RugbyRebels

Puja wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 3:43 pm

R3dders wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 3:23 pm Falcons would beat USA, not sure how the winning mentality can dwindle. It's an end of term piss about.

They're not quite that bad! We'll put them away with comfort, but USA would be solid mid-table in the Prem.

Puja

Is that a joke that I don’t get?

Captainhaircut wrote: ↑Tue Jul 15, 2025 10:30 am

Puja wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 3:43 pm

R3dders wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 3:23 pm Falcons would beat USA, not sure how the winning mentality can dwindle. It's an end of term piss about.

They're not quite that bad! We'll put them away with comfort, but USA would be solid mid-table in the Prem.

Puja

Is that a joke that I don’t get?

No? Redders suggested the USA side were so bad that they'd be beaten by the team that was bottom of the Prem by a distance, and I said they were better than that and, by my estimation, they would probably end up mid-table if they were to compete in the Premiership.

I am confused by your confusion.

Puja

Really?

Honestly, that’s doing the Premiership a big injustice. As we all know, there’s very little to choose between the play-off contenders and the mid table clubs.

MacGinty is the USA’s best player by a distance. Would you see them beating Quins, Saints, Gloucester etc? I don’t.

Puja wrote: ↑Tue Jul 15, 2025 4:09 pm

Captainhaircut wrote: ↑Tue Jul 15, 2025 10:30 am

Puja wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 3:43 pm

They're not quite that bad! We'll put them away with comfort, but USA would be solid mid-table in the Prem.

Puja

Is that a joke that I don’t get?

No? Redders suggested the USA side were so bad that they'd be beaten by the team that was bottom of the Prem by a distance, and I said they were better than that and, by my estimation, they would probably end up mid-table if they were to compete in the Premiership.

I am confused by your confusion.

Puja

I honestly thought it had to be some sort of joke I wasn’t getting.

They have two players playing outside of the USA. Pifeleti and McGinty. Pifeleti made a handful of starts for Sarries in 6 years. Ruben de Haas is their starting 9- again couldn’t get close to being a prem 9 at any point.

Solid mid prem would put them above Falcons, Exeter, Saints and Quins last season. There’s absolutely no chance. Honestly don’t think they would get anywhere near beating a single side if they were in the prem last season (not even Newcastle).

1. Bevan Rodd
2. Curtis Langdon
3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour
4. Alex Coles
5. Arthur Clark
6. Chandler Cunningham-South
7. Guy Pepper
8. Alex Dombrandt

9. Jack van Poortvliet
10. George Ford (C)
11. Cadan Murley
12. Max Ojomoh
13. Luke Northmore
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
15. Joe Carpenter

16. Gabe Oghre
17. Fin Baxter
18. Trevor Davison
19. Ted Hill
20. Ben Curry
21. Harry Randall
22. Charlie Atkinson
23. Oscar Beard

Davidson and Dombrandt just makes no sense whatsoever! Why not Seb and Max in the centres?

There's a lot to like about this selection.

Ojomoh, Carpenter, Murley, Clark and Pepper get starts. Some who featured off the bench in Argentina get their chance and a few come in from the cold and at least get a bench spot.

Overall i'm pretty happy.

fivepointer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 4:27 pm There's a lot to like about this selection.

Ojomoh, Carpenter, Murley, Clark and Pepper get starts. Some who featured off the bench in Argentina get their chance and a few come in from the cold and at least get a bench spot.

Overall i'm pretty happy.

Bet Ted Hill is depressed tho. I really don't see the point in IFW starting tbh, but then I wouldn't have taken him on tour, more rehab the better for that injury.

Banquo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 4:40 pm

fivepointer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 4:27 pm There's a lot to like about this selection.

Ojomoh, Carpenter, Murley, Clark and Pepper get starts. Some who featured off the bench in Argentina get their chance and a few come in from the cold and at least get a bench spot.

Overall i'm pretty happy.

Bet Ted Hill is depressed tho. I really don't see the point in IFW starting tbh, but then I wouldn't have taken him on tour, more rehab the better for that injury.

It was weird to rush him back in when we have so many fit and firing wingers. As you say, much better for him to rehab over the summer and I'd add that he should have been left out of this tour to show whether he could prove his form ahead of the AIs instead

I quite like that actually. Question mark over IFW and CCS/Hill positional faffing aside.

