Australia vs England - 3 Tests - June 2016

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I can't see Eddie changing his starting Six Nations XV for the first test, Maybe the 2nd Test or 3rd test depending on scores etc.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Interesting to see Houston straight into the aussie squad

 

[Mumbles119]

Interesting to see Houston straight into the aussie squad

Would assume the familiarity he has with English players is considered an advantage, same for Horwill and Mumm.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Locks
Rory Arnold
Sam Carter
Adam Coleman
James Horwill
Dean Mumm
Rob Simmons
Will Skelton

Bit of overkill with the number of locks chosen. 7????:huh:

 

[johnmac99]

Bit of overkill with the number of locks chosen. 7????:huh:

Some of those will go in the next cut from 39 to 30, I should imagine.

Coach Michael Cheika said: "We've been working with an initial squad of 60 players we identified, which has been reduced to 39 for this camp. We'll trim that number down to 30 for each Test, so competition for spots is everything." .

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Watched the first half of the Waratahs v Chiefs this morning and they played Folau at 13 and he ripped the Chiefs midfield a new one. One player England will fear. I don't think we saw him at his best at the RWC, as he was carrying an ankle injury.

 

[Jaguares]

Watched the first half of the Waratahs v Chiefs this morning and they played Folau at 13 and he ripped the Chiefs midfield a new one. One player England will fear. I don't think we saw him at his best at the RWC, as he was carrying an ankle injury.

You should watch the second half, they smashed one of the best Super Rugby teams. Good performances of test players like Hooper, Foley, Phipps, Folau and even Skelton.

 

[Ludders93]

I watched it, and I was very impressed by the Warathas and their test players. Best they've played all season.
I can't work out for the life of me who's going to win this series.
The Saracens Wolf Pack is so dominant they simply never look like losing a game. Their level of performance this year, obviously not counting the weeks during the 6 nations when they were missing their internationals, is probably the highest of any club rugby side in history. Toulon won the Heineken/European Champions Cup 3 times in a row, but none of those teams would've beaten this Saracens side. Toulon had a side of super-stars, but this Saracens side are simply the most cohesive dominant unit I've ever seen.

England obviously reap the benefits of the Saracens international players. Take Itoje, Kruis, Vunipola and Farrell out the England side and you're left with a pretty average international side. But with those 4 in the side, you've always got a chance.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

You should watch the second half, they smashed one of the best Super Rugby teams. Good performances of test players like Hooper, Foley, Phipps, Folau and even Skelton.

Had to go out so missed the 2nd half. But yes, great performance by the Tahs and expect those mentioned to feature quite prominently. I think one or two England fans on here were getting a bit carried away after the 6Ns win that we will go down and smash the Wallabies 3-0.

 

[Salad dodger]

Farrell has to play at 10 with Slade at 12 if Manu isn't available. Ford was England's weakest link all winter and also failed to get much of a tune out of the Bath 3/4 line packed with international calibre runners.

Farrell at 10 opens up the selection and strategic options where ford at 10 wastes them as it fills the 12 jersey with Farrell.

I'm still keen on seeing super Maro at 6 too to get launchbury or lawes in. This is less important if Ewers and eventually Hughes make the back row but depending on the oppo this could benefit both set pieces and give england better bench impact.

Vunipola Hartley Cole
Launchbury Kruis
Itoje Harrison Vunipola

Care Farrell
Watson Slade Joseph Nowell
Goode

George Genge Hill Ewers Clifford Youngs Daly Brown

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Farrell has to play at 10 with Slade at 12 if Manu isn't available. Ford was England's weakest link all winter and also failed to get much of a tune out of the Bath 3/4 line packed with international calibre runners.

Farrell at 10 opens up the selection and strategic options where ford at 10 wastes them as it fills the 12 jersey with Farrell.

I'm still keen on seeing super Maro at 6 too to get launchbury or lawes in. This is less important if Ewers and eventually Hughes make the back row but depending on the oppo this could benefit both set pieces and give england better bench impact.

Vunipola Hartley Cole
Launchbury Kruis
Itoje Harrison Vunipola

Care Farrell
Watson Slade Joseph Nowell
Goode

George Genge Hill Ewers Clifford Youngs Daly Brown

To be fair to Ford, a lot has been going on behind the scenes to impact his performance. Falling out with his dad apparently along with Mike Ford losing the faith of the entire team and the Bath forwards being **** poor at running good lines or rucking. Ford has been dealing with scraps at Bath whilst Farrell has been behind the most dominant and cohesive set of forwards in Europe, not really a fair comparison. In England shirts, Ford has done better than Farrell. Let's look at it, with Ford at the helm we have won a grand slam and had some of our highest scoring 6N. With Faz at the helm we have had our lowest scoring 6N and in the world cup the games we lost were where Farrell was at 10.

Just saying in the same environment, Ford has done better than Farrell.

 

[Salad dodger]

In the world cup we also had Parling at lock.

I don't think its fair to describe Ford as being at the helm??? We won inspite of him at 10 not because he was at 10. It was often farrell putting Joseph watson and brown into space. Even fords kicking from hand ability has diminished.

