England 2021/22

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I reckon Chessum will be on the bench for Isiekwe if that happens

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I reckon Chessum will be on the bench for Isiekwe if that happens

Jobs for the boys,
Borthwick must have some dodgy pics of EJ, first Fartin' now Chessum

smh my head

 

[BrokenWing]

Must be the scrums. Do away with them I say. A blight on our game!

Have Kabaddi style scrums where everyone has to hold their breath. Might make them a bit more keen to just get on with it.

 

[LIONSxv]

Isiekwe the on paper should be cert to start. He is 6 foot 7 19 stone lock that is very athletic and has tons of club experience.

Surely Eddie's dislike for him must be based on more than one bad half of rugby Vs staffers when he was 19 and about 2 stone lighther.
Wonder if any Sarries fans care to pass comment on something non Sarries fans are missing. I.e poor scrummaging ability or perhaps more of personality issue As when I've seen him his game looks at a different level to Ewels

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

It may well be my own unfair preconceptions but Isiekwe has struck me as too slim for a top flight lock ever since he moved to Saints. Very much in the same vein of Lawes who I think of as pretty much purely a flank these days. Honestly would rather see Chessum get a shot in the row than Isiekwe, while Isiekwe fills Lawes' blindside role.

Ewels can **** off though.

 

[LIONSxv]

It may well be my own unfair preconceptions but Isiekwe has struck me as too slim for a top flight lock ever since he moved to Saints. Very much in the same vein of Lawes who I think of as pretty much purely a flank these days. Honestly would rather see Chessum get a shot in the row than Isiekwe, while Isiekwe fills Lawes' blindside role.

Ewels can **** off though.

He doesn't look slim to me in fact he looks bigger than 120kg. Their a picture of him and Itoje together and he looks far broader

 

[BPM]

Yeah. That's my take. Isiekwe is athletic but I wouldn't describe him as slim.

My only issue with him is that his carrying is virtually non-existent. For a bloke as big as he is who is also fairly quick, you'd think he'd pack a bit more punch as a carrying option and he just … doesn't … I can't really recall him breaking the gainline when I've seen him play.

Chessum is very inexperienced and would be a massive gamble. From what I've seen of him so far, he looks like he could be a really good all rounder, but dropping him in at Murrayfield is probably a bit beyond the level of risk I'd personally want to take.

 

[LIONSxv]

Yeah. That's my take. Isiekwe is athletic but I wouldn't describe him as slim.

My only issue with him is that his carrying is virtually non-existent. For a bloke as big as he is who is also fairly quick, you'd think he'd pack a bit more punch as a carrying option and he just … doesn't … I can't really recall him breaking the gainline when I've seen him play.

Chessum is very inexperienced and would be a massive gamble. From what I've seen of him so far, he looks like he could be a really good all rounder, but dropping him in at Murrayfield is probably a bit beyond the level of risk I'd personally want to take.

As long as he shores up the scrum, competes at the line out, makes his tackles and gets around the pitch. You could argue that we have enough ball carriers to compensate. We lack size and weight in the tight 5 and he offers both
I don't recall Kruis being a particularly great carrier, but he more than compensated for it in his bread and butter areas

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Isiekwe doesn't have to be the best, he only has to be better than Charlie Ewels which can't be hard now can it.

I do really rate him as a player but you have to note that he hasn't nailed down a starting lock spot at any club yet, even if there are other reasons for that it won't help his case …….or maybe it would with Jones loving a hybrid player.

 

[BPM]

I don't know if it's a case of him not nailing down a position. I think he's pretty much equally good in either position and Saracens have used him in whichever role suits them better for each game.

If he wants to cement a place in the England squad, I think he really needs to focus on his best interests and push harder to stay at lock (no pun intended). The quality and competition in the back row is huge in comparison to a relative lack of good options at lock.

With all that said, it does look like Tizard has been signed to play alongside Itoje, which might well mean Isiekwe is preferred at 6.

 

[Mr Burns]

Tizard looks smaller than Isiekwe as well but maybe the fact he only plays lock will work in his favour.

Think scrummaging locks are always an interesting topic, you look at Saracens and I think they've said their best lock in the scrum is Swinson who's 6'4, 112kg and was retired ffs

 

[Geordie]

Tizzards is 6'4 pushing 6'5. From what ive heard...hes very much likened to a young Kruis. Does the basics very well...

The one thing ive heard about Isiekwe is that hes a bit lacking in the top two inches....

 

[BPM]

Height and weight isn't always a reliable indicator.

Tizard is definitely smaller than Isiekwe but I'd argue scrummaging is as much about technique as it is size. That's more apparent/obvious with props, but still applies for second rows too. Clearly a big second row with good technique is the dream ticket, but an inch/kg or two isn't that influential IMO. For example, Itoje isn't the tallest lock but his athleticism means he can make up for that in he lineout. He's also not the biggest, but his power output to size ratio must be very high.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

The one thing ive heard about Isiekwe is that hes a bit lacking in the top two inches....

Sounds absolutely perfect for a lock.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

For example, Itoje isn't the tallest lock but his athleticism means he can make up for that in he lineout.

In the line out, with a smaller guy everything has to be that bit more precise with less margin for error. Itoje is v athletic and punches above his size but someone like Lawes or even Isiekwe who are both athletic and fantastic in the air have an inbuilt advantage with their extra height and wingspan. As well as helping to sort out any inaccuracies on their ball it's arguably a bigger consideration for opponents on their ball.

Scrummaging is definitely a team effort but it's also mainly about the front row. If your props can't hack it it doesn't really matter who's in the row. I think the weakness in the Saints front row was one of the reasons why Lawes ended up playing more at 6.

 

[BPM]

And yet he seems to do OK …

 

[Geordie]

In the line out, with a smaller guy everything has to be that bit more precise with less margin for error. Itoje is v athletic and punches above his size but someone like Lawes or even Isiekwe who are both athletic and fantastic in the air have an inbuilt advantage with their extra height and wingspan. As well as helping to sort out any inaccuracies on their ball it's arguably a bigger consideration for opponents on their ball.

Scrummaging is definitely a team effort but it's also mainly about the front row. If your props can't hack it it doesn't really matter who's in the row. I think the weakness in the Saints front row was one of the reasons why Lawes ended up playing more at 6.

The locks can have a considerable say on the matter though. Ineffective scrummaging locks can really weaken a very strong scrummaging front row. front 5 should be a very good unit.

 

[BPM]

Yep. Played a lot at hooker and even at a relatively low level of the game, it makes a huge difference when there's some power coming through from the second row.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

And yet he seems to do OK …

OK?? We don't want OK. We want intimidating, magnificent, dominating, terrifying


The most exciting news of the week is that Itoje apparently played a key leadership role in the pub that the squad ended up in after the fire episode.

 

[BPM]

Umm - it was sarcasm. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking Itoje does more than OK.