Rugby Union 2013-14

[paul_e]

Not overly happy that there's no Wade on the bench and Goode is back on the bench.

1 winger and 3 fullbacks in the 23, very negative.  I'm not sure how Yarde deserves to be dropped from the 23 but Tomkins and Ashton get another start each.  I feel sorry for Foden being put on the wing when he's the form fullback in the league.  I completely disagree with Marler starting.  I also note that Burrell still isn't going to get a look despite being the form centre.  A lot of the choices here seem to be down to loyalty rather than ability/form.  A bench with Flood and Goode as the the replacement backs is pretty uninspired.

[PaulWinch again]

To be fair apparently Wade was going to start but his hamstring tightened up. Also I didn't realise that Foden was starting on the wing, at least that means that Goode is only back in the squad as a temporary measure.

[PaulWinch again]

Yarde is out injured as well, so maybe it's more circumstantial than negative on reflection.

[Dave Summers]

Yes from what I am led to believe, Wade and Yarde were both going to start on Saturday and I was practically salivating at the prospect.  I have a ticket and to find neither now playing has totally deflated me.  Happy that we have tweaked the pack and it just shows the strength in depth that we have up front, I think you will find Corbs will be eased back in this week and start against NZ.  Having the likes of Dan Cole on the bench must make us the envy of the rest of the world?

I have just seen the Lancaster press conference and understand the selection a little more in the fact that he wants to pick from players who have trained all week and not just pluck a Sinbad, May, Sharples or Monye out of the air for example.  However, if Wade and Yarde were injured or doubts why in gods name did he let Anthony Watson go back to Bath?  If he was on the bench instead of Goode that would cover both full back and wing.  If Ashton gets levelled by a Puma and is injured after 5 mins, we are left with a back 3 of Foden, Brown and Goode???  Jesus wept !!!.   I do disagree on Foden Paul, Brown deserves a run and is for me the form full back

So in summary I like what Lancaster is doing in the forwards and we are getting to the point where we could pick two decent packs and half of a third.  I would like a Kvesic, Wallace, Fraser in their somewhere but he is doing all right.  However I am getting depressed with the lack of flair and excitement in the backline.  SCW said last week that he wanted players who could get 82k people off their seats and going nuts.  There isn't one of those in the backline or in the substitute backs.  He really does have to grasp the nettle and go for it next week v NZ.  We won't win the World Cup kicking penalty goals.

[paul_e]

Yarde is out injured as well, so maybe it's more circumstantial than negative on reflection.

To an extent, but Yarde was struggling all week apparently so I don't see why you'd keep a very 1-paced Goode and send Eastmond back to his club.  If Ashton or Foden pick up a knock we have no cover at all as Brown has shown that he doesn't have the positional sense to play wing and Goode is far too slow to play there.

The bigger issue is we have Goode on the bench who plays 10, we have 12trees starting who can play 10 so why not pick someone to cover the centre or wing on the bench in place of flood (Eastmond or Burrell for example).  We also have Foden starting so why pick a fullback on the bench, again eastmond or Burrell in place of Goode is better balanced.

[paul_e]

Yes from what I am led to believe, Wade and Yarde were both going to start on Saturday and I was practically salivating at the prospect.  I have a ticket and to find neither now playing has totally deflated me.  Happy that we have tweaked the pack and it just shows the strength in depth that we have up front, I think you will find Corbs will be eased back in this week and start against NZ.  Having the likes of Dan Cole on the bench must make us the envy of the rest of the world?

I have just seen the Lancaster press conference and understand the selection a little more in the fact that he wants to pick from players who have trained all week and not just pluck a Sinbad, May, Sharples or Monye out of the air for example.  However, if Wade and Yarde were injured or doubts why in gods name did he let Anthony Watson go back to Bath?  If he was on the bench instead of Goode that would cover both full back and wing.  If Ashton gets levelled by a Puma and is injured after 5 mins, we are left with a back 3 of Foden, Brown and Goode???  Jesus wept !!!.   I do disagree on Foden Paul, Brown deserves a run and is for me the form full back

So in summary I like what Lancaster is doing in the forwards and we are getting to the point where we could pick two decent packs and half of a third.  I would like a Kvesic, Wallace, Fraser in their somewhere but he is doing all right.  However I am getting depressed with the lack of flair and excitement in the backline.  SCW said last week that he wanted players who could get 82k people off their seats and going nuts.  There isn't one of those in the backline or in the substitute backs.  He really does have to grasp the nettle and go for it next week v NZ.  We won't win the World Cup kicking penalty goals.

I don't have a problem with brown starting, I do think Foden has had a better season but that's subjective, my issue is what effect on Foden's selection it will have if he doesn't have the best of games as a winger.

Your last paragraph sums it up for me, we have a pack to rival anyone in the world, but ours backs are all safety first choices, which I'm very disappointed about, Foden is the only one of them with any spark of quality and he's out of position.

My biggest gripe is the same as yours, we had Eastmond and Watson with the squad, who are both exciting ball carriers, but he sent them both home and now we're stuck with Goode on the bench.

[PaulWinch again]

I'd rather Goode was completely out of the squad and we had an exciting back on the bench.

[taylorsworkrate]

If Ashton gets levelled by a Puma and is injured after 5 mins, we are left with a back 3 of Foden, Brown and Goode???  Jesus wept !!!.

That would have to be the most depressing full back/wing combination England had ever put out if it comes to fruition.

[lovejoy]

What do you guys see in Ashton that I don't?

[PaulWinch again]

What do you guys see in Ashton that I don't?

If he finds his form and England play the right way he's a devestating try scorer.

[paul_e]

What do you guys see in Ashton that I don't?

17 tries in 35 games at international level and a scoring rate at club level. - STATS

Ashton is a fantastic support runner, probably the best England has had in the last 10-15 years, he's not jinky and he's not lightning fast but he will make himself available on a line that cuts through a defence if you get decent possession in the right areas.  For all the things that Johnno got wrong one thing he got right was the way he used Ashton.  The way Ashton left Saints and they way they used him last season set him back a lot (which is why there are question marks now) but sarries seem to be learning and he's playing his way back into form.

That said Wade and Yarde are the 2 best wingers in the country at the moment so Ashton should be a backup to them rather than a  starter.  Jamie Elliott at Saints would be my 4th winger at the minute - STATS - Like Ashton he scores for fun.  Jack Nowell at Exeter is a very exciting talent as well, but he needs to nail down a place at his club and start scoring regularly before he gets in.

[PaulWinch again]

England have been good in the first half, and played at a really good tempo.

[PaulWinch again]

Second half has been really poor so far.

[paul_e]

England have been good in the first half, and played at a really good tempo.

Dickson was excellent in the first half, which is why our tempo was good, that's what he's picked to do.

I still see nothing in Joel Tomkins to suggest he's anything like good enough to be and International.

[PaulWinch again]

This second half has been really disjointed, our intensity and precision has completely vanished.