England XV v Barbarians

[Tmartin995]

When: Sunday 31st May 3pm
Where to watch: Sky Sports 3

England:
15 Mathew Tait (Leicester Tigers)
14 Christian Wade (Wasps)
13 Elliot Daly (Wasps)
12 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
11 Marland Yarde Harlequins)
10 Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks)
9 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints, captain)

1 Matt Mullan (Wasps)
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
3 Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons)
4 Ed Slater (Leicester Tigers)
5 Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
6 Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)
7 Jack Clifford (Harlequins)
8 Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks)

Replacements:

16 Tommy Taylor (Sale Sharks)
17 Alex Waller (Northampton Saints)
18 Gareth Denman (Northampton Saints)
19 James Gaskell (Wasps)
20 Jon Fisher (Northampton Saints)
21 Will Chudley (Exeter Chiefs)
22 Shane Geraghty (London Irish)
23 Alex Lewington (London Irish)

Barbarians:
15 Gio Aplon (Grenoble & South Africa)
14 David Smith (Toulon)
13 Joe Rokocoko (Bayonne & New Zealand)
12 Wynand Olivier (Montpellier & South Africa)
11 Ugo Monye (Harlequins & England)
10 Tusi Pisi (Suntory Sungoliath & Samoa)
9 Tomas Cubelli (Belgrano Ath & Argentina)

1 Saimone Taumoepeau (Castres & New Zealand)
2 Dave Ward (Harlequins)
3 Matias Diaz (Pampas & Argentina)
4 Samu Manoa (Northampton Saints & USA)
5 Brad Thorn ( Leicester Tigers & New Zealand, Captain)
6 George Whitelock (Panasonic Wild Knights & New Zealand)
7 George Smith (Lyon & Australia)
8 Thomas Waldrom (Exeter Chiefs & England)

Replacements:

16 Deon Fourie (Lyon)
17 Roberto Tejerizo (Argentina)
18 Adam Jones (Cardiff Blues & Wales)
19 Nathan Hines (Sales & Scotland)
20 Pablo Matera (Leicester & Argentina)
21 Ruan Pienaar (Ulster & South Africa)
22 Steven Brett (Lyon)
23 Yoshikazu Fujita (Japan)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Nice.
Hope Taylor gets a decent amount of game time. If i remember rightly last time he came on with only 10 or so to go, and ruined his knee almost instantly.
That is one hell of a pack, though. Mirror opposite of Englands WRT ball carriers!
Is it wrong that i don't know who Fisher is?

 

[Tmartin995]

Is it wrong that i don't know who Fisher is?

Played for Irish last season, signed for Saints as backup in the back row and played a lot at the start of the season due to various injuries and impressed. Was in and out a lot towards the end of the season, probably wouldn't be in if Ewers wasn't suffering from concussion

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

That's a fairly nimble bunch of backs. Now hopefully Dickson will get them quick ball rather than standing by the ruck complaining about something for ages. Don't need the opposition slowing the ball down when Dickson decides he wants to rant about something.

 

[chippieolamus]

Slade at 12 is interesting, does that mean Lancaster is considering him there for the WC?

 

[Patchey]

Beaumont and Clifford in the back row together? Add Itoje and that should be the main England back row for quite some time to come IMO.

Nice.
Hope Taylor gets a decent amount of game time. If i remember rightly last time he came on with only 10 or so to go, and ruined his knee almost instantly.
That is one hell of a pack, though. Mirror opposite of Englands WRT ball carriers!
Is it wrong that i don't know who Fisher is?

Yeah, I was at that game. Taylor did like two good things then his knee fell off.

I like Fisher. He's not really an international standard player but the old sentimental in me likes to see good, hard working domestic guys given a chance against the Barbarians.

 

[Irish boy]

Fisher has got serious talent but was injury prone at irish he when fully fit is a decent back rower.

Happy to see Lewi there.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

That's a fairly nimble bunch of backs. Now hopefully Dickson will get them quick ball rather than standing by the ruck complaining about something for ages.

Keep dreaming then!

I do know what you mean though - give those backs some good quality ball and they could cause absolute mayhem.
Only thing I'd say is there's no crashball option, but then there are a ton of carriers in the pack and Clifford probably has the pace of a centre anyway, and Beaumont runs some stupidly good lines off of Cips.

 

[yaboyjj]

On average, this could be the lightest team England has put out for a long time. Interesting to see how such a dynamic pack and flyweight backline get on (Dickson looks hopelessly out of place by comparison- a game made for Simpson)

 

[chippieolamus]

Beaumont and Clifford in the back row together? Add Itoje and that should be the main England back row for quite some time to come IMO.

Vunipola is only 22 (younger than Clifford), doubt he will be displaced by any of those guys, promising as they are. Plus Ewers is only 24 and Kvesic 23 - can't see Beaumont surpassing either of them, and probably neither will Clifford. I expect Itoje to be our 6 for a long while though.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Beaumont really that underrated round here?
I'll be amazed if he's not a mainstay in the 23 by the next RWC - not sure whether it'll be lock or backrow, but he's the most promising forward I've seen in a long time.

 

[Peat]

Beaumont really that underrated round here?
I'll be amazed if he's not a mainstay in the 23 by the next RWC - not sure whether it'll be lock or backrow, but he's the most promising forward I've seen in a long time.

Nobody watches Sale innit.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Truer words have never been spoken.

 

[91jmay]

Vunipola is still miles ahead of Beaumont until proven otherwise in an international match or two and he is only getting better and more rounded (and less round) as time goes on. Ewers must have concussion issue then?

Backline looks delicious though. Should be some game.

 

[psychic duck]

Beaumont really that underrated round here?
I'll be amazed if he's not a mainstay in the 23 by the next RWC - not sure whether it'll be lock or backrow, but he's the most promising forward I've seen in a long time.

I remember him standing out earlier this year in the rain against a really strong Clermont pack. Not much hype yet from the press around him though, especially compared to the amount Itoje etc gets. Perhaps it will be for the best and he can quietly emerge rather than being burdened with 'England captain' tags when he's just got started like Itoje has been.

 

[ZeroTwo]

Though he favours playing in the second row, he made his debut at Number Eight

From the Sale website about Beaumont, anyone care to verify? Because I thought he was an out and out 8?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Played lock all through the age grades and at uni, but made his debut for us at 8 due to injuries. Took to it like a duck to water and now is really an 8 who can cover lock.

 

[ZeroTwo]

Cheers, will be the first game I've really kept an eye on him. Fingers crossed for the lad.

 

[Raggs]

Can he do a job at 6?

Think people often forget just how young some of our stars are, B Vunipola especially.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Never seen him play there but cant see why not - his workrate is exceptional and he has surprising pace. Very very good lineout operator too.