Team for Japan

[Banquo]

No, just that he consistently makes the same mistake...

Does he? Sure you aren’t confusing him with Steward?

Again, it not the thing I’d take away from that try or our defence. As the last man in a 2 v 1 in tons of space and no opportunity to really close down the ball carrier and prevent a pass, you either make it easy for the ball carrier and commit, or you hope the cover defence can do something. He was screwed tbh

Furbank has made the same mistake biting in, in defence and not taking man and ball this Autumn. Has done it a couple of times leading to tries for the opposition. Really has been a bad Autumn for Furbank.

This wasn't one of those times. Definitely Slade starting to come out of the line and then stopping, being in no man's land and giving Japan the space to exploit.

So not the same at all then. And all the outside/last defenders have been biting in fairness. Not exactly difficult to work out why.

[Banquo]

O'shea better left with elite pathways....what does 'more oversight' mean and then what Borthwick's job look like? It would look like a dead duck imo and put him in an impossible position. If he's not up to appointing coaches or preparing an intl team, let him learn somewhere else.

You'd use O'Shea as more of an unofficial mentor. Give some additional advice around assistant coaches make up. Borthwick is a good coach and you'd not have O'Shea there on match day or day to day training. Just don't leave the head coach in isolation again like Eddie was.

O'Shea is, to all intents, a bit of a nodding dog. He's best left with pathways, where he can influence what is coming.

At the top table we have a decent lineout coach, masquerading as a Head Coach surrounded by very inexperienced coaches.

We could do a lot worse than bringing back people like Fletch, who are very good and deeply experienced coaches.

Bit harsh on COS, I’ve a lot of time for him. But yes, doing a good job with pathways at last.

If you want someone to mentor Borthwick- bout two years too late - someone like Schmidt, if he wasn’t employed:) even remotely would be ok. What you don’t want is someone visibly sitting on his shoulder as it were.

[Epaminondas Pules]

I think the main conclusion that we can draw from that game is that Felix Jones's defence does not work without Felix Jones.

The bizarre-looking combination of absurd overcommitted charging up regardless of numbers and making the players who fold around cross behind their teammates (rather than filling the inside and pushing them out) somehow works, but it goes against every tenet of defensive organisation that players have ever known. Those are two things that every single previous coach from their youth rugby has hammered it into them are cardinal defensive sins and it's a massive ask to coach an international team to override their engrained instincts.

FJones can clearly make it work in a tight environment and it started looking like he'd managed to make it work in the summer, even with the restriction of working with our spread out player pool from 8 different clubs. It really looked like we'd cracked it in New Zealand, where it neutered one of the best attacking teams in the world.

However, it appears clear that a FJones tribute act cannot make it work, as the tackling accuracy and the organisation weren't there against NZ, we had no ability to adapt to Australia's exploit of overwhelming with short, quick-fire carries, and even on easy mode against Japan, we couldn't get the organisation right of the second line sweeping around to cover the space. I feel a bit for Slade (not enough that I'd still pick him, mind), as he has carried the can from the pundits and the press all series for "mistakes" that were actually him doing exactly what he's supposed to, only to be let down by the team effort, that's supposed to be covering behind him, being entirely absent. Made him look like all the pricks of the day in defence because he was sometimes the only one doing this complex thing that requires everyone to be involved if it's going to work.

Six Nations needs to see the Joe El-Abd defensive system. I don't know what that will be - whether it will be a blitz of some kind or a more traditional defence, but it needs to be his system that he is preparing, because "Joe El-Abd, playing Felix Jones" is not a functional option.

Either that, or we hope the mooted player rebellion against Galthie takes root and he gets ousted so that Edwards becomes unexpectedly free.

Puja

El-Abd never ran a blitz at Oyonnax. I can't see him trying to run one here, though I can see Standing Bewildered trying to enact that very square peg round hole scenario.

Essentially the whole system was just all over the place with individuals then not knowing their roles and approach, and zero ability to adapt to the game in front of them. There was a consistent issue close in both in terms of committing inwards unnecessarily as well as at times pushing outwards without staying connected. We opened a lot of holes for teams by poor connectivity and decision making.

Aye.
El Abd is an odd one when you look at his club stats. They are mates I believe?

Flat mates whilst at Bath and Sweaty Ballsack was an usher at El-Abd's wedding.

