[2021 Six Nations] England Squad

[Ragey Erasmus]

Farrell comes across as a Sergeant Major, you want one around making all the loud noise and getting people fired up but you sure as hell don't want them making decisions on any of the really important stuff. He's more a person to enforce the will of the captain, not one who is doing the thinking himself. It may sound harsh but most captains come across as reasonably considered in interviews, Farrell just comes across as thick and manages to not really say anything offering any real insight.

Regarding Robson at 9, England have been plagued with the problem of the replacement 9 nearly always outplaying the starting 9. Think back to the Care and Youngs days. We would swap between the 2 and whoever started would have the worse game. Swap them again and same thing. I fear Robson will start and will have an awful game and somehow Youngs will come on and play a blinder. That position is cursed.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Curry seems like such a nice, humble bloke though. Even though quiet he could definitely be that leads by example type captain much in the same way Warburton was for Wales.

 

[TommiG88]

Who's George Martin?

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Very fair.

Hartley was virtually 30 when he took over Eng with 6 seasons leading Saints under his belt, so fairly mature and used to dealing with the off field stuff.

Launch is that same age now and has led Pests for 5 years, not all of it plain sailing.

The only club captains in the current squad are Ewels and Wilson neither of whom are realistic contenders. Ted Hill leading Worcs might auger well for the future, but he's currently a long way from the team.

Club captaincy isn't necessarily a prerequisite but it has to be the best grounding. If players don't have that direct experience then they need pretty exceptional leadership skills which aren't massively in evidence throughout the squad (and would probably have been called on by their clubs anyhow....).

I'd definitely back Launchbury as captain. Fits all of the prerequisites. My only slight qualm would be - who calls the lineout out of him and Itoje? I don't think that Itoje usually calls lineouts, so if it is Launchbury then I think that asking him to call lineouts as well as be captain could be too much pressure - much like asking Faz to captain and goal kick.

 

[Scotty]

Yup, should be Itoje or Curry IMO
Poor form aside - one of the reasons I want to see Farrell out of the XV is so other potential leaders can step up
The only other captain I can remember, since Hartley was dropped, was Ford - and he doesn't really strike me as a captain tbh

We need to give Itoje or Curry vice captain, start the ball rolling.

 

[ncurd]

Who is vice captain? Not that it ******* matters right now....

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Who is vice captain? Not that it ******* matters right now....

I don't think there's an official one but I'm fairly certain that it's essentially Ford.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Don't get why people on social media didn't expect Martin to get called up, do people not look at **** like the shadow squad?

 

[TommiG88]

Don't get why people on social media didn't expect Martin to get called up, do people not look at **** like the shadow squad?

Who is he?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Don't get why people on social media didn't expect Martin to get called up, do people not look at **** like the shadow squad?

tbf I thought Ludlam would get called up,
Martin makes sense as well, though, as realistically whoever gets called up isn't going to play and Martin will learn more from the experience than Ludlam would

That said: I don't really know anything about him, is he a special talent? Getting called up at 19, as a lock, is big

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

tbf I thought Ludlam would get called up,
Martin makes sense as well, though, as realistically whoever gets called up isn't going to play and Martin will learn more from the experience than Ludlam would

That said: I don't really know anything about him, is he a special talent? Getting called up at 19, as a lock, is big

From what I heard from all the age grades scouts/coaches etc him and Barbeary were the two standout players in that age group.

Him and Steward was the 2 players I heard a stupid amount about from the academy setup.
With Whitcombe and JVP close behind.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Who is he?

Lock/6.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Who is he?

Rugby player

 

[TommiG88]

tbf I thought Ludlam would get called up,
Martin makes sense as well, though, as realistically whoever gets called up isn't going to play and Martin will learn more from the experience than Ludlam would

That said: I don't really know anything about him, is he a special talent? Getting called up at 19, as a lock, is big

19?!? He looks as old as me.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Rugby player

Big, if true

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

He certainly has beard genetics.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

On Barbeary, I don't know what Wasps will do with him but I hope that he moves back to hooker. In a way I think the fact that he's so good has worked against him - most 20 year old hookers would be forgiven if their lineout ability hadn't been perfected yet and they'd be given the opportunity to work on that away from their respective 1st team, but because he's too good to be left out of the Wasps side he isn't getting that opportunity.

With TT leaving it does leave the door open for Barbeary to move back to 2
Considering how little he's played there, though, would he be a starter there? Because he's definitely a starter in the backrow, and Cruse has been playing really well for them the past season or so

I still maintain that either there's something really wrong with his set piece, or the Wasps coaches view him as a long term backrower - Everyone was telling me that hookers his age don't play hooker cause they need to be eased in, but no one can really point to any examples.
Like Ewan Ashman, recently called up to the Scotland squad - sure he could play openside if the coaches wanted, but he played hooker at u20s, seniors and now called up to the Scotland squad as a hooker

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

With TT leaving it does leave the door open for Barbeary to move back to 2
Considering how little he's played there, though, would he be a starter there? Because he's definitely a starter in the backrow, and Cruse has been playing really well for them the past season or so

I still maintain that either there's something really wrong with his set piece, or the Wasps coaches view him as a long term backrower - Everyone was telling me that hookers his age don't play hooker cause they need to be eased in, but no one can really point to any examples.
Like Ewan Ashman, recently called up to the Scotland squad - sure he could play openside if the coaches wanted, but he played hooker at u20s, seniors and now called up to the Scotland squad as a hooker

Luke Cowan Dickie sort of had a weird mix of playing Prop and hooker to begin with I think.
But looking at his throwing still it isn't really a great sell

 

[Geordie]

I knew Martin would be called up. Powerful athletic lock who covers 6 " the new Martin Johnson"...etc etc.

He'll be a good tackle bag holder for the team.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

As all round rugby player he is miles ahead of Johnno was, and also very different style.

In reality Johnno most likely wouldn't make the England squad currently he was perfect for the time and one of the great leaders but he wasn't a modern day rugby player really.