International Rugby

[PaulWinch again]

We are too frequently fucking shite away from home.

[taylorsworkrate]

Dismal for the most part. Make no mistake it was May brilliance that got the scores, nothing to do with the team. The team were laboured and had no plan at all. Also no intensity at all, weak.

Another year no grand slam. For a team with the resources we have it’s pathetic.

1 grand slam since 2003. Simply not good enough.

[paul_e]

I agree on Youngs, he was awful and as I said earlier we have 3 sarries players that our whole structure is built around right now, George, Itoje and Farrell, all of them were, by their own standards, shit.

Curry was clearly picked with the expectation of them dominating possession and when they didn't his lack of ability with ball in hand was noticeable. I'd have put Ludlam at 8 when he came on and I'd have made that change far earlier by taking Itoje off and putting Lawes into 2nd row at half time.

We left it about 5-10 minutes too late to take Sinckler off as well, we lost some of the scrum dominance because Sinckler was done and Jones left him there far too long after that became obvious.

All said despite everything there was only a controversial 2nd try as the difference between the teams with France at pretty much their best and England looking like they'd spent too long in warm weather camp and forgot how to play in the rain.

[Jon Crofts]

A few randomised thoughts, mostly criticisms actually.

Sinckler - garbage looked like he was still coming round from the RWC final.
Curry is not a number 8.
Youngs - garbage, Care offers far more.
Daly - garbage.
Furbank - oh dear me, a pitiful performance.
Nobody apart from May comes away from that with anything good to their name.

If Dombrandt isn't at Penny Hill Park by lunchtime Jones should be fired today.
Why wasn't Ben Earle in there alongside Curry & Underhill? A super dynamic player wasted.

A week to sort it, Jones needs to shut the fuck up and let the players do his talking, he's embarrasing.

[UK Redsox]

Pick a proper Number 8

The fact that Youngs has close to 100 caps shows how poor English scrum halves have been over the past few years (or maybe how poor the coaches have been at picking the right ones)

Jonny May is fecking quick

Furbank - blimey, are England that short of decent full backs ?

Sinckler seems to have taken over the Hartley role of bumbling forward a bit and then lying down

LCD was lucky not to get binned for going in after the try had been scored and provoking the handbags


In other games....... that pass by Dan Biggar to set up Josh Adams' second try....wow

[UK Redsox]

What happened to Mercer as a No. 8 option. Is he out of the running now ?

[Jon Crofts]

Pick a proper Number 8

The fact that Youngs has close to 100 caps shows how poor English scrum halves have been over the past few years (or maybe how poor the coaches have been at picking the right ones)

Jonny May is fecking quick

Furbank - blimey, are England that short of decent full backs ?

Sinckler seems to have taken over the Hartley role of bumbling forward a bit and then lying down

LCD was lucky not to get binned for going in after the try had been scored and provoking the handbags


In other games....... that pass by Dan Biggar to set up Josh Adams' second try....wow

Sinckler goes into foetal mode as soon as he hits the turf.

[paul_e]

Harsh on Furbank, on debut with 3-4 senior players, including the captain, falling apart is tough. He had a good 2nd half.

Agree on Youngs, Robson should be first choice and have 30 caps now.

No idea what's going on with sinckler, he wilted under the responsibility of being the big carrier and left it all to Lawes (who was easily our best player and needed much more support).

At 8 Mercer has fallen behind Simmonds and Dombrandt, both of whom should be there.

[Dave Summers]

Harsh on Furbank, on debut with 3-4 senior players, including the captain, falling apart is tough. He had a good 2nd half.

Agree on Youngs, Robson should be first choice and have 30 caps now.

No idea what's going on with sinckler, he wilted under the responsibility of being the big carrier and left it all to Lawes (who was easily our best player and needed much more support).

At 8 Mercer has fallen behind Simmonds and Dombrandt, both of whom should be there.

I think the stick George has got has been completely over the top. Dropped a couple of high balls early on but I thought was reasonably steady, in a shocking back line performance. Watching the first try back and he damn near saved it by managing to tackle Teddy Thomas when others (Underhill) has failed. He’s a wonderful support runner but we never once looked to use that ability. There are others I’d look at before canning Furbank

I see it’s an unchanged squad, which means no proper number 8 and words fail me, the same ruddy scrum halves. Ben Youngs is going to get to 100 caps which is at least 50 more than it should be,

Eddie’s done a fantastic job over 4 years but if you look at his career, he only ever is a 4 year max appointment. I’d personally move him on and pay whatever it takes to get Scott Robertson or Chris Boyd as the new man

[PaulWinch again]

Furbank was terrible, but I’m not writing him off as he was playing in that shit show.

[nigel]

Furbank was terrible, but I’m not writing him off as he was playing in that shit show.

Felt for Furbank.
He catches that pass and he’s in for a try and a hero.
Unfortunately he didn’t

[UK Redsox]

Watson still out for the next game. I assume Furbank will keep his place rather than Daly moving to Full Back and Thorley coming in on the wing

[paul_e]

Watson still out for the next game. I assume Furbank will keep his place rather than Daly moving to Full Back and Thorley coming in on the wing

To be fair I think that's only right. He's the stand out full back in the league this season, everything he's done to earn his call-up can't be forgotten because he had a poor day as part of a team that had a poor day.

[Jon Crofts]

The Eddie Jones hasn't learned anything about Tom Curry not being an 8 but has recognised the fact that Ben Youngs is shite starting XV .

15 George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
14 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers, 53 caps)
13 Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby, 48 caps)
12 Owen Farrell (Saracens, 80 caps) C
11 Elliot Daly (Saracens, 40 caps)
10 George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 66 caps)
9 Willi Heinz (Gloucester Rugby, 10 caps)
1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 58 caps)
2 Jamie George (Saracens, 46 caps)
3 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins, 32 caps)
4 Maro Itoje (Saracens, 35 caps)
5 George Kruis (Saracens, 42 caps)
6 Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
7 Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 16 caps)
8 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 20 caps)

[taylorsworkrate]

It beggars belief. Curry is far too good a player to waste out of position. Especially when we have capable no 8's avaliable.

Looks like another day of us struggling to break the gainline.