RugbyRebels

Happy New Year everyone.

What are your hopes and/or expectations for England in 2026?

Here are mine:

6 Nations: I am hoping for/maybe even expecting a top 2 finish. I’d like to win it, but the ‘blues away’ format with the final fixture in Paris is tough. I think there’s a pretty good chance both teams go into that final game looking for a Grand Slam. The gap is closing, but I still think they’re better than us so I’d back them to win in that scenario.

A win at Murrayfield and a decent home victory over Ireland would be good to solidify our upward curve. A win in Paris would show we’re definitely getting to where we need to be.

Nations Championship: I’m not sure whether the sequence of games helps us or not here? An opening fixture away in SA is about as tough as it comes. How we fare in the 6 Nations will be a better barometer for setting expectations. If we’re going there as winners or off the back of a Grand Slam, expectations will be raised which could be good or bad … I wonder whether finishing second in the 6N and still being seen as a step behind SA might be a better scenario as I think we’re better off as underdogs than getting too confident too quickly. If we can make it to the final and play SA at home, who knows? That would be an excellent way to finish the year.

Predictions:

6 Nations - Runner up
Nations Championship - Runner up

TBH, I’d very happy with that. At present, I don’t think we’re better than France or SA, but if we can finish second in both major competitions, I think that would be position us nicely to be peaking in 2027.

Is your ultimate ambition a RWC win? If so, are your predictions in line with that?

11 games.

France and SA away are the most difficult.

We should be aiming to win all the home matches, so its really how we fare in the 2 above, plus the tricky fixture in Edinburgh.

There's hope and there's expectations. Given the team's capabilities, the players available, and the expectations of what position we need to be in to be genuinely challenging for the RWC, I'd say we can hope for an unbeaten year. There is not a team out there that we are not capable of beating.

That's hopes though. Expectation, I'd say Ireland home, France away, South Africa away, New Zealand at home are varying ranges of 50:50, depending on injuries, luck, how other teams develop over the year, etc. Could just as easily lose all four of those as win all four of them, and we're not far enough ahead of Scotland/Australia et al to rule out a big game from them turning us over.

I would be satisfied if we had a season with 2 losses and say anything better than that is a very good year.

Puja

Oakboy wrote: ↑Thu Jan 01, 2026 3:30 pm Is your ultimate ambition a RWC win? If so, are your predictions in line with that?

Yes, the aim is to win the RWC next year, so I would say that my predictions are in line with that overarching aim.

Building a winning mentality is important but I don’t think that is solely defined by winning the Six Nations or the Nations Championship. Both are very challenging competitions and I don’t think the format of this year’s fixtures favours us with the two toughest games being away from home. As I said in my opening post, I could accept losing to France in the 6 Nations if we’ve picked up good wins against Scotland and Ireland. Very few teams win in SA, so if we don’t win there it’ll hardly be a disaster. As always, it’s about performance. If we play well in those games but come out on the wrong side of a tight game, I’m OK with it.

Ultimately, it’s about peaking at the right time and I see this year as part of the climb towards that peak rather than the peak itself. I feel like we’re going in the right direction and a good 2026 is about continuing to build upon the positivity of 2025.

Let’s put it this way - I’d much prefer a RWC win in 2027 to a Grand Slam or Nations Championship in 2026.

If this year continues on the current trajectory, I will be a lot more bullish about next year.

Puja wrote: ↑Thu Jan 01, 2026 5:27 pm
I would be satisfied if we had a season with 2 losses and say anything better than that is a very good year.

Puja

Agreed. I would extend that to three if we make the Nations Championship final. While two defeats to SA would suck, I could accept it if we run them close.

Agree with the assessment. My take in RWC terms is that we need to find another 10-15% across our average performances against the top group of opponents. It is realistic to hope though I do think a GS would do wonders for confidence in achieving that.

Definitely. Although, I think that’s a more realistic target for next year.

In many ways, the ideal scenario would be to win it this year (no GS) and then continue to build with a GS next season. That way it would still feel like a steady build of confidence and momentum.

Happy New Year Scrumhead (and the rest of you)

Getting a win over SA this year would be immense, but I neither expect it, nor in some weird way particularly want it, because I'd rather we had the desire for vengeance (instead of them) if we clash at the WC.

Other than that, I think France and the ABs will have a very good shot at turning us over as well, but reckon we'll have another good year. I'm looking forward to it whatever happens.

Kudos to Sriracha'd Bigwick, he's got me believing in the side again after a few torrid years

Agreed. As @Puja put it, there are ‘varying ranges of 50:50 for a few games’. While 2025 has given us a lot cause for optimism, defeats to Ireland, Scotland and Australia are not distant memories.

February is a big month for us. My hope is that we thrash Wales and then beat Scotland and Ireland convincingly with no bandwidth for those wins to be considered undeserved, lucky or influenced by a controversial decision.

