Australia 27 vs England 17 FT

[Jake Heke]

Why not? It's got them right back into the game, it could easily go on and win it for them.

Yeah it got them into the game, but once they get inside the 22, they fail badly on attack. They could have won that game if they had pass the ball more, simply can't rely on a scrum to get tries.

No confidence at all in their back line, which is sad really.

Great win by Oz, a whole new makeover needed by England imo.

 

[Peat]

The contrast of styles in this game is fascinating. Pure power against speed and agility.

Try Stodge vs. Actual Ability

 

[mohamed_ali12]

Haskell stopped England getting a result here, gave away a penalty by isolating himself outside the Aussie 22, and decided not to pass and ran straight into the Australian midfield a minute later = another penalty.

That lad has absolutley no ******* brains.

England can actually play a bit of rugby with Youngs at 9, got to displace Care who looked lost. Lawes > Shaw today too. Cole is going to be a star, Hape was shite, Flood didn't have a good game but i suppose you can blame that on Easter and Care, just looked out of ideas in midfield. Result flattered England, with a full-strength Australian front 5 it would've been far worse.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

To be fair Hape was much better second half than first half!

 

[Jake Heke]

Now to France vs SA

 

[Feicarsinn]

Try Stodge vs. Actual Ability

Eh, no. While I admit England were very poor in the loose, to say that their performance was little more than "stodge" is denies the amount of skill there is in good scrummaging. It's a vital and very technical part of the game, that Australia were completely blown away in today. England destroyed Oz in the tight today, but they made to many mistakes and lacked the penetration to win the game. To say that the scrum doesn't require the same "actual ability" as a open running game however, is ridiculous.

 

[Duckdee]

When Foden runs, we score = Foden should run more. England just need a bit more imagination and confidence in general.

In a way, it was good to get a reality check to see where we stand against the SH.

(What did I tell ya, Olyy? Dan Cole. )

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Haha, i admit Dan Cole impressed me. When i saw him before i thought he did well, but in the 6N he was only holding his own, and did give away a few penalties, today was a different matter, definately a good prospect for the future, especially as he's only in his early 20s, should be around for a long time

We kicked the ball away far too much, maybe we were hoping/expecting more knock ons/scrums, but that only happened once, the rest of the time we just gave them possession to attack with

 

[veux]

Haoe seemed completely anonymous. Would be alright if he was a young England player but a 28 year old Kiwi isn't going to get better/be a prospect for the future. Youngs and Lawes should start - as soon as those two came one the game picked up. I dunno why but I think Myler is probably the best choice in the Enlgand 10 jersey, Flood doesn't seem to do much. Why we spend the whole half kicking I don' know, and nothing is more depressing than seeing up loose 10 meters on the Aussie line from a series of pick and drives.

 

[Peat]

Eh, no. While I admit England were very poor in the loose, to say that their performance was little more than "stodge" is denies the amount of skill there is in good scrummaging. It's a vital and very technical part of the game, that Australia were completely blown away in today. England destroyed Oz in the tight today, but they made to many mistakes and lacked the penetration to win the game. To say that the scrum doesn't require the same "actual ability" as a open running game however, is ridiculous.

Ok. Scrummaging apart, we were stodgy. We lacked penetration, we lacked dynamism, we lacked ideas, we kicked aimlessly and our selection only encouraged that with the absolute lack of creativity in the centres, the slow scrum half and the numerous not very quick forwards.

Australia meanwhile kicked intelligently and ran good lines.

Yes, we dicked their scrum. But their scrum was ****. The scrum should not be allowed to obscure just how poor this England performance was.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Changes for next match (for me):

Flatman to start over Payne,
Lawes over Shaw (Attwood bench)
Dowson over Easter
Youngs over Care (Hodgson bench)
12. Tindall, 13. Tait (not sure about bench, who have we got out there that's versatile?)

 

[Wally]

Ok. Scrummaging apart, we were stodgy. We lacked penetration, we lacked dynamism, we lacked ideas, we kicked aimlessly and our selection only encouraged that with the absolute lack of creativity in the centres, the slow scrum half and the numerous not very quick forwards.

Australia meanwhile kicked intelligently and ran good lines.

Yes, we dicked their scrum. But their scrum was ****. The scrum should not be allowed to obscure just how poor this England performance was.

That is gold.

 

[ranger]

Ok. Scrummaging apart, we were stodgy. We lacked penetration, we lacked dynamism, we lacked ideas, we kicked aimlessly and our selection only encouraged that with the absolute lack of creativity in the centres, the slow scrum half and the numerous not very quick forwards.

Australia meanwhile kicked intelligently and ran good lines.

Yes, we dicked their scrum. But their scrum was ****. The scrum should not be allowed to obscure just how poor this England performance was.

Right on the money. England had a very poor day at the office. The only real shining light was the scrum, and as much as i hate guys going on about injuries, the difference between Alexander-Nau/Moore- Robinson and the 3 blokes England was up against is ridiculous. Its like replacing a schools first XV front row with some chubby kindergartners. Ma'afu in particular is seriously shite.

