[2018 Six Nations] England Squad

[Which Tyler]

Lewington is prob ahead of Woodburn and Marcus Watson.

Inevitable that I'd forget someone. (ETA: Fixed that now)

Of course, it's also inevitable that just about everyone will disagree with my list of 75 in perfectly valid ways (and 1-2 twattish ways for that matter)

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Inevitable that I'd forget someone. (ETA: Fixed that now)

Of course, it's also inevitable that just about everyone will disagree with my list of 75 in perfectly valid ways (and 1-2 twattish ways for that matter)

also did you include Williams just because of your desperation to have him at Bath?

 

[Which Tyler]

also did you include Williams just because of your desperation to have him at Bath?

We're not exactly overrun with options at IC; especially as Kyle seems to have dropped off the planet.
I'll be honest - I thought Devoto was my more contraversial call; given so many people seem to think he's not even second choice at Exeter (despite being first choice when fit, and then struggling with injury)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Jack Singleton -------> Dunn

Using "------>" over ">>>>>>>" makes me irrationally angry

 

[ratsapprentice]

Using "------>" over ">>>>>>>" makes me irrationally angry

An arrow denotes movement.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Ok i have the solution to all englands problems.

Dave Ward at 7. Most turnovers of an english player in the prem.
And a great carrier.
Can hit the rucks like Hask, but can jackal as well.
Can also play hooker, so **** hartley
and best of all he can bully Mallinder cause he outpaced him

If only he wasnt 31...

 

[j'nuh]

I've had a look at who I would consider the first 5 choices in each position (assuming that no-one covers multiple positions; so that's a full 5th choice XV); and totted up their playing time so far this season - given my well-documented concern with player fatigue.

Marler    1156   MVunipola   1809   Genge       706   Obano     1033   Hepburn      665
George    1535   LCD          707   Hartley    1192   Taylor       0   Dunn        1162
Sinckler  1339   Williams     797   Cole       1801   Thomas     590   PHill        441
Lawes     2001   Itoje       1791   Ewels       924   Witty     1153   JHill       1390
Kruis     1678   Launchbury  1513   Isiekwe    1405   Attwood    145   Stooke      1620
Robshaw   1561   Underhill    674   Haskell    1465   Wilson    1574   Armand      1757
Simmonds  1356   BCurry      1387   TCurry      420   Ellis       80   Evans        424
BVunipola  227   Hughes       801   Mercer     1078   Ewers      560   Morgan       430
                                
Youngs    1286   Care        1454   Robson     1259   Maunder    130   Vellacott    871
Ford      1805   Smith       1463   Cipriani   1081   Lozowski  1147   Shillcock    790
Daly      1544   May         1720   Solomona   1572   Ibitoye    218   Woodburn    1684
Farrell   1938   Te'o         965   Devoto      420   SHill      893   Williams     711
Joseph    1816   Tuilagi      795   Slade      1476   Marchant   963   Trinder      976
Nowell    1031   Cokanasiga  1123   Rokoduguni  787   Earle      807   Lewington   1398
Watson    2112   Brown       1220   Woodward   1064   Goode     1864   Hammersley  1346

Holy **** some of those numbers are insane. Watson has played the equivalent of 26.4 games this season.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Holy **** some of those numbers are insane. Watson has played the equivalent of 26.4 games this season.

It's untenable.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

It's untenable.

I see you're making the most of that word-of-the-day toilet paper

 

[ratsapprentice]

I see you're as easily impressed as most Devonians.... would you like to buy some of my miracle hair loss tonic?

...Might make your cousin even more attracted to you.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

I see you're as easily impressed as most Devonians.... would you like to buy some of my miracle hair loss tonic?

...Might make your cousin even more attracted to you.

I want to respond... but I'm really not sure that I can

 

[Which Tyler]

and best of all he can bully Mallinder cause he outpaced him.

F***ing Ford bullies Mallinder

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

F***ing Ford bullies Mallinder

I said this on another thread but it brings a smile to my face... DAVE *********** WARD - The human embodiment of a potato

Just look at that form

 

[Pom in Exile]

Simple question. What should Eddie's top three priorities be for SA?

1 - Might be stating the bleeding obvious here but a winning series has to be his top priority and he has to achieve it without most of his Lions players who look mostly out on their feet or woefully out of form or both.
IIRC there's only one game at altitude so that's SAs already so a 2-1 series win would be great but a close 2-1 loss might be ok if there's some decent performances.
2 - Some evidence of coaching
3 - Improved discipline.

