2014 QBE Internationals [EOYT] England

[psychic duck]

Almost certain. He wants to play for England, and if Lancaster is going to ignore him, regardless of form, at Sale then he'll leave - Wasps or Quins would be my bet.

Dimes said his contract negotiations start in November, so I think if nothings heard by Christmas then it's all but confirmed - it's what happened with Miller/Gaskell.

The Rugby Paper said that Wasps are looking for a big name signing to help get people to their new stadium.

 

[j'nuh]

Almost certain. He wants to play for England, and if Lancaster is going to ignore him, regardless of form, at Sale then he'll leave - Wasps or Quins would be my bet.

Dimes said his contract negotiations start in November, so I think if nothings heard by Christmas then it's all but confirmed - it's what happened with Miller/Gaskell.

Laidlaw, Cips, May, Twelvetrees, Trinder, Sharples, Hook
Bench: Robson, Atkinson, Purdy

You know, if Cips really wanted to get noticed. What a backline that would be.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Chris Bell and Simon McIntyre also went to Wasps from Sale.
Bomber ended up there, via France, too.
Wasps just really want to be us

 

[Patchey]

I guess it figures. Whether players for Quins (in their current form) or Wasps (who seem to get backs overlooked) will help that much is another point though.

I mean of love for him to come to the Stoop, we're looking for a medical joker right now in fact!

I hope he is picked though and the press are wrong. Because he should be in the EPS at very least.

Also, I've noticed Barritt for 12 rumours have reached the terrible critical mass where even the Evening Standard reports them. In my (anecdotal) experience when that happens it's a dead cert.

 

[ratsapprentice]

"Wasps keen to bring Cipriani back home"... that'll be Quins then?

 

[Peat]

His best course of action, if he can somehow sway them, would be to get Northampton to go third time lucky on a flair fly-half. Probably the best platform for England he could get.

Quins or Cockroaches seems more likely though

 

[ratsapprentice]

Sooo.... apparently the unthinkable has happened - Rokoduguni has replaced Ashton.

Also according to the DM:

- 36 ommited
- Callum Clark in - replacing Kvesic by the look of it.

Supposedly going to be a small second tranche of players announced a few days later.

 

[j'nuh]

Sooo.... apparently the unthinkable has happened - Rokoduguni has replaced Ashton.

Also according to the DM:

- 36 ommited
- Callum Clark in - replacing Kvesic by the look of it.

Supposedly going to be a small second tranche of players announced a few days later.

What the f***ing f***.

Remember when England got caned by Wales, 30-3, and as a result Lancaster was publicly talking about ideally wanting to bring in a poaching 7? And then Kvesic, Fraser and Wallace all were touted as options, made it into the England/Saxons squads. Kvesic has been in the England squad for a while now and knows the systems.

Kvesic's in good form. He was ahead of Clark in the last EPS. So what the hell happened to make him drop below Clark? We decided that we didn't need a poacher after all?

Whatever, Lancaster will go with Wood/Robshaw/Vunipola/Morgan and will replace one of them with Haskell if injury occurs, so we won't even see Clark. I'm just disappointed at how little faith Lancaster seems to have in Kvesic.

 

[goodNumber10]

Remember when England got caned by Wales, 30-3, and as a result Lancaster was publicly talking about ideally wanting to bring in a poaching 7? And then Kvesic, Fraser and Wallace all were touted as options, made it into the England/Saxons squads. Kvesic has been in the England squad for a while now and knows the systems.

i don't recall that, i thought Robshaw was our man of the match and the only player who really stood up that day, thought Lancaster pretty much said the same.

Whilst Robshaw is captain he won't play an out and out fetcher so it's 3 into 2 as far as 8 & 6 go.


it's good news 36 won't be there - i'm glad eastmond managed to turn around that third test baggage, i genuinley thought his time was over after that match.

 

[Peat]

I am slightly biased as I still believe that Clark ideally never should have been considered again after that final, and certainly shouldn't have been considered again so quickly, but I struggle to see what he brings to the set-up other than being Lanny's lad from t' academy. I know he's not a bad player, but I genuinely struggle to see what makes him international class. Even if you accept that Lancaster's platonic ideal of a flanker is very fit and good in the lineout with everything coming second, he seems a bit of a big cool glass of nothing.

edit: Lancaster has talked about a fetching 7 on and off ad nausem through his time at England and I don't think it would be difficult to play Robshaw and a fetching 7. Just, push comes to shove, gotta seriously question whether he actually wants to...

