England EPS 2016/17 season.

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Yeah but a back row of Hughes, Robshaw and Vunipola seems mightily one dimensional to me. Might work against SA, but v Australia, would come a cropper.

It's very far from ideal, but with Hask, Clifford, Itoje, Williams and Jones injured, as well as Wood and Harrison out of form, it's the best option from the squad Eddie's selected. The annoying thing is that Eddie's dug this hole himself with the squad he's picked. He could've had 6. Robshaw 7. Kvesic/Thompson/Beaumont 8. Vunipola, which looks far better and more balanced, but he's ruled it out himself.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

TBH a back row with Wood and Harrison isn't exactly confidence filling either.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

So can see him picking for
V SA, Aus, ARG
1) Vunipola, 2) Hartley, 3) Cole
4) Launchbury, 5) Lawes
6) Robshaw, 7) Harrison/Wood, 8) Vunipola
9) Youngs, 10) Ford
12) Farrell, 13) JJ
11) Yarde, 14) Roko, 15) Brown

16) George, 17) Marler, 18) Sink
19) Attwood, 20) Hughes
21) Care, 22) Slade, 23) Daly

V Fiji
1) Marler, 2) George, 3) Sink
4) Attwood, 5) Lawes/Launchbury
6) Wood, 7) Harrison, 8) Hughes
9) Care, 10) Loz
12) Slade/T'eo, 13) Daly
11) May, 14) Yarde, 15) Goode

16) Taylor, 17) Genge, 18) Cole
19) Ewels, 20) Morgan
21) Youngs, 22) Slade/T'eo, 23) Haley

 

[spartan32]

Good to see May back, but I haven't really seen him play at all this season. I can only assume hes back to his rapid best?

Teo back again. All well and good but I hope we actually get to see him play this time. He's been talked up by a few on the forums, id like to see if he's got what it takes at test level.

Haley is a surprise, I wonder what EJ has in mind for him?

Beaumont being left out is also a surprise. I can only assume EJ feels the need to steady the ship with some experienced players, hence the inclusion of Wood, who is having a good season so far. Maybe he'll do a Hask and find a rich vein of form late on the day?

No real shocks with the rest. Harrison is maybe a little lucky to be in. Defo needs to seize any chance he's given. Shame Cips is yet again over looked but I guess EJ has decided that he'll be too old come Japan and so doesn't want to waste game time on him.

I'd like to see Roko and Yard play together. If both are on form that forms a hefty pair of wings, could be handy against SA.

Whatever happens some of these lads are really going to have to raise their games otherwise we could have some problems.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Eddie has said Josh was in the EPS as a lock, he's not playing there for sale (as he's a far better 8 ) so makes sense he didn't make the cut ahead of players playing in the 2nd row every week.
I think Haley will overtake Goode as 2nd choice FB by the end of the Autumn - Goode has had a ton of chances to bring his club form to the international stage and has failed, and I don't think EJ particularly rates him as he's only had one sub appearance since EJ arrived.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Wood's role will be interesting. He's not bench impact material so its either squad injury cover for Robshaw or starting. Given his experience and the way he plays I think it will be the latter.

Harrison's a lucky boy. SA might not be great at the moment but they always like a scrum and I dread to think what they'd do to Sinckler. Hill's omission is fine by me though. Despite everything - and I did see what happened to Saints scrum last week - I'd still have Brookes as Cole's understudy.

Lozowski can surely only be there for experience. Shame room couldn't have been found for Robson to do likewise.

 

[BPM]

I did say it would be Wood ... hopefully Eddie is able to conjure up the good version of Tom Wood I just about remember!

Some odd selections there on the whole ...

With all of the injuries, I'm pretty much writing off this year's AIs as a real opportunity for us to keep developing - it's now just a case of grinding out the wins and hoping we're in better shape to resume the upward curve in the 6 Nations IMO.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Completely glazed over Robson's omission.
That's criminal, he should be in the first choice 23 if not starting.

 

[Peat]

Locks: Attwood, Ewels, Launchbury, Lawes - Loss of Itoje and Kruis is devastating, but having this quality left over shows our strength in depth.

As someone who no longer thinks Attwood is fit for more than an impact sub role in international rugby (if that) and who is suspicious of the idea Ewels is ready, I wouldn't go that far. I think the guys at Leicester particularly are unlucky - maybe also Symons.

I would like to echo Sinckler over Hill, Harrison/Wood over everyone, Care over Robson, Lozowski over everyone and add that three specialist full-backs is encouraging for the idea we kill one of them but also slightly terrifying. Plz no Mike Brown super wing.

 

[TheSaffycen]

With locks, I'd rather Slater than Ewels or have Kitchener. Both I think are intl' quality.
With the back row, Harrison might be out of form but a lot of players play very differently in the environment. Woods may do really well in the role of tackling, getting up and tackling again, he's incredibly fit and looks a bit bigger now. With losing Kruis and Itoje in the lineout you now get Lawes, Wood and Launchbury. Give us some good options, I genuinely think we'll see Wood-Vunipola-Robshaw in the back row.
Scrum time Vunipola-George-Cole-Lawes-Launchbury is that going to hold up to SA and Arg? I'm not too sure..
Backs, Youngs and Care are good. Robson is better though. Fly halves, Ford and Loz I really like, apart from Saracens don't have a fly half, Cipriani is playing very well, but so is loz. He is much younger and is a great running fly half.
The rest nothing much to say.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/37773444

Well, Jones says Harrison is likely to start at 7. We will see......

