[RWC2023 QF3] England vs Fiji (15/10/2023)

[HamJan]

Not showing your full hand before the World Cup is pretty much what most tier one teams do. Teams save certain plays for certain opposition. They don't show their full hand.

I do agree that our basics have been off, and some of the performances have been lacklustre so far. But we've done what we've needed to do get to the quarters. I expect a fairly comfortable win against Fiji. Our tactics will probably not be enough against the semi-final opponents though who are further along in their development as a tea

I always felt that not showing your hand before a RWC was an Eddieism, whereby he had to say that because a) he couldn't admit that we were crap, and b) he wouldn't admit that his tactics were wrong. Fair enough don't display any intricate plays that you're working on before RWC, but the basics should always be 100% and a consistent style of play should be visible in the two years leading to the tournament.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I always felt that not showing your hand before a RWC was an Eddieism, whereby he had to say that because a) he couldn't admit that we were crap, and b) he wouldn't admit that his tactics were wrong. Fair enough don't display any intricate plays that you're working on before RWC, but the basics should always be 100% and a consistent style of play should be visible in the two years leading to the tournament.

Agreed, not showing your hand should ideally be for holding back very specific tactics or manoeuvres, set piece plays etc. Ireland seem to do this well. You shouldn't be holding back that you can in fact not drop the ball in specific situations.

 

[Half Pint]

"MERGA"
It'll never catch on..

 

[Saintjay]

Freddie Steward is going to show he's at a sub 10 seconds 100m and he's the turning radius of a gazelle then.

Sinkler's hiding he's so angry like when Greggs run out of sausage rolls.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Out of the group games only the Samoa game was really below par. I already said in this very thread the 6 nations and warm up games were awful! Even the great 2003 team was not firing on all cylinders btw. We were behind at half time against Samoa in that World Cup as well.... And before some Robinson magic we were not looking too good against Wales. Of course I'm not saying this team is anywhere as good as the 2003 team. But teams do stutter. And actually this group stage we performed well enough in 3 out of the 4 games.

You already forgotten about the game against Argentina?

Japan are underrated, and I thought we did a solid job on them.

Chili of course we were expected to beat comfortably although it took a while for us to get going.

And I already said I would like our basics to be a lot better overall!

The 2003 team had also beaten NZ twice in the preceding year, once when down to 13 men and won the 6N grand slam. This England side have achieved nothing in the last 2 years. This isn't a stutter, this is England's baseline performance at the moment.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Bruising but in the end a pretty comfortable English win.

 

[Geordie]

Freddie Steward is going to show he's at a sub 10 seconds 100m and he's the turning radius of a gazelle then.

Sinkler's hiding he's so angry like when Greggs run out of sausage rolls.

Greg's have ran out of sausage rolls?

 

[ikvat]

After their pathetic confrontation against Portugal, i'm not anymore convinced by the fijian potential.

 

[The Seeker]

Let's Go Fiji.

 

[OldSchoolRugga]

Fiji will pitch up. Would love for them to win.

 

[Geordie]

Fiji had players missing...

 

[O’Doyle Rules]

England by 15. Fiji to choke.

 

[Saintjay]

Fiji had players missing...

So did England. 19 to be exact. Unless I'm confusing 'went missing' with missing.

 

[SG59_]

Fiji started this world cup so good, but unless they find form quick I think this might an easy win for England.

 

[IT157]

The 2003 team had also beaten NZ twice in the preceding year, once when down to 13 men and won the 6N grand slam. This England side have achieved nothing in the last 2 years. This isn't a stutter, this is England's baseline performance at the moment.

The draw against New Zealand was actually a very good performance that happened in the last two years. We scored one of the best tries of the year. I already said this team is not as good as the 2003 version. But teams stutter. And the pool performance with the notable exception against Samoa was good overall. And the reason I brought the 2003 team up is because that it wasn't smooth sailing for them even though they were the favourites going into that tournament. Did this board exist back then? No doubt you would have been *****ing about the England performance against Wales in 2003.

