England EPS 2017/18 edition.

[BPM]

Jack Willis with a bad injury

What have you heard? I've had a look for updates but couldn't see any.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

What have you heard? I've had a look for updates but couldn't see any.

Dai says he hyperextended his leg

 

[ratsapprentice]

It is pretty difficult tbh... Even the prem commentators said it a variety of different ways this year, I head: Cokanasiga, Cokasanga, Conasakiga, Cokiasanga and many more...

Commentators pronunciation is often embarassingly bad, it's quite disrespectful a lot of the time TBH.

 

[BPM]

Reminds me of the commentator on the Saxons tour calling Cipriani all sorts of names.

Capriati, Chipriati etc. There were more ...

At least Eddie Butler tries with his exaggerated pronunciations or French names.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Reminds me of the commentator on the Saxons tour calling Cipriani all sorts of names.

Capriati, Chipriati etc. There were more ...

At least Eddie Butler tries with his exaggerated pronunciations or French names.

It took Dallaglio a good 2-3 years before he stopped saying Vainipolo... because you know... Vunipola is such a complicated set of syllables.
Just spend the 10 seconds it takes to read through the word slowly - it's really not difficult unless you are absolutely riddled with extreme dyslexia.

Agree on Butler, although it does annoy me when he uses an Italian or French accent to pronounce South African or Fijian names, as he does prominently with Vakatawa.
It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Sale withdraw AJ from the baabaa team, Finn Russell replaces him.
Also Matavesi and Fekitoa replaces the injured Aki and Piutau.

BARBARIANS 23-MAN SQUAD
Backs
Niyi Adeolokun (Connacht & Ireland)
Chris Ashton (Toulon & England)
Malakai Fekitoa (Toulon & New Zealand)
Greig Laidlaw (Clermont & Scotland)
Luke McAlister (Toulon & New Zealand)
Josh Matavesi (Newcastle Falcons & Fiji)
Semi Radradra (Toulon)
Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors & Scotland)
Josua Tuisova (Toulon & Fiji)
Rhodri Williams (Bristol & Wales)
Forwards
John Afoa (Gloucester & New Zealand)
Denis Buckley (Connacht)
Ultan Dillane (Connacht & Ireland)
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon & Argentina)
Ramiro Herrera (Stade Francais & Argentina)
Benjamin Kayser (Clermont & France)
Nili Latu (Newcastle Falcons & Tonga)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (Leicester & Australia)
Sateleki Timani (Clermont & Australia)
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys & Wales)
Loni Uhila (Clermont)
Flip van der Merwe (Clermont & South Africa)
Victor Vito (La Rochelle & New Zealand)

That is a very good barbarians team.

 

[Which Tyler]

It took Dallaglio a good 2-3 years before he stopped saying Vainipolo... because you know... Vunipola is such a complicated set of syllables.
Just spend the 10 seconds it takes to read through the word slowly - it's really not difficult unless you are absolutely riddled with extreme dyslexia.

Agree on Butler, although it does annoy me when he uses an Italian or French accent to pronounce South African or Fijian names, as he does prominently with Vakatawa.
It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

They still manage to mess up the likes Banahan or Abendanon - not as often anymore, but it still happens.
Thye must be hoping for Bath to field Wilson Willison and Wilson together as much as possible next season

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Willis out for around a year.

****!!!

 

[ratsapprentice]

Aye, it sucks.

Astro?

 

[curtbob7]

Wow. Gotta look into it now. Especially Sarries version of the plastic. Its horrible.

 

[Which Tyler]

Wow. Gotta look into it now.

Agreed.
Evidence read limited when they were green lit for rugby. Now we seem to have a body of evidence in the form of injuries that are unlikely to have happened on grass, players who sit out matches on plastic, and aggravations of minor things.
It's got to be time to collate and review the evidence. Even if that is expensive fornthe likes of Sarries and Newcastle

 

[BenJeffrey]

Agreed.
Evidence read limited when they were green lit for rugby. Now we seem to have a body of evidence in the form of injuries that are unlikely to have happened on grass, players who sit out matches on plastic, and aggravations of minor things.
It's got to be time to collate and review the evidence. Even if that is expensive fornthe likes of Sarries and Newcastle

Reading on the BBC about how Scarlets haven't been able to train Monday/Tuesday due to the burns from the Glasgow pitch.

