Squad for AIs

[TheDasher]

Don't understand Ewels, Rhodes, Wiggles, Earle in particular.

Don't know enough about Hill, Stooke, Schonert.

I wouldn't pick Hartley, Shields, Underhill, Ford, Ashton on top of all that either.

[Stom]

Oh, and no Johnny Williams...he really should be picked...and soon.

From that squad, I guess I'd go with:

Hepburn
Hartley
Williams
Itoje
Kruis
Wilson
Curry
Mercer
Youngs
Ford
Daly
Slade
Tuilagi
May
Brown

George, Moon, Sinckler, Lawes, Morgan, Care, Farrell, Nowell.

Jones will probably pick a backrow of Shields, Rhodes, Morgan...

[Puja]

That squad has good and bad. I mean, you could select:

Hepburn
George
Williams
Itoje
Lawes
Wilson
Curry
Mercer
Care
Ford
May
Slade
Manu
Cokanasiga
Daly

However, you could also select, and Eddie will select:

Moon
Hartley
Williams
Lawes
Kruis
Itoje
Rhodes
Shields

Youngs
Farrell
May
Te'o
Manu
Ashton
Brown

And that just makes me very sad.

Puja

[Stom]

Eligibility based on residency should be minimum 5 years.

[Mellsblue]

Mixed bag but I’ll take it.

I won't. I'm pissed. Rhodes should be nowhere near an England squad. Schonert, too.

Agreed but it’s an EPS and you’re bound to have a handful you don’t like. I’d lose those two - Armand/Ewers/Chisholm and H Thomas to replace - plus Wigglesworth and Ashton - Maunder and Cipriani to replace.

Edit:
Having read one of your subsequent posts I’d def have Williams in there. Even if it meant a * next to his name.

It’s also ‘interesting’ to see Farrell’s poor captaincy in SA being rewarded with a promotion.

[Puja]

Don't understand Ewels, Rhodes, Wiggles, Earle in particular.

Don't know enough about Hill, Stooke, Schonert.

I wouldn't pick Hartley, Shields, Underhill, Ford, Ashton on top of all that either.

Hill's a very good young player. Very powerful in the carry and tackle - probably a bit early for him to get a cap, but good to have him in the squad.

Out of interest, why not Ford? He's been in great form this season.

Puja

[p/d]

No fan but you have to feel for Goode

[Oakboy]

Has T'eo played recently?

[p/d]

Has T'eo played recently?

It's not a requirement for Jones.

[Stom]

Mixed bag but I’ll take it.

I won't. I'm pissed. Rhodes should be nowhere near an England squad. Schonert, too.

Agreed but it’s an EPS and you’re bound to have a handful you don’t like. I’d lose those two - Armand/Ewers/Chisholm and H Thomas to replace - plus Wigglesworth and Ashton - Maunder and Cipriani to replace.

Edit:
Having read one of your subsequent posts I’d def have Williams in there. Even if it meant a * next to his name.

It’s also ‘interesting’ to see Farrell’s poor captaincy in SA being rewarded with a promotion.

There's a difference between "don't like" and outright disagree with everything it stands for.

[fivepointer]

Front row - V R-R very unlucky. LCD likewise and only 2 hookers? Hartley coming back in was entirely predictable. Schonert for Cole is the eye catching selection signifying the likely end of the Leicester players international career. Overall this is an OK selection.
Lock - 2 Bath locks selected and the best one overlooked?? Think Stooke is a decent player a bit under rated. Eddie likes Ewels, though its not clear why he's any better than, say, Sam Skinner.
Back row - Ted Hill. Wow. This lad is a great talent but if he's not going to play then he shouldnt have been picked. Armand and Kvesic for Shields and Rhodes would look better for me.
Half back - Regressive step in going for Wiggy. Cips not there indicates Farrell will play 10. Thanks Danny but we'll look elsewhere for our No 10.
Centre - The dream due moves closer. If fit, Te'o and Tuilagi will play. Disappointed there's no place for johnny Williams, who at least has the virtue of being fit and in very good form.
Back 3 - Ashton rushed back in, well well. At least Solomona has been dumped. Earle is a bit of an investment that may come good. Pleased for Cokanasiga.
Likely starting XV - Moon, Hartley, Sinckler, Itoje, Lawes, Shields, Curry, Morgan, Youngs, Farrell, Nowell, Te'o, Tuilagi, May, Daly.
Unlucky to be left out - V R-R, LCD, Attwood, Armand, Kvesic, Spencer, Cips, Williams

[Oakboy]

Sod that squad. I just want whatever gets rid of Jones at the earliest point possible. I simply don't understand how he can consider that Armand and Cipriani are not in the top 36 players at this point. I'd have both in the 23 if everybody was fit, never mind with 16 injuries.

