls such as Strettle over a winger who scores tries, JTH/Twelvetrees over Allen, Calum Clark as a potential replacement lock and so on. Not particularly impressed and looks like a very strong chance of having to call up a player from outside the EPS to cover injuries due to skeletal inclusions in the squad.

 

[Joseph14]

Robshaw has been as good a 7 in the international arena as any NH player since he got given the nod to be honest and this is from someone who would probably move him to 6 or even the bench to accommodate Armitage!

He is under rated by some in this role ( as opposed to certain NH rivals at 7 where it is very much the opposite! )

 

[McTallshort]

Robshaw has been as good a 7 in the international arena as any NH player since he got given the nod to be honest and this is from someone who would probably move him to 6 or even the bench to accommodate Armitage!

He is under rated by some in this role ( as opposed to certain NH rivals at 7 where it is very much the opposite! )

Very very true!

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

When was the last time Robshawe actually played 6? He has been at 7 for quins for ages now and pushed out W Skinner who was a great 7. I think Sky have been the ones saying "england need a fatcher not a 6.5" when in reality Robshaw is an out and out 7 by the fact that he dopes everything a 7 is supposed to do and he does it well.

 

[Patchey]

The five changes thing sort of makes sense from a clubs point of view but I can imagine it is a real hindrance to the international coaches, possibly the reason why Botha technically was in the EPS all of last year?

Can anyone suggest why Sharples isn't in? With Goode injured the 6 Nations would actually be a good time to see what England can do with two (decent) dedicated wingers. Have Brown and Foden competing for 15 rather than shoe horn one of them in on the wing and then pick two starting wingers inseatl of Wing/Fullback/Fullback? I think most people would agree that Sharples is a better choice that Strettle.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Agreed. Strettle had a good game vs Sale, but you shouldn't get selected off of the back of one good game vs weak opposition. Id pick most starting wingers in the prem over him, to be honest.
I imagine the Sarries connection in the backroom doesn't hurt his chances, mind.

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2

 

[psychic duck]

Strettle isn't a bad winger at all. Having said that though, I would have selected other wingers like Wade and Monye ahead of him.