England vs Fiji 26th August 23

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

There is no need for Marler to defend Billy as the players arnt idiots so they must know that Billy had been rubbish….unless SB is producing stats in camp to show how well billy is doing and how they are all inches away from being world beaters.

Oh god, I've just realised, SB probably is blowing smoke up their backsides to say how well they are doing and how everything is just mm away from being world class.

 

[ncurd]

Baa baas don't kick and the globetrotters actually practice. Show some respect kind sir.

Some day to bring that up

One win, 17,000 defeats - life as a Washington General

More than 17,000 defeats, just one 52-year-old victory. What it is really like to play for the Washington Generals, the most famous, and consistent, losers in sport?

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[AlRums]

Some day to bring that up

One win, 17,000 defeats - life as a Washington General

More than 17,000 defeats, just one 52-year-old victory. What it is really like to play for the Washington Generals, the most famous, and consistent, losers in sport?

www.bbc.co.uk

Is there a correlation between the colours of them Generals and Ireland at a world cup?

 

[ncurd]

Is there a correlation between them colours of them Generals and Ireland at a world cup?

I would assume so to some degree it isn't too dissimilar to the Boston Celtics.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

I'll admit when I went to see them as a little kid I couldn't comprehend how people could be entertained by fake sport. Now that I've been exposed to theater I get why it's such popular family entertainment. The choreography really is something and they know how to play a crowd.

 

[Zed]

Well it speaks volumes that the stadium won't be full and no one's even created a match day thread yet!

Let hope we see some more pointless kicking, some more one out slow forward runners (who get smashed) and some more pointless kicking back to Fiji who I'm guessing will run back round our defence as most teams seem to.

Their tactics might work against Fiji. in theory it's a good strategy if executed correctly against the right opposition. But it's not a strategy that will work against everyone. Pretty simplistic I guess, but against a team like the All Blacks, don't you want to keep the ball away from them? Deny them possession, don't kick the ball to them and ask them to attack! They're not going to drop any balls and they're going run the ball back hard.

 

[Geordie]

So Smith to full back eh?

 

[higgik]

Telegraph today reporting that Smith played FB in a practice match at Quins in preparation for a plan B...

It is becoming incredulous that 1 match out, not only do we not have a settled team, but no real idea as to a game plan.

What have they been doing for 2 months.

 

[higgik]

So Smith to full back eh?

Sorry missed this!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Watson, Malins or Daly
Smith

Smith could be a very good 15, but 1 game out from the world cup isn't the place to trial it, especially with three other players with significant experience at 15 who could/should be tried there first

 

[higgik]

Watson, Malins or Daly
Smith

Smith could be a very good 15, but 1 game out from the world cup isn't the place to trial it, especially with three other players with significant experience at 15 who could/should be tried there first

So true and says that the coaches have thrown all their cards in the air and seen how the come down.

Maybe the will find the magic key, but watching the control SB has on everything, it will just mean Smith kicking it away and getting Steward and Watson to chase ftom the wings.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Smith at FB would be stupid, steward on the wing would be wasteful. I really hope that isn't true otherwise SB really has no idea how to win games.

 

[Geordie]

Just looks like desperation to me.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Watson, Malins or Daly
Smith

Smith could be a very good 15, but 1 game out from the world cup isn't the place to trial it, especially with three other players with significant experience at 15 who could/should be tried there first

Presumably nothing more than emergency / scenario planning otherwise there will be an all ports alert for Borthwick's marbles.

That said, I literally never want to see Daly at FB again.

I'm not a Malins fan but if you want a playmaker at 15 he's the obvious choice.

But put in Smith, Malins, Daly or whoever and wait for the howls of derision when they drop a ball that 'Steward would have caught in his sleep' 'Safe as the Bank of England', 'Basics first'. And that's just from me…..

 

[higgik]

Presumably nothing more than emergency / scenario planning otherwise there will be an all ports alert for Borthwick's marbles.

That said, I literally never want to see Daly at FB again.

I'm not a Malins fan but if you want a playmaker at 15 he's the obvious choice.

But put in Smith, Malins, Daly or whoever and wait for the howls of derision when they drop a ball that 'Steward would have caught in his sleep' 'Safe as the Bank of England', 'Basics first'. And that's just from me…..

'Safe as the Bank of England'.
not certain he would want to be that atm, with their track record, during the pandemic.

 

[Which Tyler]

Presumably nothing more than emergency / scenario planning otherwise there will be an all ports alert for Borthwick's marbles.

Even emergency planning, our choices at FB are Stewart, Malins & Arundell who are all better at FB than wing, Watson who's about equal between the two, and Daly who is a perfectly acceptable 5th choice option at FB.

Now, I like the theory of Smith at FB - once he's had a season playing there for his club - which will never happen; but to bump him up ahead any of the above is just... grasping at straws, surely...

I suppose if we're expecting to lose 2 of our back 3 during a single match, then the bench FH being able to cover is a decent enough idea, but... seems pretty remote and should be pretty short-lived to not be worth spending too much time practicing for (and I'd be more worried about losing a centre, though Daly and Malins can both provide that cover). TBH, Malins in the 23 shirt seems to negate the need for Smith to play anywhere but FH, or even there if SB wants to go 6:2 (which I will always hate)

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Even emergency planning, our choices at FB are Stewart, Malins & Arundell who are all better at FB than wing, Watson who's about equal between the two, and Daly who is a perfectly acceptable 5th choice option at FB.

Now, I like the theory of Smith at FB - once he's had a season playing there for his club - which will never happen; but to bump him up ahead any of the above is just... grasping at straws, surely...

I suppose if we're expecting to lose 2 of our back 3 during a single match, then the bench FH being able to cover is a decent enough idea, but... seems pretty remote and should be pretty short-lived to not be worth spending too much time practicing for (and I'd be more worried about losing a centre, though Daly and Malins can both provide that cover). TBH, Malins in the 23 shirt seems to negate the need for Smith to play anywhere but FH, or even there if SB wants to go 6:2 (which I will always hate)

Do you mean Steward or Stuart? One's apparently quicker than the other

Exactly. You can't just chuck someone in a new position at this level and expect them to swim.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Tbh it's a weird gamble, but if I was going to back anyone to be fine with a bit of manic chaos where there was no plan and no coordination, but a enough space for a goosey, it would be Marcus Smith.

Imagine it would require Marchant at 13 (shifting to the wing when needed) and one of Watson / Steward on the wing, so that the traditional 15 roles were covered.

It's an awful idea, but it might not be as awful as it could be

 

[MarkyH]

I guess if you throw enough s**t then some of it will stick.

We're trying odd odd solutions to problems we are not likely to encounter when we really should be working on an actual PLAN A game plan, let's get that right before dicking around with other solutions. Clueless management.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Tbh it's a weird gamble, but if I was going to back anyone to be fine with a bit of manic chaos where there was no plan and no coordination, but a enough space for a goosey, it would be Marcus Smith.

Imagine it would require Marchant at 13 (shifting to the wing when needed) and one of Watson / Steward on the wing, so that the traditional 15 roles were covered.

It's an awful idea, but it might not be as awful as it could be

As a Hail Mary with 5 minutes to go and a score needed, possibly.

But regardless of where he's stood in the backfield he'll be targeted by opposition kickers / runners. Wasn't it 2019 when France fielded Fickou on the wing that our kickers had an absolute field day?