Skalyba wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:27 am
I've lost all faith - it was shaky before but picking May and Coke just shows how poor SB is. We can't buy a try in our backs and rather than go for fresh, in form, talent he brings in 35 year old May.
He has wasted an absolute golden opportunity with this world cup to build a new team - it doesn't matter if the new players aren't better than the old, they just (hopefully bring a better attitude). He should have binned Marler, Cole, Sinckler, Lawes, Vunipola, Youngs, Care, Ford or Farrell, Tuilagi, May, Daly, Watson. I've probably missed a couple but are those players really so much better than VRR, Willis, Mercer, Pearson, Mitchell, Murley, Freeman, Roebuck etc that it's worth keeping them on?
I don't get the disdain for May - he's our second top try-scorer ever, he's elusive, he's still very quick, he's improved continually over his career and is probably one of our most secure players under a high ball, and one of our best positionally. He's also only 33, so neither "35 year old" nor utterly decrepit.
I also note you've suggested binning Cole and Sinckler without any suggestions of the young players to bring in.
Puja
Come on Puja one friendly before the world cup is definitely the time to ditch as many experienced players as possible and select as many youngsters with potential as possible. Unless they are solid players like Steward in which case drop them for the next mercurial youngster as well. Young and attacking potential are the only criteria we need.
I'd also suggest at only 30 and having looked more than decent off the bench Vs Ireland booting Sinckler now would be ridiculous. No age at all for a tighthead and with a couple of Lions tours under his belt plus 60 odd caps he's the type of experienced player we need in the squad. I'm hoping his injury isn't serious.
Skalyba wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:27 am
I've lost all faith - it was shaky before but picking May and Coke just shows how poor SB is. We can't buy a try in our backs and rather than go for fresh, in form, talent he brings in 35 year old May.
He has wasted an absolute golden opportunity with this world cup to build a new team - it doesn't matter if the new players aren't better than the old, they just (hopefully bring a better attitude). He should have binned Marler, Cole, Sinckler, Lawes, Vunipola, Youngs, Care, Ford or Farrell, Tuilagi, May, Daly, Watson. I've probably missed a couple but are those players really so much better than VRR, Willis, Mercer, Pearson, Mitchell, Murley, Freeman, Roebuck etc that it's worth keeping them on?
I don't get the disdain for May - he's our second top try-scorer ever, he's elusive, he's still very quick, he's improved continually over his career and is probably one of our most secure players under a high ball, and one of our best positionally. He's also only 33, so neither "35 year old" nor utterly decrepit.
I also note you've suggested binning Cole and Sinckler without any suggestions of the young players to bring in.
Puja
May's past it and there are other options, notably Murley who seems to have been badly done to along with Freeman.
Given our lack of options at TH, having Cole in the squad is perfectly sensible.
Skalyba wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:27 am
I've lost all faith - it was shaky before but picking May and Coke just shows how poor SB is. We can't buy a try in our backs and rather than go for fresh, in form, talent he brings in 35 year old May.
He has wasted an absolute golden opportunity with this world cup to build a new team - it doesn't matter if the new players aren't better than the old, they just (hopefully bring a better attitude). He should have binned Marler, Cole, Sinckler, Lawes, Vunipola, Youngs, Care, Ford or Farrell, Tuilagi, May, Daly, Watson. I've probably missed a couple but are those players really so much better than VRR, Willis, Mercer, Pearson, Mitchell, Murley, Freeman, Roebuck etc that it's worth keeping them on?
I don't get the disdain for May - he's our second top try-scorer ever, he's elusive, he's still very quick, he's improved continually over his career and is probably one of our most secure players under a high ball, and one of our best positionally. He's also only 33, so neither "35 year old" nor utterly decrepit.
I also note you've suggested binning Cole and Sinckler without any suggestions of the young players to bring in.
Puja
May's past it and there are other options, notably Murley who seems to have been badly done to along with Freeman.
Given our lack of options at TH, having Cole in the squad is perfectly sensible.
If Murley wasn't impressing sufficiently in training and having not played at all at this level to date I get not looking at him again. Freeman though, I do think he's hard done by. Borthwick and co don't seem to rate him for whatever reason. Quite odd.
Skalyba wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:27 am
I've lost all faith - it was shaky before but picking May and Coke just shows how poor SB is. We can't buy a try in our backs and rather than go for fresh, in form, talent he brings in 35 year old May.
He has wasted an absolute golden opportunity with this world cup to build a new team - it doesn't matter if the new players aren't better than the old, they just (hopefully bring a better attitude). He should have binned Marler, Cole, Sinckler, Lawes, Vunipola, Youngs, Care, Ford or Farrell, Tuilagi, May, Daly, Watson. I've probably missed a couple but are those players really so much better than VRR, Willis, Mercer, Pearson, Mitchell, Murley, Freeman, Roebuck etc that it's worth keeping them on?
I don't get the disdain for May - he's our second top try-scorer ever, he's elusive, he's still very quick, he's improved continually over his career and is probably one of our most secure players under a high ball, and one of our best positionally. He's also only 33, so neither "35 year old" nor utterly decrepit.
I also note you've suggested binning Cole and Sinckler without any suggestions of the young players to bring in.
Puja
May's past it and there are other options, notably Murley who seems to have been badly done to along with Freeman.
Given our lack of options at TH, having Cole in the squad is perfectly sensible.
See, this confuses me. He was doing a good job for England as recently as November, then had a long term injury, that kept him out most of the season, and while he's been gone, his rep on here appears to have morphed in Nowell 2.0 - any selection of him is greeted with "Oh for fuck's sake!"
