Autumn International Squad

[FKAS]

Sounds like if Owen is fit he'll play ... at 12.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63485795

Seems a lot of locks to keep in camp. Is there injury concerns over the starting pair (Itoje/Hill) or is Eddie still eying up a hybrid lock/6, surely not a 6/2 split with concerns over Farrell and his concussion and the general inclusion of Manu.

[fivepointer]

Robinson retained after being an injury sub. Likewise Slade. May miraculously fit.
Singleton over McGuigan must be based on their table tennis standings. Disappointed for Val R-R, Quirke and Murley in particular.
Reckon twoe of Ribbans, Coles, Simmonds and Robinson wont make the 23.
Who covers FB if Steward goes off?

[Mikey Brown]

I could picture a lock, a lock/6 and Simmonds on a 6:2 bench. With all those injury concerns in the backs we could finally actually see Simmonds out wide.

[Puja]

Enjoying your optimism that we’ll see Cullis this Sunday.

Power of positive thinking - I'm going to dream it into existence.

Puja

[Banquo]

Genge
MakoV

LCD
Singleton

Heyes
Sinckler

Itoje
Hill
Ribbans
Coles
Robinson

Curry
Willis
BillyV
Simmonds


Youngs
JVP

Smith

Farrell
Tuilagi
Slade

Cokanasiga
May
Nowell

Steward

Enjoying your optimism that we’ll see Cullis this Sunday.

Don't Wurry.

[Banquo]

Robinson retained after being an injury sub. Likewise Slade. May miraculously fit.
Singleton over McGuigan must be based on their table tennis standings. Disappointed for Val R-R, Quirke and Murley in particular.
Reckon twoe of Ribbans, Coles, Simmonds and Robinson wont make the 23.
Who covers FB if Steward goes off?

Slade, or Nowell.

[Mikey Brown]

I think I dislike Cullis even more than Cunderhill. I'd accept almost any other combination of their names.

Actually quite like Wurry now that Banquo's mentioned it.

[Banquo]

we all know Itoje will be at 6......

[Banquo]

I think I dislike Cullis even more than Cunderhill. I'd accept almost any other combination of their names.

Actually quite like Wurry now that Banquo's mentioned it.

Wurry ye not, I have the answer! Cutoje.

[Mellsblue]

Genge
MakoV

LCD
Singleton

Heyes
Sinckler

Itoje
Hill
Ribbans
Coles
Robinson

Curry
Willis
BillyV
Simmonds


Youngs
JVP

Smith

Farrell
Tuilagi
Slade

Cokanasiga
May
Nowell

Steward

Enjoying your optimism that we’ll see Cullis this Sunday.

Don't Wurry.

Be Shontayne Hape.

[ckeyn]

we all know Itoje will be at 6......

It won't be - all footage out of England camp shows Itoje leading the 2nd row unit in training

[Banquo]

we all know Itoje will be at 6......

It won't be - all footage out of England camp shows Itoje leading the 2nd row unit in training

ok, I stand corrected. But you do wonder why EJ has so many locks in the camp....

[Puja]

we all know Itoje will be at 6......

It won't be - all footage out of England camp shows Itoje leading the 2nd row unit in training

ok, I stand corrected. But you do wonder why EJ has so many locks in the camp....

Possibly hasn't 100% yet decided which of them gets to stay and is motivating them down to the last minute. It's the only reason I can think of.

Puja

[fivepointer]

Think Jones probably wants a line option in the back row. He's unsure whether that is worth having in Coles or Robinson, or whether he sticks with the more mobile Willis & Curry as flankers.

[Scrumhead]

Robinson retained after being an injury sub. Likewise Slade. May miraculously fit.
Singleton over McGuigan must be based on their table tennis standings. Disappointed for Val R-R, Quirke and Murley in particular.
Reckon twoe of Ribbans, Coles, Simmonds and Robinson wont make the 23.
Who covers FB if Steward goes off?

