Nick Evans on Chris Robshaw - "he is not an out-and-out seven"

[Peat]

Typical Bath, hogging all the big hitting 6 options - David Sisi has excellent potential in this role. Either will struggle to get into the team when we pick a traditional openside though, as all of a sudden we've got three very good blindsides going for one slot.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Carl Fearns could be that player if everyone stops fannying about shoving him in at 7.

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gawdd you bladdy love Carl Fearns dont' you Ollyy
If we were South Africa, we'd be shoe-horning matt Garvey into the blindside spot to be our very own Willem Alberts

 

[j'nuh]

Typical Bath, hogging all the big hitting 6 options - David Sisi has excellent potential in this role. Either will struggle to get into the team when we pick a traditional openside though, as all of a sudden we've got three very good blindsides going for one slot.

They're also all 26-27, and could each have another 5-8 years in them. Hard times to be a young flanker. (Suppose it's even worse as an upcoming non-international Welsh flanker!)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

gawdd you bladdy love Carl Fearns dont' you Ollyy

In a word: Yes.
Was devastated when he left Sale. A 6. Fearns, 7. Seymour flank partnership would be out of this world.

 

[Peat]

They're also all 26-27, and could each have another 5-8 years in them. Hard times to be a young flanker. (Suppose it's even worse as an upcoming non-international Welsh flanker!)

Hard times breed hard men.

While it would require exceptional performances, I do not think it is impossible for Fearns - or Sisi, or Gibson, or maybe Moriarty, or maybe even Launchbury/Kruis - to muscle their way in. Are any of them World Class? I would mutter Croft, but I know I'm about to get shouted down, so I'll just say no. It's there for the taking, we're not talking about finding a way in past Richard Hill here.

Personally I'm just fascinated by who will beat the cull post-Kvesic (couple of years at most imo, and if not him Wallace or Fraser) - my gut instinct at the moment says it doesn't bode too well for Robshaw, he's the least athletic and worst lineout option of the three, which will will tip tight battles against him. Which is a shame, cracking player...

 

[j'nuh]

Don't forget Clark. He's been on the fringes for the last year-and-a-half and a few years behind Wood/Croft/Robshaw so should be catching up with them.

Another really interesting thing is that Croft, Wood and Robshaw are probably the three main captaincy contenders (along with Parling maybe?). To have to drop two of them out of the XV must be difficult.

 

[ratsapprentice]

I certainly don't think we'll see someone overtake them until we have a nailed on 7.

And I completely agree that we will have a new 7 nailed on by the end of the 6N at the latest.
We have three extremely good young prospects playing for good clubs that are going to give them serious game time this season.

Personally I'd like to see either Fearns or Moriarty put their hands up, those two exemplify what I see as a blindside.
Good athletes who love to smash people all match long, in attack and defense.
Ball carriying ability in the tight is something we don't have in Croft, Wood or Robshaw.

And to be frank I'm not sold on either Wood or Robshaw as captain.
Good leaders? - Yes
Good captains - meh....

 

[Peat]

Don't forget Clark. He's been on the fringes for the last year-and-a-half and a few years behind Wood/Croft/Robshaw so should be catching up with them.

Another really interesting thing is that Croft, Wood and Robshaw are probably the three main captaincy contenders (along with Parling maybe?). To have to drop two of them out of the XV must be difficult.

No, lets forget him. He's a thug and nothing special as a player and the sooner Lancaster drops him the happier I will be.

 

[ratsapprentice]

No, lets forget him. He's a thug and nothing special as a player and the sooner Lancaster drops him the happier I will be.

The guy has done nothing to suggest he is anything other than premiership fodder.

 

[j'nuh]

Fair enough, I wouldn't be upset either tbh.

Speaking of England selections, when is the next EPS announced? There was an announcement on 5th July last year. I assume it's running a little late to allow Rowntree/Farrell to come back and help make some decisions, but I can't tell if it's coming this month or not. Could be a very illuminating squad selection. We'll get to see how much of the Argentina tour was taken on board.

