[2025 Six Nations] Wales vs England - 15/3/25

[Geordie]

I just don't get the negativity. I'm starting to think its just because of a dislike of Borthwick.

There's Too much focus on number on the back of shirts. The SH teams don't care. They play players all over. Most teams do it now. Most players have alround abilities and means they can play many positions.

We also have positions where he just doesn't rate the players or thinks they have areas they need to improve. And I agree with him there. And that's something that will have to begin to be addressed on the summer tour.

He'll have a plan for this game and picked accordingly.

 

[Grizwald]

So I read the team.

I went away, had dinner, played with my daughter and then washed up to make sure I'd calmed down when I wrote this.

What the actual **** Borthwick, you absolutely useless ******* plonker.

Smith at 15, then dropped, then back to 15.
Daly who is best at centre on the wing which has long been his worst position.
Cowan-Dickie back for now real reason other than to give George his 100 cap as a starter. Even then I don't think LCD has been that great either.
Willis dropped when he's finally giving us some power up front and putting Earl back who has struggled most of the tournament in attack at 8. T Curry being flogged like a dead horse when Ben would do just as good a job.
No lock cover at all is just baffling
3 10s, even if by chance Ford is retiring is just ridiculous.
Our top try scorers being benched or dropped...
Pollock being included? Just why? Yes he's got a great future, but it's not now.
6:2 with zero cover in the backs other than 9&10. That means 11-15 has no cover.

How is this team meant to build any sort of consistency or fluency playing with each other when every week Borthwick is changing the side. And it's not just small tweaks, these a wholesale changes. Seriously he hasn't got a clue. England are no where near to being in the position to be handing out caps to retiring players (if that's the case). Honestly it feels like 1 step forward, two steps back under Borthwick.

Agree with a lot of that. Daly is the previous generations Marcus Smith, I.e. a victim of versatility, although he was/is genuinely versatile while Marcus's has felt forced.

Always felt Daly has been a bit maligned across his international career. Lots of talent, took flack when he went to FB when there was lack of options. Have to remind myself he started all 3 tests in NZ as a Lion's on the wing.

 

[spartan32]

Well I think everyone's said it. All a bit bonkers really. The loco thing is simply down to there being so many injuries so not much SB can do about that. But sticking players out of position left right and centre (literally) on a must win game that requires a BP for us to have any chance of lifting the cup, seems mad!!

That being said there's a little imp in me that kinda wants to see what freeman can do at 13, and would love to see the madness that would be 3 10s all playing at the same time and 8 playing centre alongside a winger playing outside centre next to a full back/centre playing wing. If Wales lose to a s**t show like that they'll never live it down.

Also loving the impossible position Scotland are in. Lose, and it's a bad finish to what has been a bit of a torrid tournament. Win and hand England the ***le (potentially).

 

[Protalus rampart]

Really not supportive of some of those selections. Players out of position, players dropped despite strong performances, and it won't take much bad luck for it to completely blow up for them.

England's campaign has been massively flattered by Italy regressing significantly, Wales being at an all time low, and sneaking a win against a better Scotland side that have a terrible habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

A decent win against a subpar French performance does not indicate hope for the future imo. Borthwick is not the man to win a RWC.

 

[dullonien]

Sherratt is apparently going to put Joe Roberts on the wing with the only other change coming with Wainwright starting instead of Reffell.

Dissapointed if that's true. Minimum for me would be Lake, Teddy, Wainwright and Jarrod to come in. Not fussed on wing, but you'd think the player who plays there regularly in Llewellyn would make more sense, although Roberts did OK there v Scotland.

 

[spartan32]

I just don't get the negativity. I'm starting to think its just because of a dislike of Borthwick.

There's Too much focus on number on the back of shirts. The SH teams don't care. They play players all over. Most teams do it now. Most players have alround abilities and means they can play many positions.

We also have positions where he just doesn't rate the players or thinks they have areas they need to improve. And I agree with him there. And that's something that will have to begin to be addressed on the summer tour.

He'll have a plan for this game and picked accordingly.

Very sweet of you to put England alongside our SH counterparts. Or maybe you've been huffing paint. SH teams (well maybe not Oz so much anymore) have players capable of that kind of utility at international level. They also have high quality and battle tested coaches and staff and have a record of winning consistently. England have none of these things. We are only just about getting back on our feet and starting to understand what winning feels like again. With a championship in the balance it doesn't seem like the best time to throw up a Hail Mary when we don't have to. We ain't NZ or SA, and we've got a long road ahead before we can start playing anything like them.

