England's back line

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Barritt has played well in one England game and average in all the rest of his caps.

12 trees has had 1 bad game and played well in all his other caps.

Eastmond has played badly in one game and really well in one other game.

Did anyone notice devoto was in supposed to be in the England camp but listed as injured. Maybe Lancaster hasn't settled on any 12 yet?

 

[TheSaffycen]

12trees has not had just one bad game. He was poor against Aus and NZ, and saying he was anything above average in other games would be an exaggeration. 36 has had a good game against Wales last year but wasn't anything great in the other games (from my memory). We may as well just play Burrell there as we haven't got a great 12 and he will atleast give us go forward ball. If i had too pick the backline today- 9.Care 10.Farrell/Cipriani 11.Yarde 12.Burrell 13.Tuilagi 14.Foden 15.Brown with Daly/Watson on the bench.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I don't like the idea of bringing Barrett back, I thought the whole point of Lancasters changes was to make England a more dynamic attacking side as opposed to the side that simply grinds out wins by being difficult to score against. England have got to have had the least utilised wings and least attacking centres for ages now, with changes only happening recently. Now we get shown what true dynamic rugby is like by the ABs and rather than trying to emulate it, people want to fall back onto the "big defence and look for penalties" mentality, not good.

I think if we make any changes it should be towards a more attacking mindset and attempting to get our wingers involved in the game more, not back to 10 man defensive rugby.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Lancaster won't bring Barritt back. Not a chance.
I reckon he'd put Farrell there before him*, now that Cipriani and Burns are somewhat blooded, and Ford is knocking about. Lancaster's repeatedly said he wants a ballplayer in the centres, and Barritt ain't that.



*This would be a horrible idea, mind.

 

[Maverick1987]

haven't followed the convo but just about this point: England absolutely NEED to beat everybody in the pool, or else (provided they get 2nd pool seed) they're immediately up against the Boks in the 1/4F. England's best bet is beating everybody, and meeting Samoa/Scotland in the 1/4F. Easy peasy, let's be franky. Then, France, Ireland or Argentina. At home, that goes England's way. So far so good. Now they're in the final, at home, against the Boks/All-Blacks most likely. Anything can happen at home in a final.
That's a very nice, easy route for England considering it's a WORLD CUP. It is. But of course all of this can just not happen if they lose but one game in the pool. And I don't think they'll beat S.A. in a 1/4F, even at home. We'll see how the Boks do in Twickers in 3 months.

* An incredibly serendipitous path would be England do end up 2nd in pool, manage to beat the Saffers, and in the meantime France beats the AB's and rids England once again of NZ, after which England patiently take care of France in the 1/2F yet again and find a straight path to the Final, against...Australia or Ireland.

View attachment 3105

Let's just concentrate on getting out the group first ........

Also IMHO it's not time like GN10 says to panic and start throwing players out etc it's time to pick a back line and stick with it . Let them play the last 10 or so games together before the RWC . I think it will be Care, Farrell, 36, Manu, Yarde, Wade and Brown . I'm perfectly happy with that but aside from injury it's best to stop messing around with the team for now . Also I think Foden should be picked in the 23 shirt

Although there is plenty of people good enough for the 23 shirt Foden has the experience AND the skills for it imo. No one else I can think of has both

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, I think Foden has been discarded too readily (though injuries didn't help).
It looks unlikely Daly will be in the EPS by the time the RWC so it's between Foden and Eastmond for me.

 

[Maverick1987]

Yeah, I think Foden has been discarded too readily (though injuries didn't help).
It looks unlikely Daly will be in the EPS by the time the RWC so it's between Foden and Eastmond for me.

Yeh same here . Can Eastmond play Fullback ?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Don't think he's played it in Union, but he did in League. Burns, Cipriani and Ford all have some experience of playing 15, though (though not for a few years, mind).
There's also the possibility Nowell or May will be on the wing so could cover from the pitch.

 

[Geordie]

I think 36 is still living on potential rather than what he has actually delivered on a rugby pitch. Too many times his passes have landed at players feet...too many missed tackles.

Eastmond played very well in that 1st test and i would say couldnt do much in the 3rd as our pack were going backwards for 80 mins. I would say Eastmond is worth another shot...but i also thought Burrell was outstanding in the 6n. Of course neither are a kicking option...but i dont think that matters.

