Weak like a fox. Awesome backs, meh forwards, which is a worry considering England packs are usually a bunch of fatties. I must say my knowledge of English rugby has taken a but of a dip in recent seasons. How do the teams match up peat?
:lol:
You knows I'm playing.
Anyway, quick comparison
Kilcoyne vs Wood - Haven't seen enough of Kilcoyne but rate Wood as a very good scrummager and solid in the loose, I know Kilcoyne's in form but I'd go with Wood - England
Sherry vs Gray - Probably Sherry, Gray's more reliable, very good thrower and good at the breakdown, but I like Sherry's power - Ireland
Bent vs PDJ - God knows, no one knows much about Bent, PDJ is solid but lacks the power you'd like, I'll just say even - Even
Stevenson vs Kitchener - I think Kitchener is a bit of a lanky show pony and I really like the grunt Stevenson brings. G'wan the Rocket - Ireland
Toner vs Robson - Robson's too small for international rugby but otherwise a class act, Toner's just too tall for his own good but does some nice things - Even
McLaughlin vs Kruis - McLaughlin does what he does well, but Kruis is a beast and offers some real physicality - England
TOD vs Fraser - About even I reckon, both young 7s with a lot going for them, I want to say Fraser but I think might be bias so - Even
Coughlan vs Crane - Meh vs Meh. Both solid, but nothing more, and a waste of a cap imo - Even
Marshall vs Wrigglesworth - Depends which Small Paul turns up, Wrigglesworth is solid but nothing more, Small Paul could rip England to pieces - or do the same to Ireland - Uhmm...
Jackson vs Ford - Ford may be the messiah but he hasn't shown it for Leicester recently, Jackson's form may have wobbled but take him out and you see what Ulster miss - Ireland
Fitzgerald vs Wade - Fascinating one. Fitzgerald should dominate Wade in the air. Fitzgerald is very solid defensively, but Wade can make anyone look like a muppet, and Fitz is short of gametime. Really this comes down to who's got the better performers around them, but right now I'd take Wade, he's a bit sharper - England
McSharry vs JTH - I don't rate JTH, misses too many tackles and is too predictable, McSharry looks a more rounded and intelligent version if not as physical - Ireland
Cave vs Tomkins - Too early for Tomkins, he needs to learn union better - Ireland
Trimble vs Biggs - Depends what Trimble shows up, hasn't really happened for him in a green jersey recently, not sure why everyone loves Biggs but they do - Even
Henshaw vs Daly - Really exciting, but one guy regularly plays full-back and presumably got the GAA high ball taking course, the other floats between full-back and centre - Ireland
Varley vs Buchanan - Varley's great at what he does well but erratic otherwise, BUchanan's been impressing me - England
Court vs Mullan - Angry Tom has been fantastic recently, I like Mullan but Court is possibly the form loosehead in Europe - Ireland
Fitzpatrick vs Knight - Is Fitzpatrick really fit? Great prop if he is, could easily backfire though. Knight's another very promising newbie - Even
Henderson vs Slater - Not a lock. Amazing six, not a lock. Slater should be starting - England
Ruddock vs Gibson - Would have started both, really like Gibson's all round skills, Ruddock's flattered to deceive for me over the course of his career - England
Boss vs Simpson - Depends which Simpson turns up! - Even
Madigan vs Eastmond - I have no idea where either will play and feel like I can't judge - Even
Keatley vs Lowe - See above. Mad backs benches the pair of them - Even
In general, it's a pretty lightweight England pack, should do the job but won't get dominance the way sending out the likes of Garvey, Attwood, Fearns, Jackson and so on might have done. We've got a better front row as a whole imo, but it mightn't show with the power diffrentials in the row (then again, Toner is bad news for the Irish scrum). I don't get the English backline at all, while on a good day for the half-backs that Irish one wouldn't disgrace the 6N imo. Certainly a big difference in defensive capabilities imo. Having that scrummaging front row waiting on the bench could make a big difference for Ireland, although wtf is up with three fly-halves? Likes of TOH and even Allen must be feeling mad angry.
Throw in the ineptness of Callard to date and I'm not optimistic. Which probably means England victory given my predicting power!
