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England Six Nations Squad 2012

There is a restriction on the number of changes that can be made from the RWC. Little bit disappointed about Botha but frankly this is almost completely what we expected and I'm not too unhappy with it.

Would not disagree with the club bias there though

I can't be arsed to go over it with a fine tooth comb, but he actively used a change to bring in Botha - and in fact, just about every player I'm disappointed about.
 
tbh, the second row is a bit of a worry in general. We've got an excellent starting pairing, possibly contending for the best second row partnership of the 6N teams, but after that there isn't anyone who sticks out. I'm hoping the Deacon injured thing is true, and that Robson/Parling gets called up, but I think Botha being called up before them might be an indication that he's considered more highly than them.

I'd try and play Lawes and Palmer for a full 80, and put 2 backrowers on the bench, with Croft the injury cover for the second row.
 
Things I am unhappy about

Mouritz Botha
Rob Webber
Phil Dowson
Calum Clark
Joe Marler
Alex Goode as an injury replacement for Toby Flood
David Strettle
3 12s and 1 13
James Gaskell

No George Lowe
No Miles Benjamin
No Ed Slater
No Rob Miller
No JSD
No Tom Guest
No Dave Seymour
No Nick Wood in the seniors
No Matt Garvey in the seniors
No Kearnan Myall

Not to put too fine a point on it, I am disappointed. Also, there is a whiff of club bias over this selection...

mmm.. after years of Saracens players being systematically overlooked and undeserving ones from clubs like Bath being picked, the tables have turned round completely. Big chance for the rest of the Prem to catch up with the top 4 now.
 
Miles Benjamin, Topsy Ojo and James Simpson-Daniel have the right to feel very annoyed at Banahan being considered ahead of them

Christian Wade as well (I know he's injured but there are dozens of injured players in both squad)

all tighthead will be licking their lips at the sight of Marler in the squad

pretty much every 50/50 decision of selection in the backs seems to have gone Saracens way

Every 50/50 decision on the backs. Strettle yes well maybe. Most people have gone for Hodgson in there starting XV and Barritt with some including Farrell. Who at least starts on the bench.

So three out of the four Saracens backs were pretty much givens and IMO deserve there places.
 
Would of maybe like to have seen Ryan Lamb in the seniors , been playing well this season. Never been the biggest Fan of Hodgson. And would probably prefer Brown at Full Back , Played well all season and deserves his place . A back 3 of Sharples,Brown, Ashdon is pretty exciting glad that Banahan is out , But still have no idea how JSD has been overlooked, but im guessing age and injury proneness come into play.
 
To me, as an outsider looking in, this looks like the most exciting England squad I've seen in years. Gone are the slow, almost robotic, backline players (Tindell, Hape, Banahan, Wilkinson etc) that have been hampering England's backline play for years. There seems to be sprinklings of new young players in the forwards too. Obviously not everyone is 100% happy with the team but, to me at least, it looks to be a good step in the right direction. I don't expect this team to start winning straight away (and hopefully the English supporters don't either) but I can see this team start to develop into a quality unit after a year or two together.

One name that I was interested to see is Callum Clark. I remember him from the Under 20's a few years ago where he seemed to have serious anger issues - in the final versus New Zealand he was lucky not to be carded for deliberately shoulder charging a player in a mall several times, then was eventually red carded for heatbutting a player in a mall not once, but twice (then laughing as he was sent off!). I assume his discipline has improved since then? I remember him playing at 7 during the Under 20's but a look through his record shows that he's played primarily as a 6 recently, with only the odd game at 7 (and strangely the odd game at lock too...). He seems a slightly strange inclusion in the squad given they already have plenty of players who are primarily 6's - I would have thought a specialist 7 would have been handy.
 
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things i am unhappy about

mouritz botha
rob webber
phil dowson
calum clark
joe marler
alex goode as an injury replacement for toby flood
david strettle
3 12s and 1 13
james gaskell

no george lowe
no miles benjamin
no ed slater
no rob miller
no jsd
no tom guest
no dave seymour
no nick wood in the seniors
no matt garvey in the seniors
no kearnan myall

not to put too fine a point on it, i am disappointed. Also, there is a whiff of club bias over this selection...
Why is your brain my brain?!

I would have thought a specialist 7 would have been handy.
Unfortunately there's no such thing as a proper 7 where England is concerned. They gave a couple of games to Hendre Fourie but apart from that they just shoehorn in a 6 or an 8 :(


How does everyone think the Six Nations will go?

I think:
Beat Scotland by a whisker
Beat Italy convincingly
Wales will win comfortably
Could go either way with France, though I think they'll win (not by much)
Ireland will win comfortably.


Cole and Corbisiero are out of form, Marler never had it, Wilson and Stevens are decent (Stevens > Wilson) but they'll only be considered bench options.
Gone are the days of England having an impressive scrum - we've gone from having one of the best in the 6N to dead last, now that Ireland have worked out that they're supposed to push, not pull, in a scrum.
 
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Ever the optimisitic point of view.

England to just beat Scotland in a very tough start. With both teams blooding new players. Man for man England have the better quality.

England to beat Italy. With a more settled team that has got over the nerves from the first game.

