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England EPS 2016/17 season.

I can see the benefit of bringing a specialist Judo session to the national team. They can probably bring insights unless the players have ever done Judo that they are probably unaware of and incorporate into this game. Yeah it's not going to make a huge amount of difference but it might do something.

Plus I wouldn't call Judo an 'extreme sport' there is very little they'd be doing that was outside of the normal dangers of training to play a rugby match.
 
Grappling is a hugely important part of Rugby, in tackling, rucking and mauling.

Judo is a specialism of grappling with clothes on - it's directly transferable to rugby, and the sorts of ideas and techniques likely to be passed on in a day are basic fundamentals relevant to rugby, not advanced throws or submissions.

Sessions like this are as much about maintaining focus and staving off complacency as they are about technique or physical stimulus.
 
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Watson now out with a broken jaw.

You'd like to think this would be Wade's chance, but it won't happen.

It just seems this England regime, much like the last, refuse to look beyond his size and don't take him seriously.

With Ashton, Nowell, May, Watson all unavailable I don't think it's remotely credible to say he's still not good enough to get in, but it is what it is.

Roko is next in line, surely? As for size, isn't Wade actually quite big? - he just doesn't use it.
Last season (Prem only)
Wade scored 12 tries, ran 930m, beating 43 defenders and making 32 clean breaks; whilst missing 18/67 tackles
Roko scored 12 tries, ran 1033m, beating 68 defenders and making 30 clean breaks; whilst missing 8/107 tackles

Roko is almost certainly our best winger in the air as well

Oh, and surely Nowell is available - he did play 56 minutes last week after all.
 
Roko is next in line, surely? As for size, isn't Wade actually quite big? - he just doesn't use it.

Err.... here he is next to Kyle...

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This surely has to be Rokos big chance to shine. As a Bath fan though, if Roko goes and with these extra injuries we aren't going to have a team left...
 
Plus I wouldn't call Judo an 'extreme sport'

Nor would I, just making the point that there are usually restrictions around activities which carry potential injury risks.

Sessions like this are as much about maintaining focus and staving off complacency as they are about technique or physical stimulus.

You're probably right, although I do wonder about the amount of time teams spend "in camp". Paralysis by analysis etc

Anyway looks like I'm in a minority of 2 on this one. I'm assuming I can rely on Sam Jones vote!
 
Hey I agree completely that Roko should play.

But Wade should fairly obviously be on the other wing.

I think he is no higher than 7th in the England pecking order, I just find the idea he's England's 7th best winger (at best) somewhat mind boggling.
 
Hey I agree completely that Roko should play.

But Wade should fairly obviously be on the other wing.

I think he is no higher than 7th in the England pecking order, I just find the idea he's England's 7th best winger (at best) somewhat mind boggling.

Wade just isn't that good. He might be brilliant in attack but he's not a well rounded international player.

Ashton was great in attack but couldn't defend and no one raised an eyebrow when he was dropped.
 
Hey I agree completely that Roko should play.

But Wade should fairly obviously be on the other wing.

I think he is no higher than 7th in the England pecking order, I just find the idea he's England's 7th best winger (at best) somewhat mind boggling.

Surely 6th at best.
He's rightly behind Watson, May, Nowell and Rokoduguni, and appears to be behind Yarde (and offering bery different attributes).
Beyond those 5, I don't think we can really call what the pecking order is.

As for Wade's size - fair enough, I thought he was bigger than that - height wise at least. Not that I think his height is an issue regardless - 4cm shorter than Nowell, and 1 kg lighter.
 
Wade just isn't that good. He might be brilliant in attack but he's not a well rounded international player.

Ashton was great in attack but couldn't defend and no one raised an eyebrow when he was dropped.

That's because he's Ashton.

One of England's greatest problems has been finishing chances, not creating them and there's no-one better than Wade at that. Maybe he's not well rounded, but why do players need to be? Provided they don't have glaring weaknesses, I'd rather a player really excel at some of his position's prime functions than just be quite good at everything. The winger's role may have changed but one of their prime functions is still finishing. Jonah Lomu wasn't well rounded, but would a modern day version still get a game? Of course he would.

Not suggesting Wade is definitely the answer, but I'm surprised he hasn't been asked the question.
 
Trouble with Wade and Ashton is that they do have glaring weaknesses.
 
As for Wade's size - fair enough, I thought he was bigger than that - height wise at least. Not that I think his height is an issue regardless - 4cm shorter than Nowell, and 1 kg lighter.

3 inches shorter and 5kg lighter , depending on who you ask.

Regardless of stats - there is a world of difference in physicality. Both players punch above their weights in that department, but Nowell does so far more than Wade.
 
