England 2024/25

[Rugbyfan564]

I think he'll be in Argentina. Phil Morrow is an excellent announcement.

Well he has been told he needs 4 wins out of 5 to secure his job. Suspect through he might survive with 3 if one is a narrow loss.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Well he has been told he needs 4 wins out of 5 to secure his job. Suspect through he might survive with 3 if one is a narrow loss.

Gatland will probably keep his job if he just gets 1 win.

 

[BPM]

Well he has been told he needs 4 wins out of 5 to secure his job. Suspect through he might survive with 3 if one is a narrow loss.

At this point in time 4 feels practically impossible. I can just about see us pulling one surprise performance out of the bag against Ireland or France but even that is a stretch,

We owe Scotland a beating and I'm not convinced they are actually better than us, but I definitely wouldn't be confident of a win.

Should be 2 wins, a third feels do-able. Four? Nah.

 

[Geordie]

Well he has been told he needs 4 wins out of 5 to secure his job. Suspect through he might survive with 3 if one is a narrow loss.

Yeah...i dont think they'll enforce that. I think they'll say theres been alot of disruption, lots of issues and with a new coaching team in place in the summer we move forward with optimism starting with the Argentina / US tour.
Not my words but i think that'll be the tact.

Who replaces SB at the moment. Noone.

 

[Welsh Exile]

At this point in time 4 feels practically impossible. I can just about see us pulling one surprise performance out of the bag against Ireland or France but even that is a stretch,

We owe Scotland a beating and I'm not convinced they are actually better than us, but I definitely wouldn't be confident of a win.

Should be 2 wins, a third feels do-able. Four? Nah.

You also have to contend with 90s Wales where we know we're **** so will throw all our eggs into the "beating England" basket.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Well he has been told he needs 4 wins out of 5 to secure his job. Suspect through he might survive with 3 if one is a narrow loss.

He's been set a target of 4, but I don't think his job's explicitly dependent on attaining that. And as @BPM says 2 or 3 is most likely.

Back row, which should be a strength actually worries me a bit. You've got absentees (Underhill), not match fits (Chessum) possibly newcomers (Willis, Pepper and The Next Big Thing and B Curry if not exactly a newcomer has little international game time), not quite at their bests (CCS, T Curry & Earl) and not quite good enoughs (Dombrandt). I'm not sure there's anyone with reasonable international experience who's really firing at the moment.

Centre's a perennial issue and 2/3 of our first choice back 3 are out. As is one of our first choice locks and it's not impossible that our first choice 10 might be at 15.

I appear to have got up in a glass half empty mood. Let's see what the announcement brings.

 

[TopTen2003]

Maro Itoje to become England captain, replacing Jamie George.


To be honest, this should have happened years ago, but at 30 he's well experienced and well integrated now, and probably can get through the next WC cycle.

May also indicate we are freshening up at Hooker.

Excited to see if the captaincy lifts Maro's game further.

Good luck young man.

 

[higgik]

Maro Itoje to become England captain, replacing Jamie George.


To be honest, this should have happened years ago, but at 30 he's well experienced and well integrated now, and probably can get through the next WC cycle.

May also indicate we are freshening up at Hooker.

Excited to see if the captaincy lifts Maro's game further.

Good luck young man.

I actually think it does him good to have the role as it means there has to be more control, so no whooping.

 

[Saintjay]

I actually think it does him good to have the role as it means there has to be more control, so no whooping.

He's entitled to whoop just as Lawrence is entitled to go down.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Maro Itoje to become England captain, replacing Jamie George.


To be honest, this should have happened years ago, but at 30 he's well experienced and well integrated now, and probably can get through the next WC cycle.

May also indicate we are freshening up at Hooker.

Excited to see if the captaincy lifts Maro's game further.

Good luck young man.

Good luck indeed.

I have a feeling he may be very good or very bad at this. Not sure which, but I don't think the outcome will be neutral.

Some of SB's rationale for the change was off though. He's a very good player….well, so what? George going off early leading to last quarter capitulations……erm who took over the armband? Some comment about good decision making under pressure and keeping calm…..maybe in some respects, but discipline's a longstanding Achilles heel, which has got worse at club level….after assuming the captaincy.

I can believe Jones when he said Itoje was a bit inward looking. If that was true there's going to have to be a sea change as he's going to have so much more to think about and much more pressure on his time.

Will be an interesting watch.

 

[Saintjay]

Good luck indeed.

I have a feeling he may be very good or very bad at this. Not sure which, but I don't think the outcome will be neutral.

Some of SB's rationale for the change was off though. He's a very good player….well, so what? George going off early leading to last quarter capitulations……erm who took over the armband? Some comment about good decision making under pressure and keeping calm…..maybe in some respects, but discipline's a longstanding Achilles heel, which has got worse at club level….after assuming the captaincy.

I can believe Jones when he said Itoje was a bit inward looking. If that was true there's going to have to be a sea change as he's going to have so much more to think about and much more pressure on his time.

Will be an interesting watch.

He made George the captain. He knows most front row players are off by the last 20. So the decision on Captain George is firmly on Borthwick.

The two VC's are in the front row so be interesting to see if they both start, and Mario is on his lonesome after 60.

 

[Geordie]

I actually think it does him good to have the role as it means there has to be more control, so no whooping.

To be fair he's stopped most of that form what I can see.