EOYT: England vs South Africa, 24/11/2012

[j'nuh]

Agreed. For me one of the biggest mistakes Lancaster has made was to drop an in-form Sharples in favour of 1 out of form winger and 1 full-back. Same goes for choosing Youngs over Care. If you make these choices how can you hope to give players the confidence to know that if they keep playing well they will keep their places. Mad.

I wonder which is better - the current England backline, or a combined fully-fit Glos/Wasps backline:
9. Simpson 10. Burns 11. JSD 12. Twelvetrees 13. Daly 14. Wade 15. Morgan
21. Robson 22. May 23. Varndell

Then Sharples, Trinder, Bell, Tindall in reserve...

 

[Maverick1987]

I think we don't need wholesale changes but feel like the centres are letting us down and holding the back 3 from doing anything ! Maybe twelvetrees an tuilagi as they aren't complete strangers because of the Leicester days ?

 

[Maverick1987]

Also the man above my last post mentioned tindall getting a look in *slaps head*

 

[j'nuh]

Haha, not what I said...

Just saying that Glos and Wasps have some good backline players and a combined backline would push England's close (or even better...). And anyone who thinks Tindall is a bad player probably also think Sheridan and Easter are past it...

 

[Maverick1987]

I don't think any of those are bad players but it would be nice to look for the future and to the next world cup . Keen to see burns get a shot tho . Has been great his year deserves a chance at least as do 12T and may . Tho may is injured is he ?

 

[psychic duck]

I'd like to know TRF_Olyy's, Peat's and other England fans views on this. Tom Biggs for England? On Sky Sports Stuart Barnes and Will Greenwood have been pushing for it for a few weeks now, Barnes called him "the best left winger in the Premiership this season".

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Said at the time Biggs should've be called into the squad (or Abendanon) instead of Monye.

 

[Teh Mite]

Biggs getting a cap is like giving Paul Diggin a call up.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Biggs getting a cap is like giving Paul Diggin a call up.

Why? I thought Biggs was a good Young player? Diggin is a good older player....and a couple of seasons ago Diggin would have done better for england than Cueto!

 

[McTallshort]

OK at the risk of being shouted down by everyone can I ask this question.....Tuilagi, does he have the skill set to be an international centre? Yes he is quick and strong but whats the point of that if he doesnt pass? He is great for Tigers but that doesnt mean he can cut it for England.

On Saturday apart from the line out I thought our forwards were a match for the boks but I think Floods and Barrats days are numbered in an England shirt.

 

[Standardprocedure]

I think Tuilagi can cut it a centre, but he needs to be given a decent platform to work from. I've only just had chance to watch the game on Sat, but it seemed that England only ever got a cross the gain line when Flood wasn't at first receiver. He isn't good enough to get a back line going. I'm not saying this is the only problem (there are, for example, issues like players taking the ball stood still, passes going to ground etc), but England need a fly-half that is going to boss the game and get the back line going forward. How they do so is not within my knowledge (if it was, I'd be coaching rugby, not contributing to a forum), but that's just something I've observed.

Also, Biggs is surely worth a call up into the subs - thought Brown played well on the wing this weekend, so doesn't merit being dropped, but Biggs most definitely should have been in the squad ahead of Monye from the start.

 

[j'nuh]

OK at the risk of being shouted down by everyone can I ask this question.....Tuilagi, does he have the skill set to be an international centre? Yes he is quick and strong but whats the point of that if he doesnt pass? He is great for Tigers but that doesnt mean he can cut it for England.

I've been wondering the same thing. Perhaps it is that service to him is so slow, or the attacking line too flat, that it wouldn't be possible to pass further down the line, but I also suspect there's a little bit of head-down about him.

Biggs deserves his call up, but Barnes is wrong, JSD has been the best left winger this season so far...

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I've been wondering the same thing. Perhaps it is that service to him is so slow, or the attacking line too flat, that it wouldn't be possible to pass further down the line, but I also suspect there's a little bit of head-down about him.

Biggs deserves his call up, but Barnes is wrong, JSD has been the best left winger this season so far...

Barnes just loves to have a strong opinion. I maybe wouldn't mind him so much if it wasn't for the fact that any time he says anything he has the air of someone who has just divulged the greatest wisdom.

Tuilagi has the skills but the coaching isn't right, he's not being used right, and there's no other players running off him. At the moment Tuilagi is playing in a vacuum. The sooner he can be developed at 12 we can bring in Jonathan Joseph at 13 and then we'll have something exciting. One of our two centres needs to have a bit of agility/pace, because at the moment all defences need to do is drift/slide across, assign two defenders to hauling Tuilagi down, and then wait for England to slowly recycle it and start going nowhere fast.

 

[Standardprocedure]

Barnes just loves to have a strong opinion. I maybe wouldn't mind him so much if it wasn't for the fact that any time he says anything he has the air of someone who has just divulged the greatest wisdom.

Couldn't agree more. That, and the way that he makes a point and then proceeds to hammer it home for he remainder of a game/programme, ignoring everything else going on.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Why? I thought Biggs was a good Young player?

He is, but he plays for Bath so he's out, in Mites view.


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[racingmetrofan]

I'm amazed that Lancaster hasn't called up Allan asap. He's got the skillset, very experienced, and knows how to interact with Tulagi in the centres.

And no other prospective England player has played 12 at Premiership level for as long as he has afaik.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yup, the England side has been crying out for a player like him since.....well, as long as I can remember.
Twelvetrees is on great form at Gloucester as well, and you would lose out massively on the defence if dropping Barritt as he's a unit as well - really good at the breakdown too, think the commentary said he's got the most turnovers in the league.

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Edit: Just seen Flood is out so Burns will (probably) feature next weekend.

Or, alternatively, Monye will :lol:

 

[j'nuh]

Yup, the England side has been crying out for a player like him since.....well, as long as I can remember.
Twelvetrees is on great form at Gloucester as well, and you would lose out massively on the defence if dropping Barritt as he's a unit as well - really good at the breakdown too, think the commentary said he's got the most turnovers in the league.

Did you mean wouldn't?

Doesn't really matter anymore anyway. Barritt plays the last test and then we've got a couple of months until these questions get asked again.

 

[Teh Mite]

Why? I thought Biggs was a good Young player? Diggin is a good older player....and a couple of seasons ago Diggin would have done better for england than Cueto!

If Biggs is the cream of English wingers when Sharples is dropped for Brown (out of position) and JSD can't get a sniff... Really?

 

[g6mcg]

Why? I thought Biggs was a good Young player? Diggin is a good older player....and a couple of seasons ago Diggin would have done better for england than Cueto!

Pretty sure Biggs is older than Diggin...