 

[petetherhooker]

so who would you play? Here is my attempt to make a silk purse out of a sows ear

1. Marler
2. George
3. Sinckler
4, Itoje
5. Chessum
6. Curry
7. Earl
8. Ludlam
9. Care
10. Ford
11. May
12. Tuilagi
13 Marchant
14. Arundell
15. Steward

but Id actually prefer to resign from the RWC and let a more deserving team take our place. That removes the chance of being embarassed by Fiji, or mullered by a real team in the semis. And I could then sit on rather than hide behind my sofa

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

The draw against New Zealand was actually a very good performance that happened in the last two years. We scored one of the best tries of the year. I already said this team is not as good as the 2003 version. But teams stutter. And the pool performance with the notable exception against Samoa was good overall. And the reason I brought the 2003 team up is because that it wasn't smooth sailing for them even though they were the favourites going into that tournament. Did this board exist back then? No doubt you would have been *****ing about the England performance against Wales in 2003.

Yeah I would have been bashing their performance against Wales because that was a stutter. What the current England team are doing is not a stutter, it's fully in line with how they have been playing for a while now. Do you look at these current England performances and genuinely see them as somehow a step below what we produced going into this world cup? 2021, 2022 and 2023 6 nations we only got 2 wins, with 1 of them being Italy each time, we lost more than we won. 2022 autumn internationals the only side we beat was Japan. Even during the pretty poor mid-late 2000's we didn't get only 2 wins 3 years in a row. We are setting records for worst performances across the board including first ever loss to a tier 2 nation, worst ever home defeat, worst ever loss to Scotland, worst ever loss to France, most points conceded against Wales and you call it a "stutter"? This has been going on for 3 years.

I get supporting a team but that does not mean denying reality and being utterly delusional. This is not a stutter, we have not been performing well at all and this is in no way just a poor performance at the WC, this is a long term problem that is actually getting even worse as time goes on.

 

[IT157]

Yeah I would have been bashing their performance against Wales because that was a stutter. What the current England team are doing is not a stutter, it's fully in line with how they have been playing for a while now. Do you look at these current England performances and genuinely see them as somehow a step below what we produced going into this world cup? 2021, 2022 and 2023 6 nations we only got 2 wins, with 1 of them being Italy each time, we lost more than we won. 2022 autumn internationals the only side we beat was Japan. Even during the pretty poor mid-late 2000's we didn't get only 2 wins 3 years in a row. We are setting records for worst performances across the board including first ever loss to a tier 2 nation, worst ever home defeat, worst ever loss to Scotland, worst ever loss to France, most points conceded against Wales and you call it a "stutter"? This has been going on for 3 years.

With the exception of Samoa, no. That was the only stutter in the group stages. I already said twice the warm up and 6 nations this year were awful....here I am saying it for the 3rd time.

 

[ncurd]

With the exception of Samoa, no. That was the only stutter in the group stages. I already said twice the warm up and 6 nations this year were awful....here I am saying it for the 3rd time.

Argentina aisde. It was giving a kicking to the worst team in the tournament. A Samoa match we barely just won. And I think you may have some rose tinted glasses to the final score against Japan because there's no way most teams let us get away with the shambles we were. It took us 24 mins to get the first try after multiple failed chances and then another 32 before we scored the second. We didn't deserve a BP win that day.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Fiji seemed to be suffering from some jitters ever since taking the lead against Australia. It was like a switch flicked at that point and a Wallabies at even 50% would have taken advantage. I think it is a mental issue and could be resolved after being humbled by lowly Portugal (which must make them feel like underdogs despite their recent victory over England).

However, their style of play of one up runners was so simplistic, repetitive and conservative it could also be that other teams a have sussed them out, so it isn't necessarily primarily mental. They appear to have doubled down on this tactic with Tuisova at 12 - that too has coincided with their slump in my opinion.

England have looked pretty abject as an attacking force any time Marcus isn't on the park but surely they have enough heft in their side to neutralise one up runners and thereby nullify Fiji. Plus surely they can exploit a Fijian inabiliity to kick pens from near the touchline?