6 Nations 2013

[Dave Summers]

Tweets and inside knowledge are suggesting that Manu will be on the bench on Sunday and Haskell will replace the injured Morgan.

I'll nail my colours to the mast and won't hide the fact I am disappointed we haven't gone for the bolder option of Twelvetrees and Manu as our centres on Sunday.  Can't help thinking that we have picked a side with Ireland in mind rather than worrying about what we are going to do.  I think that he wants to get them both in the same team as soon as possible, but is loathe to drop BB because he has been playing so well?

However, our bench will be exceptionally strong again on Sunday and the power and skill to come off it with the likes of Lawes, Vunipola x2, Hartley, Care, Flood and Manu is actually quite frightening.

Very quietly and in a comparatively short space of time, Lancaster has got together a strong squad with plenty of depth.

Looking forward to a Villa/England win double on Sunday

[paul_e]

Tweets and inside knowledge are suggesting that Manu will be on the bench on Sunday and Haskell will replace the injured Morgan.

I'll nail my colours to the mast and won't hide the fact I am disappointed we haven't gone for the bolder option of Twelvetrees and Manu as our centres on Sunday.  Can't help thinking that we have picked a side with Ireland in mind rather than worrying about what we are going to do.  I think that he wants to get them both in the same team as soon as possible, but is loathe to drop BB because he has been playing so well?

However, our bench will be exceptionally strong again on Sunday and the power and skill to come off it with the likes of Lawes, Vunipola x2, Hartley, Care, Flood and Manu is actually quite frightening.

Very quietly and in a comparatively short space of time, Lancaster has got together a strong squad with plenty of depth.

Looking forward to a Villa/England win double on Sunday

The depth has been coming for years, we have an excellent 'academy' structure in english rugby now, with each band of youngsters stronger than those before.  Fly half for example, we had Flood and Lamb, then Myler, Geraghty and Cipriani, then Burns and Farrell, and now Ford is coming through better than the lot of them (and he's not the only decent young fly half around).  It's the same all over the pitch and is a success based on work start before we won the world cup when Woodward realised that he had little coming through behind the squad he took in 2003.

Regarding your Bench - replace Mako with Marler (and add Corbs to the starting line up) and Flood with Burns, and I'd switch Hartley and Youngs at 2.  You'd then have a bench full of impact players ready to come on and change the game.

[Dave Summers]

Tweets and inside knowledge are suggesting that Manu will be on the bench on Sunday and Haskell will replace the injured Morgan.

I'll nail my colours to the mast and won't hide the fact I am disappointed we haven't gone for the bolder option of Twelvetrees and Manu as our centres on Sunday.  Can't help thinking that we have picked a side with Ireland in mind rather than worrying about what we are going to do.  I think that he wants to get them both in the same team as soon as possible, but is loathe to drop BB because he has been playing so well?

However, our bench will be exceptionally strong again on Sunday and the power and skill to come off it with the likes of Lawes, Vunipola x2, Hartley, Care, Flood and Manu is actually quite frightening.

Very quietly and in a comparatively short space of time, Lancaster has got together a strong squad with plenty of depth.

Looking forward to a Villa/England win double on Sunday

The depth has been coming for years, we have an excellent 'academy' structure in english rugby now, with each band of youngsters stronger than those before.  Fly half for example, we had Flood and Lamb, then Myler, Geraghty and Cipriani, then Burns and Farrell, and now Ford is coming through better than the lot of them (and he's not the only decent young fly half around).  It's the same all over the pitch and is a success based on work start before we won the world cup when Woodward realised that he had little coming through behind the squad he took in 2003.

Regarding your Bench - replace Mako with Marler (and add Corbs to the starting line up) and Flood with Burns, and I'd switch Hartley and Youngs at 2.  You'd then have a bench full of impact players ready to come on and change the game.

I thought Marler had a decent game last week but still prefer Mako too him.  I agree with you about Corbs though and if he was playing this weekend I would fancy us to absolutely marmalise the Irish front 5 and put an end to this daft talk of Healy and Best as 2/3rd's of the Lions front row.

I am presuming that Freddie is now fit and will be playing for Glaws at Saints on Saturday.  Like you, I would really like to see him get some game time and we should build our future fly half's around Farrell (he has come on a ton since NZ), Burns and Ford.

Hartley and Youngs is a tight one isn't it?.  I tend to got with you Paul and feel that Hartley would be better starting and Youngs coming on.  Not even mentioned Joe Gray at Quins who I really rate as well.

[paul_e]

Youngs has the extra pace which we could get better use out of later in the game.

I like Gray as well, he's a year or 2 away from being ready for full internationals though, better for him to be with the saxons for the time being.

Marler is a toughie.  He has a similar personality to Weimann, in that he's a much better player when he's angry, get Marler angry and he's a bull, he's easily the strongest of our front row but needs some encouragement to put that strength to use.  He's young enough to learn though.

Corbs is miles ahead of both though, like Cole, if he's fit he has to start.  Ditto if both are fit they have to be 1 and 3 for the lions.

[PaulWinch again]

If Farrell can continue to put in displays like he did last week and against NZ, he could be a top player. His game has come on a lot.

[Drummond]

I was supposed to be decorating this weekend, alas, the paint hasn't been delivered so now rather than having to secure a pass just for the Villa (it obviously goes without saying but does eat into the credit column a bit) I've got one for free for this too.

Of course I'd have just painted faster anyway, but that's not the point. Having said all that, inevitably the Mrs will have some cunning plan up her sleeve to whisk me off to look at baby grows or some such thing. Fingers crossed fro the snow to be heavy....

[cheltenhamlion]

Get her to solo view DIY shops for colour schemes. Pretend you are interested in everything she thinks of.

Don't tell her you don't give a shit about paragraph one. Never. Under any circumstances.

I did...

Ps - England by 8 - 10.

[cheltenhamlion]

Didn't see any of Saturdays games but understand the frogs got beaten again. That's a shame.

[Jon Crofts]

Yes the rifle droppers went down again in a pretty dull affair.  The Stade de France pitch was atrocious, surprised there weren't more injuries and I'm sure the IRB will be in touch.

[nigel]

Yes the rifle droppers went down again in a pretty dull affair.  The Stade de France pitch was atrocious, surprised there weren't more injuries and I'm sure the IRB will be in touch.

Agree, thought the pitch was a disgrace.

Did they give any reason/excuse? Or was it down to the shear volume of rain?

[jcsutv]

I have had a small bet with a work colleague that England will be within 6 points or better. Still not too confident though.

[taylorsworkrate]

Well not the free flowing stuff of last week, but conditions put paid to that. England were excellent defensively and Ireland wouldn't have scored a try if they'd played for a fortnight. Farrell really is maturing into something a bit special, and Ben Youngs and Robshaw were also excellent.

Only gripes were Tuilagi not putting the try away and a bit of indiscipline at the start of the second half.

That's Englands toughest test by a distance over with now, and provided they continue to play to their capabilities, id be stunned if they didnt complete the grand slam.

[PaulWinch again]

That was a coming of age performance. Never going to be pretty rugby, but we were more disciplined and excellent when we went to 14 men. Brilliant win in the end.

[nigel]

Great win for England,
Great win for Villa,
Great weekend for me 

[PaulWinch again]

Farrell is turning into a super player.