S
spooony
Guest
Scotland scored 2 tries and the Jones try was a beautifully counter attack. But that missed tackle on Malzieu was poor really. You do not expect that at this level
Do you mean Dickson????? Seriously, the england scrum half on saturday????? Agree with the rest of that backline although surely you can find someone else to play FB, Kearney was out for a fecking year after the last misadventure in SA. There are any number of Eng/ Welsh/ Scots who could play 15 surely!?! To be serious for a minute, shit for Rory Lamont, has had a brutal time with injuries; must have been tough for his brother to maintain his composure after an incident like that.I have a feeling we are in for a toweling next year in the lions series. A backline of Dixon/Phillips, Farrell/Priestland, North, Roberts, Tuilagi, halfpenny and Kearny looks very dangerous. And it is a given that the pack will be strong.
Putting pressure on Warburton for lions captaincy that everyone thinks is a certainty. Not me, whoever starts 7 is going to have plenty on his plate countering the man around whom Australia base their whole game, Pocock. Roberts should be the lions captain but not sure he will want it as it will interfere with his medical studies.Ross Rennie has got a bright future ahead of him on last weekend's evidence. Fully deserved his official MotM gong.
Roberts Nah, come on sam the man, he's a shoe in for the lions, the captaincy might not be nailed on for him but, he must be in the top 3, he captains Wales and it does'nt afffect his game, in fact an Englishman named him man of the Match saturday, he kept his cool when we had a man sent off kept the ball and run the clock down, Wales kept the ball for 8,1/2 min England took a min for the pen, I don't think him too bad under presure.Putting pressure on Warburton for lions captaincy that everyone thinks is a certainty. Not me, whoever starts 7 is going to have plenty on his plate countering the man around whom Australia base their whole game, Pocock. Roberts should be the lions captain but not sure he will want it as it will interfere with his medical studies.
Did you notice how England exposed Priestland? They did that heavily. They made him decide quicker what to do with the ball. What happened. He turned over the ball 3 times or kicked it directly down someones throat aimlessly. Trust me international teams picked it up and watch the sharks come for him now. If he is truly world class he will react in a good manner by making better decisions in short space of time but on Saturday he was found wanting.The Six nations hasn't really opened up as of yet especially not for England! Farrell showed promise at 10 and his composure for a 20 year old is pretty impressive!
Warburton is a bit of a freak tbh, the tackle on Tuilagi 5m from the line was ridiculous! I have a feeling the Celtic nations will occupy most of the spots on the Lions tour at this rate, its looking good though especially the back row and threequarters.
My Possible Lions 2013 team:
1. G.Jenkins
2. R. Ford
3. A. Jones / D.Cole
4. R.Gray / C.Lawes
5. P. O'Connell
6. S.Ferris
7. S.Warburton
8. T.Faletau / D.Denton
9. M.Phillips / B.Youngs (Only if Youngs gets back to form though he is terrible atm)
10. R.Priestland / J.Sexton /
11. G.North
12. J.Roberts
13. M.Tuilagi / BOD
14. T.Bowe / C.Ashton (See Youngs) / S.Hogg
15. L.Halfpenny / R.Kearney / B.Foden
My post on Warburton wasn't clear, my point was whoever plays 7 will have enough on his plate countering Pocock without being made captain. Which is why I think they will look elsewhere. Not only is Robshaw not Pocock, but the Aussie game is based around turn over and counter and The zimbabwean is the fulcrum of the Aussie side. When does Roberts finish his studies? Reason being, he is the one player who is certain of his place at this stage and a decision will have to be made on the captain before the squad is announced.Roberts Nah, come on sam the man, he's a shoe in for the lions, the captaincy might not be nailed on for him but, he must be in the top 3, he captains Wales and it does'nt afffect his game, in fact an Englishman named him man of the Match saturday, he kept his cool when we had a man sent off kept the ball and run the clock down, Wales kept the ball for 8,1/2 min England took a min for the pen, I don't think him too bad under presure.
