England's back line

[Rugga-lad]

I really enjoyed England play against New Zealand. Stuart Lancaster is doing a superb job with the English team.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I really enjoyed England play against New Zealand. Stuart Lancaster is doing a superb job with the English team.

Were not going to get along you and me.

Aware yourself on "Weekly Lancaster" a wonderful weekly newsletter created by a good honest unbiased Tiger Fan.

http://www.rugbynetwork.net/boards/read/s103.htm?106,14807296

This is number (26) of 28.

But please next time watch what you type, thanks.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Holy sh*t, that thread is the equivalent of slamming your head in the car door repeatedly.

 

[Patchey]

Holy sh*t, that thread is the equivalent of slamming your head in the car door repeatedly.

???

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Holy sh*t, that thread is the equivalent of slamming your head in the car door repeatedly.

you should try reading all 28 of them.

 

[Patchey]

Oh, I totally read that as 'this thread'... Ignore me (as ever).

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Who said that?

 

[Bada-Bing!]

http://www.planetrugby.co.uk/story/0,25883,16024_9455553,00.html

The real reason why Joel Tomkins left to return back to league.

"We signed Joel Tomkins from league and [converting him] was quite a lengthy process," said the Saracens director of rugby in the talk.

"He has since made the decision to return.

"He was honest enough to say that when he played his two Tests for England he never felt comfortable and didn't feel he'd ever be as good at union as he was at league. It's a very mature thing to have said and done. But Sonny Bill Williams has succeeded in both codes and maybe Sam Burgess is of that same quality."

So, perhaps expectations of how long Sam Burgess will take to settle in Union should be tempered.

 

[goodNumber10]

was that ever not the reason?

 

[ratsapprentice]

So, perhaps expectations of how long Sam Burgess will take to settle in Union should be tempered.

Based on what? Certainly not that...

Burgess will probably not be international standard in time for the RWC - if he is it would be remarkable.

But drawing a comparison with Burgess and Tomkins is silly.
It's like a league dude saying that Manu Tuilagi might not be very good/take a long time to become an international league player because Jonathan Joseph took a while and was poor.

 

[goodNumber10]

to be fair I think Burgess will make an impact from the off, he's a far more physical specimen than Tomkins and just his ball carrying and offloading ability is going to have a profound effect if other players can get running off him - he will break tackles, he will get over the gain line and he will offload, it's just can he get the other elements up to an equal speed.

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/29053197

...people still think there's much chance of him staying at centre?

And seeing as though CS asked specifically about him vs SBW: http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...-sam-burgess-sbw/story-fn2mcuj6-1227047502912

 

[TheSaffycen]

Right after Northampton v Gloucester Myler and Burrell really put their hands up for selection. I don't at the moment want too see Myler selected but if he keeps up his kicking and passing then really he should be selected. Burrell looked really good and I still dont see why Burrell cant be played at 12 with Tuilagi. He showed some great passes tonight and he was much better than his counter part Twelvetrees. The whole Glos backline looked bloody awful but they where given poor ball all game, Sharples had a really good game I thought still and going forward Trinder was impressive.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Yeah I think we need to look more at Burrell. Everything just seemed to flow better when he was playing for England despite having no experience. Tuilagi came on and we went back to bash ball. Brown and May couldn't hope to see a pass off Tuilagi like Burrell delivered.

I must say though I'm disappointed we've got this far with still so many unsure positions in our squad and our certains not really being that good (Farrell). I'm pretty happy with our pack on the whole and Care on form is a good 9 but 10-14 really needs to be sorted. Brown definitely is 15 when on form as he is our best counter attacking option at the moment. It's good we've got a lot of depth but bad when that means you can't order them to get some consistent selection and structure.

 

[goodNumber10]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/29053197

...people still think there's much chance of him staying at centre?

And seeing as though CS asked specifically about him vs SBW: http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...-sam-burgess-sbw/story-fn2mcuj6-1227047502912

He's a monster.

I think where ever he ends up he's going to be superb... i was really unconvinced when i first heard the news, but the guys is just an absolute athlete.

Mike Ford always comes across quite a nice bloke in the interviews... he's clearly not comfortable infornt of the camera

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Burrell really did look great tonight - if he keeps this up, and Twelvetrees doesn't turn his form around massively then I'd like to see him given the 12 shirt for the ABs game in the AIs (if I'm right in thinking the ABs is the first game?).

Agree that Myler looked very good as well, but I still wouldn't have him for England. Burns played very well down under, Cipriani (in his limited time) did, Ford is yet to be tested but is clearly wanted, and then Farrell is always there - I wouldn't be rushing him through, especially as I don't think 10 is a real problem position (in as much as we have the personnel, it's just a matter of whether they're picked!). Myler strikes me as the kind of guy that could slot in last minute and play as well as he ever does, as well.

 

[kovana]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/29053197

...people still think there's much chance of him staying at centre?

And seeing as though CS asked specifically about him vs SBW: http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...-sam-burgess-sbw/story-fn2mcuj6-1227047502912

Interesting.. Using stats from a different sport to prove he can make it in another sport.... genius.

 

[goodNumber10]

no, he's making a comparison between him and another player who is going to Union and being fast tracked back into the All Blacks.

big difference.

 

[Peat]

Urgh. Myler's pedestrian. He'll do a job, particularly if given an armchair ride, particularly a level below international, but why the hell you'd be looking at him when you've got Ford, Cips and Burns is beyond me. He might as well have "Great club man never make it international" tattooed on his forehead. He's the Mouritz Botha of the backline.

I didn't watch the game, but from what I've read, the only real conclusions I'd take away re international form are that you need to wait for Northampton to play an actual team, and for Gloucester to become an actual team, to get anything useful.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Trouble is people are comparing him to SBW when he is nothing like him in his style.

I blame SBW for all this hype.