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England Six Nations squad 2022

Compete for ball.

Give away penalty or win ball then kick ball away. Back to stage 1.

Basically, you can't give away stupid 'over the ball' penalties if you have the ball and look after it. It's easy to give away penalties if you haven't got the ball, even if it's only getting accidentally trapped on the wrong side. I reckon a lot of it is that forwards get frustrated by seeing all their hard work kicked away after 1 phase, so try a little too hard to win it back again.

Not a discipline problem by some hairy-arsed forward, but a discipline problem by some boot-happy Brylcreem boy wearing a double digit number.
Possibly but we've seen too many braindead penalties and in particular doubling or even tripling up on them. I can't recall which game it was but we were in the opposition 22, penalty at lineout. They kick, penalty at next lineout, they kick again, penalty at the breakdown. They travelled the length of the pitch and to our try line without doing anything, the penalties weren't even pressure penalties, they were in the coach killer absolutely no excuses stupid type. We double down on penalties probably more than any team and it is largely the forwards who do that.
 
:)

I have some degree of sympathy for sealing off penalties (and scrum penalties). While some may be complete stupidity, often it's no different to a top tennis player hitting the ball into the net. They're trying to achieve something, don't succeed, bound to happen when playing top level sport against top level opponents.
True. And they are also infuriatingly inconsistently reffed.

Perhaps England are particularly bad at 'painting a picture' to the referee, but we do seem to get pinged for sealing off when opponents are allowed to get away with it.

*edit to remove random addition of the word egregious by my autocorrect
 
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Possibly but we've seen too many braindead penalties and in particular doubling or even tripling up on them. I can't recall which game it was but we were in the opposition 22, penalty at lineout. They kick, penalty at next lineout, they kick again, penalty at the breakdown. They travelled the length of the pitch and to our try line without doing anything, the penalties weren't even pressure penalties, they were in the coach killer absolutely no excuses stupid type. We double down on penalties probably more than any team and it is largely the forwards who do that.
The one in my mind was Wales (I think).

Early stages of the match, England attacking in Welsh 22, pen for sealing off. Followed immediately by pen at line-out on half-way. Then in 2 moves we are defending a line-out about 10m from our line.

From memory itoje was involved in one, if not both pens. Both felt harsh through my bias, but we should have been more intelligent about when to go for a steal and when to look 'clean' to the ref
 
Possibly but we've seen too many braindead penalties and in particular doubling or even tripling up on them. I can't recall which game it was but we were in the opposition 22, penalty at lineout. They kick, penalty at next lineout, they kick again, penalty at the breakdown. They travelled the length of the pitch and to our try line without doing anything, the penalties weren't even pressure penalties, they were in the coach killer absolutely no excuses stupid type. We double down on penalties probably more than any team and it is largely the forwards who do that.
I would say that you're thinking of Bath there - but we don't get into the opposition 22 enough to lose 80m in 2-3 penalties
 
So who is going to be the EJ selection?
Id say with who is out currently most wpuld go for
Genge LCD Sinks
Itoje Hill
6? Dombrandt(8) Curry
Youngs (obv) Smith
Slade Marchant
Malins Steward Nowell

Some would go Atkinson Slade but basicly that team. So what crazy picks will EJ do?
 
If everyone who is a doubt is out my prediction for an EJ side is:
Genge, LCD, Sinckler
Itoje, Ewells,
Curry, Ludlam, Dombrandt
Youngs, Smith
Malins, Slade, Daly, Marchant
Steward

George, Rodd, Stuart, Isiekwe, Simmonds, Quirke, Ford, Nowell
 
I suppose the question is who is nailed on to start. Back wise it has to be
Youngs 9
Smith 10
Slade 12 (experience outside Smith that EJ wanted from Faz)
Nowell 11/14 EJ just effing loves him so got to start.
Steward 15

I think Marchant has to start, abs I suspect Daly will get thrown in as well on the wing as there probably isn't space for him in the centres. Sad not to see Radwan get another go. Probably a 6/2 split so Quirk and Ford there.

