[2015 RWC] Pool A: England vs. Australia (03/10/2015)

[Mumbles119]

As a passionate England fan, I always want to believe.

But to actually start a World Cup campaign with over 40 games to prepare, and still have no idea of your best player partnerships, and make poor selections for squad and bench, is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

Stuart Lancaster; this blames lays with you. The players did the best they could with poor circumstances.

There are common issues that everyone knows, but have never been dealt with; lack of breakdown ability in the back row, lack of talent in the centres etc...

But the biggest fault that you are to blame for Stuart Lancaster, is the players that should be there were not given the right chances or even involved. We should have seen more involvement from names such as: Jamie George; Dave Ewers, Matt Kvesic, Joe Simpson, Henry Slade, Danny Cipriani, Jack Nowell.

 

[shtove]

He and launchbury were our only decent players today. Maybe ford.

I think it was Ben Kay on ITV who pointed out his big boo-boo for Aus's second try.

 

[Wendigo7]

Thought Ford was excellent when he came on.

We looked infinitely better with him and everyone pretty much noticed it.

 

[Wally]

If anything we should be awarded points for hitting Giteau like that, the ****ing ****.

 

[Kiwi_]

Well I was completely wrong, Foley actually played the game of his life, I don't expect to see a repeat performance like that from him.

England are so boring and predictable, unimaginative in attack, they've always been like this and always will be, it's in their Rugby culture. It's like they have read a book on how to play Rugby and try to copy it without thinking outside of the text. The unorthodox Aussie backline play was far superior.

Can't see the Welsh or the Scots having much of a chance vs Australia, so it looks like an Ireland vs Aussie semi-final, what a cracker that is going to be, can't wait.


Not sold by Australia either. I still don't think they have the depth to win this tournament and Genia and Phipps are terrible, no idea why he left Nic White at home, also their line out is questionable. I felt England were back in the game in the 2nd half and the Farrell sending off came at a good time for Australia as England had the belief and they were playing very patchy.

 

[Reiser99]

Lancaster definitely has had his faults. However some of the england players should never wear the shirt again. This was pathetic and embarrassing.

 

[OverGore]

a player like Toulon's stephon armitage would have been nice to see in english team

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I don't understand why Ford got so much flak for lacking big game temperament and then those same people claim Farrell does have it? Ford has not been carded internationally and I can't remember the last time it happened at his club, Farrell is a hothead. Ford came on and suddenly England's attack came alive, even with 4 players shuffling positions and bloody Barritt doing his best in midfield to kill every move that came his way.

Lesson learned, conservative choices have done nothing but hold England back and this world cup once again showed that. Ford is our future at 10, Barritt must never again wear an England shirt, we need specialist breakdown and scrum coaches and we need to stop thinking we can have an entire team without a single player who is a breakdown specialist. No successful team in the world does that an Australia today showed why.

 

[dullonien]

Commiserations to all the English fans, I personally took no real pleasure in seeing the host nation crash out of the WC, other than the fact that it meant that Wales are now through to the quarters.

Australia were very good tonight. They've added a real forward platform to their open field game, which makes them a very complete side. Yet I don't think it was a complete performance from them tonight, we barely saw their outside backs (although with Foley playing as he was, I suppose they weren't really needed). Folau was pretty poor, butchering an early try scoring try, and not close to his imperious best in the air. Pocock was immense as always though, that man is a machine!

As for England, did they learn anything from the 2013 game.That was close to a carbon copy of what happened back then, beaten in the scrum, demolished at the breakdown, and generally outplayed in most facets of the game. A sensible coach would have at least addressed the breakdown during that time, but he never looked past Robshaw at 7, and that sums it up really. Lancaster has done some good things during his time in charge, and the lack of experience in his squad was always going to be a challenge to overcome, but he's come up well short in the end. I don't think English rugby is in a bad state, despite the unfortunate tag England are left with after this result. The next coach will have a great base from which to start, but needs to look at getting the balance right in the pack and midfield, and develop a real core of leaders through his squad to take forward to the next world cup.

If England get the selection of the next coach right (pretty sure Lancaster will go after this), then I expect England to improve massively over the coming years.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah that was said in 2011

 

[Peat]

I think it was Ben Kay on ITV who pointed out his big boo-boo for Aus's second try.

