RBS 6 Nations - Italy vs England (11/02/2012, 16:00)

[Nobblynick]

Finally the nail in Ben Youngs coffin. Hopefully he will be dropped from the squad.

 

[Saintjay]

Finally the nail in Ben Youngs coffin. Hopefully he will be dropped from the squad.

BBC stated Youngs went off in a huff.

If Lancaster fails to start with Dickson and Morgan I will be pretty miffed.

 

[welshglory]

Thats just Sonja Mcwhatsherface trying to stir up controversy. I wouldn't read too much into it. He was probably just ****** off at his own game

 

[Rhondda Rudie]

Bloody awful game.England looked a different team once Dickson and Morgan came on.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Do you guys really think Botes lost the game? I don't think Burton was less bad than him. I do think Semenzato is a huge step down from Gori.

 

[andy rrr]

guscott ... best ever line

jeremy guscottt most biased piece of analysis i have heard.. england with two brilliant performances!!!!! that is so bad, its hard to see what games he been watching . still expected from guscott

 

[B10]

Wasn't great but we got the win. Good comeback and played some nice stuff when Dickson and Morgan came on. Crazy conditions.

Flood, Tuilagi, Dickson and Morgan in for Wales will look a lot more threatening.

 

[j'nuh]

Even with Morgan and Dickson, we're going to be smacked around the pitch in the last 3 matches. We need Lawes, Flood, Wood, Tuilagi and Sharples and then we might have a chance of keeping the scores respectable. This England team would be about 8th-9th in the Aviva. It has gotten embarrassing.

Yes, Youngs is poor, but why we're doing badly goes beyond that. We have no structure in attack, give the ball away far too easy, our kicking game is shocking (and is the only thing we seem to be doing in attack), and we're using our best players badly. If you want a fullback to kick back every single time, play Brown, who has a massive boot. If you want a bit more magic, allow Foden the freedom and have players support him, don't turn him into a one-dimensional kicker. How clean Farrell's shirt was after 50-60 minutes shows his reluctance to take the ball into contact. He could be a good player, he just needs time to develop a rounder game - drop him now and he'll go away and develop. Croft is starting every match but disappears in every single one of them - not something you want to see in a 6. I'm patient with Robshaw who is seemingly having to do the work for 3 backrowers, and the sooner he can truly play as a 6, the better. What has happened to Palmer? I want to see him partnered with Lawes again though - hopefully this will spur him on.

Anyone else watch the Gloucester-Northampton game? Sharples and May were on fire. :lol:

 

[welshglory]

Do you guys really think Botes lost the game? I don't think Burton was less bad than him. I do think Semenzato is a huge step down from Gori.

I think people are overreacting about the kicker. Italy as a team lost that game. They looked good in patches and scored 2 tries from English mistakes but they didn't look like creating anything themselves. England also dominated large portions of the match and the Italians couldn't get back in and when they did they made crucial errors.

 

[racingmetrofan]

Morgan and Dickson have to start next game. Lancaster's team just have to beat Wales and he'll have bettered Johnsons 2010 Six Nation performance, which is one way to look at it in relative success. Massively gone of a two fly half back line, really Tulangi and Flood should start against Wales instead of Hodgeson and Barritt.

Every game won is a game won - Lancaster is 2/2 at the moment and what more can one ask for?

JTH really, really should have started today!

 

[Peat]

Even with Morgan and Dickson, we're going to be smacked around the pitch in the last 3 matches. We need Lawes, Flood, Wood, Tuilagi and Sharples and then we might have a chance of keeping the scores respectable. This England team would be about 8th-9th in the Aviva. It has gotten embarrassing.

Anyone else watch the Gloucester-Northampton game? Sharples and May were on fire. :lol:

Against a weakened Northampton... not a fired up Italian national side cannoning into players as quickly as possible. This England team would *****-slap the Aviva.

