2014 Six Nations: France vs England (Round 1)

[Big Ewis]

According to my iPhone. It looks like it's going to be a rainy day in Paris.

uh oh.........

 

[ratsapprentice]

[h=2]England squad to travel to France (26)[/h] [h=3]Forwards (14)[/h] David Attwood (Bath Rugby)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Matt Mullan (London Wasps)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
[h=3]Backs (12)[/h] Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Bath Rugby)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)

 

[Tmartin995]

England squad to travel to France (26)

Forwards (14)

David Attwood (Bath Rugby)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Matt Mullan (London Wasps)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Backs (12)

Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Bath Rugby)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)

so happy there's no Ashton, looks like Dickson will be 9 with Care off the bench. Hopefully Goode and Barritt will be the backs to miss out.

Assuming that Matt Mullan is travelling for the experience, unless one of the two looseheads are carrying a knock

 

[TRF_Olyy]

It's not uncommon for an extra prop to travel just in case there's an injury in warm up etc.
Little surprised barrit has travelled, or is it normal to take two extra backs?

Wonder if eastmond will play for the Saxons on Friday, now

 

[Big Ewis]

shiit, no way, no Ashton?!

how the hell are we gonna score tries........

 

[ratsapprentice]

Eastmond will play for the Saxons, it says so in the accompanying article.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

That time again, huh. Looking forward to the game.

I have a new theory; France are signing SA born players because SA sportsmen usually reserve their best for England as old as it might be.

PS; Big E, if you don't mind, I decided to join you in Cuba; such a beautiful country.

 

[Big Ewis]

That time again, huh. Looking forward to the game.

I have a new theory; France are signing SA born players because SA sportsmen usually reserve their best for England as old as it might be.

PS; Big E, if you don't mind, I decided to join you in Cuba; such a beautiful country.

well your theory ought to help if it's true, because we sure is hell play our shhittiest Rugby against them !! (unless there's something big at stake, when we occasionally show up...).

I like the stormer pun with your avatar. And you can join me in la revolucion any time you want. We'll smoke some hand-made cigars, and yap and fart about how evil America is any time, c'mon over amigo.


Hey apologies for the off-topic but: you know Kockott is eligible starting in August for France ? I'm against it personally. Really quick though, he's really really good. Even South Africa would benefit from taking him, even if it's off the bench, I'm sure he's better than Lambie without wanting to vex anyone. Your take ? Why dafuq ain't SA interested the least bit in him ?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

well your theory ought to help if it's true, because we sure is hell play our shhittiest Rugby against them !! (unless there's something big at stake, when we occasionally show up...).

I like the stormer pun with your avatar. And you can join me in la revolucion any time you want. We'll smoke some hand-made cigars, and yap and fart about how evil America is any time, c'mon over amigo.


Hey apologies for the off-topic but: you know Kockott is eligible starting in August for France ? I'm against it personally. Really quick though, he's really really good. Even South Africa would benefit from taking him, even if it's off the bench, I'm sure he's better than Lambie without wanting to vex anyone. Your take ? Why dafuq ain't SA interested the least bit in him ?

French players have so many games a year and you guys cycle through so many players in any case you should have a go-to team purely for this fixture and then a general team IMO; call it player rotation.

Kockott. I think he'll have a hard time getting a green jersey; while he was in SA Fourie du Preez was at his best and Pienaar was decent (and there was Jauarie though I don't want him mentioned bar that one game we won in NZ because of him {because of being so **** generally that NZ didn't even cover him at all}). He definately was a liability ITO getting penalized at that stage. I think that image of him is stuck in the SA rugby fan's mind (and probably selector's minds) though, yes, we need some new blood at 9 if only to back up a still 1st choice FdP.





Be careful what you say of Lambie; there are many Sharks supporters around blind to his faults who might take offense.

 

[Big Ewis]

woops, reading myself again I dunno why I said Lambie at SH....not focusing. And yeh I remember that intercept try by the little guy against NZ some years ago.
I guess I was trying to say surely Kockott is good enough to get at least a position for second SH on a Tier 1 nation, even if that nation is world's 2nd best SA. Pieenar over Kockott ??....mmm, I'd take Kockott. Anyways, we'll have a better thread to discuss this later...

Read this preview of England:
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_9136238,00.html

Extremely optimistic about England. Put a few things in perspective for myself reading it...



