International Rugby

[JD]

Best rugby club team in the world won yet another super rugby title tonight. Go the Crusaders.

[UK Redsox]

Best rugby club team in the world won yet another super rugby title tonight. Go the Crusaders.

Clean forgot about this.

[paul_e]

England vs Barbars this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing Freeman, I think he's the player that Jones has been trying to turn Malins or Daly into so I really hope he forces his way in.

[UK Redsox]

England tour squad

The eight uncapped players in the squad are Patrick Schickerling of Exeter Chiefs, London Irish duo Henry Arundell and Will Joseph, Northampton Saints' Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman, Leicester Tigers' Guy Porter and Jack van Poortvliet, along with Jack Walker of Harlequins.

England squad:
Forwards: Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints), Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks), Patrick Schickerling (Exeter Chiefs), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Jack Walker (Harlequins), Jack Willis (Wasps).

Backs: Henry Arundell (London Irish), Danny Care (Harlequins), Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Will Joseph (London Irish), Joe Marchant (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Guy Porter (Leicester Tigers), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers).

[paul_e]

Ireland were poor this morning, played into NZ hands with their tactics, however I was really disappointed with the ref who let NZ make a lot of professional fouls on their try line before eventually punishing them with minutes left on the clock and the game clearly long done.

On to Australia vs England. On paper the England team is stronger by a fair degree but it really depends which team turns up. I'm slightly disappointed by the bench, doesn't look like there's a huge amount of impact there outside Ludlam and LCD. Arundell is a bit of a wildcard though, but I think he's mostly there so we can get him capped and stop him going anywhere else.

[paul_e]

England 6-0 up and Australia have lost their Fullback with what looks like a really nasty broken arm.

[luke:lamf]

I’m watching this with Aussie commentary and by Christ they are salty. From the kick-off too, continual low-level sniping essentially about how the ref is being conned by England, but the red card has led to a new level of bitchy whining.

Edit : HT now. Both teams look comically bereft of ideas with ball in hand compared to the Japan-France match this morning. I don't watch the club game and don't grasp union tactics much, but I fail to see how Marcus Smith is the next great thing, all I see is a little jump then get wrapped up by the first tackler.

[paul_e]

I’m watching this with Aussie commentary and by Christ they are salty. From the kick-off too, continual low-level sniping essentially about how the ref is being conned by England, but the red card has led to a new level of bitchy whining.

Edit : HT now. Both teams look comically bereft of ideas with ball in hand compared to the Japan-France match this morning. I don't watch the club game and don't grasp union tactics much, but I fail to see how Marcus Smith is the next great thing, all I see is a little jump then get wrapped up by the first tackler.

I'm watching the same and I agree, the commentary is pathetic.

Smith needs more runners, his game at quins is about dragging defenders around to create gaps to put runners through, Engliand right now aren't running those lines and he's having to just carry into contact. Vunipola is a big part of the problem because he just doesn't do that. Ludlam will be on later and I suspect he will be more willing to make those runs.

[paul_e]

I missed that Ludlam was already on at halftime but I think he is helping us look more dangerous , hard to know how much is down to the red card though really.

[luke:lamf]

Whilst I recognise red cards are necessary, I always feel they destroy rugby games a lot more than football.

As for Smith, if that’s his game, then we should surely be building around that then ? Otherwise might as well put Farrell at 10 and try and find a decent centre pairing. Just strikes me that, for the hype, I’ve not seen Smith manage a game like Wilkinson or Carter, nor tear a defence a new one like Barrett or Carter.

Of course, Aus have scored now I say that red cards kill rugby matches…

[Jon Crofts]

Jones shouldn’t be allowed to see this series out, why the fuck is Farrell even out there let alone playing absolutely shite.

[paul_e]

That last 20 minutes was pathetic 2 very late tries can't hide the fact that we collapsed as completely as I've ever seen.

Also Farrell is there for his kicking game and he missed a couple of important chances that should be taken at this level.

[PaulWinch again]

That’s a terrible result. Like anything you get to end of a cycle with coaches/management. It’s been clear that Jones should have finished after the 2019 World Cup.

[nigel]

That last 20 minutes was pathetic 2 very late tries can't hide the fact that we collapsed as completely as I've ever seen.

Also Farrell is there for his kicking game and he missed a couple of important chances that should be taken at this level.

Thing is, mate, Smith is an excellent kicker, too, so I can’t understand why Farrell gets in these days.
I like Farrell, but now is the time to move on.

[Villa Lew]

South Africa win with the final kick of the game.