International Rugby

[PaulWinch again]

England on top but have left a few chances out there. Probably unsurprising as it’s a fairly unfamiliar side.

[Tony Daleys Shorts]

England look bloody awful.

[Jon Crofts]

2 month training camp for this shit?

Hope they’ve got flexible Eurotunnel tickets as they won’t get out of the group stage again.

[PaulWinch again]

Really poor second half. Very sloppy.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Not that I care greatly, but amazing second half for Scotland against France.

Losing 21-3 at halftime. Scored a try, but then had a man sent off and still won 25-21 I think.

[nigel]

Not that I care greatly, but amazing second half for Scotland against France.

Losing 21-3 at halftime. Scored a try, but then had a man sent off and still won 25-21 I think.

Wouldn’t surprise me if Scotland got through the group stages.

[Axl Rose]

Really poor second half. Very sloppy.

Could we conceivably lose to Japan at the world cup?

[PaulWinch again]

Not sure how the draw the lines up but if they play it’s conceivable. I wouldn’t say likely, but England really need to get in shape quick - and I mean that in several senses, they consistently drop off in the second half.

[taylorsworkrate]

I think England will definitely lose to Argentina and have a real chance of losing to Japan. English rugby is in a terrible state at the moment

[paul_e]

That england squad is a mess. 5-6 players who shouldn't be there and a couple of gaps where he's left us looking very weak.

I have no optimism for this world cup, it could be embarrassing for us. Borthwick has added nothing and I'm becoming more and more convinced that his title win was a fluke.

[aev]

A pretty disappointing squad.

[UK Redsox]

Forwards: Ollie Chessum (Leicester), Dan Cole (Leicester), Tom Curry (Sale), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Jamie George (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Lewis Ludlam (Northampton), Joe Marler (Harlequins), George Martin (Leicester), David Ribbans (Toulon), Bevan Rodd (Sale), Kyle Sinckler (Bristol), Will Stuart (Bath), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Jack Walker (Harlequins), Jack Willis (Toulouse).

Backs: Henry Arundell (Racing 92), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Sale), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), Max Malins (Bristol), Joe Marchant (Stade Francais), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Freddie Steward (Leicester), Manu Tuilagi (Sale), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester), Anthony Watson (unattached), Ben Youngs (Leicester).

[Jon Crofts]

Ben Youngs. Fucking hell.

[paul_e]

Ok specifics now I've taken a bit of time to look at it.

Cole is past it and has the mobility of a dead tree, poor selection, sadly we don't have much depth on that side but picking Cole because he's got a lot of caps feels like a cowardly way out.
Ditto with Marler on the other side, I like the guy but he's not up to it any more and with someone like Rapava-Ruskin available I don't see any reason to go back to him.
Curry, Ludlam, Earl and Willis are all 7s with Lawes and Billy V the only proper 6 and 8 in the squad, that's just stupid. I can live with the idea of using Lawes, Itoje and Martin and 5.5s covering 6 and lock but to have Vunipola as your only 8 when he's been either shockingly out of form or injured for about 2 years is pathetic. Personally I'd have dropped Martin and Earl to take Pearson and Mercer.
At 9 he has, yet again, picked for experience instead of form and ability so we're stuck with Care and Youngs. Care I can just about understand if he'd taken Dombrandt and planned to play the 3 quins guys together in the 8-9-10 crux but without that incentive I don't see any reason to bring a 36year old back into the squad. I'd drop both and add Mitchell and Quirke.
That leaves the outside backs where his think is at its most muddled. He's decided to go with versatility out there, and I can see the benefit to an extent but it's left without a genuine winger in the squad. Watson and Arundell are better at fullback but can both do a good job on the wing so I'm ok with them but then he's picked Malins, Daly and Marchant to cover wing and outside centre and the first 2 aren't good enough to play wing at international level and both are suspect in the centres because they never play there. I'd have taken Dingwall and Murley in place of them to add a little more specialisation.

so I have a problem with about a quarter of the squad and that's before i get onto the tactical choices he's making and the focus on brute force over mobility and stamina which sees us fall apart in the 2nd half fairly consistently. When Jones left i wanted someone to come in get us through the world cup and then pick a long-term replacement. I don't think that was the intention with Borthwick but he's making me think it might still happen.

[UK Redsox]

Ben Youngs. Fucking hell.

In a couple of decades, people will look back, see the number of caps Youngs won and thing he must have been the greatest scrum half who ever played the game