Planet Rugby Forum

SamShark wrote:

Double wrote:Can someone remind me why the Ford/Farrell combo was ditched in the first place? Was it really following that one bad game in Ireland where the pack got beaten up?

I’m hoping that today, both because this was the selection in the first place and because it was a good performance, it shows that this is still the best option.

Farrell can still bring what he brings and Ford can too.

Seems an obvious call, even without the fact that England’s long run of victories came with that combo.

maverickmak wrote:Did we have a period where the attacking options were a bit barren? Loads of strike runners in this current England team. So many options for Ford and Farrell.

SamShark wrote:There always seems to be a nagging narrative that Ford isn’t solid enough when the chips are down but Farrell can equally make shite calls, particularly kicking, when we’re up against it.

As a pair I think they bring our best attacking game.

DragsterDriver wrote:It’s good that Eddie has looked at different players and combinations to stretch them but it appears his best side is good. Think I’m with the majority saying really happy, Young’s is shite and Daly is going to cost us at 15- hopefully not a knock out game.

RodneyRegis wrote:

DragsterDriver wrote:It’s good that Eddie has looked at different players and combinations to stretch them but it appears his best side is good. Think I’m with the majority saying really happy, Young’s is shite and Daly is going to cost us at 15- hopefully not a knock out game.

Yeah, Youngs really is a worry. He's dreadful. Getting worse if anything.

Daly offers a lot going forward. Just hope he can achieve net positives.

DragsterDriver wrote:

RodneyRegis wrote:

DragsterDriver wrote:It’s good that Eddie has looked at different players and combinations to stretch them but it appears his best side is good. Think I’m with the majority saying really happy, Young’s is shite and Daly is going to cost us at 15- hopefully not a knock out game.

Yeah, Youngs really is a worry. He's dreadful. Getting worse if anything.

Daly offers a lot going forward. Just hope he can achieve net positives.

Think on balance Daly probably will, Heinz must be the front runner now. He’s been good but Young’s has been shocking- not that he’s had more than the odd good game for ages.

When you have determinedly running forwards, who can pass the ball, rugby becomes a rather simple game doesn't it.

A highly respected former international head coach phoned the other day and passed on the story of a recent age‑group trial in the north of England. On arrival the kids were told half would be heading home within the hour if they could not meet certain basic physical and fitness criteria. Their ability with a ball was entirely secondary. What does such crass thinking do to youthful self‑esteem and self‑image, particularly for young tight forwards?

Little thought is given to those forced to pack their bags, their high hopes dashed. Someone else can deal with that. Which leads us back to the Rugby Football Union, whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides. Now, on the eve of a new season with many of the best candidates committed elsewhere, the RFU is again recruiting coaches for its under-18 and under-20 age groups.

This may seem a minor issue with a senior World Cup about to start; it is anything but. What on earth has happened to the RFU conveyor belt that is supposed to be all about delivering success in 2023 and 2027? Even the most promising talents now face an anxious wait to see if their face fits with the next regime. Who, exactly, beyond their clubs (where they may struggle for Premiership game-time) is looking out for them?

Mako Vunipola has a small tear of scar tissue which will require approximately 10...
















.....days of rehabilitation.

Raggs wrote:Billy V always looks better with gametime.

Have to say, whilst it wasn't always the most effective, I was very pleased to see Farrell running attacking lines. Even if he's not very good at it for the most part, it means the defence cannot just drop off him, which is all we need.

Seen the rest now, Ireland were poor, but the way we were keeping the ball alive in the forwards was fun to watch. Manu did well, but motm for me had to be a forward, I just couldn't say who... maybe Sinkler.

Loved seeing the Irish set piece defence absolutely bricking it after that first phase try, suddenly they were so passive we were making 20-30 easy yards without even having to do anything clever.

Slater582 wrote:Just reading an article from Robert Kitson in the Guardian yesterday. Bit of insight into the Youth teams, looks as well organised as you would expect from the RFU.

A highly respected former international head coach phoned the other day and passed on the story of a recent age‑group trial in the north of England. On arrival the kids were told half would be heading home within the hour if they could not meet certain basic physical and fitness criteria. Their ability with a ball was entirely secondary. What does such crass thinking do to youthful self‑esteem and self‑image, particularly for young tight forwards?

Little thought is given to those forced to pack their bags, their high hopes dashed. Someone else can deal with that. Which leads us back to the Rugby Football Union, whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides. Now, on the eve of a new season with many of the best candidates committed elsewhere, the RFU is again recruiting coaches for its under-18 and under-20 age groups.

This may seem a minor issue with a senior World Cup about to start; it is anything but. What on earth has happened to the RFU conveyor belt that is supposed to be all about delivering success in 2023 and 2027? Even the most promising talents now face an anxious wait to see if their face fits with the next regime. Who, exactly, beyond their clubs (where they may struggle for Premiership game-time) is looking out for them?

eldanielfire wrote:

Slater582 wrote:Just reading an article from Robert Kitson in the Guardian yesterday. Bit of insight into the Youth teams, looks as well organised as you would expect from the RFU.