[Mikey Brown]

Well. That's just exactly what we all feared/expected isn't it?

A couple of good inclusions.

Co-captains, both of which possibly not the best option for (that particular) shirt.

A great, big, steaming pile of blindsides.

Any available Bath lock ahead of Attwood (though I do actually quite like them both) you'd think he's perhaps too old, but W'Worth?.

A bunch of guys who've barely played at all.

Also a strange choice of using a slot for an 'apprentice' again, when we're clearly running out of time. Or maybe he's just that good?

[p/d]

fuming about no LCD.

[Timbo]

Mixed bag but I’ll take it.

I won't. I'm pissed. Rhodes should be nowhere near an England squad. Schonert, too.

When fit Rhodes has been the best blindside in the country for 3 seasons. One of the best in Europe.

[Mikey Brown]

You really have to feel for Wilson, he's been plugging away and improving for years now, Robshaw breaks down but suddenly these two guys are English.

[Mellsblue]

Has T'eo played recently?

It's not a requirement for Jones.

Unlike having been born in SA or further south.

[Puja]

Front row - V R-R very unlucky. LCD likewise and only 2 hookers? Hartley coming back in was entirely predictable. Schonert for Cole is the eye catching selection signifying the likely end of the Leicester players international career. Overall this is an OK selection.

I think Cole can come back, but he needs to buck up his ideas. He was woeful against Ulster and his ruck inspection directly led to the try that opened up Ulster's lead.

Puja

[Oakboy]

It might be interesting to see Jones's 1st XV and 2nd XV play against a Barbarians team of English players from outside the squad. Something like:

V R-R, LCD/Taylor, Thomas, Attwood, Hill, Ewers, Armand, Kvesic, Spencer, Cips, 36, Williams, Roko, Ibitoye, Mallinder

[TheDasher]

Don't understand Ewels, Rhodes, Wiggles, Earle in particular.

Don't know enough about Hill, Stooke, Schonert.

I wouldn't pick Hartley, Shields, Underhill, Ford, Ashton on top of all that either.

Hill's a very good young player. Very powerful in the carry and tackle - probably a bit early for him to get a cap, but good to have him in the squad.

Out of interest, why not Ford? He's been in great form this season.

Puja

Thanks re Hill.

On Ford... I'm a Cipriani man all day long, I'd have him at 10 without doubt.

I hate Farrell at 12, but I think he's a bit harshly spoken about here at 10, where I don't mind him. In fact, after a shaky start to his England career, he was becoming pretty decent at 10, then got moved to 12. I'd go with Farrell at 10 with Ford coming on from the bench from this squad. I have doubts about little Georgie at the very highest level, pressure games against Ireland/SA/NZ etc.

[TheDasher]

I see a few people above are going for Mercer over Morgan... Do you think Mercer is better than the now fit and firing Morgan?

[Scrumhead]

Well. That's just exactly what we all feared/expected isn't it?

A couple of good inclusions.

Co-captains, both of which possibly not the best option for (that particular) shirt.

A great, big, steaming pile of blindsides.

Any available Bath lock ahead of Attwood (though I do actually quite like them both) you'd think he's perhaps too old, but W'Worth?.

A bunch of guys who've barely played at all.

Also a strange choice of using a slot for an 'apprentice' again, when we're clearly running out of time. Or maybe he's just that good?

Yeah - agreed on all of this.

With Morgan’s recall, I hope he actually plays and not with two blindside flankers or even worse, a lock at 6.

How Te’o still makes the squad is beyond me. He literally never plays for Worcester. Johnny Williams is far more deserving of a place, even as an apprentice.

I’m another who detests the idea of Rhodes for England. A real ‘c u next Tuesday’ of a player.

[Tigersman]

Cole is England’s best scrummager he just needs to raise his all round game from crap to average and he will get picked.

[Mikey Brown]

How many Worcester appearances does anyone think Te'o has? I can't imagine it's a lot more than 10? Also I've not seen Williams, what is it he does that everyone is raving about? Looks like a big, strong guy but can't tell much more.

[Stom]

Mixed bag but I’ll take it.

I won't. I'm pissed. Rhodes should be nowhere near an England squad. Schonert, too.

When fit Rhodes has been the best blindside in the country for 3 seasons. One of the best in Europe.

When I've seen him, he hasn't been "the best blindside in the country", he's been an adequate blindside in a dominant team. He's no better than Armand. Or Chisholm. And he's not English in any way, shape or form.

Look, I can understand picking a foreign player if they are outright the best player in their position. There are plenty of examples where that would be the case. But if you're picking a guy who's no better than anyone else...I don't agree with that one bit.