[2015 RWC] Warm Up Match: England vs Ireland (05/09/15)

[Peat]

This should be the big test for May/Watson as fielders of a high ball. If they can't take most of the bombs sent their way, then we're really going to struggle to get any territory.

 

[McTallshort]

Laboured point I know but would be happier with ciprani at 23. What will happen if Brown or Watson are injured?

 

[Peat]

Laboured point I know but would be happier with ciprani at 23. What will happen if Brown or Watson are injured?

Joseph to wing, Barritt or Burgess to 13.

This might not make you nay happier, now I think about it...

 

[McTallshort]

I just hope they know what they doing because I cannot see it from my armchair

 

[Tmartin995]

I wonder how close this is to the team that'll start against Fiji?

 

[ncurd]

I wonder how close this is to the team that'll start against Fiji?

Pretty close unless Ford has a mare of a game. Even then it'll be a switch within the 23, glad were taking this game as a proper test match though time for messing around with combinations are over.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Lack of real oomph in the pack with Parling and Lawes lining up. It will help our line out, seeing as Youngs can only throw consistently well when Parling is calling it, but not sure it will help our scrum. Otherwise first choice team and will interesting to see how BB and JJ pair up.

 

[Peat]

Lack of real oomph in the pack with Parling and Lawes lining up. It will help our line out, seeing as Youngs can only throw consistently well when Parling is calling it, but not sure it will help our scrum. Otherwise first choice team and will interesting to see how BB and JJ pair up.

That was the first choice at the end of last 6N and I didn't notice any scrum problems then.

 

[Tmartin995]

Pretty close unless Ford has a mare of a game. Even then it'll be a switch within the 23, glad were taking this game as a proper test match though time for messing around with combinations are over.

Hmmm, pretty close to the 23 I'd have to be fair, would have Care for Wigglesworth and Haskell for Wood in the 23. Then Billy starting instead of Morgan and possible George for Youngs.

Still, like the impact the forwards will bring off the bench (on paper) and Burgess in the 23 shirt will give energy if not versatility.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

That was the first choice at the end of last 6N and I didn't notice any scrum problems then.

Well maybe, but for me Lawes and Parling are two no. 5s. I always like a contrast of a heavier tight head lock and lighter no. 5 lock I.e. Botha and Matfield or Johnno and Kay. But now without Attwood we don't have that. I would still prefer Launchbury in there and still think Lawes and Launchbury are our first choice lock and best combination locks.

 

[ZeroTwo]

People used to say you needed a heavyweight in the backrow to anchor a scrum. The lightweight back rows of previous teams like Wales, South Africa and New Zealand changed that.

Lets hope we're all saying Lancaster is a revolutionary for turning forward meetings into diet club.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

This team is understood to be very close to first choice - but I'd be surprised if they're 100% about fly half just yet, making it interesting that Ford is given the start.

One of the broadsheets did a squad profile on the lucky 31, and Launchbury weighed inat 19st 6 - seems very high to meas everything else I've seen indicates he's closer to 18. If true, would give more ballast to the scrum...but I just can't buy it.

 

[Peat]

This team is understood to be very close to first choice - but I'd be surprised if they're 100% about fly half just yet, making it interesting that Ford is given the start.

One of the broadsheets did a squad profile on the lucky 31, and Launchbury weighed inat 19st 6 - seems very high to meas everything else I've seen indicates he's closer to 18. If true, would give more ballast to the scrum...but I just can't buy it.

Listed as 118kg on the England site - 18 st 8 lbs - so, yeah, I don't believe that either. I mean, there's enough dodgy info and lies on weights out there that I'm always a bit skeptical, but that one in particular feels balls.

Lawes, Parling, Wood, Robshaw, Morgan - that's about our best lineout team possible. All out to fix that it seems.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Listed as 118kg on the England site - 18 st 8 lbs - so, yeah, I don't believe that either. I mean, there's enough dodgy info and lies on weights out there that I'm always a bit skeptical, but that one in particular feels balls.

Lawes, Parling, Wood, Robshaw, Morgan - that's about our best lineout team possible. All out to fix that it seems.

Players are always heavier out is season or when they have been injured as they spend more time on weights. I bet lauchbeery is bigger now than before as he looked slower against France.

 

[Peat]

Players are always heavier out is season or when they have been injured as they spend more time on weights. I bet lauchbeery is bigger now than before as he looked slower against France.

118kg is bigger than he was before anyway and I wasn't sure I believed that. I refuse to believe he's 19 st 6 lbs until I see him stood on the scales myself.

 

[ratsapprentice]

118kg is bigger than he was before anyway and I wasn't sure I believed that. I refuse to believe he's 19 st 6 lbs until I see him stood on the scales myself.

+1

 

[TobesHodges]

England vs Ireland - 5/9/15 - World Cup Warm Up Match

Would have rather see Launchbury start, as I think Lawes would be a more potent Impact player.
Fords kicking game is going to need to be on point, the Irish will monster the breakdown and create a lot of slow ball..
I suppose this means for now it's May over Nowell, would you agree?
I think these guys will be fighting for this position, even through the World Cup..

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Neither one thing nor the other

This isn't a team for winning the tight or playing wide and loose. It's either perfectly balanced between the two, or catastrophically compromised.

I hope to God that Lancaster et al know what they're doing here (and they might!). Having suffered a morale sapping performance last time out, getting done over by the Irish would be pretty catastrophic. The pack doesn't inspire confidence that the set piece will be secure. By attempting to address the lineout (is that all our potential jumpers in one pack?) he's sacrificing the scrum and potentially the contest around the ruck. Whose job is it to be hitting those hard? The Irish will look to contain the pick and drive and choke / slow the ball. Do that a couple of times and then no doubt our backs will be presented with the challenge of running through a set defence. As much as I admire Brad Barritt (I really do, he's a defensive machine) as far as I see it we're now in the position that we've struggled with previously in that there are NO kicking options outside 9 and 10. Knowing that allows the Irish to rush those channels and apply pressure. Especially bad if Ben Youngs runs across into Ford killing all the time and space there may have been! They won't run through Barritt but they may not have to. I suspect that we'll be seeing plenty of boot and chase and I'm not convinced that our back three are the most secure under the high ball (brown better than the others with May the weakest?). I guess if it looks to be going horribly we've got the spectre of a Ford Faz 10,12 which I don't fancy at all. Ford trying to pick a pass to the conservative Farrell will lead to loss of ground.

I hope we go well. Personally I'd be happier with Launchbury, Lawes and Billy V. Perhaps Morgan is being challenged to prove exactly how fit he is? One thing noted from the Ire vs Wales game was how ineffective POC looked as AWJ basically bashed him up. I'm not sure Lawes (though didn't he do it once for saints?) or Parling have enough about them to manage it. I hope SOB plays. I want to see how we cope.

All in all I'm just worried!

 

[j'nuh]

It's worrying me that as Wales and Australia are looking ever more likely to play dual opensides, we are now considering dropping Launchbury from the XV!

 

[Maverick1987]

It's worrying me that as Wales and Australia are looking ever more likely to play dual opensides, we are now considering dropping Launchbury from the XV!

I'd be surprised if Gatland dropped Lydiate tbh and Cheika wouldn't play Hooper and Pocock together until Palu got injured . Looks like Fardy is too important to the line out from what I've heard from the Aussies