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Nearly. Just the “ly reasonable” to go.
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England v Argentina
- Thread starter Which Tyler
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Nearly. Just the “ly reasonable” to go.
Im not sure its a safety first approach. Hes essentially had to rebuild the whole squad. When he can hes picked the players who are the most rounded who can attack, kick and defend.
Defensive mistakes at this level result in points, just like you have to be clinical in attack.
Hes had to be patient with several positions where we were struggling with players good enough for this level and yes maybe he has been a little bit spreadsheet driven and reluctant to throw the highlight reel kids in so quickly (but he has done it) but this is starting to bare the fruits now.
They are developing a system where players can be parachuted in and still perform well. Attack is improving and the defence (ignoring yesterday) is one of the best in the world.
And this is still an ongoing project.
I like where this team is heading and i think SB deserves a bit of applause especially after the flack he took at the start.
spartan32
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Agree that SBs trajectory for the team has been a positive one since taking charge and that he’s rebuilding, and I think England fans should be happy with where we find ourselves. But time is ticking on, England don’t get that many games of quality to properly blood and test new talent. Maybe I’m being impatient, and maybe SBs slowly slowly wins the race approach will win out, but I have my concerns. Sorry to harp on about it but being an old wounded warhorse like Daly out when you’ve got younger, fitter, and arguably more dangerous individuals available seems like a bad sign.
It was a bad game for England due the tactics deployed, and not just down to selection. I just hope lessons are learnt and we look to utilise that attacking threat we have a lot more, and stop relying on kicking and tackling alone to win the day, because we don’t need to.
It’s going to be interesting to see what team we carry into the 6 nations, because whatever is settled on there is likely to be what SB wants for the WC. Let’s hope he gets the balance right.
Yeah i wont disagree that SB does look at the older experienced guys first, but i think that reverts back to them being more rounded and developed and have the knowledge of this level which is just incredibly vital. Daly is a lion aswell of course.
SB isnt afraid to put the kids in...he just seems to have a real hard requirement for them to pass certain criteria in their skills level. Feyi Waboso is a great example. Hes very much the highlight real player everyone loves...HOWEVER hes also rock solid defensively and very strong in the air despite his size. Theres only really his kicking game which is a work in progress. Roebuck aswell.
Others like Arundell are kept in the squad so hes clearly very aware of them, but also aware that their current inexperience or skills gaps can be a problem for the team. Once hes satisfied they are ready then he slowly introduces them in to a settled team where every one seems clear on the gametype and instructions. I like what hes doing.
Ojomoh might just be the next one to benefit from this now.
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A midfield of Ojomoh and Lawrence had the most complete skillset of any midfield we've had in years in my opinion. Both running threats, both with a decent pass, both quick, both can kick to varying degrees and there is a club partnership.
Happy for others to fight for the spot as always but surely this needs to be the midfield partnership for the 6n. I agree as well having the Mitchell / Smith half back pairing too. Build that chemistry and see what happens.
I'll be frustrated if good performances get completely ignored in favour of what looks good on paper.
Happy for others to fight for the spot as always but surely this needs to be the midfield partnership for the 6n. I agree as well having the Mitchell / Smith half back pairing too. Build that chemistry and see what happens.
I'll be frustrated if good performances get completely ignored in favour of what looks good on paper.
spartan32
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It’s the word “rounded” that worries me though. Of course it’s great to have 23 lads who can do it all. Or a set of back who can kick, pass, tackle, run etc etc but in desperately seeking this roundness (for want of a better word) are we overlooking areas of exceptional ability. Let’s take Daly v Arundell. Yes Daly is a vastly more experienced player. He does many things well and he’s a safe bet. But he’s not going to bust through two tackles and sprint off to score, or overtake two defenders who had a 10 meter head start, or run the length of the pitch past multiple defenders to score. When Daly gets the ball in hand I don’t think anyone panics, when the likes of Arundell do defensive butts pucker. That’s surely got to count for something and is worth taking a risk on? At least get him on the bench and give him chance to make an impact.
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********. It's extremely relevant as it is THE main criteria to determine whether he could have made an adjustment or not...
Just re-watched the play. I feel the same way as i did yesterday:
- Tackle was late but only by a whisker
- Curry knew exactly was he was doing in the sense that he knew he was going to get there late, NOT in the sense that he wanted to injure Mallia.