So drop Twelvetrees until he starts pulling up trees for Gloucester and give Eastmond and Burrell the battle for that 12 spot.

 

[Geordie]

Don't think he's played it in Union, but he did in League. Burns, Cipriani and Ford all have some experience of playing 15, though (though not for a few years, mind).
There's also the possibility Nowell or May will be on the wing so could cover from the pitch.

I think Nowell is a FB in the making. I wouldnt be surprised if he played a few games this season for Exeter at FB. He could be a very good option there aswell.
Fast, good hands, strong defence, kicker....dare i say reminds me of Halfpenny. Of course he may have Watson to battle for the 15 shirt aswell...

 

[Big Ewis]

so leave Burrell out completely ? I haven't seen much of Wade; what I've seen was good though; so I'm guessing England's best possible back line is Care-Farrell-36-Tuilagi-Wade-Yarde-Brown, but perhaps one of the centers needs a break, maybe Tuilagi given the style he plays with all the contact and enormous effort his game requires. Maybe put Burrell in at 13, just when the opposing team tires, use another battering ram type center who's shown good form for England and seems to fit in very well into their attacking shape.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I think Nowell is a FB in the making. I wouldnt be surprised if he played a few games this season for Exeter at FB. He could be a very good option there aswell.
Fast, good hands, strong defence, kicker....dare i say reminds me of Halfpenny. Of course he may have Watson to battle for the 15 shirt aswell...

With Arscott gone I think that's quite likely - he played there through the age grades.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Nowell is a FB - the only reason he played on the wing for Exeter was because they wanted both him and Arscott on at the same time.
The better configuration had Jack on the wing - it's as simple as that IMO.

He's certainly a very good winger - but he is a FB.
It's not like Watson - where it's genuinely not clear which position he is better suited to (if he is at all).

 

[Geordie]

Aha you see...i know my stuff

 

[Drogers93]

I havent read every comment on this thread, so dont start sending hate replies if im repeating someone else, but since the 12 spot is a bit of an open position does anyone else expect sam burgess to have a big impact there and possibly be the the starting inside centre come the world cup?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I still think it's strange that they're considering Sam at 12. He's got ball carrying backrower written all over him. The press seem to think he's going to be the next SBW because he plays in the NRL and is big.

 

[Maverick1987]

I havent read every comment on this thread, so dont start sending hate replies if im repeating someone else, but since the 12 spot is a bit of an open position does anyone else expect sam burgess to have a big impact there and possibly be the the starting inside centre come the world cup?

I can't see a reason unless he plays amazing there for bath which is touch and go if he will even be in that position . It's looking more likely from what Mike Ford has said that he wants him in the back row . We have good options at 12 anyway

 

[Maverick1987]

I still think it's strange that they're considering Sam at 12. He's got ball carrying backrower written all over him. The press seem to think he's going to be the next SBW because he plays in the NRL and is big.

The stats that rats put up on sam says to me he can be a big success at 12 but only outside someone like Burns, Ford or Cipriani . I think Farrell, Burgess, Tuilagi could be a tad one dimensional to say the least lol

 

[TRF_Olyy]

The stats that rats put up on sam says to me he can be a big success at 12 but only outside someone like Burns, Ford or Cipriani . I think Farrell, Burgess, Tuilagi could be a tad one dimensional to say the least lol

Yeah, I suppose he can work there - he'll certainly have an easier time learning the game in the backs than in the forwards.
I just think people expecting an English SBW are in for a shock. He's going to run hard (and surprisingly fast) but he's not got the passing/offloading game of SBW, despite what papers were saying when it was rumoured/announced. Don't get me wrong, he can pass and can offload - he wouldn't be one of the top RL forwards in the world if he couldn't, but it's not out exceptional.

 

[ratsapprentice]

I am undecided as to where he'll be best suited - he could be good at 6, 8, 12 or 13.

The trouble is that at Bath we already have three potential England centres.
Two of which would probably want to move on should they lose their starting berth - I can't see either Eastmond or Joseph being content as bench players (quite rightly, too).

He will almost certainly play a bit at centre (the coaches have explicitly said so) - whether he then moves on to the back row is a different matter.
We are pretty stacked in the back row too, though.

I'd largely agree with what Olyy is saying.