England 2023/24

[AngloScotsHybrid]

I think he started doing that years ago.

Also in the Mirror: "Vunipola was taken to the nearby Son Espases Hospital after being held where he was sedated and bound to his bed. Several security guards and police officers watched over the fly-half before the medication kicked in."

Gotta love top quality journalism, imagine Billy V at 10...

Mako Vunipola would be a good 10. He has got great hands apparently. (He certainly cant scrummage).

 

[Saintjay]

I'm not as shocked as Billy V was.

 

[Which Tyler]

Gotta love top quality journalism, imagine Billy V at 10...

TBH, I suspect the journalist in question was probably just "whoever's on duty overnight", put "Vunipola Saracens" into google, and ended up with Manu V.

Or even more likely - that's what the duty journalist for the local rag is Spain did. The British journalists just copy/pasted that article into google translate, and then lifted paragraphs from there without proof reading, and decided that that was good enough.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Billy Vunipola admits ‘not knowing’ when to stop drinking led to taser arrest

Billy Vunipola insists he has a problem ‘knowing when to stop’ as he explained the circumstances behind his drunken arrest in Mallorca

www.theguardian.com

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Probably more one for an England 24/25 thread, but

Now back in training at Sale and it's match/cardio fitness rather than injury fitness that is the determining facture as to when he's back playing (still unlikely to be this season)

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Nice looking kit whatever he's wearing, not sales stuff though.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Nice looking kit whatever he's wearing, not sales stuff though.

Man Utd kit, ha

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Now back in training at Sale and it's match/cardio fitness rather than injury fitness that is the determining facture as to when he's back playing (still unlikely to be this season)

He looks ****** huge.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Man Utd kit, ha

I take it back, looks terrible

 

[AngloScotsHybrid]

Owen Farrell looks like he has put on weight in the top picture. Is he going to play prop next season?

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Owen Farrell looks like he has put on weight in the top picture. Is he going to play prop next season?View attachment 19793

He probably doesn't need to be international rugby lean ready. I'd relax things a bit if I were him as well.

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Ollie Chessum out for the rest of the season after (successful) surgery.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Bad news for Chessum, Tigers and England - out of the summer tour.

He had a bad ankle injury that had his RWC in doubt for a while. Hope this isn't a recurrence - as far as I can see this latest issue is unspecified.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

That's a shame, hopefully the surgery sorts it and he's back full strength for next season

Be interesting to see who goes to 6 for England - probably be Roots

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

That's a shame, hopefully the surgery sorts it and he's back full strength for next season

Be interesting to see who goes to 6 for England - probably be Roots

CCS imo.

Considering I thought he shouldn't have been picked for the squad originally, I have been totally proved wrong. Only thing is fitness, but being on tour with Eng will sort that hopefully

 

[TRF_Olyy]

CCS imo.

Considering I thought he shouldn't have been picked for the squad originally, I have been totally proved wrong. Only thing is fitness, but being on tour with Eng will sort that hopefully

Yeah he'd probably be my choice too - far from the finished product (I still question his decision making and ball skills), but exciting enough to give a shot and has been playing well

Still hoping for a callup for Mercer even though that ship has probably sailed - he was saying on BT the other week, when they asked him to name his England backrow, he'd go to 6 for it

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Tom curry coming back from injury…

 

[AngloScotsHybrid]

What do people know about England Under 20s captain Finn Carndruff? I see he is 6'4" so not a massive lock but at his age could grow another inch.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Tom curry coming back from injury…

Should be Ben, going off the stats - but Borthwick has traded in his excel sheets for scales and tape measures now, told BC he needs to put on 5kg after the 6N

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Yeah he'd probably be my choice too - far from the finished product (I still question his decision making and ball skills), but exciting enough to give a shot and has been playing well

Still hoping for a callup for Mercer even though that ship has probably sailed - he was saying on BT the other week, when they asked him to name his England backrow, he'd go to 6 for it

Big fan of CCS (and Flament's try the other day was definitely more down to Care…..). He's young and raw, deserves game time and investing in but starting against the ABs is a big ask with the potential to be career influencing - either way.

I might be inclined to leave him on the bench and shove Underhill at 6, possibly Earl at 7 and Mercer at 8. SB quite likes a big unit at 6 and while CCS's line out has improved he's not in the Lawes / Chessum league.