 

[Aristodemus]

Captain is tough to call, really tough. Personally I would stick with Robshaw, at 6, which is harsh considering the form Wood has shown in a England shirt. I also as many have expressed would love Kvesic to cement his spot at 7. So with that being the case, how many players are we confident will feature in the starting XV leading up to the WC?. I look at the team myself and only really see Cole, Launchbury, Morgan and Tuilagi as certain starters. Perhaps Corbs too and maybe both Youngs' but Hooker is competitive and Ben needs to recover his form to guarantee selection over Care.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Corbs is another definite, with the proviso being he stays injury free. I do worry about that though, as he supposedly has a degenerative knee condition. Otherwise I agree that those are the only definites. Tom Youngs is becoming one hell of a player though, and hooker is not THAT competitive right now. However, assuming that TN Youngs will be in our match squads, I'd quite like our other hooker to be a bit of a hibbard-type fatty. In which case Webber could be a good call.

 

[Draggs]

Carl Fearns could be that player if everyone stops fannying about shoving him in at 7.

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And stops fighting with everybody.

 

[Peat]

Hooker is about as competitive as Scottish football right now. Youngs is a walk-in. So is Corbs. Don't think Launchbury is assured of anything though.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Hooker is about as competitive as Scottish football right now. Youngs is a walk-in. So is Corbs. Don't think Launchbury is assured of anything though.

Perhaps not, but he's still improving and if that continues at anything like the same rate it has been, I'm not too sure who'll be near him. Unless Lawes can convince that he's more than an impact player

 

[TRF_Olyy]

And stops fighting with everybody.

Says the wannabe Saffer...

Perhaps not, but he's still improving and if that continues at anything like the same rate it has been, I'm not too sure who'll be near him. Unless Lawes can convince that he's more than an impact player

Attwood.
Though I could see him overtaking Parling if he can prove himself in the lineout (did well enough vs Argentina, but will need to show more, and be consistent with it for club and country).

 

[ratsapprentice]

Webber is our short term second choice assuming Hartley is to be dismissed.
With Lindsay and Buchanan being possibles in the medium term.
Luke Cowan-Dickie is a good long term prospect, but who knows how U20's players are going to turn out 2-3 years into their pro careers...

This Lions tour has made me seriously doubt Ben Youngs, and by extension Care too.
I want a SH to pass the ball to the 10 or the pod of forwards standing between them.
Doing anything other than that seriously hampers your team's ability to play.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Says the wannabe Saffer...


Attwood.
Though I could see him overtaking Parling if he can prove himself in the lineout (did well enough vs Argentina, but will need to show more, and be consistent with it for club and country).

Hmm Attwood.. I remembr being excited about him a while back but him ropping off my radar when he got injured... did he stand out against Argentina?

I think Launchbury is here to stay because he has a strong all-round game, not something which can be said of all locks... his counter rucking is excellent, fetching strong, speed around the field to back those things up...he has an eye for the offload and can carry. He's also not small (over 18st) even though some have said he's not enough of lump.

Ratsapprentice I know what you mean: I'm starting to doubt our model of quick, sniping 9's - they all seem to make bad decisions! Youngs is too fat, overdid the knee rehab.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Attwood did play well in Argentina. I think he will definitely be considered to be in the top three, as Lancaster seems to want a TH lock now.
But it's a similar situation for most of the players who played well in Argentina, they will now have a chance to put their hand up from the bench...

 

[j'nuh]

Attwood.
Though I could see him overtaking Parling if he can prove himself in the lineout (did well enough vs Argentina, but will need to show more, and be consistent with it for club and country).

Yep. I'm 100 per cent sure that Launchbury, Parling and Attwood are the right locks for the foreseeable future. I would drop Lawes for the next half year. Challenge him to regain his form. Would stick with those three for now, and keep on the look out for an emergent for a fourth place in time for the 2014 6N. The shortlist looks to be Slater, Kruis, Kitchener, Savage, Garvey, Lawes, Kennedy and more controversially, Deacon, Botha and Robson; There's enough competition that I'm sure at least one of them will put down a marker.