[2015 RWC] Pool A: England vs. Wales (26/09/2015)

[j'nuh]

If he hasn't planned for the injury of Joseph, he's the biggest idiot this side of the Milky Way. It will look radical to us because it involves new players and we haven't seen it before, but plans must have been made.

Besides, all of that is completely irrelevant if the various reports that Burgess was in the team before Joseph was even injured are true. This isn't Plan B for the match, this is Plan A.

Bloody hell, is this true? I make Joseph our second best back after Brown. If Lancaster can't see his qualities, then I honestly don't know what to say.

 

[ncurd]

Besides, all of that is completely irrelevant if the various reports that Burgess was in the team before Joseph was even injured are true. This isn't Plan B for the match, this is Plan A.

If that's true, I dunno it makes me extremely angry in ways I can't describe but there's a hidden expletive in every word of this post.

I mean essentially the plan was to drop Joseph the most talented backline player England have had since probably Jason Robinson, words can't describe the anger at that decision.

 

[Peat]

Bloody hell, is this true? I make Joseph our second best back after Brown. If Lancaster can't see his qualities, then I honestly don't know what to say.

It is true it is being reported. Whether that makes it true, I don't know, but I find it plausible. I saw it on the Telegraph site.

The reason given is Lancaster was frustrated with the amount of side to side going on against Fiji and wanted some direct line power. That makes sense although quite why you'd look at Joseph before Barritt, well... there's obvious reasons, but not the type anyone likes.

 

[j'nuh]

It is true it is being reported. Whether that makes it true, I don't know, but I find it plausible. I saw it on the Telegraph site.

The reason given is Lancaster was frustrated with the amount of side to side going on against Fiji and wanted some direct line power. That makes sense although quite why you'd look at Joseph before Barritt, well... there's obvious reasons, but not the type anyone likes.

Substituting a lack of direct power in the middle for a lack of backline cohesiveness.

Maybe a couple more stronger carriers in the pack would have helped? Wilson, M Vunipola, Kvesic, Attwood, Ewers... he had quite a lot of opportunity to involve some of these.

 

[Every Time Ref]

Maybe I should wait until the result is in before committing to this, but right now I feel like this is the moment I stop sitting on the fence re: Lancaster and come down on the "the guy's incompetent" side.

Besides, all of that is completely irrelevant if the various reports that Burgess was in the team before Joseph was even injured are true. This isn't Plan B for the match, this is Plan A.

What are these reports? Is the story that Lancaster was planning to play Burgess-Joseph? Or that he was actually planning to drop the best back in the country ... ? If the latter then today is definitely the day I wash my hands of Lancaster

 

[ncurd]

You know what third or fourth thought if that's true it honestly wouldn't surprise me next week if Brown was dropped for Goode.

 

[ZeroTwo]

Before all this hysteria gets out of control lets remember Lancaster has built a team who are at least not a national embarrassment. Even if England don't do spectacularly, he has led with dignity and instilled a sense of pride in the team.

This may be the one who flew over the cuckoos nest though. Reckon he might have an interesting game plan from the last three months up his sleeve in store though, this may not be the emergency measure we're seeing it as.

 

[thechosenfamily]

Lancaster explains himself

Looks like Ford may be being set up as an impact sub

http://www.englandrugby.com/news/lancaster-confident-midfield-selection/

 

[Peat]

Before all this hysteria gets out of control lets remember Lancaster has built a team who are at least not a national embarrassment. Even if England don't do spectacularly, he has led with dignity and instilled a sense of pride in the team.

I would be more embarrassed to out of the group stages of a home world cup than I would be by any amount of dwarf tossing.


Anyway, Telegraph on Ford:

"The news was broken to Ford on Sunday night with confirmation coming at training on Monday when England lined up with a midfield of Owen Farrell, Sam Burgess and Brad Barritt, the trio that they are backing to take their forceful game to Wales on Saturday night.
Ford was understandably taken aback by the news and argued his case, but the die was cast. England have a reconstituted midfield, the 14th different combination employed by Lancaster. From being leading man to taking on an understudy role, Ford has a lot with which to contend. The 22-year-old showed his mettle by being sharp and positive in training on Tuesday.
The upheaval in England’s settled back line came about for one compelling reason: power. The chest injury sustained by Jonathan Joseph (ruling the centre out for two to three weeks) was not a decisive factor as England were already considering change following their mid-match struggles against Fiji."

