England EPS 2017/18 edition.

[FLOBALOB]

There's absolutely no doubt that May is in better form than Nowell right now. Have you watched May this season? He's finishing his chances, working tirelessly on and off the ball. Breaking the line. Offloading and saving tries.

Ive watched May this season and i'm not sure he's quite as hot as what you think .Fair enough hes finished off a few tries, but so have a lot of wingers .Taking last weeks game I thought he was virtually invisible when compared to Woodburn, who ,for me, was the best winger on the park. The stats prove this;
P R M CB DB
J May 5 7 46 2 4
Woodburn 5 17 87 1 6

To me , he always looks like a fish out of water when he tries to get involved in the game away from his wing especially when you compare him to Nowell , who ,being an all round rugby player finds it come naturally.

 

[curtbob7]

Ive watched May this season and i'm not sure he's quite as hot as what you think .Fair enough hes finished off a few tries, but so have a lot of wingers .Taking last weeks game I thought he was virtually invisible when compared to Woodburn, who ,for me, was the best winger on the park. The stats prove this;
P R M CB DB
J May 5 7 46 2 4
Woodburn 5 17 87 1 6

To me , he always looks like a fish out of water when he tries to get involved in the game away from his wing especially when you compare him to Nowell , who ,being an all round rugby player finds it come naturally.

NZ have a fair few wingers who look like fishes out of water away from the wing. You could say that Nowell looks so brilliant because hes not built like a traditional flying winger. Balance of a back 3 for me has always been about having an attacking threat from deep, aerial threat and a finisher.

 

[ratsapprentice]

May isn't really a great threat unless you are playing a really open game. He should be a horses for courses pick, he's definitely not a definite.

 

[curtbob7]

May isn't really a great threat unless you are playing a really open game. He should be a horses for courses pick, he's definitely not a definite.

I agree. The home fixtures and Italy games for sure.

Some acknowledgment that's he's raised his game at Tigers wouldn't go a miss though!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-un...pot-missing-lions-tour-has-spurred-jonny-may/

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Is may an aerial threat?
I mean he's a threat, aerially, to his own teammates as he jumps in to them trying to take a high ball they've claimed, but he's not exactly Israel folau

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

To me Collins seems like a better May.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sinckler got 7 weeks, free to play from 21st November

 

[ratsapprentice]

An extreme method for getting a proper pre-season, some might say....

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Sinckler got 7 weeks, free to play from 21st November

Good thing he proved to Eddie that he isn't a hot head.

 

[ratsapprentice]

I think Eddie likes the fact he is. Pretty sure he's said as much.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I think Eddie likes the fact he is. Pretty sure he's said as much.

Don't recall him saying that, you got a quote?

I'm sure its like Genge "It's always better having to pull them out of the brawl than to push them towards it." as cockers put but as Genge found out and is founding out in the pro games players will just target you.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Eddie clearly likes players with a bit of attitude - Brown, Faz, Hartley etc. But there's a difference between giving away a few pens and getting the odd yellow and missing weeks.

Hopefully its a one off, but coming hot on the heels of his arrest with the Lions, I doubt Jones will be too impressed. Cole and who for the AIs?

 

[curtbob7]

Cole, Harry Williams and Paul Hill.

 

[curtbob7]

Absolutely bored out my face in the office so ill do the 23 id like to see against the Argie Bargies taking into account injuries and suspensions.

1. Vunipola
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Kruis
5. Lawes
6. Itoje
7. Underhill
8. Hughes

9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Farrell
13. Joseph
14. Daly
15. Watson

16. George
17. Genge
18. Williams
19. Launchbury
20. Clifford
21. Care
22. Slade
23. Nowell

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Not bad but I'd like to see a Curry in there paired with Underhill at some point.

 

[Scotty]

Absolutely bored out my face in the office so ill do the 23 id like to see against the Argie Bargies taking into account injuries and suspensions.

1. Vunipola
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Kruis
5. Lawes
6. Itoje
7. Underhill
8. Hughes

9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Farrell
13. Joseph
14. Daly
15. Watson

16. George
17. Genge
18. Williams
19. Launchbury
20. Clifford
21. Care
22. Slade
23. Nowell

Not bad. Swap 23 and 11 but just my opinion but with watson at 15 is it worth having brwn in the 23 shirt to cover fb just incase at this level. Though prob wont be needed.

