[RWC19 Warm-Up] - England vs Wales

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

I reckon it's fake tbh

 

[ratsapprentice]

Or you know, it's just a warmup game so any minor ****les are not risked.

 

[Every Time Ref]

Wtf, how do we get so many training injury's so often...

Is it injuries, or is it Eddie messing around? Possible this was always the plan, kind of like the ploy Cockerill used to always pull with Leicester?

Or you know, it's just a warmup game so any minor ****les are not risked.

...or this, fair point. I might have been missing the wood for the trees a bit

 

[Scotty]

Is it injuries, or is it Eddie messing around? Possible this was always the plan, kind of like the ploy Cockerill used to always pull with Leicester?

...or this, fair point. I might have been missing the wood for the trees a bit

What are the rules on this? Is there anything in place to stop teams faking it to make changes?

 

[Bada-Bing!]

So if Wales win or draw, they become the number 1 ranked side on Monday.

 

[Every Time Ref]

What are the rules on this? Is there anything in place to stop teams faking it to make changes?

I'm not sure, certainly know that Cockerill seemed to get away with it a lot. I guess it's something pretty hard to prove and not really worth the effort of investigating?

 

[bushytop]

What are the rules on this? Is there anything in place to stop teams faking it to make changes?

I'm not sure, certainly know that Cockerill seemed to get away with it a lot. I guess it's something pretty hard to prove and not really worth the effort of investigating?

As incredibly unlikely as it sounds... I'm kinda hoping this whole Faletau thing is a ruse to keep him wrapped up until Japan.

I know that I'm kidding myself with these but... a man can dream.

 

[Every Time Ref]

As incredibly unlikely as it sounds... I'm kinda hoping this whole Faletau thing is a ruse to keep him wrapped up until Japan.

I know that I'm kidding myself with these but... a man can dream.

I'd apologise on behalf of Bath, but we lost Watson, JJ and Obano for long periods to training injuries with England, so I don't feel we owe international rugby much right now TBH!

 

[spartan32]

WTF is happening with this England team?!! This has to be some sort of ruse by EJ, surely? He can't seriously be training guys that hard 24hours or so before a game?!! And that line up?! cover missing in key positions. It's seems bizarre. Please please say this is some sort of incredible mental game being played by the secret genius of our head coach!! Oh god please !!

 

[Brigantine]

So if Wales win or draw, they become the number 1 ranked side on Monday.

How the rankings unofficially are right now: (they will change after England vs Wales before they're officially updated)

1. 89.96 Wales
2. 89.05 New Zealand
3. 88.69 Ireland
4. 86.82 South Africa
5. 86.27 England
6. 84.40 Australia
7. 80.17 Scotland
8. 79.42 France
9. 77.21 Japan
10. 76.98 Fiji
11. 76.29 Argentina
12. 74.42 Georgia
13. 72.04 Italy
14. 71.94 USA

 

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[spartan32]

Not sure why everyone's giving a monkeys about rankings. Doesn't add up to a whole lot when it comes to the WC. So Wales go in ranked 1. So what? Does anybody see them turning over NZ? Maybe on their very best day, with NZ getting rattled, but let's all be honest NZ are consistently the number 1 team, and are nearly always the team to beat. Below them going into this RWC I would suggest that Wales, Ireland, England, SA are all pretty level, and the Aussies are always a threat on their day. Plus Wales never hold the mantel of "favourites" very well, so not sure it will do them any favours. This is probably one of the most open RWCs in years.

 

[Scotty]

I truely hope slade and underhill are minor, i hope all 3 are obviously but mainly them 2 as they are pretty vital. Really gutted underhill is not getting game time as apart from thats the back row i wanted to see tried for a while he has had a bad time with injuries and needs the game time to push for his place. Where as McConnochie is likly not in the first 23 and slade is nailed on to be in it.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Rankings mean very little, and even less in a world cup year as they get reset with the tournament, however it's just a nice little footnote for Gatland - provided Wales win or draw tomorrow he'll be the first ever coach to take Wales to be ranked 1 in the world. Not exactly a world cup win but nice either way

 

[ncurd]

I think it does prove the nonsence that is rankings. Wales haven't beaten NZ in 50 billion years yet are statistically better?

 

[bushytop]

Not sure why everyone's giving a monkeys about rankings. Doesn't add up to a whole lot when it comes to the WC. So Wales go in ranked 1. So what? Does anybody see them turning over NZ? Maybe on their very best day, with NZ getting rattled, but let's all be honest NZ are consistently the number 1 team, and are nearly always the team to beat. Below them going into this RWC I would suggest that Wales, Ireland, England, SA are all pretty level, and the Aussies are always a threat on their day. Plus Wales never hold the mantel of "favourites" very well, so not sure it will do them any favours. This is probably one of the most open RWCs in years.

I think it's more because NZ have held it for very nearly 10 years, whether it's a temporary thing or not if something has been a particular way in sports for a decade and then it's not... it's something worthy of mention at least.

 

[bushytop]

I think it does prove the nonsence that is rankings. Wales haven't beaten NZ in 50 billion years yet are statistically better?

I've mentioned this before, this isn't like boxing... you don't have to beat THE team to get the ranking or even the WC, you just have to win what is in front of you consistently while others lose (or draw a few).

I think we all understand that NZ are still the best but they dropped a couple last year and have only squeaked past Argentina, lost against Oz and drawn at home against SA this season... that's what'll happen.

 

[ncurd]

I've mentioned this before, this isn't like boxing... you don't have to beat THE team to get the ranking or even the WC, you just have to win what is in front of you consistently while others lose (or draw a few).

I think we all understand that NZ are still the best but they dropped a couple last year and have only squeaked past Argentina, lost against Oz and drawn at home against SA this season... that's what'll happen.

Don't get me wrong Wales were the deserving 2nd ranked team they proved that in the 6 nations.

Also NZ haven't been as good as they once were throughout this entire cycle and it's rather a shame that it's taken almost the entire cycle to reflect that.

England are another team where it's taken forever for the rankings to reflect their post WC success.


I just don't think the rankings don't reflect the current situation quick enough. And if they are supposed to reflect history surely the fact you can't beat the team above/below you should be a factor?

 

[bushytop]

Don't get me wrong Wales were the deserving 2nd ranked team they proved that in the 6 nations.

Also NZ haven't been as good as they once were throughout this entire cycle and it's rather a shame that it's taken almost the entire cycle to reflect that.

England are another team where it's taken forever for the rankings to reflect their post WC success.


I just don't think the rankings don't reflect the current situation quick enough. And if they are supposed to reflect history surely the fact you can't beat the team above/below you should be a factor?

I ain't saying their perfect but it's a difficult thing to quantify... England's form post World Cup got them to 2 while NZ were still winning, so it wouldn't make sense for England to over take NZ when they hadn't slipped at all. It just so happens that Wales' run of form has coincided with NZ performing far worse than they have for an age.

 

[Which Tyler]

Wales will very well deserve their #1 status, and would be absolutely right to celebrate it.
They might not have beaten NZ, but they have beaten others who've beaten NZ.
You don't have to beat NZ to win the RWC, you need to beat them to reach the top of the rankings.

Beyond that, the rankings are, and always have been indicative rather than absolute. What they really say is the the top 3 are separated by less than home advantage counts for. In neutral ground, they'd be too close to call.



Now onto England's injuries, I really hope that's just excessive caution ahead of a busy schedule.