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For what it's worth, Marchant has been playing on the wing quite a bit for Quins this season. He seems to interchange pretty happily between the 2. That's not to say an international test against the Boks won't be a big step up.

The ref's explanation at the time was that he put his hands on the floor [to balance and therefore not supporting his weight on his feet] first before getting on the ball. Jamie Ritchie was penalised for the same thing earlier in the game. However, Ritchie was always awarded a turnover / holding...

I agree that Slade didn’t look much but the I think that he was set up to fail. His main pluses are his distribution and his arcing runs creating space for others. However with Farrell and Smith both also distributors inside him and no-one to fix the inside defender he was never going to have...

Makes sense, then he can unleash his pace on the counter attack...

Isn’t that how we ended up with Robson at 10?

I think Simmonds given half a chance could be a very good international. But you're right, he's never going to do the 1st receiver hit ups. He seems like he could play similar to Faletau, always popping up on the wing and supporting breaks with strong carries. Loz did look really good too but...

I definitely don't want to see wholesale changes as Wales and Ireland showed that doesn't really tell us anything. I agree it would be good to change out the front row as they have been knocking on the door for a while. Agree with Simmonds coming in at 7, it's such a shame the injuries prevent...

I felt that this was a very flattering scoreline for England and one which I worry will paper over some glaring cracks. Primarily that we really struggle to get any go forwards when presented with a solid, well organised defence. Whilst we have seen some big improvements from Hughes and Lawes in...

I think that's probably what most English fans are worried about too. If both teams play on the form they've had for the rest of the championship it would be an English win by a smallish margin I would say.

I would, although that is an interesting stat. That wouldn't have been my feeling from watching the games. I'm not saying that it's the only way the game might turn out, but it's not going to be a surprise if there are a few testers put up in the first 10 minutes.

Agreed. But I don't think anyone would have anticipated Brown dropping to the bench before an aerial onslaught. I would suspect that Nowell will come on for Brown if all is going well and Watson will drop to fullback. Well I'm hoping anyway.

I think the Argentina tour this year is a great opportunity too. With a good number of the starters likely to be touring it gives a chance to some of the newer players. Agreed that it's not an easy tour, but I like the idea of bringing a good number of players through into a successful team with...

It poses an interesting question of when is the right time to introduce new players to the international setup. The six nations is the obviously the NH bread and butter and as such failure here is unacceptable, this means that the incumbents with experience are generally preferred unless there...

I get where you are coming from with this and it's one of the main reasons that Hughes was easily neutralised in the early games (he was the sole carrier). I think Mako provides an excellent extra ball carrying threat, but I don't think that it is suddenly ineffective without Billy and vice...

I don't see many changes in the lineup for England at this stage. I think that Marler will start leaving Mako to come off the bench when it's a bit looser. Billy will likely come in for Hughes I would imagine. I think the back line will be the same as it was for Scotland or Watson in for Daly...

Faz would obviously be a big loss but the impact would really depend on whether the forwards have the upper hand. If Ford is on the front foot, I don't think he would be too badly missed. If under pressure, I think Teo will struggle to fill that role. Also, who would be captain when Hartley...

I would definitely agree. I've not seen all that much of Watson in the premiership. How does his defence compare to Mike Brown? Surely this is what keeps Brown in the team.

I think I may have been a bit harsh. I stand by the fact that he butchered a couple of overlaps by the poor passing, but I still rate him very highly. He just hasn't quite hit the heights of last season, which to be fair could be said of the whole team so far in this competition.

Which one? Ha. To me they are quite different players, Itoje doesn't seem to do the hard carries they do but probably competes more for the ball at the breakdown. Lineout competition will be interesting between them certainly.

Behind a dominant pack I think Ford would be my pick of the fly halves personally. He will always be targeted in defence but for the most part he does make a tackle, just gives up yards. That's not exactly unusual for a 10 but when some other 10s make the big hits that accentuates the...