England v Ireland

[getofmeland]

<div align="center">Cipriani takes Wilkinson's place </div> Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped from the England team to face Ireland on Saturday and replaced at fly-half by rising star Danny Cipriani.

That is the only change made by coach Brian Ashton to the XV which started the 15-9 defeat by Scotland.

The only previous time Wilkinson has been dropped by England was before the World Cup quarter-final defeat by South Africa in 1999.

Wilkinson replaces Sale's Charlie Hodgson on the replacements bench.

England: I Balshaw (Gloucester); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), L Vainikolo (Gloucester); D Cipriani (Wasps), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps. capt), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath), T Croft (Leicester), M Lipman (Bath), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: G Chuter (Leicester), M Stevens (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), P Hodgson (London Irish), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Tait (Newcastle).

 

[iank36]

Fair enough, his game against Scotland really wasn't good enough. However, the ONLY change...

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

What a meaningless gesture from Ashton. If he's going to change things there is more than one player who should be dropped after the Scotland match, and far more than one talented youngster who should be given an opportunity.

 

[el_tk]

While Wilkinson hasn't been good at all England clearly needed more changes. If, as I expect to happen, England's forwards dominate Cipriani could do some damage going forward with ball in hand but I don't know if he has the backs around him to do it

 

[stormmaster1]

Flood and Cipriani should have enough creativity to give England chances, but it depends how they gel with their outside backs. If they manage to start putting sackey into space and getting Vanikolo to run at single players (rather than running into 3 tacklers each time like v Scotland) then the backs could go well, but it could easily end up with the backs not quite knowing what each other is going to do and not picking the right angles off each other to threaten.



all this relies on the forwards obtaining decent ball.

 

[shazbooger]

Irish team announced. No surprises really, with Murphy slotting back in at fullback (hes still only a 50-50 chance though), and Horgan taking the centre slot.

15 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers) 55
14 - Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 12
13 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster) 23
12 - Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster) 60
11 - Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 5
10 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster) 81 (capt)
9 - Eoin Reddan (London Wasps) 9

1 - Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster) 55
2 - Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 21
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster) 83
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 44
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) 51
6 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster) 31
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster) 45
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf/Leinster) 7

16 - Bernard Jackman (Clontarf/Leinster) 8
17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster) 6
18 - Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster) 14
19 - Simon Easterby (Llanelli Scarlets) 64
20 - Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster) 81
21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster) 7
22 - Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster) 3

 

[dundeesmiffy]

I agree with the Wilkinson demotion to the bench, but not.....everything else.

 

[An Tarbh]

Horan labels Ireland criticism 'pathetic'

Ireland prop Marcus Horan has made a stirring defence of his under-fire coach and team-mates, labelling criticism aimed at them as ‘pathetic.’

Ireland face the prospect of their worst performance in the Championship since 1999 should they falter in their final game against England.

O’Sullivan, in particular, was the target of some severe censure in the media for the tactics he adopted in last Saturday’s loss to Wales.

However, Horan has launched a withering verbal attack on the team’s critics.

“We’re a small nation. People are turning against Irish coaches and Irish players and nearly taking pleasure out of the fact that we’ve lost. I think that’s pathetic,†Horan said.

“Of course it impacts on us. We’re a group of people that that work together and built up relationships with each other.

“It’s an Irish thing. It’s pretty sad and I find it hard. It’s a hard place to be when you have that.

“I find it very hard to see things in the papers written about coaches and written about players when guys are here busting their balls to try to do things right.

“There’s no guy that goes out and does things badly deliberately. Everyone is extremely gutted about the performance at the weekend.â€

From - Setanta Sports

Eddie really turning the screw on the players getting them to defend him like this, the only thing that's pathetic is the feable defence that Marcus is giving him. Eddie, give up the ghost and whatever happens on Saturday just f*** right off!

 

[Macsen]

"We're a small nation."[/b]

Two small nations. Beaten by an even smaller one.

