International Rugby

[taylorsworkrate]

Anything less than 3 wins out of 4 should see the end of Jones.

[taylorsworkrate]

Yet again the lack of discipline is a fucking disgrace.

[PaulWinch again]

Pretty fucking poor.

[taylorsworkrate]

Staggering its only 8-6 to SA at half time. They've been hugely superior in every area. Thankfully they blew some pretty simple chances.

The difference in physicality between the sides has been huge. Turning that around will be very difficult

[taylorsworkrate]

Much better 2nd half, but still very very fortunate to win the game. Farrell very lucky to get away with the hit at the end, would have been pissed off if that was the other way around.

We need to inject that sort of tempo into the game from the start.

[lovejoy]

Cipriani got a red for much less a few weeks ago. The IRU needs to sort this massive inconsistency out.

[Jon Crofts]

Game of 2 halves.
Much better second half. I’m sorry but Youngs offers nothing, Care needs to start next week.

[Jon Crofts]

Like a late Spring day in Twickenham today.



2013 sl63 0 60

[PaulWinch again]

Good to stick it out and get that result, but need to be much better.

[nigel]

Brilliant defence by England,  especially the final few minutes.
Thought the Ref got the Farrell decision right, he tried to wrap him but with the pace of impact couldn't complete.
South African line out cost them the game, it was awful

[paul_e]

I've had a busy day so I missed most of the game and have only seena  handful of highlights.

On the Farrell tackle I can see both sides, it's one that right on the edge of the laws.

I'll pass more comments when I've watched more but I'm not surprised to see lots of comments about T'eo and Youngs being weak links (not here).

[PaulWinch again]

T’eo is an odd choice purely for the minutes he’s played. I like him as a player, mainly as an impact payer, but he’s clearly not match fit.

[paul_e]

T’eo is an odd choice purely for the minutes he’s played. I like him as a player, mainly as an impact payer, but he’s clearly not match fit.

I'm not sure, I watch a lot of premiership rugby and I've never bene massively impressed by him, he's ok but he's not a particularly effective crash runner (which is what we seem to want to make him into) he just does'n t run the right lines (Burrell is still the best player in the league for that but unfortunately he has too many weaknesses in his all round game) so it doesn't feel like he's going to open teams up in the way that the very best big centres do. My other issue with bringing him in is that it makes the whole thing feel a little muddled. We've used Ford and Farrell as 10/12 for 3 years and it seems to odd to shift the 2nd playmaker to 13 and just go for bulk in at 12.

The biggest problem, as ever, is that I don't think we have any genuinely world class centres, Manu might have become one with better coaching and less injuries (Trinder too) but other than that most English centres currently are out of position 10s or wingers. A top centre has the all round game of a back but combines it with the 'dog' of a 6/7, 1 of your centres (preferably 13) really needs to be able to boss the breakdown like a backrow, and we don't have any who offer that and we don't seem to be encouraging them through either.

Of all the young players in the league my current centre pairing would be utterly batshit crazy because I'd go with:

Mallinder at 12 is the more sensible one. I'd focus him on running good lines and breaking the line consistently as well as work with him on making the big hits on 10s and backrows to make the most of his size advantage. He's got a great offloading game, bags of pace, soft hands and a very good kicking game but has been badly let down by Saints in the last 2 years because they keep playing him to fill gaps rather than give him a specific role and double down on it.

At 13 we have major problems, Slade is a band aid, Manu and Trinder are broken and can't be relied on, Daly is an option (but suffers the same versatility issue as Mallinder) but none of them are right. On that basis I'd try to create one from scratch. What I want is, good hands, a decent offloading game, an eye for the tryline, pace, strength, a solid tackle and the ability to win turnovers, give me all of those things and 6months of positional coaching and you've got a 13 for the world cup. On that basis I'd beg Exeter to convert Sam Simmonds.

[nigel]

T’eo is an odd choice purely for the minutes he’s played. I like him as a player, mainly as an impact payer, but he’s clearly not match fit.

I'm not sure, I watch a lot of premiership rugby and I've never bene massively impressed by him, he's ok but he's not a particularly effective crash runner (which is what we seem to want to make him into) he just does'n t run the right lines (Burrell is still the best player in the league for that but unfortunately he has too many weaknesses in his all round game) so it doesn't feel like he's going to open teams up in the way that the very best big centres do. My other issue with bringing him in is that it makes the whole thing feel a little muddled. We've used Ford and Farrell as 10/12 for 3 years and it seems to odd to shift the 2nd playmaker to 13 and just go for bulk in at 12.

The biggest problem, as ever, is that I don't think we have any genuinely world class centres, Manu might have become one with better coaching and less injuries (Trinder too) but other than that most English centres currently are out of position 10s or wingers. A top centre has the all round game of a back but combines it with the 'dog' of a 6/7, 1 of your centres (preferably 13) really needs to be able to boss the breakdown like a backrow, and we don't have any who offer that and we don't seem to be encouraging them through either.

Of all the young players in the league my current centre pairing would be utterly batshit crazy because I'd go with:

Mallinder at 12 is the more sensible one. I'd focus him on running good lines and breaking the line consistently as well as work with him on making the big hits on 10s and backrows to make the most of his size advantage. He's got a great offloading game, bags of pace, soft hands and a very good kicking game but has been badly let down by Saints in the last 2 years because they keep playing him to fill gaps rather than give him a specific role and double down on it.

At 13 we have major problems, Slade is a band aid, Manu and Trinder are broken and can't be relied on, Daly is an option (but suffers the same versatility issue as Mallinder) but none of them are right. On that basis I'd try to create one from scratch. What I want is, good hands, a decent offloading game, an eye for the tryline, pace, strength, a solid tackle and the ability to win turnovers, give me all of those things and 6months of positional coaching and you've got a 13 for the world cup. On that basis I'd beg Exeter to convert Sam Simmonds.

Flippin' heck, Paul.
There's 'Batshit crazy' and there's 'Batshit crazy' 

I certainly agree on Mallinder. Great player.
I wonder if he'd benefit by leaving Northampton?

[paul_e]

Oh i know, i just can't see a proper 13 anywherr and he's one of the few players with the right skillset.

Marchant is the best youngster and he can be trained and might learn to play at the breakdown but like most English 13s he's currently a winger with a pass.