Summer tours - England

[Wasps92]

The problem with Saxons, is that it only represents the southern half of England. The north were Vikings, whole the original tribe would be the Celts!!!

Wrong, Northumbria which spanned from Edinburgh to Humber was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. The Vikings left little if any genetic imprint on England, the only place with significant Viking DNA is the Orkney Islands.

 

[Geordie]

Will it be one squad covering all 3 games (squad of say 35) or will it be one squad for the A game and then a different squad for the other 2?

 

[Wasps92]

What are you boys going to sing in the stadium if you're not singing swing low?

Jerusalem hopefully.

 

[Jakedood]

Jerusalem hopefully.

The wellerman

Or can you imagine the whole of twickenham singing the spice girls - wannabe

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Let's be honest the name change was smart especially if they want to play more games.
It's been 5 years since the last game and some people seem more upset that the name got changed compared to not even using the team...


Interesting note the last Saxons team was
1. Hepburn, 2. Taylor, 3. Brookes
4. Attwood, 5. Ewels
6. Ewers, 7. Kevsic, 8. Armand
9. Robson, 10. Cips
12. Devoto, 13. Thompkins
11. Wade, 14. Roko, 15. Haley

16. McGuigan, 17. Harrison, 18. JCW
19. Lees, 20. Sam Jones
21. Young, 22. Hill, 23. Sam James

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Back in the day - 97 I think, on the Friday before the Calcutta Cup there was an A and U21 double header v Sco at the Stoop. Great way to start the weekend and would love to see that kind of thing reinstated, although precisely no chance with financial issues and player release etc. More's the pity.

 

[BPM]

Let's be honest the name change was smart especially if they want to play more games.
It's been 5 years since the last game and some people seem more upset that the name got changed compared to not even using the team...


Interesting note the last Saxons team was
1. Hepburn, 2. Taylor, 3. Brookes
4. Attwood, 5. Ewels
6. Ewers, 7. Kevsic, 8. Armand
9. Robson, 10. Cips
12. Devoto, 13. Thompkins
11. Wade, 14. Roko, 15. Haley

16. McGuigan, 17. Harrison, 18. JCW
19. Lees, 20. Sam Jones
21. Young, 22. Hill, 23. Sam James

5 years is a decent amount of time and even then, only Ewels and Robson have become fixtures in the England squad.

Hepburn, Kvesic, Armand, Cipriani and Devoto all picked up a cap or two but it didn't really propel anyone onwards to the senior side.

Tompkins and Haley were subsequently capped, but by Wales and Ireland which highlights the farcical nature of the rules for second string sides.

Hopefully this England 'A' side proves to be a better springboard and also captures anyone we'd like to keep in our set up (Rodd, Heyes, Randall, Odogwu ...).

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Muir would be a interesting outside bet for the A team

 

[BPM]

Yep. I guess it depends what's happening with the Olympics.

I saw a stat this morning that 70% of Japanese people don't want it to take place this year.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, Olympics will almost definitely get cancelled - they'll just wait until the very last second
There's outrage over there because they're forcing nurses to work for the Olympics, for free, on top of their regular jobs
Also vaccinations are almost non-existent in Japan atm


I like Muir a lot, he's looked really good for Bath, though I'm not sure if he's really put his hand up as much as numerous other wingers have, however.
The Simon Amor link will work in his favour, however (though isn't he still involved with Team GB 7s? So we'll be without an attack coach if the Olympics go ahead?)

I'm gutted McConnochie never really got a proper crack at international XVs - I think the RWC was like a season too early (/he was injured in the run up, and maybe during?),
After the 2019 RWC he very quickly because one of my favourite players in the Prem

 

[RedruthRFC]

Yep. I guess it depends what's happening with the Olympics.

I saw a stat this morning that 70% of Japanese people don't want it to take place this year.

Newsnight did a small feature about it last night and I commented to Mrs RedruthRFC that it was the first I'd seen about the whole situation in the UK MSM. It was towards the end if you want to look it up on iPlayer.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I think I'd like Steward as our choice 15 to look at but Malins is kinda like Daly was a few years ago, he's playing too well and appears to have too much raw talent to not get him involved somehow. I just hope he doesn't go the same way as Daly and, as the Welsh will recall, Hook by being so good at numerous positions you get shunted around and don't end up really securing any of them.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

numerous positions you get shunted around and don't end up really securing any of them.

Watch EJ go into the summer with Ford and Malins as our two 10s

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Watch EJ go into the summer with Ford and Malins as our two 10s

Ford, Malins and Furbank as our three tens you mean.

Jones is arrogant and stupid enough to do it!

 

[Nudger]

The problem with Saxons, is that it only represents the southern half of England. The north were Vikings, whole the original tribe would be the Celts!!!

The Irish Welsh and Scottish would have a coronary failure if England called themselves celts love the idea

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

The Irish Welsh and Scottish would have a coronary failure if England called themselves celts love the idea

When you think about it, there are more Celts in England than in Ireland, Wales and Scotland combined...

 

[Reiser99]

There is a school of thought that the term celts is an 18th century invention to counter Britishness and there is no historical fact that supports the idea of a single unified group of people called celts.

The invention of the Celts

The ever-expanding fascination with the so-called Celtic peoples and their culture shows no signs of abating

www.irishtimes.com

There’s no such thing as a Celt – that’s why we had to invent them

Celts: Art and Identity shows how Celtic identity was made, not born.

www.newstatesman.com

 

[Which Tyler]

Depends on how you define "single unified" let's face it, their contemporary Greeks were hardly "single and unified" at either.
Of course there's also a school of thought, that the planet is 6,000 years old and flat.

As for Celts, we have written accounts from their contemporaries, and plenty of archeological evidence of a shared culture.

 

[Geordie]

So if Ben Curry does get his games in the summer and shows how good he is...are we getting closer to potentially seeing a Curry double in one of the AI games?

 

[Jakedood]

How good has Ben Curry been?

Like Tom has gone from talented to basically being able to play any style of rugby, and adapt to any role, exceptionally. His all round game has come on massively, has Ben done the same?