Timbo wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 2:37 pm
Best game Sinckler has had in a long while. Usual good hands, but also mixed it up physically & hit hard in defence. Needs to keep it up. Scrum improved but not dominant.
Cole didn’t seem to do an awful lot when he came on, but there was one scrum where he absolutely melted their loosehead. Shame in a way that there weren’t more scrums after he came on, as I suspect we’d have won some easy penalties.
Lineout was a bit rubbish. Borthers will be all over that.
I thought Sinckler was very good. He should have stayed on a bit longer with Genge. As far as i can recall Cole only contested the one scrum. He certainly did a number on the Scottish LH. I dont think he did much while on but we knew that outside of scrums he's not going to make much of an impact.
The lineouts were a bit scruffy, losing 2 and delivering poor ball off a couple more. Disappointingly we hardly challenged on the Scottish throw. Post l/o our driving maul was very poor, making no impression at all in the game.
This is an area that i'm sure we can up our game considerably.
I really enjoyed watching yesterday. I think the last few years have got me to the point of not caring too much about the result. It was just nice to actually enjoy the game. I barely thought about it negatively afterwards. There was some invention and sometimes we looked quite good. In the autumn we looked good for 10 minutes against NZ and that was it, so we've probably levelled up.
I'm no expert but that midfield looked poor in defence. They went through us with ease for the first couple of tries. On one of their 2nd half tries I think I joked to a mate that their lineout move didn't smash to bits off first phase for once, then we conceded the phase or two after (my memory may be off here). Matt Dawson's BBC article has a fair point about Borthwick having made a rod for his own back with Farrell as captain. If the 10-12 axis changes, it'll have to be Farrell at 10. I'm not his biggest fan & it could work, however if Smith is playing better than you end up having to drop the wrong guy.
Timbo wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 2:37 pm
Best game Sinckler has had in a long while. Usual good hands, but also mixed it up physically & hit hard in defence. Needs to keep it up. Scrum improved but not dominant.
Cole didn’t seem to do an awful lot when he came on, but there was one scrum where he absolutely melted their loosehead. Shame in a way that there weren’t more scrums after he came on, as I suspect we’d have won some easy penalties.
Lineout was a bit rubbish. Borthers will be all over that.
I thought Sinckler was very good. He should have stayed on a bit longer with Genge. As far as i can recall Cole only contested the one scrum. He certainly did a number on the Scottish LH. I dont think he did much while on but we knew that outside of scrums he's not going to make much of an impact.
The lineouts were a bit scruffy, losing 2 and delivering poor ball off a couple more. Disappointingly we hardly challenged on the Scottish throw. Post l/o our driving maul was very poor, making no impression at all in the game.
This is an area that i'm sure we can up our game considerably.
p/d wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 2:18 pm
Slick, playmakers etc …… it still took a mighty fine kick and timing from Maxi-boi to finish it.
I thought the Genge try was the pick of what can be done.
the second Malins try? not a kick. Well worked phase play, resulting in a two on one with Ludlam (I think) delivering the scoring pass for minimax to walk over. (its the one actually shown in the article ...)
Agreed, FH's job is to be thinking 3-4 phases ahead.
Smith demanded the ball to create a 2 on 4. Being bundled into touch and giving Scotland an easy clearance was about the best that could be expected from that call.
He wasn't thinking multiple phases ahead. He wasn't thinking of that particular phase. He wasn't putting doubt into Scottish minds to "keep them honest" for next time.
He was standing on the wrong side, and demanded the ball anyway, whereas a simple head-count, and he'd have directed the play to the other side, where there's a good chance there'd be an overlap, even if he can't see it himself.
I'm not going to castigate him for it - I like a bit of derring-do, but it was the wrong call that was only ever going to give Scotland the ball, whilst we were pressing in their 22 and should be a bit more careful about keeping the damned thing.
Sounds like my live impression was overly harsh on Curry.
Mind, I often change my opinion with a re-watch a couple of days later.
I felt that smith got really frustrated a few times and took poor decisions that would come off for Quins but don’t against an international defense.
He’ll learn if we take the handbrake off.
I fear we’ll have to wait until after the World Cup for that.
Can I ask what taking the handbrake off means to you? and what personnel that would need. Genuinely not being ar5ey for a change
Our centres. Everyone knows I'm a Marchant fan, but he wasn't great. But few players are when Farrell is at 12.
In fact, only Ford is good with Farrell at 12, and I think that's because he's Ford...
We drop Farrell, we take the handbrake off.
Doesn't Smith have the better kicking %age since 2019? And by something like 8%?
Stom wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 6:17 pm
For some reason, stats aren't so easy to find, but for 19/20, Farrell was 75.8% and Smith 83.1%. I look for others.
Farrell quite literally was the difference between win and loss yesterday.
