England EPS 2016/17 season.

[ratsapprentice]

Marchant should go definitely, just slipped my mind. Improving rapidly and tons of potential.
Haley slipped my mind too.

If Watson or Daly don't go with the Lions, one of them should be given as much time as possible in the FB shirt.

Odogwu could do a job, Cokanasiga should go so that he can be coached by Eddie and co...

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Think Odogwu could definitely do a job, we're just fannying about with him too much atm.
Apparently we're really keen on getting Sale FC promoted which is why we've lent them a few academy guys.

Kind of hope the rumours of Charnley going back to League are true. He's not looked good at all, and with Solomona tearing it up on one wing, and McGuigan/Odogwu looking really good on the other, he's a big paycheque for a guy who can't play union.




Ah, Morris = Aaron Morris. For something reason I thought Niall Morris.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I just don't see the point in rushing some of the U20's when it isn't needed why not play them in the JRWC and focus on winning that?

Odogwu missed out on it last season, Big mean Joe is still only 19.

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I just don't see the point in rushing some of the U20's when it isn't needed why not play them in the JRWC and focus on winning that?

Odogwu missed out on it last season, Big mean Joe is still only 19.

 

[ratsapprentice]

TBF I forgot about the JWC being on at the same time.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Aye, that's a fair point. JRWC should definitely where most of the youngsters go.


Be interesting to see what bolters are chosen for the England game but also the Barbarians game.

If you guess at a Wasps/Sarries grand final, and then guess at who we'll lose to the lions, the Baabaas game could some some exciting new combinations.
Hopefully we've completely moved past the days of the Saxons/Baabaas games being more a home of not-good-enough-old players and are now for developing talent.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Kind of hoping Barrow gets a look in with England if a lot of the second rows go on the Lions tour.

He has really impressed since returning to injury, proper nasty aggressive big lock.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Barrow's average as ****.

You're being tricked by the eye of the tiger.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Barrow's average as ****.

You're being tricked by the eye of the tiger.

Nah he isn't, not at all.
Ask that Alex Shaw guy, although he rates everyone under 25 as great pretty much.

Barrow ---> Attwood.

 

[BPM]

Odogwu and Cokanasiga are miles off that.

One playing champ rugby the other has been playing Nat 2 rugby the last 3 weeks. Both should be in the U20's RWC.


Manu is out for 9 months so won't be anywhere near fit.

Fearns and Earle are good shouts.

Isiekwe Again quite a bit of that level IMO would rather have someone like Barrow.

Agree with all of the above.

Barrow has been immense for Tigers recently. He should be their number one lock moving forward IMO and he brings a good balance of nastiness and ability that's a bit different from the rest of our EPS locks.

Re. Wingers, I think Daly may have played his way in to the Lions squad in recent weeks - particularly given his ability to cover both centre and wing positions and the bonus his kicking range brings. Similarly, Nowell keeps putting in good performances and his work-rate must be putting him in the mix. Conversely, Watson's absence probably isn't helping him.

Either way, we'll have May and an-other (probably Watson or Nowell) available, so with Yarde and Roko also in the mix, I'm not sure we'll be going for an unknown quantity on the wing. Earle is a good shout, but it may be a season too soon. I don't really want to think about the possibility of Solomona ...

 

[ratsapprentice]

Nah he isn't, not at all.
Ask that Alex Shaw guy, although he rates everyone under 25 as great pretty much.

You said it yourself.

He's ****house.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Urgh, I'd forgotten Yarde existed.

I'm not sure Roko will even tour this summer, tbh. Our international coaches don't rate him, and as good as he is throughout the season games like todays vs Bristol will not enhance his chances.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Perry Humphreys? Henry Purdy maybe for a wing spot.

 

[BPM]

I agree that Roko isn't rated as highly as he should be, but I'd be surprised if he didn't tour.

Humphreys has shown good potential, but not to the extent that he'd on the England radar yet IMO.

