Australia Tour Squad

[Banquo]

The reason is known - because the Bath jersey had been retired.
Find all also spent a fair bit of time refusing to wear 13, to the confusion of many when he'd wear 12 whilst playing OC for England (of course, he also played IC a fair bit, but it caused a LOT of discussion at the time - ah, the early days of I ternet message boards)

No, I meant he wore the 13 shirt for the Lions in the tests in 97, for some unknown reason (as I'd referenced the retirement of the Bath shirt, I'd got that bit....and then it became a superstition, which somehow stopped on that tour). I also stopped wearing 13 after I broke my jaw.

Oh, and Tindall inserted makes a lot more sense. As an aside, Greenwood actively wanted to wear 13 even when playing inside centre; Tindall debuted in the 13 shirt for England.

[32nd Man]

Pretty sure Greenwood stopped wanting the 12 shirt following a bad head knock on the 97 lions tour.

[Mikey Brown]

I can tell we're all keen for some team news.

[32nd Man]

I can tell we're all keen for some team news.

Both wanting and dreading seeing what random nonsense he pulls out of his I know best bag this time.

[Banquo]

Pretty sure Greenwood stopped wanting the 12 shirt following a bad head knock on the 97 lions tour.

yep, though he did also say that Guscott wanted the 12 shirt when they played together and he wasn't going to argue.

[Mikey Brown]

I can tell we're all keen for some team news.

Both wanting and dreading seeing what random nonsense he pulls out of his I know best bag this time.

My money is on Nowell starting at 13.

[32nd Man]

I can tell we're all keen for some team news.

Both wanting and dreading seeing what random nonsense he pulls out of his I know best bag this time.

My money is on Nowell starting at 13.

Wouldn't totally be against it had he spent any real time there during the season

[Banquo]

Both wanting and dreading seeing what random nonsense he pulls out of his I know best bag this time.

My money is on Nowell starting at 13.

Wouldn't totally be against it had he spent any real time there during the season

He never spends any real time anywhere. Not his fault per se, but always injured. He's a handy bench player- I wouldn't trust his defence at 13, nor is he much of a distributor. Handy carrier in tight spaces to make a few yards, and follows the ball like an old school 7.

[SDHoneymonster]

Didn't Launchbury wear 4 and Lawes 5, as Lawes generally called the lineout? Might still have scrummaged the other way round though.

at least flankers numbers can usually tell you which side of the scrum they'll play on.

well yes, assuming you know they are the other way round in SA or that in France they play left and right often . But yes on locks. Also centre numbers can be misleading- back in the day, 12 played left centre, 13 right; this still continues in some places eg France. And Guscott refused to wear 13

Greenwood was the other way round - he wanted the 13 shirt despite playing inside centre! Tindall wore 12 for the most part for England despite playing outside centre.

[SDHoneymonster]

Banquo beat me to it, and also made it appear a much more interesting fact than I did.

[SDHoneymonster]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... ralia.html

Lawes being considered to start at lock. With Tupou out for Australia it does mean that there's less need for scrummaging grunt in fairness, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Cunderhill or Cillis on the flanks. Suspect the Lawes/Curry/Vunipola prediction here is correct though.

[Banquo]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... ralia.html

Lawes being considered to start at lock. With Tupou out for Australia it does mean that there's less need for scrummaging grunt in fairness, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Cunderhill or Cillis on the flanks. Suspect the Lawes/Curry/Vunipola prediction here is correct though.

Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Willis, Vunipola would be great bar probably the scrum- the props would have to work very hard, esp Stuart. We'd need to use both Curry and Willis in the lineout, but that's perfectly doable. Like to see Chessum start at some point too.

[FKAS]

Rumoured leaked lineup (from the Ruck though so could be complete horse manure).

Genge, LCD, Heyes
Hill, Itoje
Lawes, Vunipola, Curry
Randall, Smith
Farrell, Marchant
Cokanasiga, Steward, May

SDHM Mail link goes pretty much the same but with the far more likely Stuart starting at tighthead.

[Raggs]

Rumoured leaked lineup (from the Ruck though so could be complete horse manure).

Genge, TCD, Heyes
Hill, Itoje
Lawes, Vunipola, Curry
Randall, Smith
Farrell, Marchant
Cokanasiga, Steward, May

SDHM Mail link goes pretty much the same but with the far more likely Stuart starting at tighthead.

Who's TCD? You mean LCD right?

And May is out with the rona no? Or if he gets double negatives he's back in?

[Mikey Brown]

Some stats and gifs and stuff.



Not totally sure on all the analysis but there you go.

[Banquo]

Maori AB's just stuffed Ireland 'a'. Think these games are all going to be tricky in the SH.

[FKAS]

Rumoured leaked lineup (from the Ruck though so could be complete horse manure).

Genge, TCD, Heyes
Hill, Itoje
Lawes, Vunipola, Curry
Randall, Smith
Farrell, Marchant
Cokanasiga, Steward, May

SDHM Mail link goes pretty much the same but with the far more likely Stuart starting at tighthead.

Who's TCD? You mean LCD right?

And May is out with the rona no? Or if he gets double negatives he's back in?

Yes LCD. Slip of the finger there.

The rumoured team has May in, I'd rather have Freeman in there and see how they get on. May can comeback in for the second test if required, if not then you've not a back three that's all under 25 but who have been playing regularly at club level for a couple of seasons and at least one of whom looks completely natural at international level (the other two may do as well). Something to build up for the world cup.

