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mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
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Not sure how one of Simmons or Dombrandt aren't in there.

Thing is rightly or wrongly the No.8 in this England side is used up the guts to do very heavy carrying. Simmonds apparently (ie. decent social media whispers) got told he's too small for what Jones is looking for and so doesn't have much of a future under him. Dombrandt from what I have seen is a similar player - likes to play in the wide channels rather than right at the coalface.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
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A fairly typical by now random Eddie Jones squad though, his favourites mixed with loads of players/rookies he is taking a punt on.
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
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Thing is rightly or wrongly the No.8 in this England side is used up the guts to do very heavy carrying. Simmonds apparently (ie. decent social media whispers) got told he's too small for what Jones is looking for and so doesn't have much of a future under him. Dombrandt from what I have seen is a similar player - likes to play in the wide channels rather than right at the coalface.

Dombrandt is certainly more than capable at club level of making the hard yards, although of course there's always a question about how people handle the step up to the highest level.

And even just having someone like Simmonds in the squad makes sense to me, particularly as he started pretty well when he was in the squad previously.

Either way I think it'll be a very tricky 6Ns for England, with a whole host of new players, a couple of key areas where we still have big gaps (most notably at scrum half) and a selection of Saracens players who are likely to have a lot more on their mind than playing for England right now.

Mind you it's likely to be a bit of a rebuilding year for all the teams involved.
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
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FYI


Will be an interesting read now that Sarries have finally stopped blocking its release.

I do partially feel sorry for all the Sarries fans in all of this, but at the same time a lot of them were either being very naive, or willfully ignorant of the way in which their club was supposedly keeping within the salary cap whilst keeping effectively two squads of international players at times.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
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Finn Russell has has apparently left the scotland camp and won't be coming back for this 6 nations (but isn't injured). Some sort of drama must have gone down.
 

'O Zio

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2014
7,405
13,785
Finn Russell has has apparently left the scotland camp and won't be coming back for this 6 nations (but isn't injured). Some sort of drama must have gone down.

He's acted Iike a right nob by the sounds of it. Up all night drinking despite team mates telling him to call it a night repeatedly, then didn't show up for training in the morning. Suspended for the game as a punishment but told he should stick around the camp in his role as one of the leadership group to help the team prepare, he's basically gone "fuck that" and left. Not exactly a great team mate by the sounds of it.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
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If you can't be bothered to watch the whole vid france are really good this year.

 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,386
Thing is rightly or wrongly the No.8 in this England side is used up the guts to do very heavy carrying. Simmonds apparently (ie. decent social media whispers) got told he's too small for what Jones is looking for and so doesn't have much of a future under him. Dombrandt from what I have seen is a similar player - likes to play in the wide channels rather than right at the coalface.

Surprised Nathan Hughes has been overlooked again.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,512
Surprised Nathan Hughes has been overlooked again.

He got cut at the first round of culling for world cup selection, so I think obviously something has gone on there. As we have seen quite a lot by now, if Eddie sees something he doesn't like/thinks you've had an absolute stinker of a game then your international career can basically be over in the blink of an eye - people like Care, Lozowski etc. and others like Burrell, Isiekwe, Harrison even got hauled off half hour into a game and have never been seen again.

Beyond that it's impossible to predict or explain Jones' selection policy. He has his core group of favourites but when it comes to selecting the wider squad its random and chaotic choice and reason and I actually think he just enjoys trying things out and seeing what happens. What he does a lot though is a) take the current years best rookie kids to have a look at early, and b) he selects people who haven't taken the conventional route to the top - people who've had to scrap their way to pro rugby or come from tough upbringings etc. Maybe he feels these are the better sorts of reserve players who will push the established ones and make for better training camps, I dunno.

As for England this 6 Nations, not sure at all. They've said post World Cup it's a new cycle and there is going to be plenty of experimentation in 2020 to rest players and to build a new team/squad going forward and try new things in terms of the rugby played. Maybe we'll see a team that goes out and plays with freedom and a desire to impress and kick on another level, but at the same time you've got to expect some inconsistency.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,386
He got cut at the first round of culling for world cup selection, so I think obviously something has gone on there. As we have seen quite a lot by now, if Eddie sees something he doesn't like/thinks you've had an absolute stinker of a game then your international career can basically be over in the blink of an eye - people like Care, Lozowski etc. and others like Burrell, Isiekwe, Harrison even got hauled off half hour into a game and have never been seen again.

