Englands Rugby Team

[DodgyAgent]

To be announced today. England could probably put out 5 good teams all of the same quality but almost completely lacking any real world class players. As for Owen Farrell he has few line breaking qualities and has an extremely short fuse -although he may be as skilful as Johnny Wilkinson, it was Wilkinson's temperament and bravery that made him the player he was. Back row forwards a plenty but this six nations will show if good club players are likely to step up to being outstanding Internationals. Where is England's no7 going to come from ?

I can see a defeat looming at Murrayfield

[Mich the Tester]

To be announced today. England could probably put out 5 good teams all of the same quality but almost completely lacking any real world class players. As for Owen Farrell he has few line breaking qualities and has an extremely short fuse -although he may be as skilful as Johnny Wilkinson, it was Wilkinson's temperament and bravery that made him the player he was. Back row forwards a plenty but this six nations will show if good club players are likely to step up to being outstanding Internationals. Where is England's no7 going to come from ?

I can see a defeat looming at Murrayfield

Time to rebuild and give new players and coaches a chance; important thing this time is to see improvement game by game and not the inconsistency of the last 8 years. If you improve a little bit each week and month then it doesn't really matter where you start, so parity against Scotland would be a good starting point.

Now I'm not suggesting you should be learning the game while playing for England and I too think there's not enough experience to be really competitive, but that's the result of the last 8 years and Mr Lancaster's got to make the best of a bad job; best of luck to him.

I'll be going to the Italy game, which is another potential banana skin.

[shaunbhoy]

I can see a defeat looming at Murrayfield

We can but hope.

[doomage]

Slim pickings for Lancaster at the moment, lot of guys out with injury. More rebuilding eh?

One thing I noticed from the RWC is too many of the backs are too big. I think Austin Healy mentioned this a few years back. Size is great when you can be organised enough to hit the line at pace but with close / rush defences line breaks are made by getting to max velocity over the shortest distance. Hence the most line breaks for the england backline came from Toby Flood (or so it looked).

Also, no need for loyalty to the players anymore, 2003 a long time ago now. So pick on form & hunger. Question is, are they up for it.

[Mich the Tester]

To be announced today. England could probably put out 5 good teams all of the same quality but almost completely lacking any real world class players. As for Owen Farrell he has few line breaking qualities and has an extremely short fuse -although he may be as skilful as Johnny Wilkinson, it was Wilkinson's temperament and bravery that made him the player he was. Back row forwards a plenty but this six nations will show if good club players are likely to step up to being outstanding Internationals. Where is England's no7 going to come from ?I can see a defeat looming at Murrayfield

Dunno for now, maybe Croft, but worth having a look around the clubs below the premiership for some future open sides; you'll find that many, many clubs have good young open side flankers in the Neil Back mould who'll bust a gut to play for England some day but don't have a professional contract; I can think of at least three that play for the invitation side whose Vets I play for in the summer; all of them playing national 2 or regional first divisions, desperately fighting to get a contract but un-be-fooking-lievably fit, aggressive and talented open sides. Neil Back was spotted as a future world class flanker while still at Barkers Butts in midlands 1; that's the sort of place where you'll find the great open sides of the future because the competition for a premiership or championship contract drives those guys to train like their lives depend on it.

Let's be honest, open side flanker boils down to being the fittest most aggressive (controlled) bastard on the pitch; the rest can be learned. You need someone with the starting speed of a sprinter, the upper body of a gymnast and the lungs of a middle distance runner; if he's got half a brain you can make a class flanker of him (ps the brain is probably the bit that's most difficult to find and if he has more than half a brain he'll probably play blind side, says MTT in the completely objective and unbiased fashion of an ageing blind side).

[Mich the Tester]

Slim pickings for Lancaster at the moment, lot of guys out with injury. More rebuilding eh?

One thing I noticed from the RWC is too many of the backs are too big. I think Austin Healy mentioned this a few years back. Size is great when you can be organised enough to hit the line at pace but with close / rush defences line breaks are made by getting to max velocity over the shortest distance. Hence the most line breaks for the england backline came from Toby Flood (or so it looked).

Also, no need for loyalty to the players anymore, 2003 a long time ago now. So pick on form & hunger. Question is, are they up for it.

Good points; Tuilagi made good breaks, more because he's quick off the mark than because of his strength. Many backs should spend a bit less time in the gym and a bit more time on the running track.

[DodgyAgent]

Dunno for now, maybe Croft, but worth having a look around the clubs below the premiership for some future open sides; you'll find that many, many clubs have good young open side flankers in the Neil Back mould who'll bust a gut to play for England some day but don't have a professional contract; I can think of at least three that play for the invitation side whose Vets I play for in the summer; all of them playing national 2 or regional first divisions, desperately fighting to get a contract but un-be-fooking-lievably fit, aggressive and talented open sides. Neil Back was spotted as a future world class flanker while still at Barkers Butts in midlands 1; that's the sort of place where you'll find the great open sides of the future because the competition for a premiership or championship contract drives those guys to train like their lives depend on it.

Let's be honest, open side flanker boils down to being the fittest most aggressive (controlled) bastard on the pitch; the rest can be learned. You need someone with the starting speed of a sprinter, the upper body of a gymnast and the lungs of a middle distance runner; if he's got half a brain you can make a class flanker of him (ps the brain is probably the bit that's most difficult to find and if he has more than half a brain he'll probably play blind side, says MTT in the completely objective and unbiased fashion of an ageing blind side).

I played against Barkers Butts - the dirtiest game ever.

[Mich the Tester]

I played against Barkers Butts - the dirtiest game ever.

Who were you playing for? Not Nuneaton by any chance?

Nuneaton were the dirtiest chav scum bastard asshole peasant bunch of ASBOs I ever played against.

no hard feelings though






(but then I played for Barkers Butts for 2 years, so I'm entirely objective about this)

[Ignis Fatuus]

I can see a defeat looming at Murrayfield

Not sure about that, ISTM that Scotland victories over England, when they do happen, are down to Scotland winning rather than England losing. Which I suppose you'd expect since England are generally the stronger team: sometimes Scotland just put a bit extra in and that's when they win.

Like my favourite event, the first six nations in 2000: by the time the Calcutta Cup came around, England had beaten everybody else, and Scotland had lost to everybody else including Italy. Then they had just f***in' had enough and weren't about to lose to the old enemy as well, no matter what it took. So they won, somewhat against the odds. But not this time I suspect.

[BrilloPad]

Not sure about that, ISTM that Scotland victories over England, when they do happen, are down to Scotland winning rather than England losing. Which I suppose you'd expect since England are generally the stronger team: sometimes Scotland just put a bit extra in and that's when they win.

Like my favourite event, the first six nations in 2000: by the time the Calcutta Cup came around, England had beaten everybody else, and Scotland had lost to everybody else including Italy. Then they had just f***in' had enough and weren't about to lose to the old enemy as well, no matter what it took. So they won, somewhat against the odds. But not this time I suspect.

Maybe if we grant the Scots independence they will let us win? Though personallyI can't wait to be rid of them. Then they might just stop whining.