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

[goodNumber10]

Clifford is a converted centre.

I'm not claiming otherwise (assuming that was in response to my post mate)

 

[j'nuh]

Clifford is a big red dog.
What do dogs love being? The centre of attention.
Clifford is a centre confirmed.

 

[TobesHodges]

Ollie Devoto - 6ft3, 16st+, 21 years old, big and skillful, looks very decent everytime he plays..

 

[ncurd]

Ollie Devoto - 6ft3, 16st+, 21 years old, big and skillful, looks very decent everytime he plays..

Sadly the last part isn't true he's looked okay for Bath on a few occasions but usually he's not up to snuff. I still feel a big part of our Aviva Premiership final failure was having to bring him on. The back line just didn't look right in attack with him.

The less said about his performances at fly-half the better....

The real issue is I don't know when he's going to get the game time with first choice players to really improve but at the moment I'd say he's at least a season or two from being ready.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

So are people suggesting a backline of:

9) Youngs
10) Ford
11) Croft
12) Clifford
13) Ewers
14) Nowell
15) Brown

?

 

[nickdnz]

Yeah Clifford has actually played centre and done a solid job in the AP when we'd used all of our backs subs up and Hopper (I think) got a knock.

One of the reasons he is such a good back row IMO, is because he clearly could have been a decent centre. Much like Kerren Reed, who played a lot of centre as a junior.

(And yes, I did just make that comparison).

Where did you hear that? As far as I've known Read has played all of his junior career as a forward, at least from schools level. He was a handy cricketer apparently as well.

 

[TobesHodges]

Sadly the last part isn't true he's looked okay for Bath on a few occasions but usually he's not up to snuff. I still feel a big part of our Aviva Premiership final failure was having to bring him on. The back line just didn't look right in attack with him.

The less said about his performances at fly-half the better....

The real issue is I don't know when he's going to get the game time with first choice players to really improve but at the moment I'd say he's at least a season or two from being ready.

I must have watched on the odd occasion he looked good, sadly all our players with great inside centre attributes just don't seem to be up to the skill level internationally, I'm thinking Devoto, twelvetrees, burgess,Barritt, probs a few more, although am I right in saying Billy looked good off the bench in the 6n?

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

So are people suggesting a backline of:

9) Youngs
10) Ford
11) Croft
12) Clifford
13) Ewers
14) Nowell
15) Brown

?

I would genuinely have croft on the wing as he spends all his time here anyway and is better at the wingers skills than a lot of our wingers.

I'd stick Haskell at 12, couldn't do much worse than any of our current 12s, I fact I think he'd be an improvement.

 

[Raggs]

Sadly the last part isn't true he's looked okay for Bath on a few occasions but usually he's not up to snuff. I still feel a big part of our Aviva Premiership final failure was having to bring him on. The back line just didn't look right in attack with him.

The less said about his performances at fly-half the better....

The real issue is I don't know when he's going to get the game time with first choice players to really improve but at the moment I'd say he's at least a season or two from being ready.

It's true when he plays at 12. But he doesn't play so well at 10 or 15. Shame that Bath buggered about with Burgess at 12/13 for so long, meaning Devoto was 2 players away from a centre berth, rather than the usual 1.

 

[Patchey]

Where did you hear that? As far as I've known Read has played all of his junior career as a forward, at least from schools level. He was a handy cricketer apparently as well.

Guy at my club played 10 with Read outside him for a season or two at junior club level. Easiest time he'd ever had on a rugby pitch apparently!

I can't remember exactly what age though so maybe it was prior to him being seriously picked up by an academy (or whatever the equivalent is). I'd heard he was a handy cricketer as well.

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Guy at my club played 10 with Read outside him for a season or two at junior club level. Easiest time he'd ever had on a rugby pitch apparently!

I can't remember exactly what age though so maybe it was prior to him being seriously picked up by an academy (or whatever the equivalent is). I'd heard he was a handy cricketer as well.

A huge proportion of the England team used to be excellent cricketers- comes with the territory of being English, good at sport and going to public school.

And TobesHodges, yup, I thought 36 looked great coming onto the field in the 6Ns as well as a couple of the AIs. Someone remind me, how did he play against Australia when he started?

 

[TobesHodges]

12 3's ahaha went straight over my head

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

12 3's ahaha went straight over my head

He had that nickname for a while.

Started at tigers with the way Murphy pronounced his name.

 

[goodNumber10]

Sam Burgess vs James Haskell: Banta attack!

Sam Burgess: Has there been a robbery, someones stolen your chest.

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[Ragey Erasmus]

I can't see anything except a grey picture...

 

[TobesHodges]

Roll on the 15th

 

[Patchey]

So I was having this debate in the pub at the weekend and don't think it has been covered here...

What is better prep for the World Cup (or indeed, any tournament/tour), playing games or a big camp?

Obviously the Southern Hemisphere teams will go into the tournament on the back of a very different experience from us. Has that played a part in their higher rate of success in RWCs than the North?

Discuss.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Playing games I would say. Not only do you need to see how you compare to the others, but you need to see how the other teams are doing as well.

 

[ncurd]

It's really hard to tell as since professionalism when have we ever been favourites? 2007 England punched above their weight, France have made the final twice and the other NH nations haven't really been within a shout (this is Ireland's first real shot I think).

 

[chippieolamus]

It's really hard to tell as since professionalism when have we ever been favourites? 2007 England punched above their weight, France have made the final twice and the other NH nations haven't really been within a shout (this is Ireland's first real shot I think).

2003 obviously...