Beyond that it's impossible to predict or explain Jones' selection policy. He has his core group of favourites but when it comes to selecting the wider squad its random and chaotic choice and reason and I actually think he just enjoys trying things out and seeing what happens. What he does a lot though is a) take the current years best rookie kids to have a look at early, and b) he selects people who haven't taken the conventional route to the top - people who've had to scrap their way to pro rugby or come from tough upbringings etc. Maybe he feels these are the better sorts of reserve players who will push the established ones and make for better training camps, I dunno.

As for England this 6 Nations, not sure at all. They've said post World Cup it's a new cycle and there is going to be plenty of experimentation in 2020 to rest players and to build a new team/squad going forward and try new things in terms of the rugby played. Maybe we'll see a team that goes out and plays with freedom and a desire to impress and kick on another level, but at the same time you've got to expect some inconsistency.

He's got an embarrassment of riches in some positions (hence sidelining Cockanasiga and McConnachie) but I'd have thought there's a big Billy V shaped hole that needs filling at 8 but not a sniff of Hughes or even Ben Morgan. Hope he doesn't start fucking about with locks in the back row again.
 

Arnoldtoo

The thinking ape's ape
May 18, 2006
35,335
54,968
So, predictions for the 6 Nations?

I'm going

England
Ireland
Wales
France
Scotland
Italy
 

Mr.D

Old Member
Dec 2, 2014
4,262
7,876
Starts Saturday? My birthday. Might take a trip to Canterbury for the day and take in some pub golf.
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
48,100
47,055
So, predictions for the 6 Nations?

I'm going

England
Ireland
Wales
France
Scotland
Italy

No idea.

Got to be one of the most open tournaments in a while with so many changes in the squads.

Anyone could win it.

Except Italy.

Or Scotland.
 

Arnoldtoo

The thinking ape's ape
May 18, 2006
35,335
54,968
No idea.

Got to be one of the most open tournaments in a while with so many changes in the squads.

Anyone could win it.

Except Italy.

Or Scotland.

I figure with England having fewer squad changes, and playing both Ireland and Wales at home that should give them the advantage.

But I've been wrong before!!
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
48,100
47,055
I figure with England having fewer squad changes, and playing both Ireland and Wales at home that should give them the advantage.

But I've been wrong before!!

I suppose the bulk of the first XV is still around for England, with the changes coming in the wider squad, although that depends on who Eddie decides to pick.

Wales are going through transition on and off the pitch, but looking at their team for this weekend they look fairly strong despite a few injuries.

Ireland actually haven't changed very much from their NZ hammering but it'll be interesting to see how they react to yet another fairly disastrous World Cup.

France are having one of their bi-annual transitions it seems but surely at some stage it's going to click for them.

Scotland look an absolute shambles with their key player having walked/been kicked out of the squad.

And Italy? yes they are there as well.

I think England will do well to come through their first two away games with two wins, whereas you'd expect Wales and Ireland to both win their first games with at least one of them then having two wins out of two after they've played each other. Until those first two rounds of games have finished it's very hard to call.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
10,836
33,607
Ok so we have lost both vunipolas and watson. We are playing a second row at 6 and a 7 at 8 (with no 8's in the squad). Also a complete rookie (albeit a promising one) at 15. No back 3 cover on the bench.

My predictions for this weekend:

Wales by 21.

Ireland by 14.

France by 10.


England starting XV
15 George Furbank (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
14 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers, 52 caps)
13 Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers, 40 caps)
12 Owen Farrell (Saracens, 79 caps) C
11 Elliot Daly (Saracens, 39 caps)
10 George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 65 caps)
9 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 95 caps)
1 Joe Marler (Harlequins, 68 caps)
2 Jamie George (Saracens, 45 caps)
3 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins, 31 caps)
4 Maro Itoje (Saracens, 34 caps)
5 Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 12 caps)
6 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 81 caps)
7 Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 15 caps)
8 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 19 caps)

Finishers
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 21 caps)
17 Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 14 caps)
18 Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
19 George Kruis (Saracens, 41 caps)
20 Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)
21 Willi Heinz (Gloucester Rugby, 9 caps)
22 Ollie Devoto (Exeter Chiefs, 1 cap)
23 Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby, 47 caps)
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,512
Don't mind us looking at new players at 3 and 15. Two areas where we've had no depth for years and they're two decent prospects. Ewels' selection is the biggest surprise arguably. That back row composition is disappointing, a mobile Lock does not make a flanker. And I wish the attempts to build depth and a new team extended to scrum half.
 

DaiT

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2011
374
698
So I know it was only Italy but Wayne's World started fairly well. So I guess you Sais are confident of beating France?
 
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