2023 World Cup Draw

[Not Eddie Jones]

I haven't really commented on England so here goes. This Autumn looked a bit like Autumn 2017 to me except the foundations are far, far better. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go 3/5 in the 6n and pick up another loss later in the year but only if Ireland and France get it right. (both should but there's questions remaining over the management and coaching of both)

I can see why fans would be frustrated as a result, last time very young lads needed to be brought into a team with weaknesses which is something international coaches are bizarrely afraid of doing. This time, with the exception of 9 and 10 where you're weak if Farrell remains out of form, the players are there it's just the combos that need figuring out. Despite having some pretty enviable options you seem miles away from getting a settled midfield and the back three always seems to be Johnny May (good) Elliot Daly (serviceable) and some lad in middling form. It could be a case where a loss or two will force the change that's required, hard to change a winning team at this level.

All that said I think your pack is being managed perfectly which is more than enough to guarantee being a top 3 team in the world right now.

That's a pretty fair assessment. Aside from a few options needed at 8 and questions in a couple of spots about who's third choice, the pack is in great shape, but as you say, the backs just haven't clicked. There is plenty of talent there and they're all capable of excellent individual play, it just never seems to happen that they all play well in the same game. Instead we get stuff like the Ireland game where May has a stormer and that, coupled with the pack's play, is enough to offset the rest of the backs struggling and get the win.

 

[Not Eddie Jones]

Urgh try telling people that here.

It's been very strange for me having to see Oz regularly beaten over the last ten years of so. I always think of them as a powerhouse of world rugby, I've seen them win multiple world cups, yet lately they seem to lose at least half their games every year. I used to treasure every win over Oz because they were so hard to beat and sometimes gave us absolute thrashings, but when Oz play England now, the games don't seem to be particularly close. In fact, I feel pretty confident we're going to win every time, and that feeling is just plain weird.

 

[Derpus]

It's been very strange for me having to see Oz regularly beaten over the last ten years of so. I always think of them as a powerhouse of world rugby, I've seen them win multiple world cups, yet lately they seem to lose at least half their games every year. I used to treasure every win over Oz because they were so hard to beat and sometimes gave us absolute thrashings, but when Oz play England now, the games don't seem to be particularly close. In fact, I feel pretty confident we're going to win every time, and that feeling is just plain weird.

Its mostly because at least half our best players arent eligible for selection at any given time because they are in England, Japan or France. I think this year we had maybe 3 or 4 of the starting 15 from the WC around.

And all the other best talent gets poached by League and AFL because they pay much more.

There were genuine fears of rugby going back to amateurism this year, before we scraped together a small at TV deal.

I love rugby... But Australia doesnt

(to be fair we did knock England out of their own world cup in the last 10 years).

 

[Not Eddie Jones]

(to be fair we did knock England out of their own world cup in the last 10 years).

Good point!

I hope Oz get it together by the next world cup. They still seem to have some good talent, even with all the absentees, it's just hard to figure out sometimes what their gameplan actually is.

 

[Not Eddie Jones]

Unlike England atm.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Its mostly because at least half our best players arent eligible for selection at any given time because they are in England, Japan or France. I think this year we had maybe 3 or 4 of the starting 15 from the WC around.

And all the other best talent gets poached by League and AFL because they pay much more.

There were genuine fears of rugby going back to amateurism this year, before we scraped together a small at TV deal.

I love rugby... But Australia doesnt

(to be fair we did knock England out of their own world cup in the last 10 years).

have to say I am excited about the Stan/9 tv deal, just hope the additional cost isn't too much