England - Squad Announcement Thursday 27th

[bw245]

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.

Gatland uses the likes of Roberts of North to just bash down players, so normally, in a Welsh squad, that's what Roberts does. He does have talent though.

 

[ncurd]

I think I've seen more nonsense about the England team in the last week than I have for years. As noted earlier by someone most rage/lol's are about fringe players. Apart from Burrell who out of the considered first team is missing from the 6 nations which most rated had a shot at the tournament?

And Burrell was probably the guy most people were trying to drop from that team....for Tualangi admittidly but the point remains.

 

[McTallshort]

Big thanks to Lancaster for -:

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

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

Agree, Never been Cipriani's biggest fan but he has shown that coming off the bench he can make a big impact playing anywhere in the back line. He has a great eye for an oppotunity and pace too and I see no reason why he couldnt have been picked as a utility back.

Burgess...well hes going to be playing out of position in a sport hes only be playing 12 months. No doubt the lads a great League player and I have no doubt given time he will be a great Union player but he is not in the top 31 players in England Sorry he isnt. His backrow performances for Bath have been OK but not in the same class of the like of Ewers and Itojie or any regular Premiership back row. His performances at centre have been less than OK yet he is lining up in the world cup team.

It just doesnt make any sense, if he flops (which I really hope he doesnt) he will be made villian of the piece even though its not really his fault and it could knacker his whole Union career.

 

[Peat]

I think I've seen more nonsense about the England team in the last week than I have for years. As noted earlier by someone most rage/lol's are about fringe players. Apart from Burrell who out of the considered first team is missing from the 6 nations which most rated had a shot at the tournament?

And Burrell was probably the guy most people were trying to drop from that team....for Tualangi admittidly but the point remains.

Innit. Its basically a lot of arguments over guys who are only going to play Uruguay.

Plenty of things I could say but it's going to be a decent 23 so lets get ready to rumble.

 

[McTallshort]

Innit. Its basically a lot of arguments over guys who are only going to play Uruguay.

Plenty of things I could say but it's going to be a decent 23 so lets get ready to rumble.

As long as everyone stays fit. If a player is in the 31 then you have to be confident he can step up and start the big games.

 

[TobesHodges]

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.

Sorry my bad..

Big thanks to Lancaster for -:

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

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

I disagree, Burgess Defence will be solid if he plays, you do know he was rated as the one of the best props ever in rugby league..

Also as you go up the tiers of rugby on first phase ball (scrum, line out) 13 becomes far harder in defence than 12, the backline in higher class rugby bunch very close(from 10 to 13) and will back the their drift, it's much easier for the 13 to get sucked in and then caught on the outside.

If you watch a lot of top class backline moves now days you'll see they'll target the 13's outside shoulder.

 

[Peat]

As long as everyone stays fit. If a player is in the 31 then you have to be confident he can step up and start the big games.

True, I shoulda said probably.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Wales will lose to Fiji and Aus anyway.

 

[ZeroTwo]

Wales will lose to Fiji and Aus anyway.

I'd rather have a team which didn't rely on others messing up.

Think it's not as bad as it seems though. A loss to a fired French side away isn't the end of the world.

 

[McTallshort]

I'd rather have a team which didn't rely on others messing up.

Think it's not as bad as it seems though. A loss to a fired French side away isn't the end of the world.

It is when you look at the performance of what is the first choice pack.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

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.

Roberts is most definitely is a crashball player. Good god find me someone who disagrees. He isn't like Barritt because he is the ultimate crashball options whilst Barritt crashballs because he doesn't know how to do anything else, but he is not a crashball player.

 

[Maverick1987]

It is when you look at the performance of what is the first choice pack.

