England 2024/25

[McTallshort]

Mainly. Although why there need to be Army and Navy representatives on a 10 person board beats me

Biggest game of the year

 

[Rugbyfan564]

Gloucester target All Blacks star

Gloucester are interested in recruiting English-qualified No 8 Hoskins Sotutu after he was left out of the All Blacks squad for their autumn tour.

Sotutu has been capped by New Zealand but he could become eligible for England next November if he completes a 36-month standdown period.

Sotutu is eligible for England through his mother and he could replace Toulon-bound Zach Mercer at Kingsholm.

RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Bombshell details of breakaway league revealed

NIK SIMON - RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Ambitious promoters are hunting some of the game's biggest stars for the competition that will be staged around the world like a touring circus.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Gloucester target All Blacks star

Gloucester are interested in recruiting English-qualified No 8 Hoskins Sotutu after he was left out of the All Blacks squad for their autumn tour.

Sotutu has been capped by New Zealand but he could become eligible for England next November if he completes a 36-month standdown period.

Sotutu is eligible for England through his mother and he could replace Toulon-bound Zach Mercer at Kingsholm.

RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Bombshell details of breakaway league revealed

NIK SIMON - RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Ambitious promoters are hunting some of the game's biggest stars for the competition that will be staged around the world like a touring circus.

www.dailymail.co.uk

That's OK. We'll never see him in the England conversation then.

 

[McTallshort]

Gloucester target All Blacks star

Gloucester are interested in recruiting English-qualified No 8 Hoskins Sotutu after he was left out of the All Blacks squad for their autumn tour.

Sotutu has been capped by New Zealand but he could become eligible for England next November if he completes a 36-month standdown period.

Sotutu is eligible for England through his mother and he could replace Toulon-bound Zach Mercer at Kingsholm.

RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Bombshell details of breakaway league revealed

NIK SIMON - RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Ambitious promoters are hunting some of the game's biggest stars for the competition that will be staged around the world like a touring circus.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Any chance of recruiting any English qualified props from South Africa?

 

[Geordie]

Any chance of recruiting any English qualified props from South Africa?

Or a 12...if they have a few spare

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Gloucester target All Blacks star

Gloucester are interested in recruiting English-qualified No 8 Hoskins Sotutu after he was left out of the All Blacks squad for their autumn tour.

Sotutu has been capped by New Zealand but he could become eligible for England next November if he completes a 36-month standdown period.

Sotutu is eligible for England through his mother and he could replace Toulon-bound Zach Mercer at Kingsholm.

RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Bombshell details of breakaway league revealed

NIK SIMON - RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: Ambitious promoters are hunting some of the game's biggest stars for the competition that will be staged around the world like a touring circus.

www.dailymail.co.uk

He didn't make the ABs because his defence, work rate and attitude are all poor - I don't know why people are clamouring for him to play for England in our most stacked area

 

[Crash Hamster]

Supposedly the RFU have agreed terms with Saracens to steal away that S&C guy that the clubs blocked from working for both England and Sarries at the same time, and he'll take up the role by the 6N

I know I've said this before, but this is bizarre.

We hear from England that the players aren't fit enough.

Saracens players play for England.

Saracens S+C coach is responsible for the S+C of Saracens players.

England recruit Saracens S+C coach to make the players fitter, presumably even the Saracens players who aren't apparently fit enough at the moment, despite working with the Saracens S+C coach.

(My suspicion is that, by the time you're playing at international level, you're actually quite fit and there are limited further improvements to be made. It's easy to add 33% to your bench press when you start at 60kg; it's easy to take 33% off your 10k time when you start at 90 minutes.)

"Am I asking the players to perform at a level which is unsustainable for 80 minutes? No, it is the players who are unfit."

 

[Mumbles119]

I know I've said this before, but this is bizarre.

We hear from England that the players aren't fit enough.

Saracens players play for England.

Saracens S+C coach is responsible for the S+C of Saracens players.

England recruit Saracens S+C coach to make the players fitter, presumably even the Saracens players who aren't apparently fit enough at the moment, despite working with the Saracens S+C coach.

(My suspicion is that, by the time you're playing at international level, you're actually quite fit and there are limited further improvements to be made. It's easy to add 33% to your bench press when you start at 60kg; it's easy to take 33% off your 10k time when you start at 90 minutes.)

"Am I asking the players to perform at a level which is unsustainable for 80 minutes? No, it is the players who are unfit."

More bizarre for me was the complaint that players were not fit enough, but Borthwick picked players with little to no game time or unproven fitness, like Slade for example.

 

[Which Tyler]

TBF, it's not "not fit" or "not fit enough" it's "differently fit"
conditioning for a long-arse season isn't the same as conditioning to peak for 1 month.
Equally, conditioning for a high-tempo game covering a lot of metres at full pace is different to conditioning for a kick&clap with wrestling at the breakdown game.

That's what happens when you're the England coach - you get players from different teams, accustomed to playing different ways, and being conditioned differently - none of which is ideal for England duty.
Your job is to pick a gameplan that works for the players available, and the conditioning they have, and mold them into a unit.
Borthwick is failing at that, and blaming external factors.
Central contracts MAY give him SOME control on these aspects for SOME of the players; but nothing's going to change that each club has their own way of playing the game, and be wanting different things from their employees.

 

[BPM]

He didn't make the ABs because his defence, work rate and attitude are all poor - I don't know why people are clamouring for him to play for England in our most stacked area

TBH, I haven't seen any clamour.

There was much more of that for Mercer.