[England] Post-6N/Pre-RWC Player Watch

[goodNumber10]

So in the back three, Rokoduguni and May would work.

well this kind of opens up a whole debate on what constitutes a strike runner.... for me it's someone like Savea, Folau, Ben Smith who when they hit a line it's into space and at pace.

I personally consider Josh Lewsey and Ben Foden as excellent strike runners, as was Ashton.
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[Raggs]

well this kind of opens up a whole debate on what constitutes a strike runner.... for me it's someone like Savea, Folau, Ben Smith who when they hit a line it's into space and at pace.

I personally consider Josh Lewsey and Ben Foden as excellent strike runners, as was Ashton.
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Daly was fantastic at this when playing at fullback, one of the reasons I was sad to see him move back to 13, can't argue with his form at 13 though.

 

[Every Time Ref]

well this kind of opens up a whole debate on what constitutes a strike runner.... for me it's someone like Savea, Folau, Ben Smith who when they hit a line it's into space and at pace.

I personally consider Josh Lewsey and Ben Foden as excellent strike runners, as was Ashton.
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I don't think anyone cares how you break a line as long as you break it, I like one of each personally. Roko on form would undeniably be one, May is the perfect foil purely in the context of this discussion - trouble is, he's got major weaknesses elsewhere. I think Nowell's stuck his hand up herd the last few games, think I'd go with those 2

 

[TheSaffycen]

well this kind of opens up a whole debate on what constitutes a strike runner.... for me it's someone like Savea, Folau, Ben Smith who when they hit a line it's into space and at pace.

I personally consider Josh Lewsey and Ben Foden as excellent strike runners, as was Ashton.
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At 2.20 I think he shows that he can hit space at speed.

 

[Peat]

Just thinking about strike runners, May is still dangerous in the 13 channel, Nowell is good as well. Yarde is dangerous as well, we have far too many players to try out in 3 games.

Particularly when you consider ideally you need more than one game to get people up to speed. I suspect some guys simply aren't going to get a game and are only involved in case others get injured but I'd struggle to guess who among the wingers that would be.

 

[Patchey]

Planet Rugby quoting Lancaster as saying that Burgess will be used as a centre if he makes the cut.

His non-option at the line out and the need for more physicality in the back line are the two reasons cited.

FML

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Looks like Clark is in then.

Back row of Wood, Haskell, Robshaw, Clarke, Vunipola, Morgan.

FML

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Looks like Clark is in then.

Back row of Wood, Haskell, Robshaw, Clarke, Vunipola, Morgan.

FML

I'm going to probably get shot for this but Clark is a better 7 than robshaw

Although I'm not saying he should be in the World Cup squad though

 

[Peat]

Looks like the whole thing is here - http://www.englandrugby.com/news/burgess-centre-morgan-bang-track/

Couple of other tidbits there.

p.s. I'd be surprised if England take more than 5 back rows, so it's not good news with Clark, particularly with Lancaster mentioning Tom Croft every other press release.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Annoying as he did say he thought fitness was the big thing to beat NZ, Clarke is very good in this regard. Croft does seem like an odd choice compared to other flankers in the squad but they rate him very highly, also brings a different dimension to our running game.
Hopefully Kvesic gets a chance and he takes it with both hands.

 

[yaboyjj]

I really want to see Slade at 12, alongside Farrell and Ford preferably- with Barritt as the other option inside Joseph.
Is Lancaster really that Naive to persist with Burgess at centre? I don't know whether it's just stubbornness or narrow-mindedness not to realize his grand plan for Burgess in the midfield is not, and will not work. Right now Farrell and 36 don't seem like bad options in comparison.

Nowell is nailed on for one wing, it's a real toss up between May, Yarde and Roko on the other for me, with not much to separate them by.
Ford, Nowell, Slade, Joseph, Yarde/Roko, Brown axis has to be tried imo- potentially bringing on Farrell at 10 for a while too which would add size in midfield defense.
Haskell, Wood, Clarke and barely-off-the-opperatingtable-Croft, are such an uninspiring bunch at blindside, none are really international quality right now.
The best I can dream for is Robshaw, Kvesic, Morgan or Robshaw, Vunipola, Morgan- and they are fairly meh/have drawbacks.

 

[TobesHodges]

Slade is the perfect 12 if he was 2 stone heavier, he has vision, great temperament, very impressive player. But 13st just isn't big enough.. (Even though wiki says 14, I don't believe that). Or on another note someone could just re-teach Twelvetrees how to play rugby again..

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Slade is the perfect 12 if he was 2 stone heavier, he has vision, great temperament, very impressive player. But 13st just isn't big enough.. (Even though wiki says 14, I don't believe that). Or on another note someone could just re-teach Twelvetrees how to play rugby again..

Slade's still growing remember, he's already six foot something, bet he could be a big boy within a few years (notwithstanding his slight-ish build).
As for Clark (no bloody "e" you muppets, or is misspelling it a deliberate sign of disrespect on here? ), you know what, **** it, chuck him a start in the warm ups, he's a good lineout option and a decent player, if not a decent man. I just can't stand any more of this strange capless flanker wandering around the outskirts of the England squad.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Slade's still growing remember, he's already six foot something, bet he could be a big boy within a few years (notwithstanding his slight-ish build).
As for Clark (no bloody "e" you muppets, or is misspelling it a deliberate sign of disrespect on here? ), you know what, **** it, chuck him a start in the warm ups, he's a good lineout option and a decent player, if not a decent man. I just can't stand any more of this strange capless flanker wandering around the outskirts of the England squad.

And make absolutely sure nobody accidently drops him in the lineout or anything, that would be terrible.

 

[Peat]

Slade's still growing remember, he's already six foot something, bet he could be a big boy within a few years (notwithstanding his slight-ish build).

1.88m and 87kg according to the RFU site - at the age of 22, if his coaches thought he should be more muscular than that, I think he would be tbh. I don't think he's ever going to be a big boy and, since it looks like he dethroned Steenson as Exeter fly-half, he doesn't really need to be.

 

[ratsapprentice]

If he get's a proper pre-season or two in the next couple of years I could see him pushing into the 90-95kg range, that's an extremely unlikely situation though...

I haven't seen that much reason to want to do that, however, particularly if he stays as a 10.

 

[Maverick1987]

I'm going to probably get shot for this but Clark is a better 7 than robshaw

Although I'm not saying he should be in the World Cup squad though

Depends what you want from a 7 . Clark isn't in the same league as Robshaw if you ask me . Robshaw is regularly the best player on the park for England

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Depends what you want from a 7 . Clark isn't in the same league as Robshaw if you ask me . Robshaw is regularly the best player on the park for England

I didn't say he was a better player just s better 7. If Clark hadn't had his discipline problems a lot more people would be calling for his inclusion.

He has outplayed wood and Haskell for the past couple of seasons but personally having not capped him now I would take him to the World Cup.

Viinipola robshaw Morgan does should appealing right now

 

[Patchey]

Highly homoerotic gym montage from Denver on the RFU Facebook this morning. I struggled to contain myself.

I think Slade will probably end up as a bench utility back, with Nowell starting and 22. Cips, 23. Slade pretty much everything in the backs has some cover. The only issue would be a winger getting a knock but then Brown could move to the wing and Cips to 15. Certainly better than that awful game last year where Big Brad was out third back sub...

 

[j'nuh]

Pocock is gonna destroy us at the breakdown.