Re: EPS Watch / Player Form Thread
Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:25 pm
quite, he's a poor defender.twitchy wrote:Mikey Brown wrote:Lewington really is a good finisher isn't he.
We currently have loads of good wings who can't tackle.
quite, he's a poor defender.twitchy wrote:Mikey Brown wrote:Lewington really is a good finisher isn't he.
We currently have loads of good wings who can't tackle.
Agreed. We may need to test an alternative to Hughes at 8, though, because Billy is unavailable quite often.twitchy wrote:Flatman was going nuts about simmonds last night on the highlights. There are so many back row combinations we could test in the AI's (or at least the non aus games).
6. Robshaw/ Itoje/Lawes
7. Simmonds/ Underhill/ Curry
8. Hughes
or for the aus game
6. Itoje/ Lawes (with the other in the second row)
7. Robshaw
8. Hughes
Some thing like that at least.
bitts wrote:Haven't seen that much of Saints, other than highlights, this season. Has H Mallinder started tackling properly yet?
At 28 and uncapped won't happen.Puja wrote:I was going to ask whether we were allowed to mention Trinder in connection with England again. He does actually look to have improved as a player since the last time he was fully fit and can't be too far off Eddie's radar.
Puja
He carries hard and tends to make metres through traffic. While not being Billy-shaped, he's probably got the most Billy-like ability to hit up of our available options.Digby wrote:Take away the barnstorming runs from Simmonds, essentially the bits that look good on a highlights show, and what do people actually like/notice about Simmonds going phase to phase?
By not ‘regular’, I meant that they’re not ‘classic’ 13s, not that they’re not playing there regularly.Digby wrote:Slade isn't a regular 13? Without checking I'll confidently state Slade has more time at 13 this season than Trinder, and indeed last season and the season before.
I do think Trinder's an option mind, though I don't think he looks improved, he's just always been a very good player.
Ah, understoodScrumhead wrote:By not ‘regular’, I meant that they’re not ‘classic’ 13s, not that they’re not playing there regularly.Digby wrote:Slade isn't a regular 13? Without checking I'll confidently state Slade has more time at 13 this season than Trinder, and indeed last season and the season before.
I do think Trinder's an option mind, though I don't think he looks improved, he's just always been a very good player.
I don't really know where to look for stats but he just carries a lot and makes metres all over the pitch.That is why he pops up for tries.Digby wrote:Take away the barnstorming runs from Simmonds, essentially the bits that look good on a highlights show, and what do people actually like/notice about Simmonds going phase to phase?
I don’t entirely disagree with your principle and I think we can be too quick to put players in boxes rather than focusing on the skills they have.Stom wrote:We have this problem in English sport to label each position with very specific needs. So a 13 must make outside breaks, a 7 must jackal, a 4 must be an enforcer, etc...
While each position does have responsibilities, we need to ditch this. So long as Slade has the ability to defend effectively at 13, the rest of his skills depend on the overall makeup of the backline, not on the number on his back.
Ditto 7. So long as the loose forwards are balanced, his role can be anything, so long as he's quick off the scrum to make those 1st out tackles and/or hit those 1 out rucks, depending on the situation.
The problen with that is that, with a more bespoke distribution of skills, it becomes harder to swap players like-for-like. Say you pick Harry Thacker at hooker and he does a lot of turnovers, support play and jackalling, so you can then have two 6s in the back row. However, if Thacker is injured or out of form and his replacement is someone like Hibbard, then you can't just make one change as you're going to need to bring in someone to cover the jackalling. And you can't get rid of one of your back row, because he's the lineout option covering the fact that your 4 is a behemoth who doesn't really jump because you needed a big carrier to cover the fact that your hooker isn't a big carrier... although now you've picked Hibbard who can carry, so do you need the big lock and the lineout back row?Stom wrote:We have this problem in English sport to label each position with very specific needs. So a 13 must make outside breaks, a 7 must jackal, a 4 must be an enforcer, etc...
While each position does have responsibilities, we need to ditch this. So long as Slade has the ability to defend effectively at 13, the rest of his skills depend on the overall makeup of the backline, not on the number on his back.
Ditto 7. So long as the loose forwards are balanced, his role can be anything, so long as he's quick off the scrum to make those 1st out tackles and/or hit those 1 out rucks, depending on the situation.
