Most players don't fully peak until their late twenties. Like, I thought that was an accepted fact. A player's peak is when they've accumulated as much experience as possible while still retaining their athletic abilities. As for the seven years comment - Flood only got his first run of three games starting as a fly-half in 2009. The period Summer 2010 - 2011 is his only prolonged run in an England shirt at fly-half. I do not believe it is coincidence that the period was also England's best run of results for a long time. Saying "He's had 7 years, how on earth has he not learnt it all" is a bit like saying "Freddie Burns will have been an international for a year by the next window and any slip-up will be hard to forgive" - it completely ignores the paucity of meaningful gametime over most of the period.
I don't accept the argument that it's all about the World Cup. Obviously it's important but it should not define a coach's reign - it clearly does in this case in the minds of many - but it shouldn't. Plus, Johnson had 3 years - Lancaster is entering his third year. It seems very fair to judge the two on what they achieve in the same time period. Which means that if he does not sort the try scoring issue, beat some more SH countries, and win the Six Nations in the next year, I'll say he's done worse.
And if we think Johnson is conservative, what do we think about Lancaster?
Stuart Lancaster has all the tools there to produce a try scoring England. If he doesn't, what excuses can we make? or that Flood is a subpar international fly-half. I want tries and victory, or I want Lancaster's head. Burns has also been in good form, and has huge potential as the sort of player we're looking for, but his Argentina tour was littered with unforced mistakes, and that has to count against him.
I also believe that announcing Tom Wood as captain now would be idiotic. That's because announcing any change in captain now is idiotic - it is basically a hostage to fortune you don't need to give. But that aside, Wood? Dropping Robshaw? We've invested a lot of time in Robshaw as a captain and it looks like it might be paying off. So, let us take it from him, and give it to someone else. That in itself strikes me as risky and poorly thought out. I don't get the whole Tom Wood as leader thing either - he didn't look inspiring against Argentina, and it's not like he does a great deal of it at Northampton. And if we're really serious about "We Must Attack to Win", then locking out one of Robshaw and Croft - or both if we include Kvesic - when they are both superior in attack to Wood, strikes me as a dubious call.
That's exactly my point though Peat, if he's not near enough his potential/peak now then when will he be?
57 senior caps and ten years in the premiership is huge amount of experience, no matter how far apart his opportunities have been.
The fact that he is not roundly welcomed as our number 1 FH has to tell you something...
I don't think he's a "sub-par" international either, I find the idea of him being our first choice rather uninspiring though.
I'd prefer him to Farrell as a bench warmer.
I agree it's not all about the world cup and with what you have said regarding Lancaster.
Tom Wood certainly didn't show himself to be the sort of rousing leader we had been assured he was.
There are 2-3 people who could do the job in the Autumn, depending on who is picked...
Onto the team...
It's pretty much what we expected, isn't it.
We should be able to pick two wingers who can score tries, from the three we have.
I'm gonna assume Yarde is primed to start opposite Ashton.
And it's great to see two great footballers at 12.
Forward pack is much more balanced.
I suspect we'll see a 6 get dropped in favor of Wallace or Fraser come the next EPS amendment.
Good to see Nowell and Tait in the Saxons.
I hope it's last chance saloon for Hartley, Barritt, Lawes (to an extent) and Goode.