George at 2

Lawes itoje at 4/5. launch on bench as you have

Need one of the currys at 7 and underhill at 6.
But im scared out pack lacks abit of go forward ball in hand giving slow ball to ford faz combo who need quick ball

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Absolutely bored out my face in the office so ill do the 23 id like to see against the Argie Bargies taking into account injuries and suspensions.

1. Vunipola
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Kruis
5. Lawes
6. Itoje
7. Underhill
8. Hughes

9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Farrell
13. Joseph
14. Daly
15. Watson

16. George
17. Genge
18. Williams
19. Launchbury
20. Clifford
21. Care
22. Slade
23. Nowell

Quite like that with the exception of Daly at 14. Wasn't he going to rest some of the Lions though?

Either way, we largely know what most of those can do. I'm all for continuity, but he's running out of chances to experiment ahead of Japan, so I'd like to see Genge start and Teo with Faz at 10. He won't learn anything from Launch and Care on the bench, maybe a Curry instead and Robson? TBH we probably don't need our first choice out to beat ARG or SAM and if we did lose Eddie will have learned more than if the first choice had won.

Underhill and Itoje would be a very physical pair of flankers. Good.

 

[curtbob7]

Yeah could easily see one of the curries in the 23. Brown I'm no real fan of so will go a long way to try and avoid putting him in. We are short at FB though and wouldn't begrudge Alex Goode coming back in as the second receiver at 15 and changing the game plan a tad. Shifting Farrell to 10 and then a Teo-Slade centre combination.

Either Nowell or May im not really overly fussed but for me right now May edges it but it is all about opinion!

 

[curtbob7]

Quite like that with the exception of Daly at 14. Wasn't he going to rest some of the Lions though?

Either way, we largely know what most of those can do. I'm all for continuity, but he's running out of chances to experiment ahead of Japan, so I'd like to see Genge start and Teo with Faz at 10. He won't learn anything from Launch and Care on the bench, maybe a Curry instead and Robson? TBH we probably don't need our first choice out to beat ARG or SAM and if we did lose Eddie will have learned more than if the first choice had won.

Underhill and Itoje would be a very physical pair of flankers. Good.

Yeah if Eddie takes this route then Genge, George, Curries, Simmonds, Robson, Teo, Slade should all be involved and deffo Watson at FB.

 

[Which Tyler]

1. Genge
2. George
3. Cole
4. Itoje
5. Lawes
6. Robshaw
7. Curry
8. Hughes

9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Te'o
13. Joseph
14. Daly
15. Watson

16. Hartley; 17. MVunipola; 18. Williams; 19. Launchbury; 20. Underhill
21. Robson; 22. Farrell; 23. Nowell

I'm always wary of too many changes; I try to keep myself to ≤1 experiment per unit.

Up front, Genge and George have earned the right to show what they can do from the start, but their backup needs to be tried and tested.
At lock, these two are currently our best, and whilst I'm not sure they're too well suited to playing together, I'd like to see it tried. Leaving Kruis out is harsh, but we need to see how we go without him.
Robshaw does not deserve to be dropped, Hughes is our best available 8; and whichever Curry is going best gets the nod there to see what we can do with a "specialist" OSF. Underhill's versatility gets the bench spot.


Getting rid of Care is more important than getting rid of Young's, and I reserve the right to change my mind the moment I see him singing the anthem, or passing just behind the FH's feet. Ford is the best 10 in the country, playing well, and seems to have put his mental issues behind him; seems to play better when he's trusted to run the game rather than feeling undermined/inhibited by having Farrell sat on his shoulder.
Ford would benefit more than Faz with having Te'o outside, whilst pairing Faz with Te'o becomes too predictable; JJ to make hay with a centre partner who also attracts defenders. Needs to read the offloads and pop passes, still can't expect to be given space.
Enough of any claims that Watson isn't a FB please; that back 3 will scare anyone silly. Nowell's got work-rate, and handling, and deals with traffic better - but that's all the OC's job, not the wing's. Equally May's not as bad at that stuff as his reputation has it (why do so many players get stuck with the reputation the earned in their first season? May's an idiot, but he can still learn some things)