I may have slightly overstated the case, but there it is.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...ut-set-on-proving-Stuart-Lancaster-wrong.html

 

[MojoPin]

Have to say all this outrage from English fans has me worried...last time this happened we got a pasting in the second half at the Millenium Stadium!

 

[TheSaffycen]

People saying why didn't Wales play Tipuric and Warburton why would he ?
Play Lydiate and have him stop Vunipola, Roberts on Burgess, then England have NO go forward. Warburton will have more than enough fun on his own, you don't need 2 ferchers when the other team has no idea come ruck time.

 

[ncurd]

Have to say all this outrage from English fans has me worried...last time this happened we got a pasting in the second half at the Millenium Stadium!

Yeah but the management have had a collective brain spasm and elected not to play one architects of that second half display. The other guy's injured but they actually discussed dropping him!

Seriously how the discussion about Joseph being dropped just didn't start and end with Rowntree walking up to Lancaster slapping him in the face and saying "are you f'ing mental" I have no idea.

 

[Peat]

Speaking of Rowntree, how comes we have an entirely unchanged tight five? That's a lot of trust in a unit that hasn't performed since the Six Nations...

 

[McTallshort]

Oh bugger
Just got back from a day out with the family and spotted the selection. I was hoping to be proved wrong when I said Farrell, Barriet,Burgess but unfortunately I have been proved correct.

 

[ncurd]

Speaking of Rowntree, how comes we have an entirely unchanged tight five? That's a lot of trust in a unit that hasn't performed since the Six Nations...

I think I've mentioned Cole and Marler even Lawes a couple of times. My only explanation is they were pretty awesome during the 6 nations and the management has hopes they'll come good. Someone said (think it was you) they say 0 reason why that would happen and I agree. At least I can see some level of reasoning on this one.

 

[j'nuh]

People saying why didn't Wales play Tipuric and Warburton why would he ?
Play Lydiate and have him stop Vunipola, Roberts on Burgess, then England have NO go forward. Warburton will have more than enough fun on his own, you don't need 2 ferchers when the other team has no idea come ruck time.

It's too easy to think of Tipuric as "just another fetcher". He's quite possibly the most naturally talented forward in attack in the NH, probably even more so than any of the Welsh backs. Faletau could be tasked to bring down Vunipola in defence. Faletau has such a strong defensive work rate for an 8 that you don't really need Lydiate around. But it's fairly odd that Tipuric isn't out there, being in the form he is in.

 

[McTallshort]

I think I've mentioned Cole and Marler even Lawes a couple of times. My only explanation is they were pretty awesome during the 6 nations and the management has hopes they'll come good. Someone said (think it was you) they say 0 reason why that would happen and I agree. At least I can see some level of reasoning on this one.

This. Cole and Marler are not in form and should be dropped. They don't carry and they don't scummage. All Cole does is strut around giving away penalties.

 

[msf]

Where´s good no.10 with his rational explanations of Lancaster´s decisions? I need him to reassure me that everything is going as planned!

- - - Updated - - -

I feel Lydiate is actually the right selection for this game, with the team England have picked. It´s just going to be a whole lot of Warrenball (and the inferior English version) and who better to defend against that than Lydiate?

 

[j'nuh]

The flip side is that, unless I'm remembering incorrectly, Mako's scrummaging improved a lot over the last season, and he looked powerful there towards the end. For me, the moment Mako matches or goes past Marler in the scrum is the moment Mako overtakes him for a starting spot; Mako's carrying is too good to ignore when that is the case.

 

[TobesHodges]

Before all this hysteria gets out of control lets remember Lancaster has built a team who are at least not a national embarrassment. Even if England don't do spectacularly, he has led with dignity and instilled a sense of pride in the team.

This may be the one who flew over the cuckoos nest though. Reckon he might have an interesting game plan from the last three months up his sleeve in store though, this may not be the emergency measure we're seeing it as.

Amen.