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

TheSaffycen said:
The All Blacks gameplan is based on defence. They kick more than any other team and have a hugh emphasis on defence and scoring off counter attack ball, it's why they make sure they have the best fitness.
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Don't disagree at all. Apart from your spelling of high............ But "based on" and "to the exclusion of anything else" are kind of different things. Yes they defend well but at least 6 or 7 of them are very good over the ball and one of them is an all time great (the best ever) at it. England? Even our 7 doesn't seem to think that winning the ball is his job. Outside Robshaw we're probably looking at who? Dan Cole? They simply wouldn't pick an excellent defender who was so compromised in attack that even if they won the ball it would be wasted. I reckon we're perilously close to that point.
 
Burgess was in the paper a lot today, seems like a pretty cool customer, he came across confident and unafraid to show his desire to get out there and be a big part of the red roses midfield.
Looks like he's looking forward to going toe to toe with Jamie Roberts. Thats going to be a series of collisions well worth watching. Two monsters going at it.
 
Yes, NZ rely on their defence and the counter-attack, but they also rely on having players that can take advantage of opportunities - where are they in this England side? On the wings, and where is the ball not going to go?
 
ncurd said:
If Joseph hadn't been injured and they went through with the plan to drop him I'd guarantee the hysteria would be worse. Regardless of what happened to Goode.
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Still regarding, for sanities sake, the dropping JJ beforehand as "a airing ideas plan" that got leaked and nothing more. So SL has been forced into major midfield changes due to Manu making himself unavailable for years and JJ injuries. Goode is a blind spot some coaches have Nowell/Cips/XYZ be damned. He doesn't come on A-Okay, if he does and wins the game - SL is a damn genius.

Ford coming on to impact this game later on is his horses courses selection to change up a stodgy game catching Wales flat-footed, with Ford starting again against the Aussies.

Probably wrong with about all of this.
 
NZ used to have a bosh only player in Nonu, they learned very quickly it didn't work and he was told to change his game. He now has kicking and passing skills as well as boshing. Since when have NZ fielded a 13 whos skillset is JUST defending? NZ don't field 1 trick ponies in midfield, they go for players who can do more than 1 job. Lancaster has selected the exact opposite here, he's selected 2 midfielders who have 1 way of playing, 1 skill set and that's it. Barritt is not the sort of man you expect to attack the line on turnover ball or make space for the wingers, Burgess has no playmaking capabilities at all. If we want to play the same game plan as NZ, we need to use the same type of players. Slade with JJ outside is closer to the sort of players you need for a counter attacking game.
 
ragerancher said:
NZ used to have a bosh only player in Nonu, they learned very quickly it didn't work and he was told to change his game. He now has kicking and passing skills as well as boshing. Since when have NZ fielded a 13 whos skillset is JUST defending? NZ don't field 1 trick ponies in midfield, they go for players who can do more than 1 job. Lancaster has selected the exact opposite here, he's selected 2 midfielders who have 1 way of playing, 1 skill set and that's it. Barritt is not the sort of man you expect to attack the line on turnover ball or make space for the wingers, Burgess has no playmaking capabilities at all. If we want to play the same game plan as NZ, we need to use the same type of players. Slade with JJ outside is closer to the sort of players you need for a counter attacking game.
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Yep Gatland should be able to nullify that England midfield pretty easily if he's got competent players and he can think up the correct game plan for this game.
 
Really excited to see this game, I expect both teams to have a few injuries following this one.
 
Tigs Man said:
Croft playing 7 for tigers tonight.

Our answer for England open side fetcher?

;)
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Leicester's answer to not having any other players to play there... :p

Seriously though, if Croft had a top drawer breakdown game, I'd have him in an instant.

edit: I'm getting such mixed thoughts about this game.

Three situations:
If England play well, then I'm happy to see what comes of the Australia game, and might end up eating my words. Might even start to think England could do well in the tournament.
If England plays badly and loses, then it's a major disappointment what the last 4 years have come to, but at least we might see some real change in the coaching structure.
But I really hope that England don't play badly and win. I can see Lancaster and co scraping through the pools, managing just the bare minimum to save their jobs after the WC and saying that we were a WC too early when we inevitably go out. It's like 2011, if we are going to fail, I hope that we do it spectacularly so we can move on.
 
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TobesHodges said:
We have full circled back to Stefan Armitage..
Risking a hefty ban from Oly for saying that :(
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OAblMYk.jpg
 
When did Magnus grow the hipster 'tache, and you have to wonder whether he wears the Sale shirt ironically?
 
j'nuh said:
When did Magnus grow the hipster 'tache, and you have to wonder whether he wears the Sale shirt ironically?
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He's a full blooded viking (though born in Manc - arguably makes him more manly, having some southern accent wouldn't add to it at all).
"Ironic" isn't in his dictionary.
If you say it is then he'll raze your village to the ground.
 

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