England Rugby 2018/19 Thread

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

First squad of the playing year, new thread.

England squad

Backs
Chris Ashton (Sale Sharks), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Cipriani (Gloucester Rugby), Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Nathan Earle (Harlequins), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Leicester Tigers), Piers Francis (Northampton Saints), Gabriel Ibitoye (Harlequins), Alex Lozowski (Saracens), Joe Marchant (Harlequins), Jonny May (Leicester Tigers), Jordan Olowofela (Leicester Tigers)
Dan Robson (Wasps), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Spencer (Saracens), Ben Te'o (Worcester Warriors), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers).

Forwards
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Jamie George (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (Northampton Saints), Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs), Paul Hill (Northampton Saints), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Joel Kpoku (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Michael Rhodes (Saracens), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)
Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors), Will Spencer (Leicester Tigers), Elliott Stooke (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs), Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)

Not considered for selection due to injury/ fitness/ other: Jack Clifford (Harlequins), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
George Kruis (Saracens), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Brad Shields (Wasps), Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens).

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Some obvious notes.
Olowofela, Ibitoye and Kpoku join the training squad.
Ashton makes a return.
Hartley and Haskell both called back up.
Rhodes now qualifies.
No Care

Positions
1. Hepburn, Marler Vunipola,
2. Cowan-Dickie, George, Hartley, Singleton,
3. Hill, Sinckler, Williams
4. Launchbury, Spencer, Kpoku
5. Lawes, Itoje, Isiekwe, Stooke
6. Robshaw, Rhodes, Wilson
7. Curry, Haskell, Underhill,
8. Hughes, Simmonds,
9. Robson, Spencer, Youngs
10. Cipriani, Farrell, Ford
11. May, Ibitoye, Olowofela
12. Francis, Slade, Te'o
13. Daly, Marchant
14. Cokanasiga, Earle,
15. Ashton, Brown

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Blooding a fair few U20's there. Ashton back though...

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Ben Curry deserves to be in there. Better than any of the 7s in there.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Decent for a training squad,
Who's the first one going home in a st John's ambulance?

Not happy about Rhodes but whatever.
Solomona is back in NZ visiting family, not disciplinary issues before anyone starts

 

[RedruthRFC]

No Care

According to the article I read on the Sky Sports website, Care is on the Injured / Unavailable / Other list.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Solomona is back in NZ visiting family, not disciplinary issues before anyone starts

Does that rule him out of selection? I thought that they weren't meeting to train (injure each other) until mid / late September. Surely Solomona will be back by then.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

13 not considered and most of those injured. Ouch.

Even allowing for injuries, wing is the most likely position for there to be bolters for Japan.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Does that rule him out of selection? I thought that they weren't meeting to train (injure each other) until mid / late September. Surely Solomona will be back by then.

I thought there was a 2 day meet up this month?

 

[RedruthRFC]

I thought there was a 2 day meet up this month?

Sorry, you're right. Either I skimmed over it or the original article I read didn't mention this, only the September camp. The article on the RFU website says that they're meeting up over this weekend.

 

[FLOBALOB]

Not available for England training duty because hes visiting family.?
Now that's commitment for you.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...ed-to-become-new-England-defence-coach-report

 

[RedruthRFC]

Not available for England training duty because hes visiting family.?
Now that's commitment for you.

Seems strange that he couldn't do it between the SA tour and preseason, but what do we know? Maybe there's a good reason which club and country accept.

 

[Which Tyler]

TBH, preseason really shouldn't be starting yet for those on the SA tour

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Aye this weekend seems utterly pointless tbf,
Just an opportunity to run some exhausted players ragged

Plus he's not missing sale pre-season, ours is staggered, Faf only started this week,
Different groups of players go in in blocks and then the whole squad comes together for the final few weeks.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Just an opportunity to run some exhausted players ragged

Hopefully not too much so, I believe there's only one day of physical training, it sounds like the weekend is more about "team building". Saying that, if that's the case you'd think that there would be value in including the injured players, but I guess this comes down to the agreement between the RFU and PRL.

 

[RedruthRFC]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby...ed-to-become-new-England-defence-coach-report

How bizarre! I can't understand why any organisation would want to touch him. I could sort of understand it if England were in the market for a forwards coach, but would still be wary, incidents throughout his career and the ways he has parted company with other teams paints the picture of someone who is difficult to work with. Other than being the proud owner of the third leakiest defence in Super Rugby, what are his credentials as a defence coach?

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Other than being the proud owner of the third leakiest defence in Super Rugby, what are his credentials as a defence coach?

He's an antipode, therefore better. QED.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I like Mitchell a lot (Sale legend ) but he's definitely a dodgy appointment.
Did well in his recentish stint with us but then walked out on his agreed-to-terms contract and went back to SA

Definitely a guy from a different era as well, God help him if the press catch him in a bad mood at training, can be an angry chap

 

[RedruthRFC]

Did well in his recentish stint with us but then walked out on his agreed-to-terms contract and went back to SA

Definitely a guy from a different era as well, God help him if the press catch him in a bad mood at training, can be an angry chap

Apparently he parted company with the USA because he thought he could coach the team from his home in South Africa! His problems with the media and sponsors was cited as the reason NZ dispensed with his services.