Squad for Wales

[Scrumhead]

@jngf. How many of Dombrandt’s games have you seen in the last 12mths?

I’m a huge fan of his but as a Quins STH (until recently) and having seen the majority of his games, I can tell you with some confidence that he’s a way off being ready for a major role at test level.

We agree that there is a difference between test rugby and club rugby (although I wouldn’t say a ‘massive gulf’), so what makes you think that Dombrandt can make the step up to the extent that he should be starting?

I’d like to see him given more time in camp and slowly integrated in to the side, but he’s not ready to be a starter.

As for Curry - think about like Top Trumps. Curry is 7 or 8/10 in pretty much everything. Underhill is 10 in some areas (tackling) and 5 in others (lineout/passing).

[padprop]

Poor ole Ben Curry eh. Hope he gets a punt at some point to see if he can step up in the same way.

[ad_tigger]

@jngf. How many of Dombrandt’s games have you seen in the last 12mths?

I’m a huge fan of his but as a Quins STH (until recently) and having seen the majority of his games, I can tell you with some confidence that he’s a way off being ready for a major role at test level.

We agree that there is a difference between test rugby and club rugby (although I wouldn’t say a ‘massive gulf’), so what makes you think that Dombrandt can make the step up to the extent that he should be starting?

I’d like to see him given more time in camp and slowly integrated in to the side, but he’s not ready to be a starter.

As for Curry - think about like Top Trumps. Curry is 7 or 8/10 in pretty much everything. Underhill is 10 in some areas (tackling) and 5 in others (lineout/passing).

To be fair I think that Underhill has shown a lot more balance in his play this series without losing his point of difference. I reckon the competition in the back row has really brought him on.

[Scrumhead]

My intention wasn’t to knock Underhill (just making a comparison point) and I agree that he’s improving. His defence is always excellent, but his carrying today was also very good and he deservedly won MoM.

I still think Curry is a better all round player though.

[Stom]

My intention wasn’t to knock Underhill (just making a comparison point) and I agree that he’s improving. His defence is always excellent, but his carrying today was also very good and he deservedly won MoM.

I still think Curry is a better all round player though.

I didn’t manage the whole match but if he beat Launchbury to motm, he must have played a blinder. Every section of game I saw, launch was doing something excellent. Back to his best.

[p/d]

He probably got docked a few marks for running into LCD when he and the rest of the mullets came off the bench

[FKAS]

My intention wasn’t to knock Underhill (just making a comparison point) and I agree that he’s improving. His defence is always excellent, but his carrying today was also very good and he deservedly won MoM.

I still think Curry is a better all round player though.

I didn’t manage the whole match but if he beat Launchbury to motm, he must have played a blinder. Every section of game I saw, launch was doing something excellent. Back to his best.

I agree I think Launchbury is back to his best, not something I expected. I'd pretty much written him off as squad filler until being overtaken by others. Not quite as mobile as he was in his youth but experience has made him better in the tight exchanges. Not sure about MOTM though, he was still the second best lock on the England team. Itoje is just so good every week I think people have stopped noticing.

[Mellsblue]

Curry gets around

Stains terribly, too.

[Raggs]

Again can i ask what exactly you think is the difference between 6 and 7 roles.

[Banquo]

I agree that Curry is highly capable over a range of things but I expect you will struggle to tell me what what his X factor actually is! (because I’m not sure he has one). Yes I have seen Dombrandt play a full game, the point being?

The points being- Curry’s decision making and all round skill set means he stands out to everyone bar you. You have to also admit he’s useful in the lineout now you’ve seen it ?
On Dombrandt you regularly say you watch little rugby outside internationals, and you’ve kind of proved it, as every time Dombrandt plays he’s either subbed after 50, or comes off the bench. You’ve seen some highlights and thought ‘he looks good’; and he can look good. But also a bit not very good- still learning his trade and not in good condition tbh

I think I said this once (and somewhat tongue in cheek at the time) - and imo there’s always been a massive gulf between club and test rugby even though the sport been professional for a quarter of a century now.

Well I agree with that, but you didn’t actually answer the question

[Oakboy]

My intention wasn’t to knock Underhill (just making a comparison point) and I agree that he’s improving. His defence is always excellent, but his carrying today was also very good and he deservedly won MoM.

I still think Curry is a better all round player though.

I didn’t manage the whole match but if he beat Launchbury to motm, he must have played a blinder. Every section of game I saw, launch was doing something excellent. Back to his best.

I agree I think Launchbury is back to his best, not something I expected. I'd pretty much written him off as squad filler until being overtaken by others. Not quite as mobile as he was in his youth but experience has made him better in the tight exchanges. Not sure about MOTM though, he was still the second best lock on the England team. Itoje is just so good every week I think people have stopped noticing.

I think Launchbury is simply proving that he is our second best lock. Others have put Lawes and Kruis into that category at times but I have always rated Launchbury as only bettered by Itoje. Lawes must be quite concened about regaining a slot in the 23. Hill is likely to remain 3rd choice, I'd guess.

[16th man]

Again can i ask what exactly you think is the difference between 6 and 7 roles.

