Changing from an attacking Ford to a pragmatic Farrell ultimately cost us a place in the next round. It's not that Farrell was bad against Wales, it's that it signified that we'd bottled it. We have go back back to moving towards an attacking style and it's critical that we become a lot more streetwise at the breakdown. Also the front row needs a lot of work.
Quote from: aev on October 05, 2015, 09:03:40 AMQuote from: UK Redsox on October 05, 2015, 08:22:50 AMQuote from: aev on October 05, 2015, 07:41:34 AMThe problem with Burgess is at Bath they'd prefer him to be in the back row.The problem with Burgess is that he doesn't know how to play proper Rugby.How he became a star in the Northern Game is beyond me. I assume the second part of your comment is tongue in cheek. He is a phenomenal League player. I feel sorry for him as he has been given no time to bed in at all. I think league forwards have a greater transition time than the backs due to the technical aspect of forward play. To turn a forward into a back only complicates it more.Semi tongue-in-cheek. Based on what I've seen of Burgess playing Union, its difficult for me to see what made him a stand-out League player.You might of guessed that I'm not a fan of League. I struggle to watch more than a few minutes without yelling "for fecks sake, get up in support of the ball carrier and make yourself available for a pass".
Quote from: UK Redsox on October 05, 2015, 08:22:50 AMQuote from: aev on October 05, 2015, 07:41:34 AMThe problem with Burgess is at Bath they'd prefer him to be in the back row.The problem with Burgess is that he doesn't know how to play proper Rugby.How he became a star in the Northern Game is beyond me. I assume the second part of your comment is tongue in cheek. He is a phenomenal League player. I feel sorry for him as he has been given no time to bed in at all. I think league forwards have a greater transition time than the backs due to the technical aspect of forward play. To turn a forward into a back only complicates it more.
Quote from: aev on October 05, 2015, 07:41:34 AMThe problem with Burgess is at Bath they'd prefer him to be in the back row.The problem with Burgess is that he doesn't know how to play proper Rugby.How he became a star in the Northern Game is beyond me.
The problem with Burgess is at Bath they'd prefer him to be in the back row.
It sounds like Lancaster had handed over his team selection to Andy Farrell and led to a big fall out with Catt. Either way, Farrell has to go.
Quote from: lovejoy on October 05, 2015, 09:44:02 PMIt sounds like Lancaster had handed over his team selection to Andy Farrell and led to a big fall out with Catt. Either way, Farrell has to go.The rumours also say that Farrell does all the coaching and Lancaster does not even go onto the training pitch and it does not "sit" well that his son is in the squad
Lancaster has just said 'I believe 100% the group of players at the 6 nations will be the same as what is out there'. That is a seriously worrying statement. How about a specialist 7, Tuilagi and Hartley to name but a few.
Lancaster lost his way 2 years ago I think, he cleared out all the dross left behind after Mike Tindall's stag weekend and there was an immediate improvement in both style and results. But then something happened, he went on the defensive and couldn't decide on his best team, added to that some bizarre selections and changes of heart and mind and we are pretty much where we were 4 years ago less the disciplinary issues that occurred in NZ. There has been no progress, in fact overall we've gone backwards, you can't argue with that fact, the rankings don't lie and nor does the fact we failed to progress from our group.For me Lancasters decline and fall can be summed up in one defining moment in the Australia game, bringing on Nick Easter.