Ah. You mean like negating the best back you've got by playing a guy that just drifts sideways but has been selected to kick goals because your fly-half has the temperament of a 14 year-old girl?Puja wrote:The problen with that is that, with a more bespoke distribution of skills, it becomes harder to swap players like-for-like. Say you pick Harry Thacker at hooker and he does a lot of turnovers, support play and jackalling, so you can then have two 6s in the back row. However, if Thacker is injured or out of form and his replacement is someone like Hibbard, then you can't just make one change as you're going to need to bring in someone to cover the jackalling. And you can't get rid of one of your back row, because he's the lineout option covering the fact that your 4 is a behemoth who doesn't really jump because you needed a big carrier to cover the fact that your hooker isn't a big carrier... although now you've picked Hibbard who can carry, so do you need the big lock and the lineout back row?Stom wrote:We have this problem in English sport to label each position with very specific needs. So a 13 must make outside breaks, a 7 must jackal, a 4 must be an enforcer, etc...
While each position does have responsibilities, we need to ditch this. So long as Slade has the ability to defend effectively at 13, the rest of his skills depend on the overall makeup of the backline, not on the number on his back.
Ditto 7. So long as the loose forwards are balanced, his role can be anything, so long as he's quick off the scrum to make those 1st out tackles and/or hit those 1 out rucks, depending on the situation.
It just creates unnecessary links between players in selection if you're covering a lack in one position elsewhere and you can have the fun situation where someone is dropped despite playing well because of needs elsewhere in the team. Or worse, that someone is kept despite not being in form, because they're needed to cover someone else's flaws.
Puja
But Teo had that golden combination of being a league player and an Aussie/Kiwi/Samoan, which trumps all else. Grinder is playing well but honestly until he plays a dozen games who would trust him not to break again? Marchant is also bang in form, younger, offers a similar attacking threat and is more familiar with the squad.Scrumhead wrote:If he carries on playing out of his skin, I don’t see why being 28 rules Trinder out of contention?
Te’o was 28 by the time he made his first test appearance and while you could argue that he is a different proposition, I wouldn’t suggest that age alone is a barrier to Eddie.
As it stands, Trinder is probably the form out-and-out 13 in the Premiership. Joseph and Marchant are playing well, but I’d say Daly’s been fairly anonymous in a poor Wasps side. Slade is playing well but isn’t a regular 13, same for Te’o.
In any case, Slade has something like 3 starts for England, Te’o has 1 and Daly has mainly featured as a winger. With the exception of JJ, who was left out of the last training squad, I wouldn’t say our options at 13 are particularly well-established.
Don’t get me wrong, Trinder is a left field option, but in this form, I wouldn’t say test recognition is impossible. He’s always had the talent, his career has just been blighted by injury.
I agree?Puja wrote:The problen with that is that, with a more bespoke distribution of skills, it becomes harder to swap players like-for-like. Say you pick Harry Thacker at hooker and he does a lot of turnovers, support play and jackalling, so you can then have two 6s in the back row. However, if Thacker is injured or out of form and his replacement is someone like Hibbard, then you can't just make one change as you're going to need to bring in someone to cover the jackalling. And you can't get rid of one of your back row, because he's the lineout option covering the fact that your 4 is a behemoth who doesn't really jump because you needed a big carrier to cover the fact that your hooker isn't a big carrier... although now you've picked Hibbard who can carry, so do you need the big lock and the lineout back row?Stom wrote:We have this problem in English sport to label each position with very specific needs. So a 13 must make outside breaks, a 7 must jackal, a 4 must be an enforcer, etc...
While each position does have responsibilities, we need to ditch this. So long as Slade has the ability to defend effectively at 13, the rest of his skills depend on the overall makeup of the backline, not on the number on his back.
Ditto 7. So long as the loose forwards are balanced, his role can be anything, so long as he's quick off the scrum to make those 1st out tackles and/or hit those 1 out rucks, depending on the situation.
It just creates unnecessary links between players in selection if you're covering a lack in one position elsewhere and you can have the fun situation where someone is dropped despite playing well because of needs elsewhere in the team. Or worse, that someone is kept despite not being in form, because they're needed to cover someone else's flaws.
Puja