So far Wales have had to chop and change the team for both games! But with a number of key players potentially back who you'll come straight back into the side?! Mathew Rees is a dead certain as the lineout has been wobbly in the 2 games but Ireland are the masters of disrupting the lineout and Scotland ain't a push over either!! With huge second rows The major dilemma for me is where can Ryan Jones play he has played superb in both games but he isn't an international second row and with Alun Wyn Jones returning its more then likely he'll slot straight back in! And he won't get a chance in the back row as Dan Lydiate is a shoe in at 6 and same for Toby Falatau at 8 I feel for him!! But the problem with our back row is we haven't got a natural lineout target!! This is why Wales are struggling at the lineout you look at any international team n they have 3 targets Wales have 2...i may be wrong but I never see Sam Toby or Dan used as jumpers and if they do very Rare!!! Compare that to The other sides they've always got options example being Parisse, Croft, Harinordoquy, Heaslip the list goes on..... Then the BIG one!! IF G North is injured who should we play there?!? IMO I would keep L Halfpenny at full back and try another winger as this is the only position we lack depth tbh name another international winger for Wales only got G North and L Half and Cuthbert (who has 3 caps) and I don't rate Brew tbh where's Prydie gone?!? Haven't heard much of him over the last year or so...but I would try Liam Williams been performing well and and is young at 20/21 n isn't small either at 6ft 2 We got experience at full back so we should focus on blooding some alternative wingers!! My team for England G Jenkins. M Rees. A Jones. A W Jones. I Evans. D Lydiate. S Warburton. T Faletau. M Phillips. R Priestland. J Roberts. J Davies. L Williams. A Cuthbert. L Halfpenny. I've not included G North as I doubt he'll be fit for the game... What's your thoughts?!
Strong team, you should put 30+ points past us in my opinion. I think the England team will be, (in brackets would be my choice) Corbisero-Hartley-Cole(Stevens) Lawes-Botha Croft-Morgan-Robshaw(Wood) Dickson Flood (Farrell) Tuilagi-Barritt Ashton-Foden-Strettle
If England name the side that is being rumoured, then we are well and truly ****ed! I've never been so pessimistic for an England game.
Agreed - however for once we are entitled to say that this really is a side in rebuilding mode. If they play well and keep the score respectable then i'll be happy.
On the plus side England played really, really well and we get to claim the moral high ground! Congrats to Wales - they didn't referee the game.
moral high ground!!!! no sour grapes then!!!! The welsh team had a similar average age to englands and we found a way to win a triple crown away from home! You played well though, but, when Wales outplayed you with only 14 men and then Youngs and Flood appeared, I felt it was game over. Rugby is a game that last 80 minutes and the young Welsh upstarts were simply fitter than the young English upstarts.
It's sad when a ****** finds himself on to the internet. Out played when you had 14 men? You played the ball through your forwards and the ref missed the biggest knock in history you stupid ****. No offence moron, but I think over the duration of the game England were the better side and it's hard for me to say that. Wales proved they have no creativity and when the crash ball doesn't work they are ****ed. If France play to their potential they will beat you and win the 6N as they have a team with great players. You have North but they have Medard, Clerc, Trin Duc, Rougerie.. and I could go on. Skilled and big ass backs. Farrell showed today that he is better than your number 10 which shows great promise for us. Equally young teams? Yes we both have young teams but yours have been playing for a lot longer together. You can't make this **** up, you are dumb as ****.
After recovering from yesterday I'll give my opinion!! That game was superb!! For anyone watching it...England played very well!! But they always do at HQ look at when the SH teams go there it's never a hammering...I'm glad Lancaster made those changes there the exact changes I would of made... You were right about the crash ball it didn't work against England but they have a VERY good defence but when Scott William's came on he changed the way we played...he had a chance of setting up a try with an over lap with Leigh halfpenny but didn't pass it!! But then scored the winning try!! Btw he's only 21... Farrell was MOM IMO he was immense but you can't say he's better then Priestland after one game?!? That's silly he's got the potential to be a world class player!!! Priestland had an off day sin bin charge down isolated a few times but I'm sure Johny had his moments!! It will make him stronger England's scrum looked weak under a good welsh pack I was surprised after they held there own against Italy... The try at the end to me was no try! I can't see downward pressure how can the be when his hand is in that position..? In the pub though I was hoping it was a try n hope Toby missed the kick cause I thought it would of been a 5m attacking scrum held up over the line and to me that means the ball hasn't gone dead.... England an Wales got good young players!! I just question whether England have got strength With youngsters?!? They need to start bleeding a few more slowly into the international side! If you looked at that welsh bench it had experience on there but a majority of them are young as well with caps under there belt!!! Example: S Williams Tuperic Shingler L Williams Beck A good English team along with all other NH teams is only good for Wales otherwise we will never compete against the SH Wales have got the hardest fixtures out of the way where England have got Ireland and France very tough games!!!
those grapes really are sour and you're becoming bitter. congratulations, at least you won something ...... please log in to view this image
Now that I'm sober It was a great game and personally my favourite so far this 6N. It was full of intensity and my nerves never left me throughout the game. If England had won Farrell would have got man of the match. Him and Priestland are very similar and could be the best 2 no. 10s in the world for a while to come. Halfpenny is a superb player and is certainly on form at the moment. I totally agree with England needing to blood some more youngsters, our U20s stuffed your team on Friday night so it shows there's a lot coming through. I know Lawes was at faul for the try but I think he should have started with Botha. I don't really rate Robshaw as an international and I would like to see a natural number 7 playing in that position. Northampton Saints have Calum Clark (22) and Ben Nutley (19 I think) who are both natural 7s. Blood them as they will be superb. I think England will be Ireland and lose to France. Wales will beat Italy but I will not guess the result of the France Wales game.