A highly respected former international head coach phoned the other day and passed on the story of a recent age‑group trial in the north of England. On arrival the kids were told half would be heading home within the hour if they could not meet certain basic physical and fitness criteria. Their ability with a ball was entirely secondary. What does such crass thinking do to youthful self‑esteem and self‑image, particularly for young tight forwards?

Little thought is given to those forced to pack their bags, their high hopes dashed. Someone else can deal with that. Which leads us back to the Rugby Football Union, whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides. Now, on the eve of a new season with many of the best candidates committed elsewhere, the RFU is again recruiting coaches for its under-18 and under-20 age groups.

This may seem a minor issue with a senior World Cup about to start; it is anything but. What on earth has happened to the RFU conveyor belt that is supposed to be all about delivering success in 2023 and 2027? Even the most promising talents now face an anxious wait to see if their face fits with the next regime. Who, exactly, beyond their clubs (where they may struggle for Premiership game-time) is looking out for them?

Thanks for that, seems the youth set-up is a bigger cluster f#ck than ever. Genuinely isn't the point of a youth set-up supposed to be taking the best talent and improving them. Why exclude the unfit in a YOUTH SET-UP on. Surely the point is to guide young talent into the fitness they need to have.

DragsterDriver wrote:Just listening to egg chasers podcast- who’s the motormouth who sounds like Owen Jones?

DragsterDriver wrote:I think it was jb but he talks so fast it hurt my brain.

Raggs wrote:

DragsterDriver wrote:I think it was jb but he talks so fast it hurt my brain.

Probably JB. His interviews on the rugby dungeon were very good (though I've not listened for some time), some of his rugby theories are of less interest (to me at least), and he's even less likely to change his mind than the other two.

eldanielfire wrote:

Little thought is given to those forced to pack their bags, their high hopes dashed. Someone else can deal with that. Which leads us back to the Rugby Football Union, whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides. Now, on the eve of a new season with many of the best candidates committed elsewhere, the RFU is again recruiting coaches for its under-18 and under-20 age

Pebbles wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:

Little thought is given to those forced to pack their bags, their high hopes dashed. Someone else can deal with that. Which leads us back to the Rugby Football Union, whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides. Now, on the eve of a new season with many of the best candidates committed elsewhere, the RFU is again recruiting coaches for its under-18 and under-20 age

Christ there's some revisonist nonsense there. Dean Ryan was the one who fired the bullets to get rid of Earnshaw, Fletcher, Walton etc. Poisonous fella. Gave jobs to his old mates who then went on (Bates) to trash all the good work done previously. How the f*ck he managed that with the crop of players available last season is nuts. Case in point this years U20 WC.

Be interested to hear more detail about the northern trial. Wouldn't be at all surprised to if it was county level. Which is still full of Alicks & politics. Generally the prem clubs DPP stuff is miles away from that kind of nonsense (especially Falcons, Sale, Sarries etc - although curiously not Exeter from what I hear)

whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides

Balls Out! wrote:

whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides

Playing Devil's advocate here but... none of these coaches ever struck me as international class - 3 of them from a club (Falcons) mostly anchored to the bottom of the prem table, 1 from HEC bridesmaids Gloucester, and Malinder went stale at Saints long ago. Are we really that sad that they went?

Maybe they're 'great' at working with kids, but I had the same nagging doubts about them as I did with Stuart "P.E. teacher" Lancaster - good at identifying promising players, but arguably not good enough to turn them into winners at senior level (i.e. get them to the end of the "pathway" - hate that term). Similar story with Brian Ashton before him

Balls Out! wrote:

whose age-group coaching structure is in tatters following the rat‑a‑tat departures of Dean Ryan, Steve Bates and, now, Jim Mallinder. That highly experienced trio had not long replaced the well-regarded John Fletcher and Peter Walton at the helm of England’s junior sides

Playing Devil's advocate here but... none of these coaches ever struck me as international class - 3 of them from a club (Falcons) mostly anchored to the bottom of the prem table, 1 from HEC bridesmaids Gloucester, and Malinder went stale at Saints long ago. Are we really that sad that they went?

Maybe they're 'great' at working with kids, but I had the same nagging doubts about them as I did with Stuart "P.E. teacher" Lancaster - good at identifying promising players, but arguably not good enough to turn them into winners at senior level (i.e. get them to the end of the "pathway" - hate that term). Similar story with Brian Ashton before him

Pebbles wrote:As for Falcons, one thing you can't knock them for is their academy production line... Stuart Lancaster whilst ultimately unsuccessful with England had a massive role in... the establishment of the successful age-group & academy pathway for RFU.