Also - Off topic thought, I wonder if the players are consulted on what boots to wear for these pitches or not? You could see some players wearing almost soft ground studs. Don't agree with 4G pitches having played on them, but since they're here every bit of possible advice should be given to the players.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

RFU released an injury report a few months back and it showed artificial pitches produce a decent amount of injuries more than natural.
I've not seen a single player have anything positive to say about them, and I used to hate training on them in uni

 

[curtbob7]

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport...rlets-forced-cancel-training-players-14689330

Its unacceptable these pitches are used at the highest level.

 

[BPM]

Willis out for around a year.

****!!!

Wow. That is awful.

An amazing breakthrough season completely ruined. Let's hope he makes a full recovery.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Wow. That is awful.

An amazing breakthrough season completely ruined. Let's hope he makes a full recovery.

Happens far too often

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

RFU released an injury report a few months back and it showed artificial pitches produce a decent amount of injuries more than natural.
I've not seen a single player have anything positive to say about them, and I used to hate training on them in uni

I agree they should be banned due to the increased risk of injury but I do have to admit that I've preferred playing on them. So much easier to run on and put power into without slipping.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

His health / fitness is obviously the overriding concern. But if it really is that bad and he's only getting towards fitness in a year's time, that probably means his chances of getting on a plane to Japan have gone too. Gutting injury, just hope he's looked after properly and not rushed back.

But such is the sportsman's lot it's an opportunity for someone else.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Reading on the BBC about how Scarlets haven't been able to train Monday/Tuesday due to the burns from the Glasgow pitch.

Also - Off topic thought, I wonder if the players are consulted on what boots to wear for these pitches or not? You could see some players wearing almost soft ground studs. Don't agree with 4G pitches having played on them, but since they're here every bit of possible advice should be given to the players.

This is a topic that deserves more discussion, so I've created a thread here https://www.therugbyforum.com/threads/the-3g-pitch-debate.41498/ rather than drag this thread off topic.

I've read a number of social media posts agreeing with your point about footwear having a possible impact upon safety over the weekend. As you say, the best advice should be easily available to all players. It would be interesting to compare instance of injuries that could be attributed to the surface on AGPs between home teams and visiting teams. If there is to be gained by a change of footwear, consideration must be given to the ever increasing number of AGPs in lower leagues where players and coaches are less likely to be aware of the safety concerns let alone possible solutions and reluctant to buy a different pair of boots for the sake of one away match in a season.

 

[Mr Ruggleby]

I wonder if the Cipriani-to-fullback is more than a repeat of the Nowell-to-centre noise...

With Farrell showing imperious form at 10 for Saracens in recent weeks, coupled with Ford's wholly underwhelming six nations and season in general (notwithstanding a solid performance vs Sale to finish the season), it is feasible that Eddie has decided to hand over the reins, captaincy, keys to his house etc. to Farrel and ride that wave as far as it will take him.

If that's the case then it makes sense to find another ball player, ideally with a left peg to allow us to continue to play off a double axis and keep the width in our attack. Mike Brown is literally the antithesis of this despite his left-footedness - it seems to genuinely pain the man to take action that doesn't involve contact wherever possible. Henry Slade fits the bill, but I personally believe you cannot and should not rely on an outside centre to sit off the gainline and act as a second playmaker, you lose shape out wide and prevent them playing in the face of the opposition and forcing them to make decisions. Slade could still play, but I want him attacking the line as he does at Exeter. That leaves old Cippers...

Admittedly his tackling and bravery both worry me and I can't say I've seen much to make me think that he will be particularly safe under the high-ball (all of which are fairly key), but I say give him a shot, let him fail on the pitch rather than writing him off before he gets near it. There's no doubt that he could bring his attacking talents to bare in spectacular fashion with the time and space he'd see at 15. I'm imagining an impact similar to the one Le Roux has been having recently for Wasps.