The players I wanted to see were Murley, McGuigan and Tizard … all cut.

Part of me hopes that means they’ll feature vs. Japan, but then the other side of me thinks we need to build for NZ and SA.

[FKAS]

Robinson retained after being an injury sub. Likewise Slade. May miraculously fit.
Singleton over McGuigan must be based on their table tennis standings. Disappointed for Val R-R, Quirke and Murley in particular.
Reckon twoe of Ribbans, Coles, Simmonds and Robinson wont make the 23.
Who covers FB if Steward goes off?

Yeah I feel for McGuigan as well, he's been a stand out in the league for ages and is a leader. His try stats are impressive. Harsh he's not getting a go.

If Steward goes off either Smith or Slade will go to 15. On the presumption that Slade will be on the bench as no one in their right mind would go into a game without centre cover if naming Manu as starting.

[Mikey Brown]

Has to be Slade to 15 instead of Smith, surely. I would be sort of curious, but I’ve quite liked Slade’s few previous appearances at 15 actually. Smith might be fun on the counter attack though.

[Puja]

If Steward goes off either Smith or Slade will go to 15. On the presumption that Slade will be on the bench as no one in their right mind would go into a game without centre cover if naming Manu as starting.

Not Nowell? He's played there a lot more and a lot more recently than either of those two.

Puja

[FKAS]

If Steward goes off either Smith or Slade will go to 15. On the presumption that Slade will be on the bench as no one in their right mind would go into a game without centre cover if naming Manu as starting.

Not Nowell? He's played there a lot more and a lot more recently than either of those two.

Puja

I'm expecting Nowell not to make the 23 with Eddie going for a 6/2 bench split and starting May and Cokanasiga. Slade being the sub.

Mikey, Smith dropped to 15 Vs France when Ford came on for Furbank in the 6N. That was a fun period to watch. Forces the opposition to kick carefully as Smith doesn't need much invitation to attack and if he's in a kicking battle he's not going to be a slouch there either. As emergency cover goes pretty handy. Could also see a hybrid system where he defends from 15 but then on the attack slots back in at 10 with Slade running the 15s lines.

[Oakboy]

Nobody has mentioned Quirke. If he is not one of our best two SHs the game has gone mad.

[Puja]

Nobody has mentioned Quirke. If he is not one of our best two SHs the game has gone mad.

I mean, much as I'd've started him, I'm unsurprised. Youngs has 100+ caps of experience and we know Eddie loves him, plus it'd be hard to drop JVP from the XXIII given his summer form. Quirke was always going to get booted, sad as it is to say.

Puja

[Beasties]

Nobody has mentioned Quirke. If he is not one of our best two SHs the game has gone mad.

I mean, much as I'd've started him, I'm unsurprised. Youngs has 100+ caps of experience and we know Eddie loves him, plus it'd be hard to drop JVP from the XXIII given his summer form. Quirke was always going to get booted, sad as it is to say.

Puja

And obv hasn’t served his 18m+ min time in camp threshold yet.

[fivepointer]

Will Kelleher (The Times) reckons its going to be - on latest info: F Steward; J Nowell, M Tuilagi, O Farrell, J Cokanasiga; M Smith, B Youngs; E Genge, L Cowan-Dickie, K Sinckler, M Itoje, J Hill, A Coles, T Curry, B Vunipola.

Caveats… LCD fitness (knee), May readiness (elbow), Faz (head), Coles/Itoje could swap.

[Mellsblue]

Sorry to bore but… no farking pace. But, as the lovely Birgitte Nyborg would say “I don’t comment on hypotheticals”… so, only note this if that is the XV.

[Oakboy]

Let's face it, Jones has set his heart on the trio of Smith, Farrell and Tuilagi. Given Smith's fluctuating form, Farrell's 'fish-out-of-water' aptitude for the IC role and Tuilagi's tendency to be injured more often than not, it takes some believing. Even accepting it does not help because any third part of it could crack at any time. It just seems risk-laden and plain wrong.