[2017 RBS Six Nations] Round 3: England vs Italy (26/02/2017)

[TRF_heineken]

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Venue: Twickenham
Time: 14:00 GMT​

 

[Raggs]

5 points and a healthy points difference please.

1. Mako
2. George
3. Sinckler
4. Launch
5.5 Itoje
5.5 Lawes
7. Hask
8. Hughes

9. Youngs
10. Farrell (let's see if he can carve up, if not, back to Ford).
11. May
12. Teo
13. Daly
14. Nowell
15. Brown/Watson (not in love with Watson at 15 myself).

16. Hartley
17. Marler
18. Cole
19. Williams
20. Clifford
21. Care
22. Ford
23. Joseph

 

[The Jones Boy]

50 points plus to England.

Italy shouldn't be in this competition, they are not worthy and it cheapens the tournament having a dead set easy beat to play, better off giving a team a bye than having Italy as a fixture. It's a foregone conclusion, like any team they play at this level, I won't be bothering to watch it. They need to be in tier two battling teams much more on their level.

 

[NickBD]

I can't see too many changes, be very unlike Jones. I can see similar team to Wales only maybe Mako in for Marler and if Hask can start then he does. Watson will be on the bench.

1. Mako
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Launch
5. Lawes
6. Itoje
7. Hask
8. Hughes
9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. Nowell
12. Farrell
13. JJ
14. Daly
15. Brown

16. George
17. Marler
18. Sinkler
19. Wood
20. Clifford
21. Care
22. Teo
23. Watson

 

[ncurd]

I can't see too many changes, be very unlike Jones. I can see similar team to Wales only maybe Mako in for Marler and if Hask can start then he does. Watson will be on the bench.

I agree with another rest week and players still coming back from injury I just don't see wholesale changes. Once the game is secure you may see some 'interesting combinations' but wholesale changes nope.

Really can't see the Ford/Farrell axis being broken with everyone is so keen on Farrell starting at 10 I think they completely forget what happened last time it was messed about with.

Plus any players proving they can put away Italy are not proving anything I'd see us starting 3rd/4th choice in every position and us still winning comfortably. Eddie will learn absolutely nothing from doing so.

He'll let players coming back from injury get a little run out and he'll protect those carrying a ****le.

 

[martinspoonboy1]

My memory isn't great. Can anyone remember when the ford Farrell pairing was first used?

 

[ncurd]

My memory isn't great. Can anyone remember when the ford Farrell pairing was first used?

I believe Eddie has used it for every game bar one (Aus 1st Test).

I don't think Lancaster ever started with it but he certainly ended with it in a couple where we always looked better for it.

Technically it was first used a junior level.

 

[Peat]

Mind you, any back combinations that *can't* put away Italy can at least be dispensed with pretty quickly, so there's that to be said for it.

Not quite sure what to expect and happy to trust in any case. Me, I'd have taken the week to bed in the units with the possible exception of starting my reserve front row en masse (bit risky I give you), but if Jones reckons he needs to shake things up/isn't negatively affecting preparation for Ireland by experimenting, good enough. I've learnt my lesson on disagreeing with Jones by now!

 

[Goodey]

If you try out a bunch of stuff at home against Italy all you learn is how they go at home against Italy. And playing a bunch of one off selections doesn't build momentum or provide match practice for what you actually want to be doing in the tough matches to come.

Keep Ford, keep Joseph. Maybe change Hartley for George but only if your intent is to make a more or less permanent change there, i.e. change the captaincy.

I want to see the team that'll win the six nations, not an exhibition. There's plenty of time for experimenting in the summer.

 

[Which Tyler]

If you try out a bunch of stuff at home against Italy all you learn is how they go at home against Italy.

I've never really understood this sort of rationale - it's used a lot for club pre-season matches too.
It means that the likes of ourselves on these boards - educated laymen - don't learn that much. But professional coaches who are working the the players, and looking for very specific things, not just "did we beat them" will learn absolutely heaps.

