England Six Nations thread

[goodNumber10]

Tuilagi is and will remain (as long as he's fit) our best option at 13 there's nothing Burrell has done that Tuilagi wouldn't have done too and more probably . Burrell has been good but Manu leaves a trail of destruction behind him

Having 3 players that are destructive ball carriers will cause opposite teams problems and we will be able to play gatball better than wales

Completely agree, but like i said just something there that bothers me...

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

I disagree, I think Burrell runs better lines. I think tuilagi just relies on breaking tackles and against a good defence he doesn't get much change.

Burrell is a 12 though but he has certainly shown that even without tuilagi we play some threatening rugby.

 

[glawsfan]

I would like to see Burrell and Tuilagi given a chance. Twelvetrees for me doesn't have that extra skill needed to make the step up to International level he is reliable but not good enough if you want to be a team winning the world cup. Still not decided on Eastmond yet.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Tuilagi is and will remain (as long as he's fit) our best option at 13 there's nothing Burrell has done that Tuilagi wouldn't have done too and more probably . Burrell has been good but Manu leaves a trail of destruction behind him

Having 3 players that are destructive ball carriers will cause opposite teams problems and we will be able to play gatball better than wales

Burrell has impressed me personally and I feel he may keep his place longer than you think. For someone so inexperienced at 13, he's running some really nice lines.
This said, he also seems to have the odd 'Alex Cuthbert' moment when he gets shrugged off in tackles he really should make considering his size. Only occasionally though.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Reading some of the criticism of Jonny May is baffling - not because I think running laterally is a great idea (it isn't) - but because so many people seem to think that the "metres made" stat actually records lateral movement.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Reading some of the criticism of Jonny May is baffling - not because I think running laterally is a great idea (it isn't) - but because so many people seem to think that the "metres made" stat actually records lateral movement.

He is currently my favourite English winger. He does run laterally sometimes bit he always seems to find gaps and make breaks. Oh and he can tackle!

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Who's criticising May, though?

Stupid question inbound: If you break the line and make 20 metres, then somehow get driven back 20 metres.. I assume it would cancel out and your metres would be at zero?

 

[Maverick1987]

Reading some of the criticism of Jonny May is baffling - not because I think running laterally is a great idea (it isn't) - but because so many people seem to think that the "metres made" stat actually records lateral movement.

I like him ! He's very elusive and dangerous and seems to pop up in the places you need him a bit like Ashton used to do 2 years ago ! It would be funny for 1 game if they did count his lateral movement though he'd go through some serious kilometers lol

 

[goodNumber10]

May strikes me as someone who played too much touch rugby.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Tom Johnson, the Exeter flanker, was a warmish favourite to fill the vacancy on the England bench before last weekend's Premiership victory over London Irish and his odds have shortened considerably since, thanks to a man-of-the-match effort at Sandy Park. But Lancaster was equally animated yesterday on the subject of the Devonians' uncapped hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who made his first league start against the Exiles and played a blinder.

"There shouldn't be wholesale changes to this current group ahead of next year's World Cup, assuming we've been accurate in our predictions on player development, but we won't be closing the door on bringing in new faces," the coach said. "If you look at Jack Nowell [the Exeter wing who came from the back end of nowhere to force a place in this Six Nations side], he's made the biggest jump of anyone, and it's his temperament that has allowed him to deal with it. Cowan-Dickie is another who has the potential to come through quickly."

LCD on the NZ tour. 100%.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. He looks OK but there are better options right now. His lineout throwing isn't good, and he doesn't really do anything else better than, say, Tom Youngs.
He's only, what, 20? - give him a year of playing the premiership full time and go from there and then see where we're at.
Ward, George and Taylor are all better options for the summer, imo.

 

[Patchey]

Presuming Hartley and or Youngs are out for the first test I'll gnaw my hands off in rage if Dave Ward doesn't play a part. I think e's probably, form wise, the best English hooker right now. I'd think Lancaster would also get Webber involved, if fit. Luke Cowan-Dickie should have to play his way past them to get a spot on the tour.

 

[ratsapprentice]

LCD being England's first choice hooker is a matter of when - not if.
He'll be on the tour - beyond that, I don't know whether he'll get any starts or even any actual game-time... but he will be there.

 

[Patchey]

LCD being England's first choice hooker is a matter of when - not if.
He'll be on the tour - beyond that, I don't know whether he'll get any starts or even any actual game-time... but he will be there.

Assuming that at some point the hookers from the Prem final will going the tour there should be,

Hartley
T Youngs
Webber
Ward
George ?

Every with mid-weeks games and a depleted first test I don't see LCD making it. If he starts the rest if Exeter's games and has a blinder if a season maybe but I'm not convinced. More likely he'll come into the late summer EPS camp and play in the IAs.

 

[ratsapprentice]

LCD will almost certainly be brought along in the same manner that Anthony Watson and Ardie Savea were involved in their respective Autumn international training squads.
The tracks are being greased for him - as they should be for our most talented players.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I don't really see what LCD offers that Youngs doesn't, atm.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I'm a huge Tom Youngs fan really, though he's admittedly a very different option to most hookers.
When he's throwing well, as he largely was in Oz, he's our best option.

Love his work-rate, his wheels, his carrying, his chop-tackle - or more accurately in Youngs' case, the way he trips up oncoming opposition

 

[ratsapprentice]

Getting his hand on the ball at the breakdown - LCD and Ward are both quite far ahead of the others at the breakdown in that regard.
They both have flanker's instincts.

Youngs is by far and away better than Hartley when he is throwing well - but he isn't and Dylan is throwing immaculately.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Getting his hand on the ball at the breakdown - LCD and Ward are both quite far ahead of the others at the breakdown in that regard.
They both have flanker's instincts.

Then pick Taylor.
Converted from openside to hooker, and learnt to be an openside from Seymour and Fourie so he's very very good at the breakdown. Also has one of the better lineout stats in the prem. Had a bit of a wobble vs Wasps on the weekend (due, in part, to Myall, I have no doubt) but other than that he's been very good all season.

I dunno, I do like Cowan-Dickie, but I can't help feel that he's being overyhyped due to Nowell, and Exeter becoming the new, I dunno, "in" club. People like to go on about how they're a team of players, not stars, and they just quietly get on with business down there etc.etc. They're quite romanticised, and I think is LCD played for Saracens (coughJamie Georgecough) or Quins (coughDave Wardcough), or pretty much any other clu, people wouldn't be making such a big fuss over him.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Those player's you've mentioned aren't one of the best U20's players in the best U20's squad we've ever produced though, are they?!

I don't think he'll play much (if at all) but he will be brought along in order to give him early exposure to the international set-up.