EPS Announcement

[ssholl]

The best you can say is that it provides saxons players with the inspiration to keep improving, but to be honest if you look up above to the dizzying heights of the eps only to find danny care joe worsely and tim payne, I don't think the likes of marler, wood, dowson and day will feel that they have a great deal to aspire to.

agree with all of that except i think Danny Care is proving his worth this season

 

[Teh Mite]

The whole EPS system could be fixed very easily if the Union would just agree to kill off the LV= cup, stop the enforced rests and not constantly butt heads with the clubs.

IF they weren't forced to lose key players for competitive fixtures because they're made to play in tandem with internationals being on, we wouldn't need an EPS at all.

It's hardly rocket science.

 

[Teh Mite]

agree with all of that except i think Danny Care is proving his worth this season

Not for England he isn't. He always does the job for Quins (as he did for Leeds), but never in an England shirt.

 

[Seaton]

I'm looking forward to the Calcutta Cup now ^_^

 

[Teh Mite]

Hape Admits: "I'M ****!"

Bath centre Shontayne Hape admits to a drop in form


<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>

Hape switched rugby codes when he joined Bath in 2008

</td></tr> </tbody></table> Bath and England centre Shontayne Hape says he is still searching for his best club form following the Autumn Internationals in November.
The 28-year-old put in some of his best performances for his country against the southern hemisphere sides but has struggled since returning to Bath.
"After the internationals I've put in some of my worst performances for Bath," Hape told BBC Radio Bristol.
"I just want to get back to the standards I know I'm capable of."
Hape continued: "The most experienced players can hold their consistency and peak for the big games. I just want to be one of those players.
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="231"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5">

</td> <td class="sibStdQuote"> We've got a good chance against Aironi and the pressure's not as great as it was against Ulster when we definitely needed to win


Shontayne Hape

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> "I'm just trying to get some form and momentum, not just for Bath but for myself as well."
Bath take on Italian side Aironi on Saturday, all but mathematically ruled out of the Heineken Cup.
Steve Meehan's side sit bottom of their pool having won just one of their matches, away to their opponents at the weekend.
"Quality teams take all their chances and we just haven't been doing that," admitted Hape.
"We've got a good chance against Aironi and the pressure's not as great as it was against Ulster when we definitely needed to win.
"So maybe the guys will probably perform better."





But, rest assured kiddies, he's a sure fire starter for the Six Nations and World Cup. Because to play for England form counts for nothing.

 

[Duckdee]

England U20 Elite Player Squad
Forwards
Ryan Bower (Leicester Tigers)
Koree Britton (Gloucester Rugby)
Rob Buchanan (Harlequins)
Will Collier (Harlequins)
Matt Everard (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Gray (Newcastle Falcons)
Jonny Harris (Leicester Tigers)
Sam Jones (London Wasps)
Matt Kvesic (Worcester Warriors)
Addison Lockley (Exeter Chiefs)
Kieran Low (London Irish)
Charlie Matthews (Harlequins)
Ollie Stedman (Leeds Carnegie)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Sam Twomey (Harlequins)
Mike Haywood (Northampton Saints)
Mako Vunipola (Bristol Rugby)

Backs
Chris Cook (Bath Rugby)
Elliot Daly (London Wasps)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)
Ryan Mills (Gloucester Rugby)
Ben Ransom (Saracens)
Dan Robson (Gloucester Rugby)
Jake Sharp (Saracens)
Andy Short (Worcester Warriors)
Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers)
Christian Wade (London Wasps)
Jack Wallace (London Wasps)
Guy Armitage (London Irish)
Marland Yarde (London Irish)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Don't recognise a lot of the names in there, but it's good to see Tuilagi in there
Owen Farrell too

Another Armitage brother coming through as well

 

[BigJoe78]

farrell is qualiity
Manu Tuilagi beautiful English name

 

[Intercept King JDV]

Once again the England management show absolutely no interest in form or ability and use typical handshake brigade nepotism to put the same shitty players in there again.

An absolute ******* disgrace.

I'll be damned, that sounds very familiar...oh yeah the PDivvy gang:lol:

 

[TRF_Olyy]

http://www.rfu.com/News/2011/January/News Articles/170111_Meehan_Moody.aspx

Moody out for 6 weeks,

All injury replacements being named on the 24th, my guesses are:
Croft --> Robshaw (Haskell starting)
Lawes --> Borthwick (Shaw starting, Deacon bench)
Moody --> Armitage (Fourie starting, Armitage/Robshaw bench)
Easter as Captain

 

[TRF_Olyy]

http://www.rfu.com/News/2011/January/News Articles/240111_EPS_update.aspx
Callups:

Phil Dowson
Tom Wood
George Skivington
Nick Abendanon


Well I never! Johnson actually did something right for once
Bad luck for Robshaw, but Dowson is a top player so it's no loss for the team


Nick Wood,
James Buckland,
Graham Kitchener,
Manu Tuilagi
and Olly Morgan
All called into the Saxons as injury replacements

 

[Teh Mite]

Bugger

 

[BigJoe78]

pretty decent down and skivington in particular definately deserve it

 

[mohamed_ali12]

thrilled with Abendanon's call-up, far superior to Armitage in every way, especially considering Armitage is a petulant little **** (take note Bullitt, it's not just Hartley i slag off )

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I still can't get over Skivingtons call up
Should mean the end of Borthwicks England days, as he's at least 6th in the pecking order now

 

[Teh Mite]

(take note Bullitt, it's not just Hartley i slag off )

But only in the same frequency that Dewi Morris doesn't spout utter ********!

 

[mohamed_ali12]

But only in the same frequency that Dewi Morris doesn't spout utter ********!

touché

 

[DorceOutSide]

1 question why no ben cohen !!!!!!!!!! 80 points in 29 caps is pretty hard to ignore especially when he's on good form
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

No need for him,
Cueto's there as the old head and they're both very similar players these days now that Cohens lost some of his pace
He's also injured atm anyhow

 

[Duckdee]

Leicester now have 3 locks left. :/ (However, at least 1 will probably be sent back.)

Skivington has earned it in the few games he's played.