June International Test: Australia vs. England [3rd Test] (25/06/2016)

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Haskell actually looked very good in the RWC warmup games, best forward of the pack. Those performances got him dropped from the team for the real thing for the most part.

Mullan was scrumming with Lawes behind him, Lawes is the weakest scrummager in the England side.

100%. In the warm-up games I thought he was by far our best forward, the only 1 who offered anything at the breakdown. How Wood got the nod over him is beyond me.

Mullan wasn't struggling because he didn't have a very good second row behind him. If anything, Mullan was hindering Lawes' scrummaging as he was scrummaging inwards, meaning that the gap between Mullan and the hooker was too big and so Lawes couldn't drive forwards as much, as he would risk going straight through the hole.

The reason Mullan was struggling was because he was being forced inwards. Not because he didn't have enough power behind him, and if there was a lack of power it was due to Mullan's scrummaging inwards. Yes, Lawes isn't the best scrummager, but Mullan was more to blame then.

 

[Colombia]

Congrats England. Just remember in your happiest moments in life that it's only temporary. Every peak is only the very beginning of the end, and life is worthless

This isn't a peak, it's just the beginning. The peak will be RWC final 2019, tournament progress that Ireland will never experience.

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I agree on Billy. He makes big impacts every now and again, but I'm not sure that not having a 3rd back rowers work rate is worth it. He's simply too unfit to be an international back rower, and certainly too unfit to play the full 80, which is what Jones has had him doing.

Do you not think if he was too unfit it would have shown up on their screens? They're hooked up to GPS you know, that's how most substitutions are made these days.

Billy & Farrell are the two players Eddie Jones singled out as approaching world class following the series.

Hughes is the answer. Provides as much, if not more impact than Billy but is much fitter and also provides another lineout option. On top of that, he's also a hell of a lot faster than Billy, although, not as fast as Josh and Jack. He's also the best of the lot at the break down and also has a superb off loading game. The back row I'd like to see for the next 6 Nations:

6. Ewers
7. Kvesic
8. Hughes

20. Harrison

So you have Haskell the player of the series, Robshaw the second best forward, Vunipola the English player of the 6N and you want to replace them all by the 6N? lmao

 

[Colombia]

Pots/kettles ragerancher. You want to take a long hard look at your own sports media sometime and see it from an outsiders perspective. The British Sports media is without any doubt the - worst - sports media the planet.

This is a vulgar cheap-shot.

If I was an Australian, I would find this extremely rude and degrading, and if I was in a bar with you and you came out with this kind of remark, you would find yourself on the floor holding your face.

This sort of remark is bloody typical of the dismissive and disdainful attitude of the British Media towards anything and anyone who is not British. We (Aussies/Kiwis) are all just ignorant colonial savages to you aren't we.

:lol::lol::lol:

Thanks for the laugh (not so) smart cooky.

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And what's better is that, having slagged us off prior to the tour, the Aussies have been beaten and broken, and now have to face up to New Zealand, who are going to totally crush them. What goes around certainly does come around.

Australia are going to beat New Zealand, ANZ Stadium 20th August.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Does anyone know where the "2017 England EPS Squad" thread has gone? I've been looking for it and can't find it.

 

[Peat]

Does anyone know where the "2017 England EPS Squad" thread has gone? I've been looking for it and can't find it.

This? http://www.therugbyforum.com/threads/37825-England-EPS-2016-17-season

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

This? http://www.therugbyforum.com/threads/37825-England-EPS-2016-17-season

Yup, cheers

 

[msf]

There was a much better option than Robshaw at 7 - switching him with Haskell at 6!