Nah England biggest problem was creating tries, finishing isn't a issue until you sort that out.

I think you're right, stand to be corrected as my memory is often shaky but both the Aus series and 6N I don't remember England being wasteful with chances, I remember them being pretty clinical.
 
That is my memory as well. England ooze with finishing power at the moment. The issue is getting into place to use it.
 
I find we are pretty good at finishing when it is still on by the time it reaches the wingers. Most failures are due to a fault somewhere before the winger with England, often the midfield. The prime one is not fixing the defender and simply shovelling the ball along, allowing the defence to drift so the winger is hopelessly outmatched by the defence. The one we did before that when Tuilagi played and still do is to crash into contact when there is space out wide and the player just never looks. Wales have suffered this more than us with the likes of Roberts and Davies in midfield, set up to crash the ball regardless of what may be on beyond them.
 
So now no Nowell either. Another victim of EJs clearly over zealous training camp. At the moment I'm not really sure what the England back line is going to look like, especially if Faz doesn't get better in time. I'd guess something like this?

9. Youngs/Care
10. Ford
11. Yard (who had a pretty good game for Quinn's at the weekend and looked back to his best)
12. No idea, how about Banahan?
13. JJ/Slade
14. Roko
15. Brown

12 is now a massive problem. As far as I can tell we have no one who is built for the role currently available. Either as a playmaker of a unit. In seriousness I'm starting to think Banahan could have a shot as a stand in. He's doing an alright job at Bath.

Also that's just the starting line up. No idea what a backs bench will look like. On the upside this is the chance for EJ to try out guys who have been on the fringes.

As for forwards I still think we are ok. Yes the 7 argument rages on but we've got plenty of big units able to step up to plate who can throw a ball Around.
 
So now no Nowell either. Another victim of EJs clearly over zealous training camp. At the moment I'm not really sure what the England back line is going to look like, especially if Faz doesn't get better in time. I'd guess something like this?

9. Youngs/Care
10. Ford
11. Yard (who had a pretty good game for Quinn's at the weekend and looked back to his best)
12. No idea, how about Banahan?
13. JJ/Slade
14. Roko
15. Brown

12 is now a massive problem. As far as I can tell we have no one who is built for the role currently available. Either as a playmaker of a unit. In seriousness I'm starting to think Banahan could have a shot as a stand in. He's doing an alright job at Bath.

Also that's just the starting line up. No idea what a backs bench will look like. On the upside this is the chance for EJ to try out guys who have been on the fringes.

As for forwards I still think we are ok. Yes the 7 argument rages on but we've got plenty of big units able to step up to plate who can throw a ball Around.

I think Slade or Teo will slot into 12. Slade is similar to Farrell in a playmaker role. So we might see

9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. Yarde/ Daly
12. Slade
13. JJ
14. Roko
15. Brown

Out of all of this brown should of been out and we should have had a back three of Watson, Nowell and Roko.
 
I think Slade or Teo will slot into 12. Slade is similar to Farrell in a playmaker role. So we might see

9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. Yarde/ Daly
12. Slade
13. JJ
14. Roko
15. Brown

Out of all of this brown should of been out and we should have had a back three of Watson, Nowell and Roko.

At the moment Teo is apparently injured and Slade is 13 by trade. Also Teo has zero test experience, would be worried if our best first choice option against SA has never set foot on a test field. As for Slade Granted he's got pretty good hands but with very limited test experience I would worry about him starting against South Africa as well. Although they looked really poor against NZ at the weekend so maybe they're not at their best at the moment.

In any event there's a lot of talk about 7 but surely our real problem is 12? And given how EJ favours more forwards on the bench he can't really afford to get the backs selection too far wrong. Normally I don't worry too much about the AIs but I think it is critical that England continue to build on the momentum we already have. In fact I'd go so far as to say we need to win every game between now and when we next fave NZ. Then we need to beat them and take that top spot heading into 2019.
 
At the moment Teo is apparently injured and Slade is 13 by trade. Also Teo has zero test experience, would be worried if our best first choice option against SA has never set foot on a test field. As for Slade Granted he's got pretty good hands but with very limited test experience I would worry about him starting against South Africa as well. Although they looked really poor against NZ at the weekend so maybe they're not at their best at the moment.

This season Slade's been playing his rugby at 12 (Has been 13 in team sheets but plays and wears 12). And I think most agree he's far better there than at 13. With Faz, Tuilagi and maybe Te'o out I'd choose Slade at 12, although as you say it's far from ideal. Maybe Devoto?

Itoje at 7 is looking like more and more of a reality.
 
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