 

[Scotty]

Id use this week ti make wholesale changes, give care teo nowell jj watson daly, as the backs eith youngs, ford, sladey on the bench. Bench some of the usual starters. Mako needs to start.

 

[Raggs]

If Farrell is 10 you'll be able to see if he can pull the strings well enough to open an easier defence. You'll be able to see if Teo can maintain carry after carry and still get back on his feet. Game time for Mako of course.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

If you try out a bunch of stuff at home against Italy all you learn is how they go at home against Italy. And playing a bunch of one off selections doesn't build momentum or provide match practice for what you actually want to be doing in the tough matches to come.

Keep Ford, keep Joseph. Maybe change Hartley for George but only if your intent is to make a more or less permanent change there, i.e. change the captaincy.

I want to see the team that'll win the six nations, not an exhibition. There's plenty of time for experimenting in the summer.

Bang on the money. Should be largely playing the team likely to be starting against Sco and Ire.

 

[spartan32]

I understand those that say that making wholesale changes and still winning against such a poor team proves nothing. However this is a chance to try some other combinations and see how well they flow. Brown is on the way out and we need to see who his successor could be. Personally I would like to see Daly given a run out at Fullback. He is very Hoggesk, and arguably better then Hogg at many facets of his game. The question is whether he can position himself correctly or ends up all over the place. It would also be a chance to run out Watson, who is a quality winger and could do with game time. Can Faz run a game from the outset as well as Ford? You would expect a world class 10 to be picking holes in an Italian defence for fun, but if he struggles that would tell you something. I would also like to see Teo have a proper run out. He's a good straight runner, but how are his hands, or his offloading game?

To me it would be a shame not to try a few small changes. It would also provide some extra rest for the A team, which is no doubt needed.

Whatever happens we need to thump them hard to make sure we get the bonus point and a serious points difference, just in case they are needed by the end. I would also hope for a very solid defensive display. Surely we should be aiming to prevent Italy from crossing the whitewash at all? Either way should be a good run out for the lads. I just hope its nice a dry so we can see the ball being thrown about good and proper.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

It would also provide some extra rest for the A team, which is no doubt needed.

Yes, they must be knackered having not played for 2 weeks and then having the prospect of 2 more weeks before the Scots! If we don't play most of our top combinations, they won't have played together for 4 weeks going up against a decent Scottish team, and let's face it there's plenty to work on in pretty much every unit. There are some players in squad who need game time - Hask, Mako, Watson etc. But for the 20 minutes Italy will be competitive it should be our top boys against them.

 

[TommiG88]

I think we will put 60 points on Italy.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I think we will put 60 points on Italy.

God, your arrogance is unbelievable.

 

[mosfeldt]

I think we will put 60 points on Italy.

Maybe even 70. We put 60 pts on them, and we were playing away, and we're not as good as England (IMO of course)... Italy have never been great but they look particularly bad this year. What the hell are they going to do when Parisse goes?

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I don't understand why we go 2 games, break, 1 game, break, 2 games. I would have though 2,2,1 would make more sense and allow suspense to build for the final weekend. Either way the 1 game should be the first or last game imo and not the middle one.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

What the hell are they going to do when Parisse goes?

They might start playing as a team and taking collective responsibility rather than looking towards a past it "talisman". AKA the Gerrard effect.

Parisse was a great player, but no longer. I read somewhere that he'd been on the losing side 90 times in tests FFS. What kind of mindset does that instil?

- - - Updated - - -

God, your arrogance is unbelievable.

Against Italy you could, unfortunately, pick a team with every chance of that kind of margin. A back line with Ford, Teo, JJ, Daly, May and Watson could cause carnage. Add in looser players like Mako, George, Clifford and Sinkler up front and the potential for damage is huge. But that wouldn't be the line up for the tougher tests, so why do it?