England Six Nations squad 2022

[TRF_Olyy]

Will Lawes be fit?

Good shout,
Replacing Ludlam with a lock suggests that it's Hill that's the one out longer term

Lawes to start at 6, Isiekwe at lock and Launch from the bench, for me - wanna see Isiekwe play as much as possible

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

If Lawes injured would go with
4. Itoje
5. Isiekwe
6. Chessum
7. Curry
8. Dombrandt

20. Launchbury
21. Alfie

Suspect Eddie will go with though
4. Itoje, 5. Isiekwe
6. Dombrandt, 7. Curry, 8. Simmonds

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Will Lawes be fit?

Thought they were saying he was doubtful and why would you risk him v Ita?

Much as I love Launch he's not had great preparation. As far as I can see he played 40 mins v Sarries and then went off after 62 with a couple of knocks v Exeter. Maybe more of a view to bigger games than Ita.

Will Barbeary get a chance? While he has a heck of a lot to learn in the back row we undoubtedly need some ball carrying oomph.

 

[Scotty]

So Launch is in and Lawes might be fit? I wouldnt start either seen as its italy. Launch needs some gametime but given he hasnt played much he needs time around the squad too. Lawes we know what he can do.

Id go vs italy

Marler LCD Sinks
Itoje Iseikwe
Barbs Dombrandt(8) Curry(C)

Quirke Smith
Slade Marchant
Malins Staward Nowell

George Genge Stuart Launch Lawes(C)
Then either
Simmonds Randall Daly
Or
Randall Ford Daly

6 2 is a risk but Daly covers almost everywhere and you have back row options on the bench.

The 5 3 leaves you experience on the bench but the safety net if Smith goes down. Rather than relying on Slade/Malins to be a 10 in that senario. But seems harsh to leave Simmonds out of the 23. Maybe Launch Simmonds bench vs italy and not rush Lawes back after a concussion?

Youngs in the bin!

 

[will311293]

Launchbury isn't quiet ready for 80 yet so imagine he may be deployed off bench if used... TBF depends on if EJ thinks he's fit enoguh and useful.

 

[Crash Hamster]

Replacing Ludlam with a lock suggests that it's Hill that's the one out longer term

I find this a little odd. If Hill's injured sufficiently to need replacing, why not replace him?

Launchbury is in no way a like-for-like for Ludlam. Jones is obviously confident he has enough back-rowers in the squad despite losing one, which suggests he could have picked one fewer in the first place.

If he'd wanted Launchbury, he could have picked him in the initial squad then sent him back to Wasps for a game last week. It's no different to having Johnny One-Leg in the squad and not being able to use him v Scotland.

Once again, Eddie doesn't appear to be logical or consistent. It's happened a lot and it's no wonder people think he no longer knows exactly what he's doing.

Meanwhile, at least it might mean the back of Ewels, I suppose.

Also, I bet Wasps supporters are dead chuffed...

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I find this a little odd. If Hill's injured sufficiently to need replacing, why not replace him?

Hamstrung by EPS rules over replacements, maybe?
You can only replace injured players, not just replace as and when you want

If they call up a replacement for Hill that's him out of the 6N, but he might be due back in a week
Whereas Ludlam is ruled out entirely so they call up a lock to cover Hills absence knowing there's plenty of other backrowers in the squad/Lawes due back soon/Isiekwe can move to the backrow from lock

 

[Crash Hamster]

Hamstrung by EPS rules over replacements, maybe?
You can only replace injured players, not just replace as and when you want

If they call up a replacement for Hill that's him out of the 6N, but he might be due back in a week
Whereas Ludlam is ruled out entirely so they call up a lock to cover Hills absence knowing there's plenty of other backrowers in the squad/Lawes due back soon/Isiekwe can move to the backrow from lock

BBC suggesting Ludlam will be back for the Wales game...

"Head coach Eddie Jones expects Ludlam to recover in time for the visit of Wales to Twickenham on 26 February."

My understanding was, as you've put, that once you're out, you're out. The BBC are definitely saying (in effect) that Launchbury is either a temporary replacement for Ludlam or an additional player to Ludlam... in which case, why not do the same with Hill?

It still doesn't change the fact that the new squad has one more lock and one fewer flanker than before and if Jones had woanted a squad with that make-up he could have picked it in the first place, then replaced Ludlam with another back rower in the event of injury.

Nothing makes sense in Eddie World.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

It still doesn't change the fact that the new squad has one more lock and one fewer flanker than before and if Jones had woanted a squad with that make-up he could have picked it in the first place, then replaced Ludlam with another back rower in the event of injury.

Nothing makes sense in Eddie World.

Orrrrr… that just doesn't really matter all that much. He's got ample cover for every position. Beyond that it's just about getting the best players in.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Tom Pearson called up
Northmore injured our for the week

3rd cardiff met player

 

[Reiser99]

I found this to be a good point by Warburton on the BBC

But former British and Irish Lions captain Warburton questioned why England rely so heavily on a player who has had numerous long injury lay-offs throughout his career. He said: "It is ridiculous. A country who has got 12 pro teams, three players per team contracted full-time who can play 12, so 36 inside centres. "Let's say six aren't English qualified. You have got 30 inside centres professionally contracted and they can't find someone to replace Manu Tuilagi. It's inexplicable."

We've talked about it on here and for me it's becoming a real concern that our answer still seems to be, hope Manu is fit.