 

[goodNumber10]

I am slightly biased as I still believe that Clark ideally never should have been considered again after that final, and certainly shouldn't have been considered again so quickly, but I struggle to see what he brings to the set-up other than being Lanny's lad from t' academy. I know he's not a bad player, but I genuinely struggle to see what makes him international class. Even if you accept that Lancaster's platonic ideal of a flanker is very fit and good in the lineout with everything coming second, he seems a bit of a big cool glass of nothing.

edit: Lancaster has talked about a fetching 7 on and off ad nausem through his time at England and I don't think it would be difficult to play Robshaw and a fetching 7. Just, push comes to shove, gotta seriously question whether he actually wants to...

He's talked about a lot of things that have never come to pass, including a ball playing 12 and a fetching 7 - i don't think either were specific to the Wales game.

i think on both things he might like the idea, but just not feel he has the personnel to play those positions.

On Clark, i dislike him a lot, he seems to me to be a very unpleasant man - the ban should have been longer it was ABH imho, and since he has come back he's always in the middle of the trouble.... and like you Peat i just don' see what it is he brings that we don't have an abundance of already (but maybe that's it, Lancaster wants more of the same?).

To be fair to Lancaster, he was a flanker and he does know his stuff - iirc he was a pretty decent flanker but was never going to break England. That's probably why he loves the work horses.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Clarke seems to what Lancaster is looking for in the back row. A work horse with no real specialist skill.

Good tackler, good in the line out, good at rucking, good in the loose.

Not one stand out quality though. I'd want ewers in for this backup 6 role tbh.

 

[Maverick1987]

If he leaves our Cipriani an Kvesic and puts in Myler and Clark I'll cry ! Northampton have some serious quality in their side but it's not these 2 guys . Good premiership players at best plus Clarke just simply shouldn't be given another chance after breaking Hawkins arm

 

[Tony Manx]

If he leaves our Cipriani an Kvesic and puts in Myler and Clark I'll cry ! Northampton have some serious quality in their side but it's not these 2 guys . Good premiership players at best plus Clarke just simply shouldn't be given another chance after breaking Hawkins arm

Get your tissues handy cos you are going to need them

 

[Maverick1987]

Get your tissues handy cos you are going to need them

I will ! Anyone know what time it's being announced ? Also anyone heard anything about Fraser being selected ?

 

[Peat]

A Mail leak this close to the naming is pretty much going to be the thing, yeah.

I suppose the logic might be that it's seen as Robshaw vs Haskell - in which case Haskell unseats Kvesic - and Wood vs Clark, with Clark filling in for Croft. I can't say I'd agree with that logic but it makes a degree of sense. It makes me quite sad, now I think about it, to realise that Clark will soon finally be able to call himself an England international. I know there's no advantage to the moral high ground, that forgiveness is a virtue and all that, but still...

The Myler one just baffles me.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

What the f***ing f***.

Remember when England got caned by Wales, 30-3, and as a result Lancaster was publicly talking about ideally wanting to bring in a poaching 7? And then Kvesic, Fraser and Wallace all were touted as options, made it into the England/Saxons squads. Kvesic has been in the England squad for a while now and knows the systems.

Kvesic's in good form. He was ahead of Clark in the last EPS. So what the hell happened to make him drop below Clark? We decided that we didn't need a poacher after all?

Whatever, Lancaster will go with Wood/Robshaw/Vunipola/Morgan and will replace one of them with Haskell if injury occurs, so we won't even see Clark. I'm just disappointed at how little faith Lancaster seems to have in Kvesic.

Lancaster hates blonde opensides.

It is known.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Cipriani was pretty electric against Munster, and not selecting him is hard to justify.

He did a few things wrong though; got caught in two minds when Sale had a 'putting the game to bed overlap' and end up coughing the ball up...
Also out of that ruck towards the 80 minute mark where he grubbered the ball out...

He's made mistakes but who doesn't.

At what time is the formal announcement?

Its worth noting that whilst Mail leaks are typically very accurate, there have been a few times where they were wayy offf.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He did a few things wrong though; got caught in two minds when Sale had a 'putting the game to bed overlap' and end up coughing the ball up...
Also out of that ruck towards the 80 minute mark where he grubbered the ball out...

That was Easter's fault - Cipriani was literaly screaming at Easter not to give him the ball, because he was so flat and Munster had guys either side of the maul waiting to charge down the kick. When east gave him it anyway the only real thing he could do was run it (he did beat the first two defenders) then drop it on his toe and hope for the best.


Squads are usually out at midday, aren't they?

 

[Patchey]

1pm announcement according to the RFU twitter.

If the Mail leak is correct I will not be a happy camper. Clarke is not a test match standard player and has showed little potential to become one. He is also a horrible player. The only logic I can see for picking him is that he is a little more versatile in terms of position than Kvesic. But that really isn't an issue.

Myler over Cipriani is similarly mad. Although at least Myler is a nice guy.

Imagine if Strettle for a recall now? Just imagine...