Stom wrote:
Robshaw may not get into the NZ team nor the SA team now they've discovered Kolisi, but he's a damn good player. He has excellent reading of the game, he invaiably makes his tackles, and lots of them, and he rarely breaks down.
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May not? It's not just those two either, it's quite likely the only 6N team who'd start him is England. he's hardly a bad player, and he puts in some exceptional efforts but for me he does lack some skills, he can't maintain a huge workrate to overcome that and he lacks pace to cover any mistakes
May not... but. It's a phrase.
You really think Scotland, Wales, Italy and France would pass him up? And I think he'd have a good chance with Ireland, too. He's a damn good player. Just because he doesn't fit your model of Kvesic, doesn't mean he's not a classy operator.
But he does maintain a huge workrate. A superman workrate, tbh. His positioning in defense is one of the best, plus he's possibly the best defensive organiser around right now. His tackle technique is superb, he's not a slouch (but, of course not the best) at the breakdown, he recycles possession very well and understands the tactical flow of a game and when to slow down and when to speed up.
Just because he's not an explosive carrier nor particularly fast doesn't make him an "OK" player. He's a lot better than that.
I'd like to like him more, but for me he's similar to Tom Wood in needing to set a huge work rate to overcome some issues, and for me he can't sustain such intensity over 80 minutes never mind game after game
I don’t think I've ever backed Kvesic for blindside, also there are deficiencies in his game too and we don't know if frankly he'd come up a little short too
And yes I think other 6N teams would pass on Robshaw absent of injury, possibly not Italy but perhaps even they with Polledri filling several jobs for them
Stom wrote:Not to say we shouldn't be looking at upgrades, we absolutely should. There just aren't any. Yet. Willis could come back perfect for the job. If Underhill keeps improving in attack, he could do so. Shields could take over. Then there is Clifford (if ever fit), Mercer at 6 or one of the young Prem backrows currently getting gametime.
But none of them have been anywhere near Robshaw's standards recently, either due to class, form or injury.
Thanks Stom. +1 on both of your last posts. Saved me the effort.
Typically England are somewhat of a turgid side to watch and Robshaw is part of that and not the one player raging against the dying of the light
Stom wrote:Not to say we shouldn't be looking at upgrades, we absolutely should. There just aren't any. Yet. Willis could come back perfect for the job. If Underhill keeps improving in attack, he could do so. Shields could take over. Then there is Clifford (if ever fit), Mercer at 6 or one of the young Prem backrows currently getting gametime.
But none of them have been anywhere near Robshaw's standards recently, either due to class, form or injury.
Thanks Stom. +1 on both of your last posts. Saved me the effort.
Typically England are somewhat of a turgid side to watch and Robshaw is part of that and not the one player raging against the dying of the light
‘Raging against the dying of the light’ and ‘being the best we can be’.... Have you been on a creative writing course?
Looking at the form Kruis is showing now he’s finally fully fit I would have been getting the Krutoje partnership back and running again anyway. Lawes off the bench.
Not sure who I would have next in line though. Fight between Isiekwe, Attwood, Slater and Skinner off the top of my head.
At one point earlier in Eddie’s reign Kruis was very good. I feel like he’s the kind of player that needs to play his way in to form. Dropping him in to the mix off the back of injuries has never really worked for him, so I’m hopeful he’ll be able to carry his club form back in to the test arena.
The accuracy from the English clubs in Europe, a competent Exeter aside, has been utter wank. Right down to putting the ball down properly once over the line.
Outside of Exe and Sarries, the other clubs need to stop huge churn in playing and coaching staff, invest in infrastructure, academy and pathways. I know it’s easy to say this stuff, but lots of very ambitious clubs in the Prem, and until they address this stuff they won’t compete. Talent is not the issue.
No wins from 4 isnt a great return.
Lets see how Glos and Saracens do today for a more complete view but the signs arent that encouraging. Its just where we are now.
One very good result was that a 2nd string Worcester won away at Stade last night.
Based on the European results the Irish team appears to be approaching the RWC with top class players fit and in form. With settled selection and a well-practised playing style they are going to take some stopping. How many of our players (in current form and fitness) would even get in their squad? Their complementary provincial/international set-up is gelling well.
Oakboy wrote:Based on the European results the Irish team appears to be approaching the RWC with top class players fit and in form. With settled selection and a well-practised playing style they are going to take some stopping. How many of our players (in current form and fitness) would even get in their squad? Their complementary provincial/international set-up is gelling well.
Lots of England players would get in the Irish squad, they certainly don’t have more talented players than us. See players like Addison and Haley going over there and making an impression- they’ll probably both pick up Ireland caps this Autumn.
But they have a high performance system which is currently working better than ours in many aspects.
Oakboy wrote:Based on the European results the Irish team appears to be approaching the RWC with top class players fit and in form. With settled selection and a well-practised playing style they are going to take some stopping. How many of our players (in current form and fitness) would even get in their squad? Their complementary provincial/international set-up is gelling well.
Lots of England players would get in the Irish squad, they certainly don’t have more talented players than us. See players like Addison and Haley going over there and making an impression- they’ll probably both pick up Ireland caps this Autumn.
But they have a high performance system which is currently working better than ours in many aspects.
I did say 'current form and fitness'. Maybe, the Saracens players will impress this afternoon. So far more of our players have disappointed than shone against Irish opposition I'd suggest.
But as we know international teams are very rarely selected on club form. Established international players of repute tend to get picked regardless. We criticise Eddie Jones for this, but it’s pretty universal.
Oakboy wrote:Based on the European results the Irish team appears to be approaching the RWC with top class players fit and in form. With settled selection and a well-practised playing style they are going to take some stopping. How many of our players (in current form and fitness) would even get in their squad? Their complementary provincial/international set-up is gelling well.
Lots of England players would get in the Irish squad, they certainly don’t have more talented players than us. See players like Addison and Haley going over there and making an impression- they’ll probably both pick up Ireland caps this Autumn.
But they have a high performance system which is currently working better than ours in many aspects.
I did say 'current form and fitness'. Maybe, the Saracens players will impress this afternoon. So far more of our players have disappointed than shone against Irish opposition I'd suggest.
I agree with both of you. Ireland clearly have some top players and a very good coach, but their biggest single advantage is their system. The way their players are rested is a huge benefit fact that 90% of their players come from two sides means there’s a familiarity/cohesion that’s hard to complete with. Finally, a less tangible point is that they (and the other ‘home nations’) raise their game against us. They have a level of hate for us that we just don’t feel for them. Our ambivalence is a weakness.