And as Wilko pointed out, Kay was probably talking out of his rectum because its pretty common in a lot of defensive structures for the guy to move around the ruck like that.

 

[Kiwi_]

Mike Brown is probably the most overrated player on the planet by the way, heard big things coming into this tournament, was sorely disappointed, cost England dearly vs Wales and Australia. Surely that's not the best you've got?

 

[ShonH]

Looks like the English euro-slow pedantic rugby experiment is at end for the time being. Please continue to disregard superior rugby played in the Southern hemisphere and stick to your guns on playing your predictable brand of rugby. Feel free to make excuses about why another Southern Hemisphere team wins another world cup. Keep doing what your are doing and expect different results next time. English rugby implosions are among the more entertaining aspects of the sport. Well done.

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Looks like the English euro-slow pedantic rugby experiment is at end for the time being. Please continue to disregard superior rugby played in the Southern hemisphere and stick to your guns on playing your predictable brand of rugby. Feel free to make excuses about why another Southern Hemisphere team wins another world cup. Keep doing what your are doing and expect different results next time. English rugby implosions are among the more entertaining aspects of the sport. Well done.

God, the trolls aren't even trying on here any more. Must do better guys, especially with such perfect material.

Can't say I'm surprised or that disappointed. Lancaster's done a decent job of pulling England out of 2011's rut, but he should only ever have been an interim, and it's placed us in a whole new one.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Mike Brown is probably the most overrated player on the planet by the way, heard big things coming into this tournament, was sorely disappointed, cost England dearly vs Wales and Australia. Surely that's not the best you've got?

Ben Smith would struggle to make the London Welsh starting XV based on today's game.
Let's all pick games where teams were **** to slag off players!

Brown is probably the best 15 in the NH. Certainly top 5 in the world.

 

[Rich Taff]

Mike Brown is probably the most overrated player on the planet by the way, heard big things coming into this tournament, was sorely disappointed, cost England dearly vs Wales and Australia. Surely that's not the best you've got?

Kind of agree with you here. Brown was fantastic the year before the Lions tour of Australia, but now he's just 3pts waiting to happen. (or today 7pts with his defence)

 

[ShonH]

Ben Smith would struggle to make the London Welsh starting XV based on today's game.
Let's all pick games where teams were **** to slag off players!

Brown is probably the best 15 in the NH. Certainly top 5 in the world.

More silly rhetoric. Ben Smith is better than any back in England. He is playing for the World Champions. Brown might get on the field for Northland.

 

[Kiwi_]

Ben Smith would struggle to make the London Welsh starting XV based on today's game.
Let's all pick games where teams were **** to slag off players!

Brown is probably the best 15 in the NH. Certainly top 5 in the world.

Maybe you should read Hansen's latest comments about simulating pressure

Fact is Brown played a large part in costing England a spot in the knock out rounds and that can't be argued. It's not like it was Lancaster out there knocking it on and not releasing and in general being petulant and adding to the poor team spirit.

 

[Jockstap]

Honestly? Most won't.
Rugby's not that big over here and once the groups are over the part time/international fans will go back to the football. The Aviva Premiership starts up then too. Any that stick will probably support The All blacks as they're the biggest/most famous.
Personally? I'll cross everything that Japan get out of their group, and if not then probably Argentina, and whoever is the underdog in the game I'm watching.

Out of curiosity where would Rugby rank in popularity in England, I know it's behind Football and for reasons I can't fathom Cricket, so it would be third wouldn't it?

Commiserations England, I was rooting for you.

 

[TobesHodges]

I'll get my boo hoos out of the way first, the assistant ref had a howler against Marler, Kepu constantly slipping his bind down to Marlers arm making him turn in was outrageous, ridiculously frustrating.
Farrells yellow was bull****, The player was in front of the ball carrier running a woeful dummy line, straight in line with farrells vision of the pass, **** TMO, because he couldn't understand it from a players perspective.. Right got them off my chest

England were absolutely out played today, by a far superior team and really England just don't have enough weapons to do anything in the World Cup, I don't give a **** what anyone thinks, we need Armatige, we needed Tuilagi, we needed a second hooker Hartley, Rob Webber is diabolical off the bench at international level. We have no 7, if Armatige was playing this World Cup we would have so much more parity at the breakdown, if Tuilagi had been playing we would have had so many more options in midfield.
But good luck to Aus a decent outfit!