So here are the centres in the premiership (Based off wikipedia so I might have some errors somewhere)

Bath: Will Butt, Max Clark, Jonathan Joseph, Max Ojomoh (4)
Bristol: Harry Ascherl, Sam Bedlow, Piers O'Conor (3)
Exeter: Ollie Devoto, Kian Gentry, Archie Hill, Charlie McCaig, Henry Slade, Tom Wyatt (6) (Think this includes academy)
Gloucester: Mark Atkinson, Tom Seabrook, Billy Twelvetrees (3)
Harlequins: Joe Marchant, Luke Northmore (2)
Leicester: Dan Kelly, Guy porter (2)
London Irish: Phil Cokanasiga, Matt Williams (2)
Newcastle: Luther Burrell, Pete Lucock, Max Wright (3)
Northampton: Fraser Dingwall, Piers Francis, Ethan Grayson, Tom Litchfield (4)
Sale: Joe Bedlow, Connor Doherty, Sam Hill, Luke James, Sam James, Jack Metcalf, Manu Tuilagi (7)
Saracens: Elliot Daly, Alex Lozowski, Dom Morris, (3)
Wasps: Michael Le Bourgeois, Ryan Mills, Will Simmonds, Sam Spink (4)
Worcester: Will Butler, Ollie Lawrence (2)

So I make that 45 potential centres. Now obviously not all of them are international standard and there are other issues, such as being played out of position. I also don't know off the top of my head exactly how many play at 12 and how many at 13.

Anyway I would the players in bold are either good enough or have the potential to play for England at centre. I've left out Tuilagi and Farrell as we need to move away from them. So 18 players who could potentially play for England and we need 2. In terms of replacing Tuilagi we need a power centre to get over the gainline. Slade is fine as a distributor and can create space, but against Scotland we lacked players who could take the ball into contact and make a hole in the defence.

So basically, who should EJ pick going forward? Who can help bring some power to the midfield, but is also consistent enough to play for England?

 

[Reiser99]

Tom Pearson called up
Northmore injured our for the week

3rd cardiff met player

Going to be honest here as I don't watch much LI games, who?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Going to be honest here as I don't watch much LI games, who?

Impressive flanker

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Going to be honest here as I don't watch much LI games, who?

Yeah, I had to Google cause I don't remember them having a centre called Pearson...only to see he's a backrower

 

[Scotty]

Yeah, I had to Google cause I don't remember them having a centre called Pearson...only to see he's a backrower

I still have zero idea who he is? Is he tearing it up? Or just there to hold tackle bags?

 

[Scotty]

I found this to be a good point by Warburton on the BBC

But former British and Irish Lions captain Warburton questioned why England rely so heavily on a player who has had numerous long injury lay-offs throughout his career. He said: "It is ridiculous. A country who has got 12 pro teams, three players per team contracted full-time who can play 12, so 36 inside centres. "Let's say six aren't English qualified. You have got 30 inside centres professionally contracted and they can't find someone to replace Manu Tuilagi. It's inexplicable."

We've talked about it on here and for me it's becoming a real concern that our answer still seems to be, hope Manu is fit.

So here are the centres in the premiership (Based off wikipedia so I might have some errors somewhere)

Bath: Will Butt, Max Clark, Jonathan Joseph, Max Ojomoh (4)
Bristol: Harry Ascherl, Sam Bedlow, Piers O'Conor (3)
Exeter: Ollie Devoto, Kian Gentry, Archie Hill, Charlie McCaig, Henry Slade, Tom Wyatt (6) (Think this includes academy)
Gloucester: Mark Atkinson, Tom Seabrook, Billy Twelvetrees (3)
Harlequins: Joe Marchant, Luke Northmore (2)
Leicester: Dan Kelly, Guy porter (2)
London Irish: Phil Cokanasiga, Matt Williams (2)
Newcastle: Luther Burrell, Pete Lucock, Max Wright (3)
Northampton: Fraser Dingwall, Piers Francis, Ethan Grayson, Tom Litchfield (4)
Sale: Joe Bedlow, Connor Doherty, Sam Hill, Luke James, Sam James, Jack Metcalf, Manu Tuilagi (7)
Saracens: Elliot Daly, Alex Lozowski, Dom Morris, (3)
Wasps: Michael Le Bourgeois, Ryan Mills, Will Simmonds, Sam Spink (4)
Worcester: Will Butler, Ollie Lawrence (2)

So I make that 45 potential centres. Now obviously not all of them are international standard and there are other issues, such as being played out of position. I also don't know off the top of my head exactly how many play at 12 and how many at 13.

Anyway I would the players in bold are either good enough or have the potential to play for England at centre. I've left out Tuilagi and Farrell as we need to move away from them. So 18 players who could potentially play for England and we need 2. In terms of replacing Tuilagi we need a power centre to get over the gainline. Slade is fine as a distributor and can create space, but against Scotland we lacked players who could take the ball into contact and make a hole in the defence.

So basically, who should EJ pick going forward? Who can help bring some power to the midfield, but is also consistent enough to play for England?

Is Dan Kelly a good carrier? Not saying he is ready to be dropped in but he does seem a good young player. I really dont know who i would want if power is what we want?

 

[Reiser99]

From what I see he joined Irish this season and has played 10 games this season, 7 premiership, 2 challenge cup and 1 Rugby cup which is half of their games.

Quite simply for me...WTF? It sounds like another ridiculous EJ selection based on his weird criteria. I couldn't care less about players who have potential, we are a year and a half out from the world cup and we should be getting in players who can actually make the squad.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Launchbury has 69 caps, maybe that's why Jones hasn't played him again?

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Yeah, I had to Google cause I don't remember them having a centre called Pearson...only to see he's a backrower

I had to Google too and the first result for 'Tom Pearson rugby' was this guy.

Tom Pearson (rugby union, born 1872) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Even for Eddie, Welsh and dead would be pushing it.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

We've talked about it on here and for me it's becoming a real concern that our answer still seems to be, hope Manu is fit.

Maybe Rohan Janse Van Rensburg will switch allegiance and we could hope he's fit instead?
6 years since his last cap