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Wider Training Group guest players Also: 13. Elijah Niko 1/3. Richard Aho 8. Peter Samu .

Well, maybe if you don't like him, but he had his best match for England in a while.

That was one of the best performances by England in the professional era and I've seen most of them. Before last weekend I was picking a Lions team at the minute, to do a blog, and there weren't many England 1st XV players in my Lions run on side - and not a whole lot in the Twos. But based on...

I wish I had taken more notice of the guys but yes, AJ was there. So was this guy. Michael Ala'alatoa from Northern Suburbs, who played for Samoa in the IRB U/20 tournament in 2011, is the prop above - and the guy he's opposing is Wayne Borsak, a promising young prop from the Rats, though...

I just responded to the post before it and all of a sudden I had a tome. As my missus used to say in my younger days: I don't know when to stop.

I think Cooper is a wonderful player but that he was a goose for making the comments he did. I thought that the tough ARU stance was proper, but I'm glad that QC (Quade Cooper) couldn't find a well paying gig anywhere else and that he will stay in Oz rugby. Now that he has been through the wringer perhaps he...

Ah thanks - I should have known that, or maybe did and forgot. Cheers .

Well, they won't want to be fourth because they will be drawn to play the ABs in the RWC semi, though events make a mockery of some of these nice theories - things like losing pool games to lower ranked teams. Though we have beaten the Blacks 2 times out of 3 in RWC semis we are likely to do...

Wales Fan - yeah Wales is a bit like Oz - their starting props are not too bad on their day and the next one or two are decent, but it drops off a bit from there. However I don't think that there will be too many crocodile tears from Aussies for Wales after the butchers bill we have had in...

Starting Pocock is a surprise to me but it is a conservative move. You don't want a guy who hasn't played for 3½ months, then had another setback on tour, coming off the bench then getting crocked again and the fellow he replaced can't come back on. Better to start him and anyway Wales were...

Maybe. Their maul is not they same as that of Jonno's great Dodger team, is it? I was watching an English rugby show and they mentioned that England had not succeeded with a maul drive from a lineout since 2007. That backs you up; however at the time I thought it was the wrong decision...

Not to the point, though I have never cared much for such a nicety, watch Neville when he gets on the park down the track for the Wobs. I've said a few times since I first saw him playing 1st Grade for Manly a couple of years ago that he is like 3M, and this year he was playing 6 for them late...

Timani has been banned for one game and will miss the Wales test. Serves him right. I thought he had a shocker against Italy and should have been hooked but at least he seemed to help the THPs in the scrum when Italy didn't win the hit race. That was a poor game by the Wobs against Italy...

Excellent - so long as it truly just general soreness. He shouldn't been in the matchday squad anyway with Hanson in the touring party. This should freshen Taf up for the Wales game and if the result is well in hand (tempting fate, I know, saying that) Hanson could get a decent chunk of the...

You can see we are getting a few guys back by looking at the reserves. That's a good looking bench, if you know what I mean, though I don't know why TPN is even in the Matchday 22 with Hanson on tour. As for Dennis being on the bench: Higginbotham starting could be construed as getting him...

The more important thing for CFS is to get his hamstring 100% right. His injury in Super Rugby was not a new one: he missed a lot of his last year at school in 2011 including all the Oz Schools games. I don't know if it is the same leg, come to think of it; so let's say he should get both...

Gold

I think the team should be selected with an eye on the Wales test. If that means that the result in Florence will be put at risk, then so be it; but it is better not to risk the result in Cardiff. If the coach thinks that all his best guys can play both games without harmful effect, then that...

I feared the worst also after the Paris game. Timani would have helped against France supporting Kepu on the TH side but regardless, Kepu went down in my estimation. Fat Cat was decent enough on the LH side against Mas, but the TH side was a mess. Picamoles may have been given a gap to score...

I can see why the Wobs are not favoured to win by the bookies with all their injuries, or players coming back from them. One consideration would be the weather in Paris and how Oz performed against a bunch of just honest Scotland players in June, the last time they played in the rain - like...