Why though? Why keep on feeding him?

[Tom Moore]

I didn’t manage the whole match but if he beat Launchbury to motm, he must have played a blinder. Every section of game I saw, launch was doing something excellent. Back to his best.

I agree I think Launchbury is back to his best, not something I expected. I'd pretty much written him off as squad filler until being overtaken by others. Not quite as mobile as he was in his youth but experience has made him better in the tight exchanges. Not sure about MOTM though, he was still the second best lock on the England team. Itoje is just so good every week I think people have stopped noticing.

I think Launchbury is simply proving that he is our second best lock. Others have put Lawes and Kruis into that category at times but I have always rated Launchbury as only bettered by Itoje. Lawes must be quite concened about regaining a slot in the 23. Hill is likely to remain 3rd choice, I'd guess.

I think Lawes is probably more likely to get the bench slot back when he's fit (covers 6 to an extent, which is probably more important if we go back to a 5-3 split, and very good at causing mayhem when he comes on) but Hill is likely to be to first line if Itoje or Launchbury are injured/suspended/out of form.

[16th man]

Some suggestion over on the Welsh board that Genge has headbutted someone.

[fivepointer]

Looks pretty damning from the footage i've seen. Genge could be in a heap of trouble.

[Mr Mwenda]

Again can i ask what exactly you think is the difference between 6 and 7 roles.

Why though? Why keep on feeding him?

It's a collaborative art project.

[Raggs]

Again can i ask what exactly you think is the difference between 6 and 7 roles.

Why though? Why keep on feeding him?

Everybody else is. And at the very least, I'm asking a question that may somehow explain some of his thinking, as opposed to simply tell him that he's just laughably wrong about Curry.

[p/d]

I didn’t manage the whole match but if he beat Launchbury to motm, he must have played a blinder. Every section of game I saw, launch was doing something excellent. Back to his best.

I agree I think Launchbury is back to his best, not something I expected. I'd pretty much written him off as squad filler until being overtaken by others. Not quite as mobile as he was in his youth but experience has made him better in the tight exchanges. Not sure about MOTM though, he was still the second best lock on the England team. Itoje is just so good every week I think people have stopped noticing.

I think Launchbury is simply proving that he is our second best lock. Others have put Lawes and Kruis into that category at times but I have always rated Launchbury as only bettered by Itoje. Lawes must be quite concened about regaining a slot in the 23. Hill is likely to remain 3rd choice, I'd guess.

Form related. Launch wasn’t kicking down doors. It happens. At the time Kruis was, and very much a constant for the development of Itoje at club and international level.

I thought Big J was tops yesterday and over the moon he has hit his straps.

Next week should be a belter

[Epaminondas Pules]

The clear out on Daly in the second half could do with another look.

[p/d]

Some suggestion over on the Welsh board that Genge has headbutted someone.

Along with Poite should never referee again, Jones should wear a mask and ‘what shade of lippy is Sam wearing!’

[ad_tigger]

The clear out on Daly in the second half could do with another look.

That clear out was ridiculous even in this day and age. While I didn't see a replay or looked to it looked like a full superman dive into the ruck

[16th man]

6/10 is fair for yesterday. We looked like a side who haven't tried to play rugby for a month, suddenly being asked to chuck it about a bit.
Ford looked understandably ropey, and that midfield offers nothing really as teams can just drift off it whilst getting men into position to recieve the inevitable kick.

The interplay between the props and the back rowers on and over the gainline was great to see though. If we could marry that to some penetration in midfield and the strike runners we have in the back 3, you can start to believe that the battering we gave the ABs in the semi final actually happened and wasn't some sort of shared halucination.

[Puja]

Looks pretty damning from the footage i've seen. Genge could be in a heap of trouble.

I'm hoping that the footage isn't conclusive enough for the citing team to find their minerals. Leicester desperately need him back.

The Welsh board also seem convinced that Daly's tackle on Adams was a horrific abomination that Adams was lucky to survive. It looked to me exactly the same as Slade's tackle in the RWC semi that the Kiwis fainted over - launching a shoulder in, making first contact well below the high tackle line with the arm and the force of the contact bouncing everyone away and making it look like a shoulder. But I can't find any easily accessible replay footage (and I'm buggered if I'm attempting to navigate Amazon's awful video player again) - am I drastically wrong?

Puja

[Puja]

The interplay between the props and the back rowers on and over the gainline was great to see though. If we could marry that to some penetration in midfield and the strike runners we have in the back 3, you can start to believe that the battering we gave the ABs in the semi final actually happened and wasn't some sort of shared halucination.

Yeah, there was a period in the first half, just after they scored their try, where we just stopped aimlessly kicking the ball for about 15 minutes and played some nice offloading continuous rugby and looked really dangerous. Then after the break, we just went back to belting it at the Welsh back three and having that validated by them immediately screwing up.

Puja

[Banquo]

The clear out on Daly in the second half could do with another look.

It was bad. Could have been a nasty injury- surprised it was only an ankle strain. That would also have seen Robson play wing for a while. Not a fan of 6:2