I could be wrong, but I don't think Purdy has international pedigree.

Addison or Earle are the likelier options I'd say.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Addison out for the season according to Olyy.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Broken bone in his foot, according to Dimes.
I'm hoping he has a scan this week that says "woops, lol, just swelling. You'll be fine in a couple of weeks"

He's too talented to never get a cap.

 

[Peat]

Roughly agree with Rats' assessment of the Italy game. I liked Clifford and Slade for their handling. Hughes giving away 4 breakdown penalties isn't par for him though, its garbage.

I am more concerned about the lack of composure and individual errors than I am the failure to adapt.


Difficult to call who's going to Argentina until we see the Lions squad/the end of season injury list. My one big hope is that Jones is willing to leave behind older non-Lions like Brown and Care who play in positions where we need more options, rather than taking them along to be road blocks.

 

[BPM]

Difficult to call who's going to Argentina until we see the Lions squad/the end of season injury list. My one big hope is that Jones is willing to leave behind older non-Lions like Brown and Care who play in positions where we need more options, rather than taking them along to be road blocks.

Agreed. Although as much as I'd like to see experimentation, I think a lot of this will be dependent on how the next few weeks play out.

I'm sure whether ending the 6 Nations well or poorly presents the better argument for experimenting?

I don't see Eddie taking a team full of gambles. With key players missing, the leadership will need to come from somewhere.

I'd be looking for an experienced core (probably the likes of Haskell, Robshaw, Marler and Ford) mixed with some fringe players such as Sinckler, Slade or Te'o and some young talent i.e. Underhill/Evans etc.

 

[Peat]

Everything's a gamble in some form. What if you take Haskshaw, denying you the opportunity to try new flankers, but they don't make 2019 in good enough form and you don't have replacements?

 

[BPM]

Everything's a gamble in some form. What if you take Haskshaw, denying you the opportunity to try new flankers, but they don't make 2019 in good enough form and you don't have replacements?

There are something like 27 games left between now and Japan. I absolutely agree that we need to start blooding successors for the likes of Robshaw and Haskell now, but everything we've seen from Eddie so far suggests that it will be a gradual process rather than an immediate handover.

For Argentina and the AIs, I'd have Robshaw and Haskell at 6 and 7 with Sam Jones and Sam Underhill replacing them in the 2nd half.

I also think we need to think carefully about how long a player gets before we make a call on whether they are good enough to keep around or whether we swiftly move on.

For example, how much longer does Hughes get before we say he's not a test 8? He's had plenty of game time now and I think it's more than fair to say he's yet to convince ... Assuming Eddie sticks with him and he's equally mediocre against Scotland and Ireland, I think we need to look at an alternative for the Argentina tour.

I don't want us to fall in to the trap of expecting too much too soon and giving lots of players 4 or 5 games, but there does need to be a point where we make a judgement call and Hughes must be getting close to that.

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FWIW ... my 32 man squad for Argentina would look something like:

1. Marler / Genge
2. Taylor / Cowan-Dickie
3. Sinckler / Hill
4. Attwood / Barrow
5. Lawes / Ewels / Beaumont
6. Robshaw / Jones
7. Haskell (c) / Underhill / Evans*
8. Clifford / Fearns
9. Robson / Spencer
10. Ford / Lozowski
11. May / Addison*
12. Slade / Te'o
13. Marchant / Tompkins
14. Rokoduguni / Yarde
15. Woodward / Haley

I'd give The Brand the chance to captain the side.

Evans and Addison injury dependent and possibly a bit generous on Beaumont.

 

[Peat]

If you're running two flankers replacements, are you doing 6-2 or no locks?

So far Jones has been about the evolution its true, but he's said the next two windows are for experimentation. Back row is a position where we badly need to experiment. I'm not saying we'll find people to replace Haskshaw then and there, but we might find people we don't mind playing when they are out, and we need that pretty desperately.