[Epaminondas Pules]

You'd use O'Shea as more of an unofficial mentor. Give some additional advice around assistant coaches make up. Borthwick is a good coach and you'd not have O'Shea there on match day or day to day training. Just don't leave the head coach in isolation again like Eddie was.

O'Shea is, to all intents, a bit of a nodding dog. He's best left with pathways, where he can influence what is coming.

At the top table we have a decent lineout coach, masquerading as a Head Coach surrounded by very inexperienced coaches.

We could do a lot worse than bringing back people like Fletch, who are very good and deeply experienced coaches.

Bit harsh on COS, I’ve a lot of time for him. But yes, doing a good job with pathways at last.

If you want someone to mentor Borthwick- bout two years too late - someone like Schmidt, if he wasn’t employed:) even remotely would be ok. What you don’t want is someone visibly sitting on his shoulder as it were.

He's not a boat rocker type, and we do need someone that will rock the boat right now.

And totally agree, the time for a mentor was from the start, but if he needed a mentor then why not just hire the mentor for the top job

Nothing will change between now and then, but for me Slow Bandwidth should go now along with the other coaches. I would look to bring in a proper full stack coach, like Fletch (along with Rusty and Walts) and let them have the rest of the 2024/25 season.

[Banquo]

O'Shea is, to all intents, a bit of a nodding dog. He's best left with pathways, where he can influence what is coming.

At the top table we have a decent lineout coach, masquerading as a Head Coach surrounded by very inexperienced coaches.

We could do a lot worse than bringing back people like Fletch, who are very good and deeply experienced coaches.

Bit harsh on COS, I’ve a lot of time for him. But yes, doing a good job with pathways at last.

If you want someone to mentor Borthwick- bout two years too late - someone like Schmidt, if he wasn’t employed:) even remotely would be ok. What you don’t want is someone visibly sitting on his shoulder as it were.

He's not a boat rocker type, and we do need someone that will rock the boat right now.

And totally agree, the time for a mentor was from the start, but if he needed a mentor then why not just hire the mentor for the top job

Nothing will change between now and then, but for me Slow Bandwidth should go now along with the other coaches. I would look to bring in a proper full stack coach, like Fletch (along with Rusty and Walts) and let them have the rest of the 2024/25 season.

What are those latter guys doing now?

[Epaminondas Pules]

Bit harsh on COS, I’ve a lot of time for him. But yes, doing a good job with pathways at last.

If you want someone to mentor Borthwick- bout two years too late - someone like Schmidt, if he wasn’t employed:) even remotely would be ok. What you don’t want is someone visibly sitting on his shoulder as it were.

He's not a boat rocker type, and we do need someone that will rock the boat right now.

And totally agree, the time for a mentor was from the start, but if he needed a mentor then why not just hire the mentor for the top job

Nothing will change between now and then, but for me Slow Bandwidth should go now along with the other coaches. I would look to bring in a proper full stack coach, like Fletch (along with Rusty and Walts) and let them have the rest of the 2024/25 season.

What are those latter guys doing now?

Flecth is in charge pf pathways and elite coach development for Scotland. Walts is there too if memory serves, whilst Rusty is coaching all over the world in various guises.

[Banquo]

He's not a boat rocker type, and we do need someone that will rock the boat right now.

And totally agree, the time for a mentor was from the start, but if he needed a mentor then why not just hire the mentor for the top job

Nothing will change between now and then, but for me Slow Bandwidth should go now along with the other coaches. I would look to bring in a proper full stack coach, like Fletch (along with Rusty and Walts) and let them have the rest of the 2024/25 season.

What are those latter guys doing now?

Flecth is in charge pf pathways and elite coach development for Scotland. Walts is there too if memory serves, whilst Rusty is coaching all over the world in various guises.

Not sure that’d work at senior level.

[Epaminondas Pules]

What are those latter guys doing now?

Flecth is in charge pf pathways and elite coach development for Scotland. Walts is there too if memory serves, whilst Rusty is coaching all over the world in various guises.

Not sure that’d work at senior level.

Well, no, they'd have to leave their current roles

Fletch and Walts held the top jobs at Falcons, after Andrew left, who then subsequently pulled them into the England fold. They'd be like Lancaster again, but with vision and balls. I think it could work, but it'll never happen.