England EPS 2016/17 season.

[TRF_Olyy]

We often send academy players to SA for a season to play in the u21 currie cup
James, Haley, Fowles and Jennings have all played there, off the top of my head.



Echo the desire for a proper A league, the A games at the moment are a bit of a joke how sparse they are.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Echo the desire for a proper A league, the A games at the moment are a bit of a joke how sparse they are.

Agreed. Also fully favour players heading overseas to get a bit of experience, we do tend to be very insular over here. Richards went to France, Johnson to NZ and it didn't do them any harm. A great rugby and life experience. A lot to be said for have boots will travel as opposed to the rigid disciplines of academies. More of our coaches should give it a whirl too.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Launchbury spent some time in NZ, I think
Edit: it was South Africa, according to wikipedia

 

[ratsapprentice]

I think people underestimate how many young players go abroad for a season or so - a lot of them do it when they're 17-18.
I'd go so far as to say it's possible that a majority of academy players do it at some point - even if it's only for a couple of months.

I think the issue isn't so much with guys still entrenched in the academies - it's the guys who are crying out for high level games in their last year of academy or first year or two in the senior squad.

I completely agree that a year of CC/NRC/ITM is much more valuable that a collective 30mins of prem action from the bench over a season.
The same can be said of time with the national 7s squad.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Yeh i'm not talking about the Academy lot i'm talking about the stage after the U20 JRWC when they have no U20's rugby to play in.


Shame we can't get the RFU and PRL to set up an proper A league of 14 teams you could split them up North and South home and Away games or just have play each other once with a seasonal rotational of home and away games this would mean a regular season league of 12 or 13 weeks which could be played say September - October which would be 7 weeks Have a break for AI's, Mid December to mid Jan 4 weeks and finally March to hold the final couple weeks and play offs. This would mean that Internationals wouldn't clash with it allowing teams to use the depth if needed.
Teams would be simple AP + Irish and Leeds.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Jones names his provisional EPS squad.

http://www.englandrugby.com/news/jones-names-provisional-elite-player-squad/

Forwards
Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
Jack Clifford (Harlequins)
Will Evans (Leicester Tigers)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
Teimana Harrison (Northampton Saints)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
James Haskell (Wasps)
Paul Hill (Northampton Saints)
Nathan Hughes (Wasps)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
George Kruis (Saracens)
Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Matt Mullan (Wasps)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Mike Williams (Leicester Tigers)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Backs
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Elliot Daly (Wasps)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Bath Rugby)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Mike Haley (Sale Sharks)
Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
Joe Marchant (Harlequins)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
Dan Robson (Wasps)
Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby)
Joe Simpson (Wasps)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Ben Te'o (Worcester Warriors)
Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
Marland Yarde (Harlequins)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Honestly so feking happy with that
Evans and williams i so called that.

Bar hughes so happy with that, although no Mallinder is a shock.

so by position
1) Marler, Vunipola, Mullan, Genge
2) Hartley, George, Youngs, cowan-Dickie
3) Cole, Hill, Sinckler
4) Kruis, Launchbury
5) Itoje, Lawes, Ewels
6) Robshaw, Hughes, Williams
7) Haskell, Harrison, Evans
8) Vunipola, Clifford, Beaumont
9) Youngs, Care, Robson, simpson
10) Ford, Farrell
11) Watson, May
12) Manu, T'eo, Slade
13) JJ, Daly, Marchant
14) Nowell, Roko, Yarde
15) Brown, Haley, Goode

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I don't know why I feel pretty meh about that but I do.
Lot of talented players, and talented youngsters, so should be good.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

No Ewers or Kvesic upsets me. And only having 2 10s, especially when one is used as a 12, is very risky and I think poorly thought out.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I can't see Wade playing for the EPS.

Kvesic will prob be haskell's injury replacement.

No Ewers or Kvesic upsets me. And only having 2 10s, especially when one is used as a 12, is very risky and I think poorly thought out.

I guess with Kvesic he covers 6 and 8 whereas Williams covers 6 and lock.

RE 2 10's i don't see the harm he has done it so far for the 6N's and Summer test he can also bring up a player for injury cover.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

I can't see Wade playing for the EPS.

Kvesic will prob be haskell's injury replacement.



I guess with Kvesic he covers 6 and 8 whereas Williams covers 6 and lock.

RE 2 10's i don't see the harm he has done it so far for the 6N's and Summer test he can also bring up a player for injury cover.

Those were both 32/33 man squads though. Having a 45-man squad and only taking 1 10 (Farrell plays as a centre for England. It's what he needs to be listed as) is ridiculous. Unless he's considering Slade as a 10.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Not surprised to not see Mallinder in there, don't know whether I rate him yet...

Great to see Marchant in there, I was quite lukewarm about him in his first year of age grade, but this year has convinced me that he's going to be an exceptional player.

Don't see what they see in Evans that they don't see in Kvesic, extraordinarily harsh IMO.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Those were both 32/33 man squads though. Having a 45-man squad and only taking 1 10 (Farrell plays as a centre for England. It's what he needs to be listed as) is ridiculous. Unless he's considering Slade as a 10.

Unless something has changed the amount of players in the game day squad is 23 so what difference does it make?

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Unless something has changed the amount of players in the game day squad is 23 so what difference does it make?

I'd guess it's surprising that with a wider squad- which I see as a chance to look at all the options- Jones is choosing to take, I don't know, 9 props over 3 fly halves.

I'm not doubting him (tiny 100% record magician that he is), but it does seem peculiar, unless it's some trick to boost Ford's morale further- i.e. Total confidence in him, etc.

The "only having one 10 because Faz is a 12" argument doesn't hold up though. As soon as Ford is out we look at replacement 12s not 10s, so there's that.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

He is just waiting for Freddie to have a good start to the season.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

He is just waiting for Freddie to have a good start to the season.

He's going to be waiting for a long time then

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

He's going to be waiting for a long time then

please.

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

He's going to be waiting for a long time then

Freddie Burns is the only living player to have escaped the curse on Gloucester backs.

That boy is special.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Lol has any Sale player who have moved to Wasps gotten a international cap yet.

 

[Maverick1987]

Lol has any Sale player who have moved to Wasps gotten a international cap yet.

Saxons count ?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Saxons count ?

Nope.