I'm assuming Atkinson (like Tom Willis) has simply shown enough and gets a rest, while we want to have (more of) a look at Ojomoh and Northmore. Northmore clearly did something to get the start last week and didn't seem like he did much wrong in the game?

Shame Afo doesn't get a look in but I guess he's still deemed a bit raw. Still, it's the USA.

Putting aside the ludicrous reactions Dombrandt gets to some fairly solid, even good, cameos from the bench, he has to take this chance to show something more. Willis has set the standard, even if he can seemingly only do it for 55 minutes. We saw Dombrandt make one aggressive run, in response to an error, and it looked so unusual for him.

Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:28 pm CCS/Hill positional faffing aside.

Don't summon him

Happy overall with that. Would have liked CCS in the row but guess they wanted Coles to call the line out.

Ojomoh probably on their radar as a 12 rather than a 13 so they wanted to see him there.

Fasogbon and Blamire hard done by in not being involved I think. Not sure why Fasogbon for Baxter and Blamire for Curry couldn’t have been a thing.

Why Davison and not Fasogbon? Fasogbon is both better and younger than a solid journeyman who's in his thirties now.

Dombrandt I sort of get on that we want an 8 there and not to run Willis into the ground.

We should win this game at a canter so it doesn't really matter though Sanderson and Sale fans are probably fuming about Ford being risked in such a game.

Would have liked to see all 3 bench backs and hill starting. And as above ccs in the row. But that's a nice team. Just hope they keep the ball in hand as much as possible.

Is it bad that I like the look of that team much more than the full first team squad?

Yes.

Looks exactly like the side you would put out to play USA or Wales

fivepointer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 4:27 pm There's a lot to like about this selection.

Ojomoh, Carpenter, Murley, Clark and Pepper get starts. Some who featured off the bench in Argentina get their chance and a few come in from the cold and at least get a bench spot.

Overall i'm pretty happy.

Yeah, this is where I’m at. I wouldn’t have included Dombrandt and would have gone for Fasogbon over Davison, but I’m not outraged by their selection.

I think that leaves Isiekwe and Fasogbon as the only unused players. Sucks for them but overall good use of the squad.

We know what CCS can do at 6 and Dombrandt at 8. We don't know what CCS can do at 8 and Hill at 6. Together with Pepper starting at 7, we'd have learnt something.

IFW is our best winger, fit and on form. Getting him on the pitch makes sense to me.

Oakboy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:01 pm We know what CCS can do at 6 and Dombrandt at 8. We don't know what CCS can do at 8 and Hill at 6. Together with Pepper starting at 7, we'd have learnt something.

IFW is our best winger, fit and on form. Getting him on the pitch makes sense to me.

Fit and on form against top opposition, sure*. We know we’ve got at least 0.5/3 so I guess that’s something. Will be good to see him in a direct shootout with Murley I guess, but hard to see we’re learning much new compared to Muir/Roebuck.

Would happily have seen 6. Hill 8. CCS. This is part of my frustration too - there may be things Hill hasn’t been doing to make the grade, but can he possibly remedy them in 20 minutes against a knackered (and probably heavily defeated) USA?

*I think Freeman has more to his game but IFW is class.

R3dders wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:54 pm Is it bad that I like the look of that team much more than the full first team squad?

Kinda

Oakboy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:01 pm

IFW is our best winger, fit and on form. Getting him on the pitch makes sense to me.

Is he? He’s a terrific ball carrier, but what of the other bits?

Benefits of playing v USA. Not many.

Banquo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:40 pm

R3dders wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:54 pm Is it bad that I like the look of that team much more than the full first team squad?

Kinda

OK. Fair.

More exciting then.

Banquo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:45 pm

Oakboy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:01 pm

IFW is our best winger, fit and on form. Getting him on the pitch makes sense to me.

Is he? He’s a terrific ball carrier, but what of the other bits?

Benefits of playing v USA. Not many.

He's a bit slippery.

Can't see he's better than sleightholme, if the latter can get some fitness.

IFW is a good bit better than Sleightholme IMO.

It feels like a few months out has led to folks forgetting how good he is.