Rugby Union 2012/13

[Dave Summers]

England squad for the Autumn Internationals announced earlier and very interested in how young Vunipola goes at loose head.  He won't start in front of Marler, at least not for the big games, I wouldn't imagine but it's good that he will get some experience.

The announcement though does expose the folly of Lancaster having to pick his Elite and Saxon squads in the middle of Summer.  Owen Farrell is nowhere near the form to play at 10 for England and doesn't get much game time for Sarries there either.  If anything happens to Flood we are fooked if we have to start him.  There was little room for manouevre for Lancaster and it's a real shame that he couldn't have squeezed Freddie Burns in somewhere.  It is what it is though and presuming all fit, I would go the following :

Marler
Hartley
Cole
Lawes
Parling
Wood
Robshaw
Morgan

Youngs
Flood
Monye
Tuilagi
Joseph
Ashton
Goode

Vunipola, Youngs, Palmer, Johnson, Care, Farrell, Brown 

[lovejoy]

No Burns, no Simpson Daniel, I despair. Please can a non Gloucester supporter let me know in their independent view this is fair?

[PaulWinch again]

I think overall the squad decision is fair, obviously you're always going to have a few players you could go either way on. However I think the squad seems to have been picked on form and performance over the summer in South Africa overall.

[paul_e]

I'm mostly happy with the squad but for 3 -

Freddie Burns should have been an automatic choice, he's the most promising young FH in the country and has stepped up a level this year, should be in instead on Farrell who isn't playing fly half at club level and has major limitations to his game when he plays there.

Stefon Armitage should be there, yes he's played a few games for England and not done it but it was only 6 games and since then he's had a season and a bit of being the best back row in a very competitive french league, he deserves a chance to start 3-4 games in a row (like the chance Robshaw was given).  He is fantastic and turning ball over on the floor, which is an area England have struggled with since Back retired in 2003.

Monye shouldn't be anywhere near the squad.  We have some very exciting young talents on the wing who should be getting experience now to be ready for the world cup, calling up someone so average in there place is silly.  If you're going to pick an older winger for experience then give Sinbad a go.

[PaulWinch again]

Monye is an odd choice.

[Dave Summers]

Monye is an odd choice.

Not for me he isn't, think he has something like 5 tries already this season?.  As much as I like Sinbad, I think his time has been and gone and he has been so unlucky, especially when he got glandular fever in 2002 just when he got in.  Think Jonny May has been injured hasn't he?  He would have been my choice if fit.  Wade I guess, like Cipriani,  they are worried by his defence as opposed to what he can do?. 

So although there are choices I don't think Monye is a poor choice. Got a good record for England and I would personally pick him in the team ahead of Sharples.

As I said in my original post, this is the problem of picking a squad in July before the season starts.  They couldn't drop Farrell for any reason other than injury.  Therefore he stays in and Burns stays out

[lovejoy]

Well after the Villa dross Glos are on hand to perk up the week end. How do like them apples Leicester? Monumental defence from those Glos heroes particularly with 13 men.

Hopefully Stuart Lancaster saw that and realises what a twat he's been with his selection.

The cherry on the icing on the cake was the Cock complaining about the ref at the end! Clearly he's going to ask for his money back.

[cheltenhamlion]

Going well for me on the rugby front. Stourbridge are demolishing all and sundry.

And after losing at home on the opening day Glaws have worked their way into a tidy run of form.

[lovejoy]

Big ask for Glos tomorrow though. I suspect the unbeaten away form to come to an end. That said it's still been a great start to the season.

[UK Redsox]

After 25 years (ie since the beginning of the league system) in the same division, with just a couple of seasons at the next level up, this could be the year that the mighty Lyd finally drop down a level.

We're currently second from bottom of "National Two South" with our only win being on the first day of the season against Barking, who are the only club below us.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League_2_South

[cheltenhamlion]

Try before half time killed Glaws at the weekend. The ref didn't help any either. Another bonus point win for Stour.

[Dave Summers]

Great news Freddie has been called up to the squad for the Autumn Internationals and well done to Twelvetrees as well.  JTH appears as though he is unfit and I can't think that he offers anything different to Barritt so it maybe a blessing.

Now the interesting part for Lancaster.  Freddie is in there, he is clearly the form putside half in the country, so has Lancaster the balls to put him in the Matchday 22 next weekend?.  Listening to Chris Foy from the Daily Mail on Talkshite last night, he doesn't seem to think so, but it would be a crying shame if he wasn't given an opportunity when he is in the form he currently is.

Looking at Clive Woodward's choice for England team was interesting as well.  Back row of Robshaw, Saull and Easter.  Half backs of Care, Cipriani.  Three quarters of Burns, Armitage in the centres and Ashton, Wade and Brown as back three.  His reasoning, he wants players with the X factor who will get the Twickenham Crowd off their feet and excited.

My backline now for Saturday would be Care, Burns, Barritt, Tuilagi, Sharples, Monye, Goode.  Leave Floody till the Aussie game and lets see what Freddie can do.  Ashton suspended and Joseph is injured, so that makes my mind up in the rest of the backs.   And please, let's not have Waldrom at 8, a back row of Robshaw, Morgan and either Johnson or Wood please.

Am off to Headquarters this Saturday, next Saturday and for the NZ game on 1st December, so looking forward to seeing I hope a minimum of three wins.   