 

[Which Tyler]

Simple question. What should Eddie's top three priorities be for SA?

1. Rest and recuperation for the exhausted players.
2. Blooding alternatives for the omnipresent players (who should largely be left at home.
3. Depth at SH and CE especially.

 

[AM_Bokke]

1 - Might be stating the bleeding obvious here but a winning series has to be his top priority and he has to achieve it without most of his Lions players who look mostly out on their feet or woefully out of form or both.
IIRC there's only one game at altitude so that's SAs already so a 2-1 series win would be great but a close 2-1 loss might be ok if there's some decent performances.
2 - Some evidence of coaching
3 - Improved discipline.

Bloemfontein is on the highveld. There are two games at altitude.

 

[Pom in Exile]

Bloemfontein is on the highveld. There are two games at altitude.

Oh ********, well winning the other one becomes imperative then.
The Springboks have been a shambles recently but with Erasmus at the helm they are going to be a very different proposition, not least in the fact that there's almost always a bounce when a new coach takes over as players are desperate to impress and more simply he can't be a worse selecter than Coetsee.
The Boks will be smelling blood in the water as will the referees, by which I mean that England are currently a losing team which rightly or wrongly means that they will get reffed differently. It's going to be a very tough tour for England.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Looking at the thread of potential world cup squads, it's so hard to do one for England right now. A lot of players' futures are up in the air, but it would be too soon to know for sure whether they can turn it around.


Above all though I'm extremely surprised to see there are posters who still think Simmonds has an England future. I do think he's too small at this level and I was barely aware of him last weekend - questioning his workrate.
I'd like us to take a look at another 13 - I thought I was over Tuilagi, but perhaps not!
Danny Care, really? I don't see what he brings above Robson. 3rd choice at best.
I'd like us to bin 'untrustworthy' players - those who you can rely on to not compound an already bad situation when your'e under pressure. Take Joe Marler and that off the ball hit when he came on last weekend - we were already suffering from a lack of discipline and he made things worse. I'm inclined to feel the same way about Dan Cole to be honest.
I'm unfortunately not sold on Nathan (Hughes) at international level. I think we need to explore other options and fast, among which I would number Ewers (despite that he often plays 6), Beaumont, even Morgan.
At 10, I'm really struggling to accept that our number 3 and 4 choices are Loz and Smith - I really don't buy this garbage that Cipriani is either first choice or last choice - sometimes you need talent like that and the other 2 are not ready.

 

[Giraffatitan]

Looking at the thread of potential world cup squads, it's so hard to do one for England right now. A lot of players' futures are up in the air, but it would be too soon to know for sure whether they can turn it around.


Above all though I'm extremely surprised to see there are posters who still think Simmonds has an England future. I do think he's too small at this level and I was barely aware of him last weekend - questioning his workrate.
I'd like us to take a look at another 13 - I thought I was over Tuilagi, but perhaps not!
Danny Care, really? I don't see what he brings above Robson. 3rd choice at best.
I'd like us to bin 'untrustworthy' players - those who you can rely on to not compound an already bad situation when your'e under pressure. Take Joe Marler and that off the ball hit when he came on last weekend - we were already suffering from a lack of discipline and he made things worse. I'm inclined to feel the same way about Dan Cole to be honest.
I'm unfortunately not sold on Nathan (Hughes) at international level. I think we need to explore other options and fast, among which I would number Ewers (despite that he often plays 6), Beaumont, even Morgan.
At 10, I'm really struggling to accept that our number 3 and 4 choices are Loz and Smith - I really don't buy this garbage that Cipriani is either first choice or last choice - sometimes you need talent like that and the other 2 are not ready.

While I agree Simmonds was virtually anonymous last week. I think one bad game is hardly a reason to say he has no future. He is arguably too small for an 8, and I could see his england future going much better on the flank.

Wholly agree re Marler, Cole and Hughes.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Cole is the one that baffles me the most, his selling point was supposed to be dominant scrums but I don't see him dominating in that area very much at all. He is decent but doesn't stand out as being so much better in the scrum that it makes up for his deficiencies elsewhere.

The frequent penalty magnets really need a kick up the arse, it is killing our ability to take control of games.