If we can do that and back it up with a good win in Rome, we’d be going to Paris looking for a GS.

In some respects, the opening game of the 6N in Paris sets the tone without us being involved. For the first time, there’s a bit of pressure on Andy Farrell and if Ireland lose, that will only ratchet up ahead of facing us in round 3.

OTOH, if Ireland can win in Paris, it probably gives us the better route to winning the tournament/a possible GS.

Going to be an interesting February anyway.

With his coaching appointments and the 'atmosphere' around his squads, SB is proving to be an efficient manager rather than an inspirational head coach. Most defintions of good management include words like 'maximising resources'. I think he is close to doing just that.

On top of the efficiency, though, to snatch narrow victories in crunch matches, there must be scope for individual flair moments. IFW for 80 minutes and Pollock for 20 may not be enough to provide that. Finding more magic is a challenge. That's why Marcus at 10 remains a temptation, IMO.

It’s not really Marcus’ fault but Quins playing like crap is really not going to help him press his case. Quins’ current gameplan of ‘give it to Marcus and hope he can pull a rabbit out of the hat’ sets him up to fail. It increases the narrative that he can’t manage the game and is a maverick, blah, blah, blah. There’s a grain of truth in it, but he’s not at all helped by Quins literally asking him to play that way.

He’s further away from starting for England (at 10) than he has been since he was about 20 and with Furbank back to fitness and looking sharp, he’s unlikely to get any starts at 15 either. He’ll be lucky to keep the 23 shirt.

Agreed, unfortunately. Has one player's departure (Esterhiuzen) ever affected a team/club so much?

Oakboy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 11:06 am Agreed, unfortunately. Has one player's departure (Esterhiuzen) ever affected a team/club so much?

Not just Big Andre leaving that's hurting Quins, he was a handy ace to play but the coaching set up at Quins is stale and has lost a couple of key members with replacements not seeming to kick them on. A side desperately in need of new leadership and possibly a clear out behind the scenes.

With England how long do we think it'll be before we see a 7-1 bench split? Quirke able to cover wing to a passable standard being kept around and we've also heard of Ford training at 9. Freeman at 13 further helps as does the likes of Earl or Pollock to drop into the backs.

FKAS wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 3:57 pm

Oakboy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 11:06 am Agreed, unfortunately. Has one player's departure (Esterhiuzen) ever affected a team/club so much?

Not just Big Andre leaving that's hurting Quins, he was a handy ace to play but the coaching set up at Quins is stale and has lost a couple of key members with replacements not seeming to kick them on. A side desperately in need of new leadership and possibly a clear out behind the scenes.

With England how long do we think it'll be before we see a 7-1 bench split? Quirke able to cover wing to a passable standard being kept around and we've also heard of Ford training at 9. Freeman at 13 further helps as does the likes of Earl or Pollock to drop into the backs.

I'd not be surprised by 7-1 but is it a matter of time till the trend reverses? Basically, the argument for it is forwards running their goolies of for a share of the 80. When SA find some young gung-ho back five forwards who revel in producing for 80, might there be a different trend? Or, if France produce a couple of lightning wingers who keep scoring hat-tricks off the bench?

I yearn for the day when we start a new trend!!!

Oakboy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 5:35 pm

FKAS wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 3:57 pm

Oakboy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 11:06 am Agreed, unfortunately. Has one player's departure (Esterhiuzen) ever affected a team/club so much?

Not just Big Andre leaving that's hurting Quins, he was a handy ace to play but the coaching set up at Quins is stale and has lost a couple of key members with replacements not seeming to kick them on. A side desperately in need of new leadership and possibly a clear out behind the scenes.

With England how long do we think it'll be before we see a 7-1 bench split? Quirke able to cover wing to a passable standard being kept around and we've also heard of Ford training at 9. Freeman at 13 further helps as does the likes of Earl or Pollock to drop into the backs.

I'd not be surprised by 7-1 but is it a matter of time till the trend reverses? Basically, the argument for it is forwards running their goolies of for a share of the 80. When SA find some young gung-ho back five forwards who revel in producing for 80, might there be a different trend? Or, if France produce a couple of lightning wingers who keep scoring hat-tricks off the bench?

I yearn for the day when we start a new trend!!!

Maybe. I do wonder if the next frontier is hybrid players, we've seen André Esterhuizen play both 12 and backrow for the Boks. Having big backs that can also do a job in the back could swing the balance back, especially if you want to turn up the pace of the game in the second half as the backs might well offer the ability to bosh and move the ball more than the less skillful forwards.

We'll need to start getting the PEDs into them at school >.>

Danno wrote: ↑Fri Jan 02, 2026 8:12 pm We'll need to start getting the PEDs into them at school >.>

Just add it to the water supply