[paul_e]

As above - great news for Burns and, in my opinion, he has to have a shot to see if he can step up to internationals.  Given the first game is the easiest I'd start him on saturday.

As for woodward's picks, the back row is poor, of those only Robshaw deserves a squad place let alone a start (I like Saull and think he has a lot to offer but he's not ready), If fit Wood has to be the fist name down and Morgan is miles ahead of Easter as an international 8.  From there - how can you say you want an exciting side and then pick armitage ahead of Joseph (shame he's a doubt for the first game), that's just silly.


Cole, Youngs, Vunipola, Lawes (if he's fit), Parling, Wood, Morgan, Robshaw
Care, Burns, Sharples, Barritt, Tuilagi, Ashton, Goode

Touch harsh on Mike Brown but I just don't think he's international quality, fly half there's no point looking at Flood for this game (we know what he can do) and I don't like Farrell as a 10, he's too 1-dimensional.  I'd go with vunipola for the same reason as Burns, if you can't pick him for this game he's got no business being in the squad because it's only going to get tougher.

I also really don't like the 2nd row options, Botha is average and Palmer is going to struggle to make the next world cup so I'd pick 1 or the other of them and look at getting a younger option, Graham Kitchener being my choice, him and Lawes could make an excellent pairing for the next 10-12 years.

[andyaston]

Great news Freddie has been called up to the squad for the Autumn Internationals and well done to Twelvetrees as well.  JTH appears as though he is unfit and I can't think that he offers anything different to Barritt so it maybe a blessing.

Now the interesting part for Lancaster.  Freddie is in there, he is clearly the form putside half in the country, so has Lancaster the balls to put him in the Matchday 22 next weekend?.  Listening to Chris Foy from the Daily Mail on Talkshite last night, he doesn't seem to think so, but it would be a crying shame if he wasn't given an opportunity when he is in the form he currently is.

Looking at Clive Woodward's choice for England team was interesting as well.  Back row of Robshaw, Saull and Easter.  Half backs of Care, Cipriani.  Three quarters of Burns, Armitage in the centres and Ashton, Wade and Brown as back three.  His reasoning, he wants players with the X factor who will get the Twickenham Crowd off their feet and excited.

My backline now for Saturday would be Care, Burns, Barritt, Tuilagi, Sharples, Monye, Goode.  Leave Floody till the Aussie game and lets see what Freddie can do.  Ashton suspended and Joseph is injured, so that makes my mind up in the rest of the backs.   And please, let's not have Waldrom at 8, a back row of Robshaw, Morgan and either Johnson or Wood please.

Am off to Headquarters this Saturday, next Saturday and for the NZ game on 1st December, so looking forward to seeing I hope a minimum of three wins.   

I'm going against the Aussies. is Richmond the best place to drink pre-match?

[Dave Summers]

Great news Freddie has been called up to the squad for the Autumn Internationals and well done to Twelvetrees as well.  JTH appears as though he is unfit and I can't think that he offers anything different to Barritt so it maybe a blessing.

Now the interesting part for Lancaster.  Freddie is in there, he is clearly the form putside half in the country, so has Lancaster the balls to put him in the Matchday 22 next weekend?.  Listening to Chris Foy from the Daily Mail on Talkshite last night, he doesn't seem to think so, but it would be a crying shame if he wasn't given an opportunity when he is in the form he currently is.

Looking at Clive Woodward's choice for England team was interesting as well.  Back row of Robshaw, Saull and Easter.  Half backs of Care, Cipriani.  Three quarters of Burns, Armitage in the centres and Ashton, Wade and Brown as back three.  His reasoning, he wants players with the X factor who will get the Twickenham Crowd off their feet and excited.

My backline now for Saturday would be Care, Burns, Barritt, Tuilagi, Sharples, Monye, Goode.  Leave Floody till the Aussie game and lets see what Freddie can do.  Ashton suspended and Joseph is injured, so that makes my mind up in the rest of the backs.   And please, let's not have Waldrom at 8, a back row of Robshaw, Morgan and either Johnson or Wood please.

Am off to Headquarters this Saturday, next Saturday and for the NZ game on 1st December, so looking forward to seeing I hope a minimum of three wins.   

I'm going against the Aussies. is Richmond the best place to drink pre-match?

I quite like Richmond, from the little I have seen of it, but never been there before the game.  I do know that it is very popular though.   The one aspect that puts me off is that you have either got to get a train or a bus or a massive walk to get to the ground.

We tend to go to the pubs in Twickenham itself.  If you are heading there by train then come out of the station and turn left into Twickenham town centre, as opposed to going right towards the ground.  As with many sporting events the pubs that are right near to the station are the ones that get busy and packed the quickest.  However, if you keep going down the High Street you will pass numerous other establishments and the further you carry on, the more room you will get and the quicker you will get served.

Our favourite is The George. If you cross over the road by the station turn left and keep walking for about 500 yds.  As the road bears to the right, you will see it and it's about 4 doors down from Greggs (Little taste of Brum:-)).  Reasonable amount of room in there and in the garden at the back, they normally have a BBQ from memory too.  Big screens showing Football if it is on as well.  It's about a 20/30 min walk to the ground from there, takes that long because of the sheer volume of people going to the game.

If you haven't been before, hope you have a fantastic day.  I put going to International Rugby right at the top of my favourite days out I must admit.