International Rugby

[peter w]

I thought Ford was poor against Fiji and was targeted because of his size. Farrell is better in the tackle and did play well when he came on. I'm not sold on Farrell but I'm not as put out as some by his selection. Wales try to bully and I don't see a problem in standing up to them and relying on strength and fast wings.

[PaulWinch again]

I thought Ford was poor against Fiji and was targeted because of his size. Farrell is better in the tackle and did play well when he came on. I'm not sold on Farrell but I'm not as put out as some by his selection. Wales try to bully and I don't see a problem in standing up to them and relying on strength and fast wings.

I hope you're right, because it's a very important game to win.

[PaulWinch again]

The selection is made now and I hope that Farrell, Burgess and Barritt have absolutely storming games and we batter Wales.

[PaulWinch again]

What's been kind of missed in the big selection debate is that England's forwards have to turn up for all this game. No more wilting in the scrum.

[paul_e]

I thought Ford was poor against Fiji and was targeted because of his size. Farrell is better in the tackle and did play well when he came on. I'm not sold on Farrell but I'm not as put out as some by his selection. Wales try to bully and I don't see a problem in standing up to them and relying on strength and fast wings.

Getting the ball to those fast wings is the problem.  Big strong centres are great but they have to have good hands, Burgess is massively inexperienced and Barritt is a terrible passer so I can't see us working the ball wide with pace and accuracy to exploit gaps.  If we do score tries it's going to be forward push-overs or cross-field kicks and, in my opinion, Farrell's kicking from hand isn't accurate enough for that, Ford is far better at those.

As I've said he's picked a team to win penalties and kick points and given himself no alternative if it doesn't work, Slade on the bench ahead of Goode would've at least given the option to have a creative centre, or Nowell gives you the option to move Watson into there (he hasn't played centre much at any level but he has the defence and passing to be an option).  I just can't work out what Goode brings that isn't covered by Farrell and Ford, it's a pathetic selection of a player who has done nothing to deserve his place in the squad.

To put this in context I'd liken playing Watson and May outside that midfield to Villa last season under Lambert, it's boring as fuck and you're making a very potent attacking threat look shit by giving it scraps to work with.

[cheadlevilla]

I hope the referee takes a good look at Gethin Jenkins from the start, because he never ever binds straight and bores more than a Lambert team!!!

[PaulWinch again]

I'm already nervous!

[PaulWinch again]

One thing we really need is for the players to keep cool heads tonight, especially Farrell. He needs to orchestrate the game.

[simboy]

I thought Ford was poor against Fiji and was targeted because of his size. Farrell is better in the tackle and did play well when he came on. I'm not sold on Farrell but I'm not as put out as some by his selection. Wales try to bully and I don't see a problem in standing up to them and relying on strength and fast wings.

 

Getting the ball to those fast wings is the problem.  Big strong centres are great but they have to have good hands, Burgess is massively inexperienced and Barritt is a terrible passer so I can't see us working the ball wide with pace and accuracy to exploit gaps.  If we do score tries it's going to be forward push-overs or cross-field kicks and, in my opinion, Farrell's kicking from hand isn't accurate enough for that, Ford is far better at those.

As I've said he's picked a team to win penalties and kick points and given himself no alternative if it doesn't work, Slade on the bench ahead of Goode would've at least given the option to have a creative centre, or Nowell gives you the option to move Watson into there (he hasn't played centre much at any level but he has the defence and passing to be an option).  I just can't work out what Goode brings that isn't covered by Farrell and Ford, it's a pathetic selection of a player who has done nothing to deserve his place in the squad.

To put this in context I'd liken playing Watson and May outside that midfield to Villa last season under Lambert, it's boring as fuck and you're making a very potent attacking threat look shit by giving it scraps to work with.

Burgess is a big match player. A broken cheek bone in the first minute Grand Final before 80,000 Aussie rugby league fans he goes on to win the man of the match. His performances for Bath may not be brilliant but hes learning slightly different tactical considerations. The game he started for England, it seemed to me that he was wary of the off side law but performed pretty well. He's there to keep Roberts in check. Its a decision that has its risks but less than the Ford/Farrell switch.

Farrell has demonstrated time and again that he lets the occasion get to him and bubbles over, we need calm heads to make the decisions at important times. Not convinced Farrell is that man. Hope to be proved wrong.   

[PaulWinch again]

I'm hoping today is the day Burgess arrives as a union player.

[paul_e]

I think Burgess will be a fantastic centre in a year or 2 but his running lines and timing is still tuned to league. The main risk though is to pick 2 crash centres which makes us predictable, if they don't punch holes and offload regularly we'll be in trouble. I'd trust Burrell to do that but Barritt doesn't have the skill and Burgess doesn't look ready.

[Proposition Joe]

This is a bigger game for the Welsh.  We sometimes do Australia, but they never do.  A win today is their best chance to qualify.

[PeterWithesShin]

Loads of South Africa fans around town earlier. The team were staying at the Hyatt. With the SA fans, and the Birmingham Weekender on, it was a mare getting around town.

[silhillvilla]

Anyone outside b6 selling H&V today

[Flamingo Lane]

I shall probably be lambasted for this, but being English and having a modicum of interest in rugby, I really hope Wales win; attributable to the working class chip on my shoulder, and my innate hatred for the braying upper middle class public schoolboy rugger bugger swing low swing chariot tossers that make up our "support".