[Which Tyler]

Nah, Find all/Tindall

I... didn't even spot that when you drew my attention to a typo...

No, I meant he wore the 13 shirt for the Lions in the tests in 97, for some unknown reason (as I'd referenced the retirement of the Bath shirt, I'd got that bit....and then it became a superstition, which somehow stopped on that tour). I also stopped wearing 13 after I broke my jaw.

Oh, and Tindall inserted makes a lot more sense. As an aside, Greenwood actively wanted to wear 13 even when playing inside centre; Tindall debuted in the 13 shirt for England.

Preferences, typical behaviour, not absolutes.
Neither Guscott nor Tindall liked wearing the 13 shirt, for Bath, England or the Lions: (initially) because of the Bath shirt retirement (though it may then have become a personal superstition). That doesn't mean they got an allergic reaction that prevented them from wearing the number if it was insisted on by others; or that they would make themselves unavailable if it was 13 or no cap.

Lions '97 is right at the beginning of the professional era, when it was first being mooted that anything other than numbering teams 1-15 is too confusing for all those new fans who would love rugby if it weren't for that - so Bath started issuing a 13 shirt, Leicester lost their letters, Bristol started counting upwards...
I suspect that Guscott was up against the management on wearing 13; but that's the exception for him, not the rule.

[Mellsblue]

I can tell we're all keen for some team news.

Both wanting and dreading seeing what random nonsense he pulls out of his I know best bag this time.

My money is on Nowell starting at 13.

In the 7 shirt?

[SDHoneymonster]

Both wanting and dreading seeing what random nonsense he pulls out of his I know best bag this time.

My money is on Nowell starting at 13.

In the 7 shirt?

After learning that he was a fly half at junior level, Jones is moving Will Stuart into the 10 shirt.

[SDHoneymonster]

Maori AB's just stuffed Ireland 'a'. Think these games are all going to be tricky in the SH.

Think Ireland have a lot to do to get close considering Leinster's season ended in such disappointment on two fronts, although the fact that the world's likeliest place to catch covid at the moment seems to be the All Blacks camp tilts the odds back in their favour somewhat. I have just had a look at the Boks team to play Wales on Saturday and I'd suggest anyone of a Welsh persuasion should be watching that one through their fingers. Conversely, I feel weirdly optimistic about England: quite a lot of the coverage over on the Roar seems to suggest they're focusing on the wrong areas, which is perhaps because England are confusing even themselves at the moment, let alone their opposition.

[Puja]

Maori AB's just stuffed Ireland 'a'. Think these games are all going to be tricky in the SH.

Think Ireland have a lot to do to get close considering Leinster's season ended in such disappointment on two fronts, although the fact that the world's likeliest place to catch covid at the moment seems to be the All Blacks camp tilts the odds back in their favour somewhat. I have just had a look at the Boks team to play Wales on Saturday and I'd suggest anyone of a Welsh persuasion should be watching that one through their fingers. Conversely, I feel weirdly optimistic about England: quite a lot of the coverage over on the Roar seems to suggest they're focusing on the wrong areas, which is perhaps because England are confusing even themselves at the moment, let alone their opposition.

I think there's a much bigger difference between Ireland A and Ireland than there is between Maori All Blacks and the All Blacks. New Zealand has the most enviable depth of any rugby nation, while Ireland have been known to cap Mike Haley and Billy Burns in an attempt to expand their available player pool, but their 1st XXIII is superb. I expect to see it being very close at the weekend.

Puja

[Raggs]

Is it just me who honestly has no clue as to how this will go? Aus seem to be fairly strong at the moment, I can see England losing all the games badly, slightly, winning them slightly, or even winning them solidly if things click a little.

[SDHoneymonster]

Maori AB's just stuffed Ireland 'a'. Think these games are all going to be tricky in the SH.

Think Ireland have a lot to do to get close considering Leinster's season ended in such disappointment on two fronts, although the fact that the world's likeliest place to catch covid at the moment seems to be the All Blacks camp tilts the odds back in their favour somewhat. I have just had a look at the Boks team to play Wales on Saturday and I'd suggest anyone of a Welsh persuasion should be watching that one through their fingers. Conversely, I feel weirdly optimistic about England: quite a lot of the coverage over on the Roar seems to suggest they're focusing on the wrong areas, which is perhaps because England are confusing even themselves at the moment, let alone their opposition.

I think there's a much bigger difference between Ireland A and Ireland than there is between Maori All Blacks and the All Blacks. New Zealand has the most enviable depth of any rugby nation, while Ireland have been known to cap Mike Haley and Billy Burns in an attempt to expand their available player pool, but their 1st XXIII is superb. I expect to see it being very close at the weekend.

Puja

The Irish selection strategy of 'Just pick Leinster' certainly backfired a bit tonight with Frawley, no idea why you play a young 12 at 10 ahead of promising 10s from other provinces like Healy. Really think that mentally a squad with such a high Leinster contingent is going to struggle to get themselves properly up for another long tour at the end of a long and ultimately heartbreaking season too.

[jimKRFC]

Bristol started counting upwards...

Actually we lost our letters, but we did it properly...

A-G: Full back to 9
H-O: Loose head to 8

As opposed to Leicester who did weirdly:
A - H: Loose head to Open side (6-F, 8-G, 7-O)
I-O: 9 to full back