My point is that once those guys get back, the English won't be able to dominate the scrum, then they are in some trouble. They need to pull their socks up quick smart or they will get embarrassed severely next year.
I really hope the coaching staff don't view this as an indication that they should base the game around scrummaging as much as possible, England actually have some decent backs and a great back three, they should be working on how to get their backline firing instead of banking on a dominant scrum, because thats far from guaranteed next year.

 

[veux]

My team for the next Aussie test:

1: Flatman
2: Thomson
3: Cole
4: Lawes
5: Palmer
6: Armitage
7: Moody
8: Dowson
9: Youngs
10: Geraghty
11: Ashton
12: Barkley
13: Tait
14: Strettle
15: Foden

I think Geraghty is the best choce for fly half atm, imaginative impactive player and which Barkley playing Geraghty's goal kicking won't be a problem. Getting the young guys to play is the way to go - Strettle/Tait/Geraghty/Youngs won't peak until they're played more - so solution = play them. I still wish Myler was included in the England squad.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

It's a shame that we have the next test next week, would've preferred the Maori game before that.
We've three specialized 8s in the squad in Dowson, Easter and Ward-Smith. Easter didn't perform today, so i'd like to see one of the others in. I don't think Dowson will play the match though, as i don't think Johnson will put him straight into a test, which is why it's annoying he doesn't get a run out against the Maori first

 

[Peat]

Veux, I can't believe you'd want Geraghty at 10. In fact, I can't believe anyone who saw the last Saxons - Wolfhounds game would him there - he was unbelievably rancid that day. His decision making is very inconsistent.

I make Ranger right, except to release the back-line, we first need to get the forwards right. We need a tight five who have the legs and power to hit every ruck and secure quick ball - and provide fringe defence too on our own. We need a back row which balances properly and can carry the ball up, support the backs and do the breakdown work effectively. I don't think we've got either right now. The closest we got was the Barbarians game, where Attwood and Palmer looked like a genuine lock partnership.

Once we've done that, then we can work out which half-back combinations actually work - I'd dearly love to see Youngs and Flood given proper time together in England shirts, we know they work at Leicester so why aren't we trying it here?

Only then will the back-line get a fair crack of the whip.

 

[nickdnz]

No point in really commenting on this match, cause England's game had had the same problem for the last 5+ years. At what point will Johnson say "Well, our usuall boring game isn't working for us, lets try mixing it up".

I'd give him the sack tbh, yes he was a good player, and I know he hold great respect from England (maybe not by next year), but he really isn't qualified to coach England. He relies on the same strategy England used in the 2003 RWC, and doesn't take into account that the game has changed, especially considering England has promising new backs.

 

[veux]

Veux, I can't believe you'd want Geraghty at 10. In fact, I can't believe anyone who saw the last Saxons - Wolfhounds game would him there - he was unbelievably rancid that day. His decision making is very inconsistent.

I make Ranger right, except to release the back-line, we first need to get the forwards right. We need a tight five who have the legs and power to hit every ruck and secure quick ball - and provide fringe defence too on our own. We need a back row which balances properly and can carry the ball up, support the backs and do the breakdown work effectively. I don't think we've got either right now. The closest we got was the Barbarians game, where Attwood and Palmer looked like a genuine lock partnership.

Once we've done that, then we can work out which half-back combinations actually work - I'd dearly love to see Youngs and Flood given proper time together in England shirts, we know they work at Leicester so why aren't we trying it here?

Only then will the back-line get a fair crack of the whip.

One game is rarely the basis to say no to a player. At his best he's better than Flood, based on the last season's GP and Heinekin Cup. The thing is we need 2 good fly halfs for the world cup - simple as. I don't think Wilko cuts it and he's getting a bit old. As such we need another good, young fly half. We've got Alex Goode and Freddie Burns coming through, but they won't make it in time for this world cup. On GP performance the only two ones around Flood are Geraghty and Myler - andI think Geraghty has got the edge. He isn't going to get better unless you put him among better players, hence why he should get a game in the Fly Half spot.

 

[Peat]

I'm very uncertain about Geraghty as a fly-half and whats more, think Mallinder is too based on his recent picks. I'd have Myler ahead of him. I'd also have Cipriani if he hadn't done a mega-sulk. That game merely emphasised most heavily why I don't think he's a good enough game manager.

You're right that we do need two and Wilkinson isn't going well in an England shirt. We'll never know about Geraghty unless we start him... but I reckon he won't stick. Start him against the Baabaas or Maori. And I'm not about to write off Wilkinson yet.

The fly-half I'm really hoping will make the breakthrough is Clegg.

As I said earlier, it's all a bit moot until they've given a bit of ball to work with. Which isn't going to happen that often with this pack and Danny Care in bad form...

 

[iWin]

Changes I hope for - Wilson/Flatman for Payne, Lawes for Shaw, Haskell for Easter, Youngs for Care, Barkley for Hape, Strettle for Ashton
Changes I expect - Wilkinsonfor Flood, Armitage for Foden, Banahan for Ashton
Because Martin Johnson enjoys expansive rugby.