 

[MunsterMan]

<div class='quotemain'>
Jackman should be done in the Green Jersey now. He hasn't performed so the opportunity should go to a younger player. I would start Buckley. Throw him in against the best LH in the world and let him prove he has got it. I don't think England away is the right game to blood Healy. The size of the English pack might be too much for him, sane goes for Donnach Ryan. I wouldn't mind Jennings playing as everybody knows what Wallace can do and Jennings has played against all these players before.

Horan Best Buckley
DO'C PO'C
Leamy Heaslip Jennings
Reddan O'Gara
Kearney P.Wallace Trimble Bowe
Murphy
[/b]

I've no problem with Hayes going up against Sherridan, he's never posed him any problems in the past so he won't hold any fears for Saturday.
[/b][/quote]

I wouldn't either, but it would be an excellent proving ground for Buckley.

 

[bacon]

well with the introduction of hargan in the centre for ireland and cips in for wilko all the backs problems are soved so i expect a glorious free flowing try fest - england just edging it 67-64. :cheers:

at a time like this you have to joke otherwise you cry :wah:

whoever wins gets the long term loss as odds are their coach will stay to **** them up for another year.

i think ireland will suffer in the front row (if the english pack turn up :rahh: )
heaslip v easter will be an intesting battle.
jackman is rightly gone.

hanving horgan in the centre instead of walice or fitz does mean that IF england bring vanikolo in the game and IF vanikolo doesn't knock it on he won't simply walk through for the try.

i wonder how many highballs ROG will put up for ballshaw...

 

[An Tarbh]

The Irish front row hasn't struggled that much so far so I fail to see Saturday being any different

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

if we can consider a kind of weakness in Wilkinson, and the immediate result of beeing on the bench, can anyone explain me the perpetual presence of Balshaw ?

 

[RC]

I'm not sure anyone can explain that.
I mean, the poor guy gets slated all over this forum and to be honest he isn't that bad a player. He possess a dangerous option in attack, but England have much better players at their disposal than him.
He should never be first choice.

I don't want to start mentioning Wales in this threa, but i look at him in the same way as i view Sonny Parker for Wales. He shouldn't even be getting a look in on the bench as far as I'm concerned, but he offers something in attack and sometimes...our coaches are idiots.

 

[danny]

Wouldnt it be great to imagine that we both had new vibrant exciting attack minded coaches who had the balls to throw caution to the wind and select form players with great futures to look forward to . What a superb game we would all be lookin forward to. Great tries, expert handling,dynamic forward play.
But wait it Ashtons England Vs O`Sullivans Ireland, same old shite then.
Ahhh it was nice to dream........................................................................................

 

[An Tarbh]

Hit the nail on the head there, this has the potential to be a quality match given the players at the coaches disposal but given the game plans adopted by tweedle dum and tweedle dee there's not much chance of that happening.

 

[Macsen]

The players should just say '**** it the boss will be fired tomorrow morning anyway, let's just go crazy' - that's the Wales v Fiji spirit!

 

[An Tarbh]

The players should just say '**** it the boss will be fired tomorrow morning anyway, let's just go crazy' - that's the Wales v Fiji spirit!
[/b]

yes but given the record of the IRFU with Eddie how likely is that to happen?

 

[coyley]

Here is an opportunity for Ireland and England to give the younger guys a chance... but I doubt it'll happen!!

We'll just have to wait and see!

 

[nick_w]

As drastic as this sounds, I wouldn't mind seeing England lose this weekend, perhaps that would be the nail in Ashton's head coach career!

I was desperate for Brian to just say "**** it, lets play some new blood this weekend", but alas, only one change. I don't think I've ever been as infuriated and frustrated with an England side than I am at the moment. So much potential but such a lack of manhood to take the risk. Previous to this week I've really looked forward to the weekend in the belief that something would click and England might work, but I just can't be arsed with it any more.

It's going to be a close, boring, tight game with loads of errors meaning its going to turn into a kicking frenzy. All we can do is pray for a try... Merely seeing this as a warm up to the Wales France game, but thats another topic!