RugbyRebels

Scrumhead wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 10:49 pm 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.

Agreed.

I can see Sleightholme struggling to get a spot in the team with Roebuck playing so well and Freeman to come back in as well as IFW.

Scrumhead wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 10:49 pm 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.

This.

Scrumhead wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 10:49 pm 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.

Exactly. Ask any opposition HC who they fear most in an England XV and he'd be right up there. Getting him back up to speed is simply more important than trying somebody else. I'm all for development but IFW is a special case.

Scrumhead wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 10:49 pm 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.

No he’s very good with the ball. But his defence, not so much. Ditto Sleightholme tbh, but different players. It could also be that a few months out have improved him in the eyes of er…. ‘Folks’
To be clear I’d pick him on the left and Freeman (who I think is our best wing) on the right every time apart from this pointless match with no upside tbh. An opposed training session would ‘bring him up to more speed’

Yes, they both have issues in defence. But sleightholme will score a try a game.

I've no doubt that IFW will be the coach and fan favourite and go on to have a great career, while Sleights will be a fringe player, but I've also no doubt that Sleights would score shitloads more tries if he got the gig.

R3dders wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 9:22 am Yes, they both have issues in defence. But sleightholme will score a try a game.

I've no doubt that IFW will be the coach and fan favourite and go on to have a great career, while Sleights will be a fringe player, but I've also no doubt that Sleights would score shitloads more tries if he got the gig.

They are different players in style, so it depends what you want/need. I like both as players, and hope that their 'opportunities to improve' have specific work ons, and that Sleightholme esp gets rid of his sick-note ness.

R3dders wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 9:22 am Yes, they both have issues in defence. But sleightholme will score a try a game.

I've no doubt that IFW will be the coach and fan favourite and go on to have a great career, while Sleights will be a fringe player, but I've also no doubt that Sleights would score shitloads more tries if he got the gig.

On what basis though? There’s literally 0 evidence to support that.

Stats-wise, they’re very similar. Currently Sleightholme has 6 tries from 8 games to IFW’s 5 in 8. Minutes played are almost identical. IFW is well ahead on pretty much all other stats (with the exception of clean breaks - 9 to Sleightholme’s 10.

Don’t get me wrong, I rate Sleightholme but to suggest he’d score ‘shitloads more tries if he got the gig’ is somewhat fanciful.

Is Isiekwe injured? Seems pretty harsh for him not to make the 23.

Scrumhead wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 10:54 am

R3dders wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 9:22 am Yes, they both have issues in defence. But sleightholme will score a try a game.

I've no doubt that IFW will be the coach and fan favourite and go on to have a great career, while Sleights will be a fringe player, but I've also no doubt that Sleights would score shitloads more tries if he got the gig.

On what basis though? There’s literally 0 evidence to support that.

Stats-wise, they’re very similar. Currently Sleightholme has 6 tries from 8 games to IFW’s 5 in 8. Minutes played are almost identical. IFW is well ahead on pretty much all other stats (with the exception of clean breaks - 9 to Sleightholme’s 10.

Don’t get me wrong, I rate Sleightholme but to suggest he’d score ‘shitloads more tries if he got the gig’ is somewhat fanciful.

IFW has 9 games, although I concede the minutes are similar.

I'd argue that his 17 minutes away in NZ shouldn't really count as 2 games. Last season OS played 6 games and scored 6 tries. He's a try machine. Unfortunately as above he's a bit of a sick note. He definitely has a better tacking technique than IFW though

Tries aren’t the only measure. Particularly when 2 of Sleightholme’s were against Italy (they both have a try vs. Japan).

My impression is that IFW makes more of an overall contribution around the park and while that is subjective, the stats for carries, metres per carrying and metres suggest that it’s probably correct.

Anyway, my point was simply that your opinion that Sleightholme would score loads more tries is simply that - an opinion. The facts suggests it’s very close.

I personally favour IFW, but I wouldn’t be upset if Sleightholme was picked, or Murley for that matter. I prefer all three to Muir, but he’s also been good so it’s an excellent problem to have.