England to beat Wales. The team should be settled now and all being well confident after the last two games. Lawes, Tuilagi and Flood may also now be back in the first 15 and the game is at Twickenham. Wales may have already lost in a tough opener to Ireland and confidence could be low. After all the hype of this being the year Wales do the slam.

England to lose against France. They might struggle with the French pack and it is a tough away game. As normal it depends on which French team shows and how they have gone in the compitition so far.

England to beat Ireland. This depends on previous results and confidence in the England camp. It may be all to play for in deciding the six nations ***le and England will not want a repeat of recent results caused by Ireland.

Man for man I feel England have a squad as good if not better than the rest of the six nations teams. The scrum is a slight concern if players do not hit form. However given the way scrums are these days if they can hold there own which I believe they can, it may come down to the ref as to how badly England suffer up front.
 
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kinda bad that the forward in the Saxons squad look better than the forwards in the actual team...
 
I'd like to see an EPS vs Saxons game:




I think the Saxons would win it, to be honest.
 
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People dont seem to understand that only 10 changes could be made. deacon was picked BECAUSE he is INJURED only annoyed about no nick wood for wilson and strettle being in the team but no wade even in saxons
 
Wade's out for three months - then again, that didn't stop Henry Thomas being named.
 
I could only imagine the vitrol if had picked a Smith/Ford/Wells/Andrew era team.
 
That squad is fine. All the players who have been suggested have lost out on pretty marginal calls, but I doubt the inclusion of any of them would turn England into an amazing team. For example having Thomas Walrom instead of Ben Morgan wouldn't make a massive difference and that's the case for a lot of the close calls.

The fact is that England have a lot of players who are of a very similar level - good but not amazing. They'll do ok in the 6N, probably not win it, but I'd say take about 3 or 4 wins.

Oh, bit tough on Farrell to expect him to play 10 and 12 at the same time Olyy :D
 
Couple of dissapointing decicions and a couple of nice one's. Can't have everything then can we. Happy that Dowson is given a chance altough I fear a bit to late, he's 30 already. Dissapointed to not see openside in the EPS ofcourse, weird how you can just completely overlook a position. In general im satisfied with the selection, maybe just happy that some new faces are allowed in though.

Hoping that Farrel gets to play 12 at some point during the 6nations, don't think he will excell to be honest. I still see him as a quite limited player, but then again would we want Barrit/turnerhall and Tuilagi as centre's?
Our scrum looks really weak, our forwards in general should be very good around the park.

Weird to see an England team without J.Wilkinson's name on there.
 
Couple of dissapointing decicions and a couple of nice one's. Can't have everything then can we. Happy that Dowson is given a chance altough I fear a bit to late, he's 30 already. Dissapointed to not see openside in the EPS ofcourse, weird how you can just completely overlook a position. In general im satisfied with the selection, maybe just happy that some new faces are allowed in though.

Hoping that Farrel gets to play 12 at some point during the 6nations, don't think he will excell to be honest. I still see him as a quite limited player, but then again would we want Barrit/turnerhall and Tuilagi as centre's?
Our scrum looks really weak, our forwards in general should be very good around the park.

Weird to see an England team without J.Wilkinson's name on there.

Not if you watched any international rugby between 2004 and 2009
 
Oh, bit tough on Farrell to expect him to play 10 and 12 at the same time Olyy :D
Damn you :p



The two that really get me are:
Lee Mears and Joe Marler

I can kind of understand Mears, what with the limited number of changes, and Hartley likely to start all with Webber on the bench they can just sod Mears off each week, however Marler?
Really really should have been Wood - he is the form English #1 in the premiership. He may not be as lively in the loose as Marler but he is an infinitely better scrummager. It's not even as if he's ancient, he'd be 31/32 in 2015, which isn't that old for a prop.
 
I hadn't realised about this only ten changes thing. The selections do on the whole make more sense with that in mind. For example, why keep Mears?

In general I was disappointed with the selection. It still seems that players are only really getting the nod when they have 100% proved themselves, beyond any reasonable doubt. Few risks seem to have been taken, but again, the 10 changes limitation helps explain this.

A couple of surprises: dowson over waldrom?

glad about calum clarke, does show fresh thinking.

Ollyy think you're straying on the side of pessimism with your predictions, even with an 'unbonded# unsettled team we have probably the best squad named since 2003, and the fixture list is on our side.
I think theres a winning team in there somewhere.

forgetting injuries:

Corbisiero
hartley
cole
lawes
palmer
robshaw
wood
morgan
youngs
flood
sharples
baritt
tuilagi
ashton
foden
 
Damn you :p



The two that really get me are:
Lee Mears and Joe Marler

I can kind of understand Mears, what with the limited number of changes, and Hartley likely to start all with Webber on the bench they can just sod Mears off each week, however Marler?
Really really should have been Wood - he is the form English #1 in the premiership. He may not be as lively in the loose as Marler but he is an infinitely better scrummager. It's not even as if he's ancient, he'd be 31/32 in 2015, which isn't that old for a prop.

Should be in the peak of his carreer at 31/32, and we would atleast have a steady scrum then. And he's looked immense around the park aswell for Gloucester. Marler is imo a pretty boy at the moment, that has a couple of years to go.
 
Is it too late to swap the two names, so Marler is in the Saxons? :p
Think that'd be best for him - More exposure to international rugby, but more time to work on his scrummaging.
 
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