England - Squad Announcement Thursday 27th

[Wendigo7]

Yeah it was my best guess at the starting XV.

 

[j'nuh]

I'm hoping for a first team of:

1. Vunipola
2. George
3. Cole
4. Launchbury
5. Lawes
6. Wood
7. Robshaw
8. Vunipola
9. Care
10. Ford
11. May
12. Slade
13. Joseph
14. Watson
15. Brown

16. Youngs
17. Marler
18. Wilson
19. Parling
20. Morgan*
21. Youngs
22. Burgess
23. Nowell

* Potentially starting if he's fit enough.

Keen for us to try playing Morgan and Vunipola together in the warm ups. Would like Morgan/Vunipola-for-Wood to be an option from the bench.

 

[Lé Ddanno]

Ah, sorry. You sounded important and informed.

I reckon SL is going to look at starting Kruis, Wiggs, Slade and Burgess to see if it reduces meeja noise a bit and gives them a little more time on the field. Maybe Goode will start as well - the whatever don't stick approach.

 

[Wendigo7]

No problem danno.

 

[TobesHodges]

Really glad SL has picked Burgess and Slade, the two steady Eddys were only ever going to be "two steady eddys", Burgess is a weapon and Slade covers allot of positions to a very good level. Brad Barritt must be chuckling considering he didnt have to play a match and is slightly injured but was probably more nailed on than anyone else.

If people are still wondering why Cipriani got dropped, it will be down to his Season performance, Ford, Farrell and Goode, have all had very consistent seasons, where as Cips had a good first a last part, but sort of went missing for some parts of it, one decent England cap doesnt warrant an automatic place, saying that Burgess and Slade have done the same, but again they have had very consistent seasons. You cant take someone to a WC that isn't Consistent(but i'm sure a lot of peoples perspective on "Consistent" will be very different).

I am surprised that Kruis got in over Attwood, even though I am a Kruis fan he looked poor in the warm up games, Every team needs that balance in the second row of grunt and subtlety(unless you have a Rettalick and Whitelock), which is why i do worry about having Launch and lawes, two very similar players, I would bet on now seeing Kruis and Launchbury starting with Lawes as impact, don't get me wrong, Kruis was flawless this season in the Aviva and if he can reach that in the WC then we'll have no worries.

Stoked for Brookes, i was so sure they were going to pick Corbisiero because he's Corbisiero, but I hope brookes gets a good bit of game time in the Tournament..

Cipriani will be off to France very soon I imagine also.

 

[Peat]

I'd like it if we tried Barritt-Joseph before starting them in competitive matches. It would be nice.

This Burgess talk's beginning to do me head in. He is, barring hitting fantastic form, our reserve centre. He'll start against Uruguay and hold tackle bags. Doesn't really deserve the focus. Maybe I'm wrong and he'll make the starting XV but burn that bridge when we get to it.

Three flyhalves if you include Slade. Slade can and will cover there; it's his preferred and more regular position. Some even want him to be the long-term option there. (Peat's talked about it quite a bit.)

He's been picked in the centres partly because he's as good a centre as a fly-half, and partly because England are far more unsettled with their centres than their fly-halves.

All aboard the Slade train!

 

[goodNumber10]

Three flyhalves if you include Slade. Slade can and will cover there; it's his preferred and more regular position. Some even want him to be the long-term option there. (Peat's talked about it quite a bit.)

He's been picked in the centres partly because he's as good a centre as a fly-half, and partly because England are far more unsettled with their centres than their fly-halves.

I think slade should play 12 long term but hey ho, he was u20 fly half when we won the world championship and he's had plenty fo experience at fly half.

I think there is bucket loads of negativity about this squad, and people are claiming it's conservative and that we don't play new talent, yet we've got 5 on single figure caps (inc two one cap centres), 8 in there teens and only three with over 50 caps.

I think that's a pretty ambitious squad to be honest.

Obviously a few i would swap myself (Goode for Foden, Pennell or Cipriani - I would like Burrell there but i don't know at who's expense), but most of the moaning is about support players/bench and peripheral players who will have minimal impact unless of injury.

I'm disappointed for a couple of guys but is the squad that surprising considering the last 24 months of rugby, i'm not sure it is and importantly this squad has beaten, Australia and Wales within the last 12 months and have beaten France and Ireland repeatedly over the last 48. They've also tasted success against NZ - are they world beaters? Not consitently but they have proven that if they get it right they can beat anyone on their day.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm hoping for a first team of:

1. Vunipola
2. George
3. Cole
4. Launchbury
5. Lawes
6. Wood
7. Robshaw
8. Vunipola
9. Care
10. Ford
11. May
12. Slade
13. Joseph
14. Watson
15. Brown

16. Youngs
17. Marler
18. Wilson
19. Parling
20. Morgan*
21. Youngs
22. Burgess
23. Nowell

* Potentially starting if he's fit enough.

Keen for us to try playing Morgan and Vunipola together in the warm ups. Would like Morgan/Vunipola-for-Wood to be an option from the bench.

I think we're more likely to see Farrell and Ford in the same squad, otherwise i'd be interested to see how that goes. Can't belive they'll put Slade and JJ in the same midfield.

