Comments on: Amongst a smattering of positives, a central dilemma remains for England

By: Don P

Don P — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:38:21 +0000

Trio
I think you might have cracked it there! if they did play God in midfield, wouldn’t that put the squirts up all other teams?

By: Don P

Don P — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:32:52 +0000

DREWSMITHtheOPTOMIST
‘why change what we are?’. Er, because you lost 6 v the SH? And ‘burrell did a sterling job in the 6n LAST year. he can play 12 as he does for his club quite often’. In the WC you’ll have the SH to contend with & club ain’t Int’al level. Good to be an optimist, but some realism too please. Yr team’s ‘strength’s are simply those because they play ltd rugby. If they played a more expansive game as well (& when approp), as they tried in NZ, they’d have had (some) more time to dev an all round game. Perhaps you think England’s ‘regression’ v Oz is all it’ll take to show off the WWE trophty @ Wetherspoons in Twick after the tourney? Might be.

By: Don P

Don P — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:16:09 +0000

brighty, JEFFREYMcINTOSH
Now then kiddies, if you want the fat man in the red suit, pointy hat & long white beard to bring you any pressies this Xmas, you simply must behave!

brighty
This is becoming an increasingly worrying pattern for you. You’ve fallen out with yet ANOTHER punter here. At this rate Santa will run out of rattles for yr pram!

And JEFFREY, whose name is tooo long to fit in here, altho you state; ‘you’re (Wales) crap now though aint ya…’, didn’t THEY just beat they Boks? And stick 30 on yr lot a couple back? Also didn’t, presumably non crap England, recently lose 5 or was it 6 on the trot v the SH? Used this expression before I know, but it seems so apt now; ‘Sealed lips gather no feet’. Nart mean?

By: Don P

Don P — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:02:53 +0000

Staggy
Well I recall Nonu exasperating me as a player at 1st. He seemed unable to keep his feet , he’d lose possession for fun & was too 1 dime for me, altho he always had pretty good feet (hands like them too at times), when not falling over of course. However, he’s been ‘manufactured’ or coached into having a more all court game now. He kicks, passes more accurately & keeps his feet & possession better. My pt is that, it’s not just a ? of plucking a rabbit out of a hat. It’s drilling a player with some ability & persisting with him… or them (more than 1 for a posi due injuries). Seems to me that someone like Eastmond, who in my perception, seems a real trier with a bit of skill, esp of the dancing feet, ought to be given a decent run. However, it seems that guys like him aren’t trusted by management to fit a more rounded game. Surely, the latter req is almost essential for England to have a real shout @ the death nxt yr. If the Oz test is the ‘new’ strategy, then I fear for players with ability like KE. Also, times running mighty short & England don’t have much wriggle room now, esp with Walse & Ireland away nxt 6N. Catt’s the ‘skills’ coach, but how this manifests itself in midfield is hard for me to discern. IMO Catt should take more responsibility for tactics/strat & demand that England also play with no fear, some adventure & drilled running lines, loop arounds, back 3 insertions etc, as well as being able to kick (accurately) for the corners or up & unders (mainly in the oppo 22 when approp). They’re my thoughts anyway.

By: Don P

Don P — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 16:36:19 +0000

Joe_Carlisle
There’s no guarantee that ANYONE is going to win the WC. A no. of factors beyond a team’s abilities can come into play like refs’ calls, injuries, kickers going off form, pressure etc. But are you trying to convince others or yrself? Look @ the stats v Oz in the ST for the w/end of the test e.g. Oz had 70% territory, 60 summat % possession etc, etc. How does this poss rep a ‘w class’ set piece’? And were you hibernating during the tour & AI’s? England lost 6 on the bounce v the SH! Some w class. And as for, ‘probably the strongest pack…’, it reminds me of a Carlsberg ad. Need to get real boy, or I could mistake you for an E coach.

By: Staggy

Staggy — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 19:35:30 +0000

Don, in a perfect world we would have someone with the force of Nonu and the skills of Conrad Smith. If you can find him in England at the moment I’d be a happy man!

By: Don P

Don P — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 17:23:45 +0000

brighty, JEFFREYMcINTOSH

Now, now children, it’s Xmas coming up & you must behave or Santa won’t bring you any presents!
Is there a pattern here, or have you just fallen out with yet another brighty?
However, JEFFERY 2 long a name to reprint here, Wales DID beat the Saffas unless I’m mistaken & didn’t England, prior 2 scraping a R1 v Oz, lose, oh what was it now, 5 or was it 6 on the bounce, v the SH? Hello!

By: Don P

Don P — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 17:09:33 +0000

Staggy
Why limit it to just a bosher @ 13? Why can’t the guy ‘play’ as well?

By: Don P

Don P — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 17:06:24 +0000

roy
You depress me. BTW the ‘ fancy-Dans’ have been 1 & 2 in the world since, oh I dunno, Dunkirk? And Burgess (who?) has hardly played a club game yet! And how effective was that Kiwi, Tui, on tour? Stroll on!

By: Don P

Don P — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 15:10:41 +0000

Eastmond & Burrell… or Joseph for me.

A couple of other things;
‘There’s no doubt that Manu Tuilagi is a world class player’… & ‘The Leicester centre’s defensive alignment is shaky at the best of times…’. These 2 statements are contradictory. How dose he compare with say Conrad Smith or whoever in the N or SH?

‘…they are not earning their corn as coaches’. Crikey! An Englishman (presumably) stating this!?

By: Staggy

Staggy — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 09:33:45 +0000

John, I think that this is generally agreed to be SLs plan. Ball player at 12 and bosher at 13. Haven’t quite settled on the right combination yet though…………..!

By: JEFFREYMcINTOSH

JEFFREYMcINTOSH — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 02:17:12 +0000

my mistake I thought you were a dick…. oh you are :/ toddle toddle