- I'm ok with penalty only. Unfortunate for us but rules are rules.
- Tackle was late but only by a whisker
- Curry knew exactly was he was doing in the sense that he knew he was going to get there late, NOT in the sense that he wanted to injure Mallia.
- I'm ok with penalty only. Unfortunate for us but rules are rules.
Agreed!
Curry's ability to react is determined by time, not distance. E.g. when running at an object from 5 metres I'd have significantly more time to react than Cheslin Kolbe.
Btw Freddie Steward passed the ball at 07m 39s and was tackled after he had passed the ball at 07m 40s.
I don't have a stopwatch and the second tackle I mentioned above was probably fractions of a second less late than Curry's, but less not pretend what Curry did was particularly egregious.
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Agreed. It wasn’t a brilliant performance but @spartan32 in particular seems not to appreciate the context of having several injury enforced changes.
Daly was poor and predictably rusty, but the logic of picking him and Slade was sound enough given what we had to work with.
The overall direction is very good and I really don’t agree with the ‘safety first’ comments. I think Borthwick has shown he is willing to take risks and introduce younger players, but he does it by ensuring there’s the right balance around them.
Now do deceleration within a single stride...
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I think the ref got it right based on the laws. If I read them right he’s penalised intentional Foul Play under 9.25. Not the worst example by far hence no card, but one with bad consequences.
So I can perhaps understand why the Argentinians wouldn’t consider this a ‘rugby incident’ and maybe seek further sanction. Whether that’s possible under current protocols I don’t know.
I think the ref got it right based on the laws. If I read them right he’s penalised intentional Foul Play under 9.25. Not the worst example by far hence no card, but one with bad consequences.
So I can perhaps understand why the Argentinians wouldn’t consider this a ‘rugby incident’ and maybe seek further sanction. Whether that’s possible under current protocols I don’t know.
Three things happened simultaneously: 1) A late tackle, 2) an injury 3) we couldnt replace Mallia at a key moment.
My take is that the tackle was late but not by much. 1) Every team tries to check kickers and coaches even promote this. It'd be hypocritical to argue otherwise (tho we do!).
2) Unfortunate. I don't think he intentionally tried to injure him. He 100% wanted to check him (the follow through when he could have slowed down) but when you want to hurt someone you jump shoulder first to the ribs while the kicker has one foot on the ground and all the force is on the other one. That did not happen.
3) That snowball's from 2). We lost the ball in the last play from an own line out ffs, Mallia is a full back.
This is my personal view and i believe the overwhelming majority of Args would disagree: I wouldnt have the stomach to face a press conference and blame anyone but ourselves after our 1H performance.
My take is that the tackle was late but not by much. 1) Every team tries to check kickers and coaches even promote this. It'd be hypocritical to argue otherwise (tho we do!).
2) Unfortunate. I don't think he intentionally tried to injure him. He 100% wanted to check him (the follow through when he could have slowed down) but when you want to hurt someone you jump shoulder first to the ribs while the kicker has one foot on the ground and all the force is on the other one. That did not happen.
3) That snowball's from 2). We lost the ball in the last play from an own line out ffs, Mallia is a full back.
This is my personal view and i believe the overwhelming majority of Args would disagree: I wouldnt have the stomach to face a press conference and blame anyone but ourselves after our 1H performance.
Pollock listed as making 16 tackles in his 21 minutes - very impressive, plus a turnover etc.
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If true then that's very impressive. Will say though that he shot out of the line on his own a few times, and at least one of those times led directly to an Argentina line break.
It's great that he's eager and hungry to get involved, but not if it's to the detriment of the defensive line as a whole. Needs to learn to pick and choose his moments a bit more. But that'll come with time and experience.
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He's just a baby. You'll take that when he's offering up contributions like that.
We, on the other hand, are amazed with Alex Mann when he puts in 16 tackles in 80 mins and you're lucky if 1 of them is dominant.
Yeah youthful exuberance. They'll work on that with him, at the moment hes like an excitable puppy but thats also part of the appeal at the moment, and that will lift his team mates.
16 tackles, a turnover etc hes showing he can do the nitty gritty stuff associated with his position aswell. He will naturally put on a bit of weight and muscle aswell...
