RugbyRebels

Banquo wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Imagine if we had fully invested in our most skilful available fly-halves over the last few years.

I'm not convinced Burns had it all, but he's got some class.

I agree, something awry with what's happened to Freddie- probably of his own making, but the best 10 performance in an England shirt I've seen in years was rewarded by being dropped.

Aye, our performance in that first NZ test was excellent, and underpinned by a 10/12/13 that should have got more chances together. Alas, we had Farrell...

Have split off the Folau discussion into a new thread here: http://www.rugbyrebels.co/board/viewtop ... f=2&t=3523

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Puja wrote:Have split off the Folau discussion into a new thread here: http://www.rugbyrebels.co/board/viewtop ... f=2&t=3523

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This is how the censorship starts

Deleted for Anti-Mod sentiments - Mod

Manu to miss the last 2 Tigers games. Hamstring pull, out for another 3/4 weeks.

Already seen some comments about ‘always being injured’ etc. Feels like he can’t win now because of his reputation for constant injuries. He’s actually been fit since Jan ‘18, played almost a full season for Leicester, 5 or 6 of their Champions Cup games and started every 6N’s match. Picks up a 6 week hamstring pull and it’s like none of that matters. If the expectation now is that he will never pick up any kind of injury ever, then people are going to be disappointed.

Timbo wrote:Manu to miss the last 2 Tigers games. Hamstring pull, out for another 3/4 weeks.

Already seen some comments about ‘always being injured’ etc. Feels like he can’t win now because of his reputation for constant injuries. He’s actually been fit since Jan ‘18, played almost a full season for Leicester, 5 or 6 of their Champions Cup games and started every 6N’s match. Picks up a 6 week hamstring pull and it’s like none of that matters. If the expectation now is that he will never pick up any kind of injury ever, then people are going to be disappointed.

Yep. This is the first time in a long time I've actually believed it might just be a minor/short-term injury. He makes Tigers a better side but he can't fix the relegation-worthy performances in the pack.

Atkinson has been excellent. The best IC in the Prem this season. I'd like to see him in an England squad. I'd take him ahead of Te'o in a heartbeat.

100% with you there

He's lost any pace he had, and he doesn't seem to have Greenwood like positional play to hide that lack of pace

So good to see Watson back. Class. Doesn’t seem to have lost any pace or acceleration due to his injury.

Mellsblue wrote:So good to see Watson back. Class. Doesn’t seem to have lost any pace or acceleration due to his injury.

Impressed with all the Bath back three.

Banquo wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:So good to see Watson back. Class. Doesn’t seem to have lost any pace or acceleration due to his injury.

Impressed with all the Bath back three.

Agreed. Watson at FB with Daly and May on the wings still looks like England's best combination to me. Coka on the bench would be some threat, especially if he is going to be encouraged to wander inside. Is there any chance of him having the hands for the 12 shirt?

With watson and joseph available our back line has a load of options now. All sorts of combinations involving slade and manu also.

Oakboy wrote:

Banquo wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:So good to see Watson back. Class. Doesn’t seem to have lost any pace or acceleration due to his injury.

Impressed with all the Bath back three.

Agreed. Watson at FB with Daly and May on the wings still looks like England's best combination to me. Coka on the bench would be some threat, especially if he is going to be encouraged to wander inside. Is there any chance of him having the hands for the 12 shirt?

Until Watson actually plays FB for his club, we can't really afford to move the highly experienced Daly from the shirt.

Which Tyler wrote:

Oakboy wrote:

Banquo wrote: Impressed with all the Bath back three.

Agreed. Watson at FB with Daly and May on the wings still looks like England's best combination to me. Coka on the bench would be some threat, especially if he is going to be encouraged to wander inside. Is there any chance of him having the hands for the 12 shirt?

Until Watson actually plays FB for his club, we can't really afford to move the highly experienced Daly from the shirt.

Funny it's the joke you pick up on and not the idea of moving Banasiga to 12...

Cokanisiga will be playing 12 for Toulon post World Cup.

Just had the chance to watch the Bath vs Wasps game. Quite apart from being a great game and a top performance from Watson, how is Brad Shields still in the conversation for the EPS? When we had injuries, fair enough, but he's behind Wilson and Robshaw at 6 and with Underhill offering cover as well, I don't see how he gets in a 31 man squad. It's not that he's particularly bad; he's just looking absolutely rank average.

Puja

Puja wrote:Just had the chance to watch the Bath vs Wasps game. Quite apart from being a great game and a top performance from Watson, how is Brad Shields still in the conversation for the EPS? When we had injuries, fair enough, but he's behind Wilson and Robshaw at 6 and with Underhill offering cover as well, I don't see how he gets in a 31 man squad. It's not that he's particularly bad; he's just looking absolutely rank average.

Puja

It's simple really. NZ rated Shields as a solid club performer not up to international standard. That was an accurate assessment which Jones took it upon hiimself to over-rule. Ever since Shields arrived here his performances have emphasised the quality of the NZ judgement and the incompetence of Jones's. If Jones just admitted his error now nobody would care much. What bothers me most is that Jones's intransigence is denying better players a squad place.

"Solid club performer" is about right. NZ weighed him up and decided not to bring him into their squad despite having plenty of opportunity to do so.

It’s not just Shields though ... it appears that in Eddie’s mind anyone with a SH background is considered automatically superior to our home grown equivalents.

Any objective assessment of players’ performances this season would have Wilson, Robshaw and Mercer ahead of Shields, Morgan ahead of Hughes and Atkinson ahead of Te’o.

I see Hutchinson has been called up to the Scotland squad.

No more than he deserves after a proper breakthrough this season.

As with Skinner at lock, we have enough talent at 13 for it not to matter too much, but still a shame to lose a talented player.

Good luck to him.

Scrumhead wrote:I see Hutchinson has been called up to the Scotland squad.

No more than he deserves after a proper breakthrough this season.

As with Skinner at lock, we have enough talent at 13 for it not to matter too much, but still a shame to lose a talented player.

Good luck to him.

It was inevitable - he's a step above the likes of Chris Harris even at his tender age and, with his preexisting ties to Scotland, they were always going to ask him first and he was always going to accept.

While I agree that we currently have enough talent at 13 for him not to even be in the conversation for the EPS, I think we'll regret him playing for Scotland. He'll go on the next Lions tour in my opinion (or will deserve to and will be ignored by Gatland for some reason).

Puja

Yeah - if he keeps developing at the same rate, he will be a dangerous opponent and potentially a future Lions contender (Gatland rarely picks Scottish players though).

I wouldn’t pick him over Slade, JJ, Manu or Daly (at 13) at the moment though.

Joe Marchant and Ollie Lawrence will (or should be) in the mix post RWC too.

I’m not sure how I feel about Naiyaravoro ... there’s no denying he is effective with the ball, but if he weren’t so big/hard to stop he’d be a very poor player.