No sour grapes at all - before the game we were pretty much being told that we didn't even have the right to be on the same pitch as this Messianic welsh team - we played well and were not that far off winning (and no i did not say we deserved to do so). For me that would count as a moral victory - after all our Celtic cousins always like to claim a moral victory even when we used to put 60 points on them. Your point about age is totally meaningless - it's experience that counts and the welsh team had a ridiculously bigger number of caps between them so there should have been a gulf in class - and there wasn't.
that try put it like this if i am guttedhat it wsnt given, but if it had happened that wales would of drawn with that try i would of been gutted. I not sure if its try or not after 24 hours of looking at it enuff said
True it is about experience n Wales had that in abundance!!! But in 5 years times it be the same, Wales will have more experience than England yet have the same age range so Wales got the advantage?!? Right... And yes England were over 80 mins the better team hands up!! but a good team shows that you have that winning edge and mentality!! Just like NZ or in football man united etc can be on the backfoot but still win... Ppl said Wales were lucky cause we beat Scotland because they had 14/13 men....well it was reversed when we were down to 14 men it's about being ruthless and clinical and England didn't take advantage of that!!! I'm very un bias in my opinion England have a good team and youngsters but like I said lack depth just like Wales did 3-4 years ago didn't see France as I was at wembley watching Cardiff...(crying) lol so i can't comment but by looking at the result it looks like France ain't firing on all cylinders..and just remember France got to play three games straight after today...England Ireland and then Wales at the MS so Wales for that reason should have a great advantage!!!
no worries... not sour grapes then, more like fermented ones! One hell of a game of rugby and both teams gave their all. Both teams will learn a lot after that game.
In 5 years time if the same 15 are playing then age or experience is irrelevent I don't think we lack depth, I think we lack decision making. We have some great players out there that aren't getting picked. Hartley is the only front row forward we have in our squad at the moment that I rate. We have players like Doran-Jones that doesn't get a look in even though he's a tank. We have Waldrom who for some reason is behind Dowson in the pecking order and that is laughable, he is built and plays like Morgan. Haskell is in Japan at the moment and will be back for the Summer which will give us a nice boost. Tom Wood will be back soon and I would like to see Calum Clark in the squad. I'm also really hoping Cipriani comes back from Aus and lives up to what he is capable of. I watched the Scotland/France game. Scotland started brilliantly and didn't take their chances as usual. All their fans are trying to blame the ref but he was equally bad to both sides in my opinion. France didn't have the best of games but my god Fofana is a class act.
I agree, early days yet, but a future of Farrell, Tuilagi and Barritt does at this point lack any creativity in the middle. No real 'ball players' in there, and eventually becoming very similar to the imited midfield line you just got rid off during the last 6 nations/world cup. You could have the greatest players in the Universe in the back 3 but they would not see the ball unless it gets kicked to them. IF you are happy with the same old same old then fair enough, but Lancaster said this would be a completely new England. Mmmmm ..... well, we shall see. Who knows what lies ahead with Farrell, but creativity is not one of his strongpoints at this point, more ball/territory control and defence. He definately played a lot better than Priestland on the weekend though! If you stick with him at 10 the you will need a different type of centre partnership if you want tries against the top sides.
Tuilagi isn't creative but he gives an attacking spark, with him in side we will score tries and he does bring the back 3 more into play by pulling players out of position. I agree with Farrell, at the moment he doesn't have the best attacking flair but he showed me at the weekend that he has the potential to do so. He showed he can attack and he was so many times better than Hodgson. Barritt is a tank in defence and it's shame that he wasn't brought up as a flanker because he would be superb at 7. I think the future is 10/12/13 - Farrell/Cipriani/Tuilagi. I think in the next 5 years the 6N will be challenged between England, Wales and France. Ireland are old and only have few youngsters coming through that are class. Murray at 9 is a good player. The future is bright for the NH teams in my opinion. I agree with your view on Lancaster, I was expecting a lot better and I have found he should have been testing a lot more players than he has. He has brought in Flood and Youngs when both of them are terribly off form at the moment. We have a kid called Burns playing week in week out for Gloucester and they're 5th in the league and having a very good season. If Lancaster wants the job he needs to try new players; I would like England to have Corbisero/Hartley/Doran Jones Botha or Palmer/Lawes Croft/Morgan/Clark Dickson Farrell Barritt/Tuilagi Ashton/Foden/Strettle I would like to see these players given a chance from the bench, Waldrom Burns Kitchener Nutley Sharples Elliott Saull Marler Tonnes of youngsters that should get a look in.
Good luck for the rest of the tournament . Rebuilding is never easy, sometimes one step forward and 2 steps back. This should have all been sorted for you under MJ, but as a Taff, I'm not complaining! I still recon Engalnd will have some say in this tournament (and hopefully help the Welsh cause!) PS... stay off those grapes!!
