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

[Leonormous Boozer]

First choice side, kick chase and breakdown both improved from last week and we should win this. England have more work to do than us.

I'm not looking too much into the Wales game, felt Joubert was poor at the breakdown and that it was a game designed to make some contentious squad calls clearer and yet we still could have won playing poorly.

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Also... The whiff of arrogance around here.

 

[TommiG88]

First choice side, kick chase and breakdown both improved from last week and we should win this. England have more work to do than us.

I'm not looking too much into the Wales game, felt Joubert was poor at the breakdown and that it was a game designed to make some contentious squad calls clearer and yet we still could have won playing poorly.

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Also... The whiff of arrogance around here.

What arrogance? Think the majority of English fans posting on this thread are worried about the game. Unless you're talking about your own post?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

What arrogance? Think the majority of English fans posting on this thread are worried about the game. Unless you're talking about your own post?

Typical arrogant English comment.

The arrogance from my fellow English users disgust me.

I am sorry for any international posters on this forum for there behaviour.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

What arrogance? Think the majority of English fans posting on this thread are worried about the game. Unless you're talking about your own post?

Joined: Nov 2014... You should know better kid!!!

 

[TobesHodges]

Joined: Nov 2014... You should know better kid!!!

Hit him where it hurts! You've done 4,246 post, come on really low blow him son..

 

[lynam1104]

The arrogance on this thread is more than a whiff, it's a stench.

 

[TobesHodges]

The thread on this arrogance is more than a stench, it's a wiff.

 

[Patchey]

What arrogance? Think the majority of English fans posting on this thread are worried about the game. Unless you're talking about your own post?

Gottcha!

 

[TommiG88]

Joined: Nov 2014... You should know better kid!!!

Oh, what a low blow.

 

[bw245]

I will be happily proven wrong, but England cannot lose this one really, so they shouldn't. There has been distraction in the Irish camp this week with the squad leak and announcement too. Just hope we've improved at least. Owens will be beneficial anyway.

 

[TommiG88]

I will be happily proven wrong, but England cannot lose this one really, so they shouldn't. There has been distraction in the Irish camp this week with the squad leak and announcement too. Just hope we've improved at least. Owens will be beneficial anyway.

It's gonna be close, and decided on how the replacements perform. Oh, and England's flakey set piece.... And amateur breakdown work.

Ireland to win.

 

[msf]

I think NH rugby is a bit odd at the moment - I would say that the record of Six Nations winners reflects the fact that Wales and Ireland have been the top european teams of the last four years, but I still think England have a better chance of beating NZ than either of them (and I don´t think they have much chance). I really don´t see Wales beating them (when was the last time they got close?) and I think it would take a massive performance or a torrential downpour for Ireland to beat them. Whereas I could see England or France beating them if they have an off day.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I will be happily proven wrong, but England cannot lose this one really, so they shouldn't. There has been distraction in the Irish camp this week with the squad leak and announcement too. Just hope we've improved at least. Owens will be beneficial anyway.

Why are you so negative may I ask??

 

[Mcfadden]

Cause he's not drinking what you are, lemon face.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I will be happily proven wrong, but England cannot lose this one really, so they shouldn't. There has been distraction in the Irish camp this week with the squad leak and announcement too. Just hope we've improved at least. Owens will be beneficial anyway.

definitely interested to know where this is strength of feeling is coming from?

I would say that if Irelands defence is as good as it has been for most of the six nations, if the kick chase puts Englands back three under pressure, and if Irelands pack compete en masse at the break down, there's no reason England should win.

 

[RedruthRFC]

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..

I'd be interested to hear opinions on this. Given the way Nowell performed in the second match vs France, this seems unlikely to me. The way that I'm reading it, Nowell has now proven himself to be a consistent performer and Lancaster knows exactly what he has to offer, so he has more to gain / learn by having another look at May. If May plays a blinder, he may play himself into a starting spot, but Nowell has a shirt at the moment. Where as in other areas there are combinations that need time to (hopefully) start working, there is less of a worry along these lines in the back three, so Lancaster still has a little more leeway to experiment. Just the way I'm reading it....probably totally wrong!

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I'd also be interested to know why the majority seem to think Billy V is a better played than Ben Morgan?
I personally think we desperately need Morgan at full fitness if we're going to mount a succesfull campaign..

 

[chippieolamus]

Surely Nowell is above May in the pecking order? More solid defensively, has a better try scoring record (Nowell has 4 in 9, May has 4 in 15) and I don't really remember Nowell having a bad game for England.

On Billy V vs Morgan, they're pretty close. Billy was arguably our player of the 6N, better carrier in the tight than Morgan, also makes more tackles and is better over the ball. Morgan is a better carrier in the wider channels, better at the base of the scrum too. I prefer Billy for now.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I think NH rugby is a bit odd at the moment - I would say that the record of Six Nations winners reflects the fact that Wales and Ireland have been the top european teams of the last four years, but I still think England have a better chance of beating NZ than either of them (and I don´t think they have much chance). I really don´t see Wales beating them (when was the last time they got close?) and I think it would take a massive performance or a torrential downpour for Ireland to beat them. Whereas I could see England or France beating them if they have an off day.

Must remember that England have only lost out on the ***le by very small margins the last 2 years. A lucky bounce for the French in 2014 and failure to put away Scotland this year easily cost us both. The thing us English have is we are easily the most consistant performers in the 6N. Wales and Ireland have very good highs and very bad lows whilst England don't tend to have such wildly fluctuating form.

As for Nowell, he has proven his ability so maybe that is why May is getting a second chance? Also how does May compare to Nowell in the air? There is no question the Irish will be kicking to the back 3 either to kick chase or to find touch and then bet on our lineout being **** again. We need a back 3 that can nullify that game and Mays top end speed could be better for countering than Nowell.

 

[MojoPin]

Must remember that England have only lost out on the ***le by very small margins the last 2 years. A lucky bounce for the French in 2014 and failure to put away Scotland this year easily cost us both. The thing us English have is we are easily the most consistant performers in the 6N. Wales and Ireland have very good highs and very bad lows whilst England don't tend to have such wildly fluctuating form.

Consistent yes, but they don't seem to peak in the same way as Wales and Ireland. Lancaster still hasn't won a 6N yet he's expected by an awful lot of people to win a RWC. Very, very tough ask IMO. And that's talking completely neutrally, not as a Wales fan or anything. Agree with the other poster who said NH rugby is a bit of a strange beast. I love it, no question - but the balance of power shifts so wildly that we're never quite sure who's on top! Which is probably one of the reasons we have such a good annual tournament and international rivalries, I guess!

Honestly think England, Ireland and Wales all have what it takes to win. Just for England it requires a jump to a level they really struggle to reach and for Wales and Ireland to avoid the lows they are prone to!