Today's showing sums up his season for me. Well simply be better with farrell/Slade than ford/farrell its an easy call.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

For the first test

1. Mullan - Mako's always much better off the bench
2. Hartley
3. Cole
4. Launch
5. Kruis
6. Itoje
7. Clifford
8. Binny
9. Care
10. Faz
11. Yarde
12. Teo - with Faz at 10, who else?
13. JJ
14. Watson
15. Nowell

That back row might not have a classic 7, but both flankers are pretty good at the breakdown and each offer go forward to take some of the heat off Binny. Both are good line out options too.

That team won't happen but it's what I'd like to see.

 

[Maverick1987]

To be fair to Ford, a lot has been going on behind the scenes to impact his performance. Falling out with his dad apparently along with Mike Ford losing the faith of the entire team and the Bath forwards being **** poor at running good lines or rucking. Ford has been dealing with scraps at Bath whilst Farrell has been behind the most dominant and cohesive set of forwards in Europe, not really a fair comparison. In England shirts, Ford has done better than Farrell. Let's look at it, with Ford at the helm we have won a grand slam and had some of our highest scoring 6N. With Faz at the helm we have had our lowest scoring 6N and in the world cup the games we lost were where Farrell was at 10.

Just saying in the same environment, Ford has done better than Farrell.

The first part is exactly why Ford needs resting . He's had a bad season on and off the field and needs to have a break . I'd play Faz at 10 and Slade at 12 and leave Ford at home . His kicking today although not too much a worry in my mind for the future is proof of the mental state he's in at the moment .

Also I find it hard to compare this year to last with England they are clearly a far tougher team mentally under Eddie Jones

At different times Faz and Fordy have been better than each other but Ford is so far behind Faz at the moment it's almost torture to put Ford through any more this season . I know you should never say this but it's a shame he didn't get injured today, imo a summer break would do him the world of good

 

[Raggs]

Think a lot of people have been blinded by a couple of flash runs by Clifford. If he moved to 7 he'd have to do a hell of a lot more graft than he did. Those (not sure if here) suggesting that BV now has a serious competitor for the 8 shirt, should take a long hard look at themselves.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Think a lot of people have been blinded by a couple of flash runs by Clifford. If he moved to 7 he'd have to do a hell of a lot more graft than he did. Those (not sure if here) suggesting that BV now has a serious competitor for the 8 shirt, should take a long hard look at themselves.

If Clifford plays 6 he's going to have to put in a lot more tackles and be more accurate; sooner or later he will replace Robshaw imo. Don't think anyone is suggesting he replace BV at 8, but Clifford does give the back row pace and ball carrying ability, so it is not all left to BV.

By 2019 I think that Jones is aiming for Clifford at 6, Underhill at 7 and BV at 8 as his back row.

 

[Raggs]

If Jones wants to go bodyline, we may see 6. BV, 7. ? (clifford?) 8. Hughes.

Not sure what Clifford was doing for the Welsh try...

 

[Crapspray]

To be fair to Ford, a lot has been going on behind the scenes to impact his performance. Falling out with his dad apparently along with Mike Ford losing the faith of the entire team and the Bath forwards being **** poor at running good lines or rucking.

Of course Farrell has had an easy time of it. What with his selection constantly being questioned and suggested as nepotism. His Dad being sacked and pilloried, along with being scapegoated by the press as some sort of eminence grise behind England's world cup ****-up.

Meanwhile, he got on with it and continued improving.

Ford has been dealing with scraps at Bath whilst Farrell has been behind the most dominant and cohesive set of forwards in Europe, not really a fair comparison. In England shirts, Ford has done better than Farrell. Let's look at it, with Ford at the helm we have won a grand slam and had some of our highest scoring 6N. With Faz at the helm we have had our lowest scoring 6N and in the world cup the games we lost were where Farrell was at 10.

Pick one. England's forwards were dog**** at the World Cup. Carter would have struggled behind that mess. Ford being dropped for Farrell has been vindicated; Farrell has had his best season ever, Ford has had his worst. The only excuse I could find is that Ford's confidence and form were shattered by him losing his divine right to the England 10 shirt. If it is the off-field stuff, I don't see what good making him play does. If Marler is taking the summer off to deal with his sudden bloodlust, wouldn't it better if Ford did the same and sorted his family life out?

Just saying in the same environment, Ford has done better than Farrell.

Except he hasn't. The only international honours both have is this year's Grand Slam, when they both played. In the 2014 Six Nations England's points difference was +73, in 2015 it was +57. Tries Forward/Against were 14/5 and 18/11 respectively.

Apart from that, Farrell has won three premierships and a Champions Cup. Ford has won one premiership. Though domestic results will always be waved away as if Farrell lucked his way into the Saracens 10 shirt (or had his rivals assassinated in one his father's Machiavellian schemes). Meanwhile Ford went to poor, downtrodden, unfashionable Bath.

I've no problem with Ford touring, and admire Jones for more forcefully defending his players to the press, but he (nor anyone else) really shouldn't get this sort of free ride. He's not good at the moment, so give Farrell a shot. Lancaster was wrong to play Farrell in the autumn of 2014 for the same reason. They're both young so it's not a permanent change. Ford's potential will still be there in September.

 

[ratsapprentice]

He's not good at the moment, so give Farrell a shot.

I disagree.

 

[Peat]

Think a lot of people have been blinded by a couple of flash runs by Clifford. If he moved to 7 he'd have to do a hell of a lot more graft than he did. Those (not sure if here) suggesting that BV now has a serious competitor for the 8 shirt, should take a long hard look at themselves.

This man preaches truth.