Oakboy wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:52 am
Puja wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 9:54 am
Radwan talking about having a run at an Olympic place for 7s if he's not needed by England in the 6N. Not sharing the link, cause it's Daily Heil, but here's the pertinent bit:
If Radwan is not picked by England there is another option on the table. He recently spoke to Tony Roques, the man in charge of Team GB Sevens for France 2024, and the Olympic Games is now a real possibility.
‘My number one goal is to make the Six Nations squad, but there have been a couple of conversations with the Sevens guys.
‘It’s whether you can work it into the schedule with Newcastle and my goal to play for England XVs. If it’s possible to make it work then I would definitely give it a go. 'I mentioned it to Newcastle and they haven’t said no!’.
Should he miss out on the Six Nations, there could be a window to play in the Los Angeles and Vancouver Sevens tournaments during the Premiership’s down weeks.
‘It would improve my defence, marking players with fast feet in big spaces. I’d have to earn a spot and play a couple of tournaments before. We’re not through to the next round of the Prem Cup, so there will be a couple of free weekends. We’ll have to see.
‘It’s right up there with the biggest sporting events in the world, so it would be an honour to be part of something like that.’
I wonder which he'd choose if he's offered a place in the A-game against Portugal. Taking that would surely mean missing out on any chance of acclimatising in time for the Olympics, but it'd be a difficult call to turn down Strong Backhand when that might see him fall in the pecking order and miss a chance to push for full international recognition.
Puja
Any decision must be difficult in so many ways but one factor is SB's playing style. Can a traditional top finisher justify his presence on the wing when chasing kicks is such a large part of what he is required to do? One big argument in favour of Smith at 10 is that he might be good enough to force SB to allow some positive rugby. I could understand a good winger thinking the Olympic 7s was a more attractive proposition if it is 'same-old' with Ford (and Tuilagi, come to that).
It's hard to know what Borthwick's exact stance is on what a winger needs to offer, and how much that will change post-RWC with Felix Jones or another attack coach coming in.
He's generally looked very pragmatic, favouring kicking/fielding/kick-chase abilities, but clearly is open to more 1 dimensional (for want of a better phrase) strike-runners like Nadolo, Cokanasiga or Hassell-Collins if they aren't going to get exposed in the basics. I feel guys like Radwan, Wade, Reed etc. will always be too small and defensively suspect perhaps? I'm not sure where Murley sits on that scale. Freeman looks a good all rounder but may be playing 13 for now?
You'd think SA's incredible use of their rapid, agile wingers (particularly in defence) might be worth considering, but I can't see us replicating that defensive system.