EDIT: scrolling down the page, it really looks like a couple of Cubans discussing Kockott and SA

 

[B10]

I think most England fans are quietly confident but wary of putting too much pressure on an inexperienced team.

 

[Big Ewis]

I think most England fans are quietly confident but wary of putting too much pressure on an inexperienced team.

I know that, man. The mere fact of reading so much complaining and what would appear to be humility/despair is very telling. You wouldn't see that many English fans tone down and admit things so bluntly if they really were threatened by a match. And since this is France, i.e. the precarious force in world Rugby, nobody knows how to react really or know if they should taunt yet or not, they're playing it safe. France could very well lose this, England have those big forwards and an established game plan...and then again they'd look foolish pre-celbrating if France happens to click and put a number on England.

With the known risk of seeming foolish or biased or wtvr, I go with my gut, as always: I say France wins this. I have a feeling in the back of my mind this is the match they click, but I can't extend that much yet. I'll stick with 'France wins' the whole week til Saturday.

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Now Ashton isn't playing, it looks like Fofana's going to have to beat 12 Englishman this time, rather than the same one 12 times.

 

[ratsapprentice]

According to the telegraph the lineup will be:

1. Marler
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Launchbury
5. Lawes
6. Wood
7. Robshaw
8. B. Vunipola
9. Care
10. Farrell
11. May
12. Twelvetrees
13. Burrell
14. Nowell
15. Brown

16. Youngs
17. M. Vunipola
18. Thomas
19. Attwood
20. Morgan
21. Dickson
22. Barritt
23. Goode

 

[Mumbles119]

According to the telegraph the lineup will be:

1. Marler
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Launchbury
5. Lawes
6. Wood
7. Robshaw
8. B. Vunipola
9. Care
10. Farrell
11. May
12. Twelvetrees
13. Burrell
14. Nowell
15. Brown

16. Youngs
17. M. Vunipola
18. Thomas
19. Attwood
20. Morgan
21. Dickson
22. Barritt
23. Goode

Barritt AND Goode! That will slow things up in the last 20

I can understand why Barritt could be on the bench as safety to shore things up if necessary, but not both. Watson would suit the 23 shirt more, to balance out Barritt, and hopefully take advantage if the game breaks up towards the end with a lot of forwards about the place. But I suppose it comes back to throwing in too much inexperience at once.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

It's a shame (if that's true) that Ford won't be there, however I reckon he'll start next week, with Farrell on the bench, so it's not too terrible.
I'm actually all right with that bench, in theory. Farrell has 80 minutes in him - 36 has a fair amount of time at 10 and can fill in there in the unlikely event of Farrell getting injured, and Barritt is there to cover if Burrell has a mare.
Goode, while not amazing, isn't going to lose us a game off the bench. The wings are young enough to easily have a full game in them, and Brown rarely goes off, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Goode not used, or at the most get a token 5mins at the end.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Can see that Goode and Barritt bench combo being true.

Shame as I wouldn't trust 36 to play at 10 in a high pressure game, yes he has matured but in the high pressure situations 36 has crumbled at 10.

 

[Crapspray]

Not sure if Ford will start in Murrayfield; it's always a banana-skin. Plus, whether England win or lose in Paris, a loss in Murrayfield would be a serious blow.

Start with Farrell and give Ford 30-40 minutes if it opens up like last year. I think it'd be better for his confidence if he comes on and fluffs it, rather than goes off if he has a terrible game.

If the tournament goes ***s up he could start in Rome as a throw-away game.

---

Goode is 10 cover according to the Torygraph. Barritt there in case Burrell has a nightmare.

 

[Peat]

There's a confidence booster for you! "Hi Luther, listen, I'm so scared you'll cock this one up completely I've thrown away any semblance of a balanced bench simply to have one guy covering you."

Never before have I so wanted 80 minutes from Fazlet. Actually... hang on... if he had to go off, and Goode came on, and looked genuinely good at 10... might he move back there? Hmmmm...

 

[Patchey]

There's a confidence booster for you! "Hi Luther, listen, I'm so scared you'll cock this one up completely I've thrown away any semblance of a balanced bench simply to have one guy covering you."

Never before have I so wanted 80 minutes from Fazlet. Actually... hang on... if he had to go off, and Goode came on, and looked genuinely good at 10... might he move back there? Hmmmm...

Don't go thinking those thoughts. That way madness lies...