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England line-up: Mike Brown, Chris Ashton, Joel Tomkins, Billy Twelvetrees, Marland Yarde, Owen Farrell, Lee Dickson; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw (captain), Billy Vunipola. Replacements: Dylan Hartley, Joe Marler, David Wilson...

Glad to see To'omua gets to keep the 12 jersey. It's now his to win or lose on his own merit. Would have preferred Folau at 11, Foley at 15, Cummins to the bench in the backs with Robinson and Kepu as the starting props too, but I'm pretty happy with this team.

Big Kev is a good captain for one reason: He inspires the guys around him. He is not calm and collected when making decisions or when talking to the ref. Mowen has refs eating out of his hand and nine times out of ten chooses the right option when he needs to. He is pretty inspiring as well...

Shame, Timani and Simmons could have given Horwill a rest. Fardy might be the reserve lock at this rate.

Skype consultant? :P

Something about Fisher makes me think he'd pull a Sulla if that happened.

The highlanders have screwed up a few times - only one LHP, only one 12, three THPs, three 13s, mosts of their potential wingers are either centres or fullbacks who have played wing in the past.

Either the Highlanders Media Team forgot about their ITM Cup teams, or they are specifically saying "We're the Highlanders, not an ITM Cup variety team". So prospective 23 for each team? Blues: Tony Woodcock, James Parsons, Charlie Faumuina, Cullum Retallick, Steven Luatua, Jermoe Kaino, Luke...

As far as I can tell, still in Japan as a consultant to Panasonic Wild Knights

A week before the game, no team to complain about, we've all made our team predictions - There's only so much on topic we can muster before the off topic takes over :P

Robinson Moore Kepu Fardy Horwill Mowen Pocock Higgenbotham

He's a LHP

Hooper, because Pocock is good in any team and fulfills the core jobs of the OSF much better than Hooper does.

Pretty sure he's coming in as the long term 8 option, both Mowen and Auelua are getting close to 30 and Mowen is a better 6 anyway. Helps like hell to have a 4, 5, 6 and 8 who can jump in the lineout too.

He's a short and strong 12 who can't kick in my eyes.

Guess we're all declaring a team: Robinson, Moore, Kepu, Simmons, Timani, Fardy, Gill, Mowen (c), Genia, Cooper, Tomane, To'omua, Kuridrani, Folau, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) Fainga'a, Slipper, Alexander, McCalman, Hooper, White, Lealiifano, Betham

Plus the old adage that a champion team beats a team of champions.

Remember that great Bledisloe in 2010 where we beat the All Blacks? Slipper on the bench as THP replacement.

Best opposition for them, get some unlikelies out there and tell them that if they ace it, they could be there in the first game.

If I'm not mistaken, Lealiifano was at 15 when the 2011 Brumbies beat the Reds at Suncorp. Surely doing well in a position, against the best team at the time, while being the worst team at the time, is good enough :P