Yes, we need to improve again but right now, I'm happy with two away wins, an improvement from the first match and something solid to build on. Embarassing? If you say so, but this situation was predictable from the World Cup onwards and so far we've made the most of the bad hand dealt to us.

Also, Morgan was good for ten minutes then completely anonymous for twenty. Great prospect, still needs to do more fitness work. Until he does, I really can't see starting him.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Do you guys really think Botes lost the game? I don't think Burton was less bad than him. I do think Semenzato is a huge step down from Gori.

Missed the kicks - simple as that.
Burton wasn't playing any better, but is a better goal kicker.




Don't understand you saying Morgan needs more fitness - he didn't tire, he just didn't see as much ball after the first 10.

 

[welshglory]

Yea i don't get this fitness thing about Morgan. Hes a big lad but hes definitely fit enough.

 

[KMad]

England are simply gonna get smashed by Wales, France and Ireland. They need Tuilagi and Morgan starting. I dont see anything wrong with Hodgson though. I think he has been okay.

 

[j'nuh]

Against a weakened Northampton... not a fired up Italian national side cannoning into players as quickly as possible. This England team would *****-slap the Aviva.

Mujati, Tonga'uiha, Monoa, Day, Lawes, Wilson, Clark, Lamb, Pisi, Artemyev, Downey are all first-team players. Roberts may be as good as Dickson - he had a fine game. Hartley (Long stepped in fine though), Wood and Foden are the only players Northampton would really miss, but otherwise it was a very strong team.

Both Glos and Northampton played better than England today, unquestionably. Both attacked with more structure and discipline, both kicked when needed as opposed to pointlessly, fewer mistakes were made etc.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I dont see anything wrong with Hodgson though. I think he has been okay.

I agree with that - The only reason Hodgson should be dropped is because Farrell is kicking (and kicking well). Tuilagi needs to come in to the centres, however Barritt has been the better of the two so far, so Barritt/Tuilagi should be the centres. Depends whether Hodgson wants to step up to kick the goals, or Farrell moves to 10 and continues kicking.

Hodgson is certainly a good enough kicker, however Farrell put his name forward and was confident in his abilities, so that was that.

 

[Peat]

Don't understand you saying Morgan needs more fitness - he didn't tire, he just didn't see as much ball after the first 10.

My initial impression was that was because he wasn't where he needed to be because he was struggling to keep up with play a little. Certainly he was pretty anonymous after the early impressive burst.

edit:

Mujati, Tonga'uiha, Monoa, Day, Lawes, Wilson, Clark, Lamb, Pisi, Artemyev, Downey are all first-team players. Roberts may be as good as Dickson - he had a fine game. Hartley (Long stepped in fine though), Wood and Foden are the only players Northampton would really miss, but otherwise it was a very strong team.

Both Glos and Northampton played better than England today, unquestionably. Both attacked with more structure and discipline, both kicked when needed as opposed to pointlessly, fewer mistakes were made etc.

Against lesser teams. Domestic rugby is easier than international rugby. The pace is slower, the intensity is less, the pressure is less. Players get more time on the ball and punished less physically.

We shall have to disagree with your assessment of Northampton. By no means poor, but equally not at full-strength, and away from home too. I'm pleased to hear that Sharples and the rest of the England backline in waiting did well, but it's a completely different kettle of fish to Italy away.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Apparently Robshaw made over twice the tackles of any other English player and didn't miss one. Fair dues I guess.

 

[welshglory]

My initial impression was that was because he wasn't where he needed to be because he was struggling to keep up with play a little. Certainly he was pretty anonymous after the early impressive burst.

Faletau made some carries in the beginning of the Irish game and was then anonymous after that. Does that mean that Faletau has bad fitness as well?

 

[Peat]

Faletau made some carries in the beginning of the Irish game and was then anonymous after that. Does that mean that Faletau has bad fitness as well?

No, as I could Faletau tackling, making a nuisance of himself at the breakdown area and so on. So he wasn't anonymous.