I hope the madness pays off. I hope the lads manage to find a way to make it work, and against a really poor Welsh side we may just about blag it. But you know the Welsh are going to have that extra bit of fire in their belly for this one. At home to England with a chance to spoil our party and regain some honour. They're going to make it hard for us, and we may have just gone and made it hard for ourselves.

 

[BPM]

If Dingwall gets injured who is going to play inside centre?

Earl … genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see that at all.

Aside from the absolute weirdness of this selection, he's pretty much written their team talk for them: "These guys think they can pick anyone anywhere and win."

I'm kind of hoping they over compensate and abandon whatever gameplan they had in mind all week.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

If Chessum goes off does Marcus or Daly shift to lock?

#Utility

 

[Geordie]

Earl … genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see that at all.

Aside from the absolute weirdness of this selection, he's pretty much written their team talk for them: "These guys think they can pick anyone anywhere and win."

I'm kind of hoping they over compensate and abandon whatever gameplan they had in mind all week.

Earls been playing there in training as cover.

 

[Geordie]

Very sweet of you to put England alongside our SH counterparts. Or maybe you've been huffing paint. SH teams (well maybe not Oz so much anymore) have players capable of that kind of utility at international level. They also have high quality and battle tested coaches and staff and have a record of winning consistently. England have none of these things. We are only just about getting back on our feet and starting to understand what winning feels like again. With a championship in the balance it doesn't seem like the best time to throw up a Hail Mary when we don't have to. We ain't NZ or SA, and we've got a long road ahead before we can start playing anything like them.

I hope the madness pays off. I hope the lads manage to find a way to make it work, and against a really poor Welsh side we may just about blag it. But you know the Welsh are going to have that extra bit of fire in their belly for this one. At home to England with a chance to spoil our party and regain some honour. They're going to make it hard for us, and we may have just gone and made it hard for ourselves.

Ain't been huffing any paint cheers....

 

[Geordie]

If Chessum goes off does Marcus or Daly shift to lock?

#Utility

Mitchell

 

[Scotty]

I wonder how it will go in the second half if we bring CCS and Willis coming on together, some real carrying power coming on to put pressure on.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

If Chessum goes off does Marcus or Daly shift to lock?

#Utility

The guy with the key to it would have to be the lockSmith..

 

[BPM]

The only thing giving me a bit more positivity on this side is the simple fact that we know we need a BP to have any chance of winning the championship.

I know it's a slim chance, but we have to go for it.

 

[BPM]

I wonder how it will go in the second half if we bring CCS and Willis coming on together, some real carrying power coming on to put pressure on.

The only thing giving me a bit more positivity on this side is the simple fact that we know we need a BP to have any chance of winning the championship.

I know it's a slim chance, but we have to go for it.

 

[Lé Ddanno]

The only thing giving me a bit more positivity on this side is the simple fact that we know we need a BP to have any chance of winning the championship.

I know it's a slim chance, but we have to go for it.

Agreed, but I'm struggling to remember the last time we did that :/

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

The only thing giving me a bit more positivity on this side is the simple fact that we know we need a BP to have any chance of winning the championship.

If SB's plan comes together I doubt we'll lose by more than 7.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Agreed, but I'm struggling to remember the last time we did that :/

Had that final week in the Lancaster era where everyone needed to score big to win and we just missed out to Ireland but had a ridiculous game against France. Defence was completely abandoned by both sides.

 

[Flankers' paradise]

ingenious by SB. if we lose dingwall or freeman... Earl to 12, Burry to 6, Turry to 8, freeing up Ford as the jackal threat at 7

 

[Zed]

Really not supportive of some of those selections. Players out of position, players dropped despite strong performances, and it won't take much bad luck for it to completely blow up for them.

England's campaign has been massively flattered by Italy regressing significantly, Wales being at an all time low, and sneaking a win against a better Scotland side that have a terrible habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

A decent win against a subpar French performance does not indicate hope for the future imo. Borthwick is not the man to win a RWC.

Yeah if you're brutally honest about Englands 6N, that's about it. Ireland beat them, France stole defeat from the jaws of Victory, as did Scotland with 3 tries to 1 or was that 3 tries to 0?? Beat an Italian side at home by 20 points after France had put 50 points on them away.... massively flattering. They have got the makings of a great team. Tom Curry and Ben Early are phenomenal. They just look completely and utterly over-coached at times. Doing what they've been told to do vs what their instincts say..