Much smaller sample size (especially in Smith's case), but prem stats for this season are:
Smith 19/20 95%
Farrell 32/52 75%
Sub 80% over an extended period is too low for a front line kicker.
Stom wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 6:17 pm
For some reason, stats aren't so easy to find, but for 19/20, Farrell was 75.8% and Smith 83.1%. I look for others.
Farrell quite literally was the difference between win and loss yesterday.
Are you surprised? England shoot themselves in the foot every time they play Faz at 12. It has been evident for a long time now - to everyone except the coaches
They will hump poor old Italy next week and everything in the garden will be rosy again.
Something like that, few tweaks to give us more carrying threat hopefully keep strong at the breakdown. Bit more solidarity in the midfield, some impact on the bench. Still got the option of a third jumper in the backrow with Chessum to 6 if we need lineout reinforcement.
Fingers crossed Kelly is fit, a 12 at 12 how long have we wanted for that.
I'm sure Borthwick has a Malins style left field selection though.
Spiffy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 7:05 pm
They will hump poor old Italy next week and everything in the garden will be rosy again.
Really? Given their showing against France I have a nasty feeling Italy could break a record at Twickenham.
It's possible, but perhaps not with those half backs. Italy will find it hard to gain an away win at Twickenham with England smarting after the Scotland loss. Of course, much depends on Borthwick's selection. Italy definitely in with a chance if he sticks to the same-again philosophy. The England midfield and back row could do with a shake up, but he may decide to give them another run to try and bed in.
But full marks to Italy for their approach, though they might be a little less cavalier near their own goal line. A good rugby general in at least one of the halfback positions could work wonders.
Something like that, few tweaks to give us more carrying threat hopefully keep strong at the breakdown. Bit more solidarity in the midfield, some impact on the bench. Still got the option of a third jumper in the backrow with Chessum to 6 if we need lineout reinforcement.
Fingers crossed Kelly is fit, a 12 at 12 how long have we wanted for that.
I'm sure Borthwick has a Malins style left field selection though.
I wouldn't be too against that. I'd be slightly tempted to start Ribbans and Chessum together and give Itoje a week off. I'd hope Walker would get some minutes if we're planning to use him at all. Having him on the bench but scared to put him on against Scotland was a shame.
Something like that, few tweaks to give us more carrying threat hopefully keep strong at the breakdown. Bit more solidarity in the midfield, some impact on the bench. Still got the option of a third jumper in the backrow with Chessum to 6 if we need lineout reinforcement.
Fingers crossed Kelly is fit, a 12 at 12 how long have we wanted for that.
I'm sure Borthwick has a Malins style left field selection though.
Looking at that, I really want to see VRR on the bench. Can Borthwick bring him in this 6N without any LH injuries? Or am I gonna have to wait a while yet?
Something like that, few tweaks to give us more carrying threat hopefully keep strong at the breakdown. Bit more solidarity in the midfield, some impact on the bench. Still got the option of a third jumper in the backrow with Chessum to 6 if we need lineout reinforcement.
Fingers crossed Kelly is fit, a 12 at 12 how long have we wanted for that.
I'm sure Borthwick has a Malins style left field selection though.
Did you mean to stick Earl as packing down on the blindside?
That back three just doesn't convince me, but prob should get another go. And I would give Smith the start.
Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Mon Feb 06, 2023 8:42 am
I love that we’re so used to a combination of 10s/13s there that calling him “a 12 at 12” is now considered overhyping.
This playing a player in their preferred position thing will never work out. Steward's a big lad that can kick, Steward for 12.
Re Earl packing down at 6, him and Ludlam are pretty interchangeable on the flanks so don't think it matters to much.
Mellsblue wrote: ↑Mon Feb 06, 2023 9:00 am
It’s more the idea that playing Kelly will be problem solved. There have been numerous players look great in the Prem but fail at international level.
Very true but when your defence had a gaping hole due to the actions of the 12 that isn't really a 12 you really want to see the guy that's a solid defender at 12 given a go. Kelly is also young enough to spend time developing, much like England are doing with Smith who looks phenomenal at Prem level but average at international level (so far).
Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Mon Feb 06, 2023 8:42 am
I love that we’re so used to a combination of 10s/13s there that calling him “a 12 at 12” is now considered overhyping.
This playing a player in their preferred position thing will never work out. Steward's a big lad that can kick, Steward for 12.
Re Earl packing down at 6, him and Ludlam are pretty interchangeable on the flanks so don't think it matters to much.
I don't think I've seen Earl defend the blindside from a scrum, could be wrong (and that really does matter). After a couple of phases it doesn't matter so much I agree, as much as their skills being complimentary; Curry I think does more grunt work at the breakdown, so there is that.
and, you were suggesting Steward could be moved to centre iirc
