Smashing idea Cyc. RWC is always great and I'm heading over to Costa Del Sol for the weekend of the quarter finals so hoping England will have made it. I'm a massive Union fan.
Sadly, I feel that England are in danger of going out in the group phase. The balance of the squad simply isnt there, and neither is the leadership in all key positions.
The back row is amongst the slowest in the tournament- our Captain is not a true 7, whilst Vunipola il hasn't had a good game at 8 yet and Wood hasn't really had a memorable game at 6. We have the best 7 in Europe (Steffan Armitage) on a beach in France due to our selection rules.
The pack do not clear our rucks fast enough at the breakdown and to add insult to injury we have Ben Youngs and Danny Care at scrum half who have this irritating habit of doing a two step hot shoe shuffle every time they pass the ball which is allowing oppoisition defences up to around 2-3m closer to us and suffocating any momentum. If that isn't fixed then all I can imagine is us playing 10 man rugby where we try to mall our way into position.
Our wingers are very exciting and Anthony Watson could be a star if only we provide the service to release him. The centre combinations look imbalanced. Henry Slade is potentially the long-term answer at 12, yet he played at 13 outside Sam Burgess against France at Twickenham. Sam is an outstanding rugby player with all of the skills but only one international cap and has played two positions in his one season of Union- inside centre and blindside flanker. His speed and tackling would make him a real potential star in the back row and I could imagine him hitting rucks quickly and stealing a lot of ball, but I suspect his best times in 4 years time in either position and that this tournament is a little early.
Brad Barritt is a very good tackler but has neither the once not guile to set the backs alight and his selection tells me England will play a narrow, direct, cumbersome tournament built on defence. Worryingly, we need the tight 5 to get on top physically yet France annihilated them for two weeks in a row, so there is work to be done there.
Wales have been hit and miss at world cups but last time out they should have been finalists but for a terrible red card decision and their win in Dublin this week suggests that they could be peaking nicely. That said, they are missing key leaders like Jon Davis through injury, who is an outstanding outside centre partner for Jamie Roberts, and have dropped 99 cap Lions star Mike Phillips and Lions hooker Hibbard, and I just wonder will that lack of leadership tilt a close game in England's favour? That's what I hope but Wales will severely test England if their pack holds up.
Australia look rejuvenated and are a dangerous World Cup contender. Israel Falau (spelling?) is special and will light up the tournament. The key to Aussie success will be the pack. England's game against them will rest on the battle up front and in the scrum.if the Aussie front row crumbles then England could cash in with penalties and 3 points, but if they don't they have a top back row and 7 in Hooper, and their backs are outstanding. They beat NZ in the build up to this so again, it will be nail biting and there is a real danger of England struggling, especially looking at the obvious imbalance of the squad.
I hope we pick Farrell at 10 because young Ford looked all at sea in France when he needed to show calm and logical thinking and we can't kick so badly against these teams as they will punish us. I think Slade or Burgess has to play 12, and then Joseph or Barritt has to play outside of them. Any other way around and it just won't work.
Cipriani and Easter are both massively unfortunate to not be in the squad because both had incredible impacts on Paris last week. Cipriani I has the pace, vision, Flair and versatility to change a game and give us options. Easter looked like a real leader of men last week with a clear head and literally dragged Enfland back into the game and gave them some direction. I'm hoping to find a clip of the post match team talk on the pitch in Paris last week where Easter speaks to the team and everyone suddenly stands up and listens. Leadership like that is invaluable in these tournaments and sadly it wasn't coming from Captain for 70 mins.
Hope we make it through ur head says we will do well to get past a QF.