Whatever happens it will be an unsettled England side versus a well established Scottish team at home and in form. Gonna take something big from England.
 
I don't think Ford will make the match day squad. I think Slade, Daly and Malians will be the versatile players that Eddie likes to allow a 6 / 2 bench. I don't mind Daly on the wing (or bench) but my fear is that he'll pick him at 15 and Steward on the wing
 
Anyone absolutely dreading the Scotland game already?. Inexperienced midfield, no Tuilagi, May injured, Marler probably out with Covid, don't know who the captain is going to be (Lawes has concussion). We also lost to Scotland at home last year with probably a stronger team. My expectations for this game and the 6 Nations as a whole are pretty low. All I'll say is thank god we're not going to Paris next weekend!.

I'm not dreading it but it wouldn't surprise me if we lost. Scotland are at their strongest in a generation and they'll be playing in front of a full capacity crowd at Murrayfield.

We've also struggled against them in recent years. 1 win since 2017 I think.
 
Just a reminder of this, against Scotland last year - perfect use of a 6 on 2*
Perfect example of why George Ford has to go.

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What do you mean, Ford wasn't on the pitch?
Ah well, it's not like 1 try here or there would have made a difference anyway - it's not like we were ever going to lose to Scotland at Twickenham.



*The 7 were: Slade and Lawrence close in, Daly wrapping around to hit the line between Lawrence and Watson with May out wide, and George ready to help out if anyone is stupid enough to take the ball into contact.
The 2 were: Ritchie and Maitland.
Thankfully, no-one was stupid enough to take the ball into contact.

That is probably the angriest I've been watching England. Literally couldn't believe what I was watching when he chose to kick that ball.
 
Anyone absolutely dreading the Scotland game already?. Inexperienced midfield, no Tuilagi, May injured, Marler probably out with Covid, don't know who the captain is going to be (Lawes has concussion). We also lost to Scotland at home last year with probably a stronger team. My expectations for this game and the 6 Nations as a whole are pretty low. All I'll say is thank god we're not going to Paris next weekend!.
It's a definite banana skin.

We've been up there 3 times under Jones. Won 2 but never scored more than 15 points. Even the last 2 at HQ have been a draw and 5 point margin.

Oh for the happy days of 61 points in 2017!

So, irrespective of selection, it's likely to be tight and always the possibility of weather making it a bit of a lottery.

The first match can set the tone for the whole comp so any kind of W is important. I'm not putting my house on any result but if I did have to dust off the wallet I'd probably have Sco as marginal favourites on home advantage and our suboptimal prep.

You can almost see it….Smith has awkwardish penalty in howling gale in last minute to win. The hero or villain kind, the #newiceman or #Owenwould kind. Question is Marcus, who writes your scripts?
 
Yeah I would take a 1 point win in the mud if you offered it. That's how the 2016 grand slam started
 
Yeah I would take a 1 point win in the mud if you offered it. That's how the 2016 grand slam started
It always feels to me like we really struggle at Murrayfield, yet the stats say the opposite. We've won 4 out of our last 5 trips up there. I think it's because even when we win in Scotland it's never comfortable and it's always a dogfight for the full 80 minutes. The weather doesn't help. My perception is that we do better in Wales and France even though statistically our record in those two countries is worse. I would take a dull win in Scotland next weekend though!. If we do win I don't see being by more than 5/6 points.
 
For a while (around 2008-16, at a guess) England didn't concede a try at Murrayfield, which is partly down to some low scoring conditions and also because Scotland's attack was pants for most of the 21st century
 
My old man got a ticket for this… he picked this game over seeing James Blunt with his son and wife. Disrespectful old codger
 
My old man got a ticket for this… he picked this game over seeing James Blunt with his son and wife. Disrespectful old codger
Having seen James Blunt in concert a few years ago (it's a long story) your old man will have the better deal standing in the wind and rain in Edinburgh
 

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