[2015 Six Nations] England

[Raggs]

The very reason Manu was put on the wing was to use a pre-established centre partnership earlier that year.

 

[goodNumber10]

Wingers: May, Nowell, Watson, Foden, Yarde, Rokoduguni, Tuilagi (as a winger...), Ashton, Wade, Monye.
Centres: Twelvetrees, Farrell (as a 12), Barrett, Eastmond, Burrell, Joseph, Slade, Tuilagi, Myler

that list is extensive due to injury though. and or the lions, they've been pretty stringent in continuity over the next hot ticket.

 

[Raggs]

Eastmond is probably the one guy in that list that's been treated too harshly in my mind. He did nothing wrong in the first NZ test, little wrong in the 3rd but got rudely yanked off (we had no defensive leader in that backline, that's not his fault), and then dropped for fecking Farrell in the AIs.

 

[Peat]

The very reason Manu was put on the wing was to use a pre-established centre partnership earlier that year.

Breaking up the centre partnership in situ to do so, before then discarding said pre-established centre partnership one game later, one which we've never used again as a starting choice. And probably never will.

The handling of the backline in NZ will probably always be the nadir of this England coaching team... or at least I bloody well hope so.

End of the day - people can give reasons why it happened - fact is England have rotated their backs like Lance Armstrong's excuse list and it's done us no good. It shouldn't be about justifying why it happened, it should be about wondering whether we'll ever stop it happening and properly build something.

 

[ncurd]

Didn't he play in AI's although I seam to remember we had the sill habit of not playing at the same time Ford was on the pitch.....because well madness....

He'd have probably been in the Wales side had he not been injured I suspect.

 

[Raggs]

He was dropped for Farrell for Samoa, then Farrell was dropped for 36. Eastmond never got a look in, despite being just fine against NZ and Arg.

I doubt we'd have played Ford + Eastmond vs Wales.

Peat, the only players in our backline that have been fit for the entire time (that I can remember) are Jonny May, JJ and Brown I believe. And only Brown has shown consistent worth to be selected.

 

[j'nuh]

Breaking up the centre partnership in situ to do so, before then discarding said pre-established centre partnership one game later, one which we've never used again as a starting choice. And probably never will.

The handling of the backline in NZ will probably always be the nadir of this England coaching team... or at least I bloody well hope so.

End of the day - people can give reasons why it happened - fact is England have rotated their backs like Lance Armstrong's excuse list and it's done us no good. It shouldn't be about justifying why it happened, it should be about wondering whether we'll ever stop it happening and properly build something.

It's difficult to build anything when our backs are so prone to swings in form. I think Brown may be the only player that has put in a significant stretch of good form. Everyone else appears to show up in the odd test/window and then go missing thereafter.

Youngs is a fine example. Fantastic (motm for me) against Wales, terrible against Italy. Against Ireland? Who knows? I definitely don't have the confidence to give him the shirt long term.

 

[Wendigo7]

See raggs has found his way on here .

 

[Raggs]

What was I supposed to do at work when sportsnetwork has dropped the Wasps page, and planetrugby forums were down?

 

[Wendigo7]

Didn't realise Sportsnetwork had dropped the wasps team

 

[ratsapprentice]

They drop any sub-forum temporarily if they don't post articles/blogs don't they?

 

[Raggs]

Yep, that's probably the issue.

 

[Draggs]

What was I supposed to do at work when sportsnetwork has dropped the Wasps page, and planetrugby forums were down?

Hi Raggs, I'm Draggs.

 

[B10]

Nowell released to play for Chiefs this weekend. Interested to see if he plays on the left wing...

 

[Every Time Ref]

Eastmond is probably the one guy in that list that's been treated too harshly in my mind. He did nothing wrong in the first NZ test, little wrong in the 3rd but got rudely yanked off (we had no defensive leader in that backline, that's not his fault), and then dropped for fecking Farrell in the AIs.

Nothing worse than an impolite hand job

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Nothing worse than an impolite hand job

Tell me about it!

Esp if front of loads of people.

Never again

 

[Every Time Ref]

Yeah, Lancaster really shafted him there

 

[Patchey]

It was really hard on Eastmond for sure...

#puncity

 

[ratsapprentice]

Erection

 

[Patchey]

Erection

You had to ruin it didn't you Rats? Really put a downer on things. I feel the whole thread has gone flaccid.