 

[Peat]

Is he likely to finish the first half there though, that's the real question.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Does seem strange that he's earmarked Harrison.
He was unceremoniously shepherds crooked in his only (real) test start, and hasn't looked half as good this season as last with Saints.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

It won't happen but I wouldn't mind seeing Tommy Taylor at 7. He's played there for Sharks hasn't he? He's got the work rate for it.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

In the same article it also says that Wood has a great chance of being selected. Take your choice of smokescreen or mixed messages. Can't see any justification in playing Harrison, unless EJ sees him as the long term solution and wants to bed him in. Which I doubt.

 

[BPM]

In the same article it also says that Wood has a great chance of being selected. Take your choice of smokescreen or mixed messages. Can't see any justification in playing Harrison, unless EJ sees him as the long term solution and wants to bed him in. Which I doubt.

I agree ... Personally I'd go for Wood as a tried and tested (no pun intended) option.

I can see the argument for developing Harrison, given that he has time on his side to improve, but I'm not sure I see that much of a long-term future for him with England? Without the injuries, he's behind Haskell and Clifford as well as probably Sam Jones (who is only 24/25 anyway). We've then got Underhill and Evans coming through, so I don't know if I see a place for him in the EPS when others are fit.

Also, if Harrison starts and $hits the bed though, you'd have to think his career as a test player would be on very shaky ground!

 

[spartan32]

I get the impression that EJ likes to keep the opposition guessing as to what team he's gonna select. It's quite shrewd in many ways.

As for the number of uncapped players and guys who haven't played tests in a while. Well I'm all for bringing talent through, and I agree it's vital to cultivate strength in depth, but also it's critical we stay in the top 4, or ideally at 2, until at least after the World Cup draw. At this stage valiantly loosing whole trying to develop the squad simply will not do.

This is a real chance for England to assert some real dominance. If we can achieve another clean sweep, with all these injuries, it will give us a real psychological edge going forward. We would start to cultivate the same ora as NZ. That's sense that it doesn't matter who goes off injured as the next bloke is just as good. Fingers crossed these new boys can set that standard.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

I really didn't think Harrison performed badly against Australia. He didn't set the world alight, but it was only his 2nd cap, what was expected?

For his place in the EPS it's definitely in the ropes, but I don't think it's as doomed as you make out. Clifford is seen as an 8, not a 7, and Haskell's ageing. Sam Jones is also, in reality a 6, and I think once Robshaw has aged, Eddie will want Williams and Jones battling for the 6 shirt. That leaves Underhill, Evans and Harrison to battle for the 7 shirt. Eddie had 3 7s in his 45-Man EPS, and NZ are touring with 3 specialist 7s ATM. Harrison's ability to also cover 6 and 8, I'd have thought will make his position in the EPS quite secure.

 

[BPM]

I really didn't think Harrison performed badly against Australia. He didn't set the world alight, but it was only his 2nd cap, what was expected?

For his place in the EPS it's definitely in the ropes, but I don't think it's as doomed as you make out. Clifford is seen as an 8, not a 7, and Haskell's ageing. Sam Jones is also, in reality a 6, and I think once Robshaw has aged, Eddie will want Williams and Jones battling for the 6 shirt. That leaves Underhill, Evans and Harrison to battle for the 7 shirt. Eddie had 3 7s in his 45-Man EPS, and NZ are touring with 3 specialist 7s ATM. Harrison's ability to also cover 6 and 8, I'd have thought will make his position in the EPS quite secure.

Perhaps he has a squad place, but on current evidence, I don't see him making the shirt his own. I know Eddie has said he sees Clifford's future at 8, but for now, I think he, Harrison and Jones are basically competing for one or two spots as utility back row players covering 6, 7 and 8.

Also, as much as you, me and most others may see Jones as a 6, Eddie's view of a 7 seems a little more flexible and he has more or less said he sees him as a successor to Haskell as a destructive, hard-hitting flanker rather than a jackal/linking 7.

The challenge is that we have Haskell, Robshaw and Wood with plenty of caps and then no-one else that's anywhere near that level of experience. We really need to prioritise developing the likes of Clifford, Jones, Harrison, Underhill and Evans (as well as others like the Curry brothers or Ludlam if they get the game time to justify doing so) over the next three years so we're not in a position where are experienced flankers are over the hill and our next best have a handful of caps between them heading to Japan.

 

[Peat]

Harrison was dragged ashore after 30 minutes. That tells its own tale. I'd like to back that up with eye test but I honestly can't remember noticing him which also tells its own tale. I don't care if its his second cap, if you're getting any caps at all ever a player needs to offer more than that. The only excuse the second cap offers him is reason to hope the next will be better, but so far that's not been the case this season.

Tbh, at the moment, I think Jones has a hell of a task on his hands with the flankers. Haskshaw is solid but after that is only the void. Clifford has not developed a flanker's skill set and work rate and may never do so. People are talking up Sam Jones as a destructive flanker - didn't see that in South Africa. Harrison is interesting but needs to be doing it regularly... which also fits just about everyone else. The future could be okay but the present feels pretty grim.