England 6N 2016 - General Chit Chat

[ratsapprentice]

Some interesting faces at Pennyhill park today...

Don't recognise the first guy, but obviously the second is Gareth Evans.
There looked to be a couple of other guys in there as well... I'm guessing they just invited people who weren't playing at the weekend down to make up the numbers - still interesting though.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Whether or not you found it funny it was really blindingly obvious that it was a joke.

Diddums

Go ahead and support rugby racism you arrogant English person.

There is no place for racism in rugby, whether it's in a very poor jest or not.

You are bringing rugby down to the level of football.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Some interesting faces at Pennyhill park today...

Don't recognise the first guy, but obviously the second is Gareth Evans.
There looked to be a couple of other guys in there as well... I'm guessing they just invited people who weren't playing at the weekend down to make up the numbers - still interesting though.

Just had a look through the images on Getty and only recognise Evans, as well.


Edit:
Hartpury College/RFC, according to Twitter. So will be a few Gloucester A/academy players in there. Not sure why Evans is there. I know he went to Hartpury/played for their senior side in the past - maybe they kept him on the books

 

[Peat]

The more interesting point here, I think, is that the guys in white are the starting XV insofar as I can see, and Ben Youngs... a hint that Jones is thinking of releasing him early?

Or Care sitting out training for some reason?

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Earlier in the week there were some of the England under 20s training with England (some of the saints lads). So I guess they vary who they bring down just to have a look at a few different faces.

 

[j'nuh]

Edit:
Hartpury College/RFC, according to Twitter. So will be a few Gloucester A/academy players in there. Not sure why Evans is there. I know he went to Hartpury/played for their senior side in the past - maybe they kept him on the books

Evans has been injured since the start of the season, but is nearly back to fitness. So I presume he's training his way back with Hartpury.

 

[TheOvalBall]

One thing is for certain, England's backline are going to be fun to watch, since Eddie Jones is in charge of the attack. He usually employs an entertaining style of play in the backline.

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://www.therugbyanalyst.com/?p=99

Interesting - the guy has access to ruck stats.

Really think we should be aiming to have 7. Kvesic, 6. Clifford by the final game of the 6N.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Watching the Ireland-Wales game, England do not stand a chance with our current breakdown work. If Jones doesn't make some change to how England work the breakdown now, we are going to see every one of our attacks fizzle out with a turnover or penalty at the breakdown.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, it feels strange to watch teams competing at the breakdown, making dominant tackles and dominant carries and forwards taking the ball at pace.

 

[Hulkster]

Kvesic would be such an obvious improvement you have to wonder why the coaching set up just don't see it.

I don't buy this talk about Scotland being too difficult a game to change the team in. England will beat Scotland with any reasonable selection, I'm sorry I know we aren't supposed to say this but it's true. Scotland via with Italy every year to be the worst team in the tournament and that won't be changing any time soon.

 

[Tony Manx]

It would appear that there is something technically missing from Kvesic's game as prior coaching staff and all of the pundits habitually fail to mention the guy as a possible answer to the 7 place?

I have no idea whether he should or not be picked......

Scotland was an away game and the first of the comp or since the RWC. It was vital that they won this match for their confidence and the experience was picked to achieve this.

However, I do not think that anyone, Jones included, can see this as being a side to win the comp overall and changes will be made from a position of a win and the confidence that engenders!

Imagine a loss and the weight of criticism that would bring down on the heads of all involved and the pressure on the next games......

 

[McTallshort]

Kvesic would be such an obvious improvement you have to wonder why the coaching set up just don't see it.

I don't buy this talk about Scotland being too difficult a game to change the team in. England will beat Scotland with any reasonable selection, I'm sorry I know we aren't supposed to say this but it's true. Scotland via with Italy every year to be the worst team in the tournament and that won't be changing any time soon.

We need another carrier before we need a flash new 7. Mako should start and Itojie or Lawes put on the blindside. We cannot expect Billy to do it all.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Lawes is your solution to the need for another carrier?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Lawes would be terrible at 6,
Itoje would work, or Clifford.
Hell, get Binny at 6 and Beaumont at 8

 

[ratsapprentice]

Clifford or Ewers would be the prime candidates for adding carrying to our back row, and Ewers is injured.

Clifford should come straight in.

You're also talking about us bringing in a 7 as if it's some sort of fancy novelty, as opposed to a fairly fundamental role that most teams need filled.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Some of the press were quite harsh on England and I thought that was a tad unfair.
Scotland are no mugs, they are very organised and they have real passion.
Ok so they don't have many weapons for the International stage but they are a considerably improved side from a few short years ago.
England showed some rust and wobbled a bit however for a first hit out with a new coach and a new captain it was a good effort all round.
Plenty of room to improve and enough sparks to show real promise for the future under Eddie Jones.

 

[Tony Manx]

Some of the press were quite harsh on England and I thought that was a tad unfair.
Scotland are no mugs, they are very organised and they have real passion.
Ok so they don't have many weapons for the International stage but they are a considerably improved side from a few short years ago.
England showed some rust and wobbled a bit however for a first hit out with a new coach and a new captain it was a good effort all round.
Plenty of room to improve and enough sparks to show real promise for the future under Eddie Jones.

See I told you he can make some good points occasionally!!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

You're also talking about us bringing in a 7 as if it's some sort of fancy novelty, as opposed to a fairly fundamental role that most teams need filled.

Ennit,
people act like they're something from the past and they just don't exist any more when the reality is most international sides have them and basically every club does.
Realistically it's only England that actively doesn't select an openside.

 

[j'nuh]

Kvesic would be such an obvious improvement you have to wonder why the coaching set up just don't see it.

I don't buy this talk about Scotland being too difficult a game to change the team in. England will beat Scotland with any reasonable selection, I'm sorry I know we aren't supposed to say this but it's true. Scotland via with Italy every year to be the worst team in the tournament and that won't be changing any time soon.

I agree he should be in and I see it as an obvious improvement, but I can see the case for not including him too. I think we fans risk oversimplifying the roles of a rugby player. Kvesic is the best breakdown specialist we have, but the question is whether that alone is enough to guarantee your place in the team? Top international opensides aren't just breakdown specialists. The elephant in the room when it comes to Kvesic is that he's smaller than most 7s on the international stage; he's ripped as hell for his size, and more than adequately physical for club rugby, but he's not quite in the same league as Warburton, O'Brien, Pocock, Flouw etc. I think that the argument being made for keeping Kvesic (/other smaller 7s) out is that he concedes too much ground in the tackle. Fisher thinks its something Kvesic can solve quite easily, so hopefully it's more to do with Kvesic changing his technique rather than that he just isn't big enough.

And aside from Kvesic, 7s who aren't ultra-physical haven't had the greatest time of getting games at international level. Tipuric and Seymour immediately spring to mind as fan favourites that are/were underused on the international stage.

I think it explains why Jones is so eager to get Underhill involved. Underhill is potentially that kind of physical 7 that dominates the international game.