I don't get the disdain for May - he's our second top try-scorer ever, he's elusive, he's still very quick, he's improved continually over his career and is probably one of our most secure players under a high ball, and one of our best positionally. He's also only 33, so neither "35 year old" nor utterly decrepit.
I also note you've suggested binning Cole and Sinckler without any suggestions of the young players to bring in.
Puja
May's past it and there are other options, notably Murley who seems to have been badly done to along with Freeman.
Given our lack of options at TH, having Cole in the squad is perfectly sensible.
See, this confuses me. He was doing a good job for England as recently as November, then had a long term injury, that kept him out most of the season, and while he's been gone, his rep on here appears to have morphed in Nowell 2.0 - any selection of him is greeted with "Oh for fuck's sake!"
Puja
If we had any chance of winning this RWC I’d agree with you but we don’t so I don’t!!
Banquo wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:18 pm
Not sure an argument about Jonny May gets anywhere near being the top of the issues to solve.
I’m almost feeling sorry for Slightly Banjaxed.
There are areas where he has been unlucky, Dombrandt not coming off despite a good 6N run, for example. I suppose handling injuries is a big part of management. I don't think the squad has suffered that much more than usual. He appears to have got it right with Chessum. There was no need for him to pick the others. There were fit alternatives. Maybe, LCD was the only big absence.
I don't get the disdain for May - he's our second top try-scorer ever, he's elusive, he's still very quick, he's improved continually over his career and is probably one of our most secure players under a high ball, and one of our best positionally. He's also only 33, so neither "35 year old" nor utterly decrepit.
I also note you've suggested binning Cole and Sinckler without any suggestions of the young players to bring in.
Puja
May's past it and there are other options, notably Murley who seems to have been badly done to along with Freeman.
Given our lack of options at TH, having Cole in the squad is perfectly sensible.
See, this confuses me. He was doing a good job for England as recently as November, then had a long term injury, that kept him out most of the season, and while he's been gone, his rep on here appears to have morphed in Nowell 2.0 - any selection of him is greeted with "Oh for fuck's sake!"
Puja
He also finished the season with three tries in his last three starts (Tigers, Sale and Bristol). Must still have a bit left in the legs.
I'd certainly pick May ahead of Coka. You can make a case for picking or not picking any of Daly, Watson and May. Watson has gone. Daly might follow. May is OK - probably still more dangerous in attack than Malins.
I honestly have no idea what May’s current form is, but was under the impression he is firmly behind Thorley and LRZ at Gloucester? Maybe it’s just that he’s been working his way back from injury very slowly?
I suppose it’s hard to ignore the (exaggerated?) claims that his pace has gone, although obviously he’d improved other areas of his game massively that was a big USP.
Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:21 pm
I honestly have no idea what May’s current form is, but was under the impression he is firmly behind Thorley and LRZ at Gloucester? Maybe it’s just that he’s been working his way back from injury very slowly?
16 starts for Glaws and 3 for England last season with another three sub appearances suggest Glaws have found a way of them to coexist.
Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:21 pm
I honestly have no idea what May’s current form is, but was under the impression he is firmly behind Thorley and LRZ at Gloucester? Maybe it’s just that he’s been working his way back from injury very slowly?
I suppose it’s hard to ignore the (exaggerated?) claims that his pace has gone, although obviously he’d improved other areas of his game massively that was a big USP.
He only came back from injury for the last 5-6 games of the season, I had thought?
Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:21 pm
I honestly have no idea what May’s current form is, but was under the impression he is firmly behind Thorley and LRZ at Gloucester? Maybe it’s just that he’s been working his way back from injury very slowly?
I suppose it’s hard to ignore the (exaggerated?) claims that his pace has gone, although obviously he’d improved other areas of his game massively that was a big USP.
He only came back from injury for the last 5-6 games of the season, I had thought?
Puja
If it wasn’t clear already I really haven’t got a clue. I was just jumping up on the anti-May bandwagon because there are shiny new things available.
I’d be very happy to see him still be the player he was around 2020/2021.
Sinkler out with a chest knack now. Very quickly going from crisis to farce.
In an unrelated point, we've joked about it for years, but the Boks have pushed the button and gone 7 1 split on the bench tonight. They've smashed the AB pack all over the place, and are only 14 nil up because they're weirdly copying our grubbers first policy in the AB 22.
16th man wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 8:46 pm
Sinkler out with a chest knack now. Very quickly going from crisis to farce.
In an unrelated point, we've joked about it for years, but the Boks have pushed the button and gone 7 1 split on the bench tonight. They've smashed the AB pack all over the place, and are only 14 nil up because they're weirdly copying our grubbers first policy in the AB 22.
16th man wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 8:46 pm
Sinkler out with a chest knack now. Very quickly going from crisis to farce.
In an unrelated point, we've joked about it for years, but the Boks have pushed the button and gone 7 1 split on the bench tonight. They've smashed the AB pack all over the place, and are only 14 nil up because they're weirdly copying our grubbers first policy in the AB 22.
16th man wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 8:46 pm
Sinkler out with a chest knack now. Very quickly going from crisis to farce.
In an unrelated point, we've joked about it for years, but the Boks have pushed the button and gone 7 1 split on the bench tonight. They've smashed the AB pack all over the place, and are only 14 nil up because they're weirdly copying our grubbers first policy in the AB 22.
They are some units that SA side.
They’re gonna take some stopping.
New Zealand were awful. If they play like that against France (who've got some units of their own) then the record defeat they've just suffered will be bettered in short order. Looks like they were copying the English discipline policy. Mo'unga was lucky his tackle on Andre E wasn't reviewed otherwise could have been four yellows in the first half.