 

[NickBD]

Not to be too critical, but that England team looks like it will stuggle to make it out of pool stages. Lancaster's inability to stick with almost anyone in a backline since he's taken over (along with his decision to reward some of the least dynamic players) means I can't see England achieving much - and it feels like a wasted four year cycle for England IMHO. I could be wrong - I hope for the tournaments sake I am. So many questions.

What is the point of both Barritt and Burgess? Surely they both offer the same things: a physical defensive game and straight 'bosh' running.

What did May do to make a comeback? Like everyone in the England setup it seems they are arbitrarily dropped and then reselected. Why Alex Goode? .

The backline scored more tries then any other backline in the 6N. Also looked very impressive against France. I think you're being way too critical to say it will struggle to make it out of the group. The starting 15 that will play in world cup (bar Launch/Lawes starting and Barritt for Burrell) has beaten both Wales and Oz over past 2 years so I'm not too worried. I think that squad will be comfortably better then the Welsh squad and you could argue the Oz one too.

I don't get the negativity over players who won't play like Burgess, May and Goode. Cips wouldn't have played anyway, Slade would get his bench spot cause he can cover more positions. The starting backs would be Youngs, Ford, Nowell, Barritt, JJ, Watson, Brown with the bench backs will be Care, Farrell and Slade even if Cips got picked.

It's a great squad outside of New Zealand as good as any other nation. A few question marks, but likes of Burgess for me is a risk worth taking.

 

[Canuck]

Or you could have a 23 of:
1) Mullan,
2) Hartley,
3) Thomas
4) Kruis/Attwood,
5) Slater
6) Itojie,
7) Kvesic,
8) Morgan/Easter
9) Robson,
10) Cips
11) Yarde
12) Eastmond
13) Manu
14) Roko
15) Tait/Pennell

16) Heywood
17) Waller
18) Snickler
19) Kitchener
20) Ewers
21) Cook
22) Myler
23) Lewington

Yep England has a tonne of depth. My top 23 of rejected England players would probably have about 10 guys that didn't even make your squad of notable omissions: Alex Corbiserio, Steffon Armitage, Callum Clarke, Thomas Waldrom, Lee Dickson, Elliot Daly, Christian Wade and Nick Abendanon

 

[TobesHodges]

I think we're more likely to see Farrell and Ford in the same squad, otherwise i'd be interested to see how that goes. Can't belive they'll put Slade and JJ in the same midfield.

If Barritt is fit he plays, im really hoping he starts against Ireland, i'm not sure how his injury is, he is a monster in Defence.

1.Marler
2.George
3.Cole
4.Launchbury
5.Kruis
6.Wood
7.Robshaw
8.Morgan (if Fit)
9.Youngs
10.Ford(I would prefer Farrell, but I cba to go down that road again)
11.Watson
12.Barritt
13.Joseph
14.Nowell
15.Brown

16.Youngs
17.M.Vunipola
18.Brookes
19.Lawes
20.Vunipola/Haskell (up for debate)
21.Care
22.Burgess
23.May

Not how they'll line up, but how i would like, there are a lot of 50/50's choices in this team, i understand what people are saying about the bench, example my bench, you have to decide between billy and haskell, Slade and Burgess, May and Goode. I dont think people have to think Goode HAS to be on the bench, with Cover in the likes of Watson and if needed Ford on the pitch.

 

[valley commando]

Big thanks to Lancaster for -:

A. Not picking Cipriani.
And
B. Picking Burgess.

He's made Wales chance of progress a bit easier.

 

[TobesHodges]

Big thanks to Lancaster for -:

A. Not picking Cipriani.
And
B. Picking Burgess.

He's made Wales chance of progress a bit easier.

Isn't there a Welsh thread you can talk your **** in? Idiot..

 

[msf]

Ugh, I just had a mental image of Jamie Roberts picking lines against Burgess. I really hope Barritt is fit for the whole tournament.

- - - Updated - - -

Or the part that England are involved in, anyway.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ugh, I just had a mental image of Jamie Roberts picking lines against Burgess.

Aye, cause he's never had hard runners running at him throughout his top level league career....

It's someone like Fofana, who would move him around, that we should worry about.

 

[Peat]

Isn't there a Welsh thread you can talk your **** in? Idiot..

None of that. You disagree with him, you argue it out with him or ignore him; he's got as much right to post here as any of us. This isn't the Balkans.

 

[TommiG88]

None of that. You disagree with him, you argue it out with him or ignore him; he's got as much right to post here as any of us. This isn't the Balkans.

Why you bringing the Balkans into this? What did they ever do to you...

 

[valley commando]

Watch what your saying matey bloke.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I wouldn't worry about Roberts vs Burgess, Crashball players are exactly the sort of player Burgess can deal with. It's the nimble players or those with a good last minute pass that Burgess will struggle with.

 

[msf]

Calling Roberts a crash ball player is slightly unfair. Yes, he does bash it up, but only when he fails to find a line through the defence. You make him sound like Barritt.

 

[ZeroTwo]

Big thanks to Lancaster for -:

A. Not picking Cipriani.
And
B. Picking Burgess.

He's made Wales chance of progress a bit easier.

You've got a point. Burrell is exactly the sort of player to deal with the Welsh and Auz centres. I guess we'll see Barritt for both of them for definite, then Burgess for the easier (and it's not like it's a walkover at all) games against Fiji etc. Think Farrell might play against the Welsh for the same reason.