Meh I dunno they hadn't played since May . They got beaten up . They looked knackered to me and like they didn't want to get injured . I'm not too worried if I'm honest . If the same happens in the Ireland game then I'll be more worried

Or if Wales annihilate Ireland this weekend for that matter

Also anyone read this bull****e from Stuart Barnes ....England reveal defensive hand
http://www.skysports.com/share/9967863

 

[kesh]

Think the team looks good (we can pretend Goode isn't there if he isn't a first choice bench option as he deflates the hype, if he is a bench option then i'll get depressed at all the better, more talented players that didn't make it and every decision Lancaster makes. Not that i don't think his a bad option its just a irrational thing, will be mentally going "lalala goodes not there" whenever he appears on screen). As for worrys over Burgess' defence, like others have said, his not starting and in our first major test against Wales only Cuthbert would worry me against Sam. North also but can imagine him running at him, Roberts isn't likely to run around or step inside neither, Davis, Halfpenny have slammed written all over them.

Hope to see Lancaster having Billy at 6, Morgan 8 at some point along with Mako and Tom Youngs for crashball 101.

It is when you look at the performance of what is the first choice pack.

Rust mate, watching the game back, i don't know whether we are just desensitived to it now but i thought France got away with things England would of had to watch a TMO numerous times; players off their feet, player infringements, offsides... but mostly they just didn't look that up for it - on it's day when heated up well in the twickers cauldron that front eight has a healthy dynamic of youth and explosiveness (as well as the bench options) that can blow away any side, GET HYPE!

 

[goodNumber10]

As long as everyone stays fit. If a player is in the 31 then you have to be confident he can step up and start the big games.

yes and no.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were to start Burgess, or even have him on the bench. But if say Barritt gets injured to the point he can't play again there is nothing to stop them bringing Burrell straight back into the starting 15 from outside of the squad.

My biggest worry for the backs is actually who covers 13 and not 12 - I presume it's Barritt & Slade, that worries me a little against the big teams. That is why i'd like Burrell to have been in the squad.

What i'm really interested to see now is how they line up for Ireland, will Barritt get a start? I think against Fiji they will go for Burgess so that could mean Barritts first start in 3 months is Wales?

England need a good intense start in this world cup, which is why i think they'll go for Burgess to lead from the front and raise the intensity. They need to go out and beat Fiji with a bonus point win and deny them a losing and attacking bonus point. That's not to disrespect the Fijian because the win must come first but England absolutely have to set down a marker that says they are contenders - doesn't matter what the other teams do in the tournament England have to look sharp.

 

[Wendigo7]

Yes GN10.

Do we expect England to come out all guns blazing against Ireland or preserve for the Fiji game?

 

[TobesHodges]

I expect guns blazing against Ireland..

 

[Patchey]

Yes GN10.

Do we expect England to come out all guns blazing against Ireland or preserve for the Fiji game?

I think Ireland will still see us trailing things. Maybe Sam gets another run and Ford has more time? Maybe Goode will get some minutes covering 10. I just don't think we're as settled as Ireland are right now.

Fiji, got to be all guns blazing. Whatever the coaches think our 1st XV (plus Burgess). Out of the blocks hard and go for the bonus point as GN10 suggested. Not because we should write Fiji off but because if we want to be taken seriously then a Tier 1 nation in a home World Cup should really be smashing a Tier 2 side in a fixture like this.

 

[glawsfan]

I was confident about a year ago we would make it out of the groups but now not so sure. Personally for the next warm up game I would like to see the backline that started the first warm up game against France given another go with the first choice pack. With the likes of Slade and Goode (Who I am not a massive fan of but looked better than Brown) there is a chance of the ball actually reaching the wings who we need to bring into the game more. That first warm up game we looked a lot more fluent and creative rather than the second game where we went back to crash ball in midfield and aimless kicking. As good as players as Joseph and Brown are their reluctancy to pass the ball hinders the rest of our backline imo.

 

[msf]

Does anyone else feel uneasy about Russell Crowe congratulating Lancaster - ´you frigging champion, Lancaster´- on picking Burgess? I really hope the publicity around Burgess had no impact on Lancaster´s decision-making, but I can´t see what else it might have been based on, since Burrell played just as well against France, and has proven himself at premiership level, at least.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Crowe and Burgess are good friends, why wouldn't he sat things like he has?