If he hadn't been caught drink driving Danny Care would have been starting for England and Dickson would have been back at Northampton saints struggling to get a start.I liked the look of the englsih 9. Also liked the look of farrell at 10.
I think halfpenny is the best fullback but stuck him on the wing because kearney is in such good form.
Scotland placed a lot of pressure on the scrummie when they played Wales. England decided to stretch the blanket and try and put as much pressure on Priestland. He was the difference between the previous Welsh teams running sideways and the modern one running straight with purpose. Brad Barritt pressed so hard in midfield that they not only neutralised Jamie Roberts, who sat out the second-half with damaged knee ligaments, but they forced Priestland to often decide what to do after he received the ball. Gatland would have pulled him off if James Hook did not have chicken pox.Agreed that was Priestlands worst game at 10 for Wales!
I watched him play for the Scarlets a few years ago and it seemed he just didn't have the temparent to make it even at Heineken Cup level. Then a couple of years later he had a few quality games at 15 and then hopped in to 10 for both the Scarlets and Wales. Then the RWC happened.
I'm hoping George Ford matures by 2013, really not a standout 10 for the Lions this time round...
Brian Ashton praises England interim coach Stuart Lancaster
Former England coach Brian Ashton has praised the positive impact of interim boss Stuart Lancaster.
Ashton, who led England between 2006 and 2008, believes Lancaster has enhanced his reputation since taking over from Martin Johnson.
"He's made a very impressive impact on the England squad," said Ashton.
"Could anyone have done a better job in these three weeks than Stuart's done? He's done almost everything everyone asked of him."
Former England Saxons coach Lancaster was handed the reins for the senior squad's Six Nations campaign by the Rugby Football Union in December, after Johnson quit as head coach in November following a miserable World Cup campaign.
The 42-year-old has made sweeping changes from the England side that made a quarter-final exit to France, handing international debuts to eight players in a much-changed squad led by new captain Chris Robshaw.
The new-look side started Lancaster's regime with their first win at Murrayfield in eight years against Scotland before a hard-fought 19-15 success in Italy .
Then, with seven players making their Twickenham bow, they earned many plaudits for a plucky display in Saturday's controversial 19-12 defeat against strong favourites Wales.
"He's been put in a very unfortunate position," said Ashton. "To have an interim coach job for five games must be incredibly difficult.
"But England have shown a lot of progress. They won two banana skin games away from home and almost beat what was a pretty rampant Wales team before Saturday.
"He's obviously decided first of all to toughen up and return to the basics of work ethic and discipline to try to build up the team spirit.
"He's sorted out the defence and set pieces and now, as he said he would do, in the third game against Wales, England showed a little bit more ambition and willingness and freedom to play with the ball in hand. So far, he's kept to his word."
Former Bath coach Ashton has also warned RFU bosses that they must pick the right man, and not necessarily the highest profile, as Johnson's permanent successor. And he has offered to help provide some insight into the fundamentals of the role.
"I hope they take the advice of some people who actually know what the job entails," said the 65-year-old. "And, if they are they haven't spoken to me about it.
"If they're just looking to appoint a big name then I think they're probably going down the wrong route.
"They need to appoint someone with a clear vision of where England need to go for the next four years.
"I would imagine Stuart Lancaster has got a clearer vision than anyone else at the moment. Translating that vision into reality is the job of the coach and so far he's not done a bad job."
Meanwhile, former England winger Mark Cueto has labelled calls for Northampton's Chris Ashton to be dropped from Lancaster's starting XV as "ridiculous".
"He is one of the best wingers in the country," Cueto told BBC Radio 5 live. "I don't think he is particularly out of form.
"He is just not getting the opportunities and he is getting frustrated.
"He has not done anything wrong, ultimately, and to pick someone out like that is just ridiculous."