Comments on: Lancaster trims England squad for Australia match

By: simon scantlebury

simon scantlebury — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:50:00 +0000

I am concerned that because Ford had one decent game it is assumed the 10 position is resolved.Until he has gone through the 6N we won’t know whether he is the answer.He is only 21 and occupies the most important position on the field.I hope he makes it but it’s far too early to judge

By: Staggy

Staggy — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 18:29:19 +0000

This last reply was to Brightys first one by the way!

By: brighty

brighty — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 17:14:54 +0000

No, it’s a charge regularly levelled at Wales. Only now, 2 short weeks after England being tipped to go 3 from 4 and have a shot at 4 from 4, is it being levelled at England. 2 weeks ago SL was a man who’d revolutionised England’s culture, had a team he was developing for a real tilt at the world cup and had developed a new squad with bags of potential. Now he’s a man with 1 plan, bias for the incumbents and at risk of a storm of grief if he doesn’t beat Aus on Saturday. Rapid turnaround.

I should have added to my 1st post that I didn’t agree with H’s assessment of what SL is doing with the centres, I was just taking his argument to it’s logical conclusion.

I think SL is genuinely picking the players he think are the best for those positions right now with the gameplan not being something that is worried about too much. He’s not developing a style of play as described, he’s concentrating on culture, getting Olympians in to deliver motivational speeches and working out the optimum distance to park the team bus from Twickers. He’s swallowed the “incremental gains” book whole.

He genuinely believes, and has said as much in interviews, that Barrit is more than just a bosh merchant. “It’s not all about the flash”.

By: H James

H James — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:52:34 +0000

I can’t say I agree with having Ford and Eastmond together just yet – not for Australia. Gotta win this one and there is too much risk having so little brawn in the 12/10 channel.
12T is not the best defender but he is a steadying presence that may allow Ford to shine.
Ford/12T/Barritt is not thrilling in itself but it seems solid enough and 12T and Ford should be able to get something moving with what is a pretty exciting back three.
I am staying positive.

By: Dazza

Dazza — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:47:12 +0000

I think we do have the players to play a more creative, attacking exciting game, but at the moment we have a coach whose style of play does not promote those players. I could give you a whole list of players who should probably be involved regularly with the England squad. Get them in that environment now, and we will reap the rewards later.

Take Andre Pollard for example. He captains the baby Boks in the U20’s World Cup, and the next SA test series he’s straight in the squad. We won that World Cup, and yet we’ve not seen any of our young players anywhere near the senior or Saxons squad. Is this down to SL? Is it a trust issue on the coaches part? England played a much more exciting style in the U20’s than the senior squad do at the moment, but that is as much to do with the coaching, and the selection of the players.

By: Pablito

Pablito — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:39:04 +0000

Eastmond may not have shown enough of the ‘playmaker’ skills at 12 to satisfy SL but how much of that is down to the severely out of form scrum half and fly half he had to play alongside?

Would have been nice to see him line up alongside someone who is not just a club mate but who doesn’t play his rugby 30 metres behind the gainline

By: Pablito

Pablito — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:16:59 +0000

Kuridrani is injured though and any replacement is not going to be in the same league size-wise

As for Burrell, I don’t remember his defence being bad at all – seemed to cope perfectly well with the Irish and Welsh centres in the 6 nations.

If he can cope with D’Arcy, O’Driscoll, Roberts and Davies then he can cope with Toomua (6ft and 14 stone) and Beale (6ft and 14 stone) / Ashley-Cooper (6ft 1 and 15 stone 6) / whoever else they choose

Barritt is certainly not keeping the place on merit – he’s keeping it on being the only centre who vaguely fits SL’s mindset

This does not make sense. This is the same thinking that saw Borthwick and Tindall retained for far too long. The same thinking that saw Banahan being given England caps

As people have pointed out if we play Barritt, we may as well play a flanker. I’ll bet Tom Wood is quicker than Barritt and his defence is better. Will pass the ball as much as Barritt as well

By: Benjit

Benjit — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:11:03 +0000

Yes the charge over a lack of plan B is something both England and Wales are susceptible to.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:47:02 +0000

I’m really not sure about much of this.

In the England vs Wales debate – we talk as if Wales have a far superior team to England, do they? We look pretty comfortable beating them in the 6 nations (without Corbs,Tuilagi,Cole – which are our only good players right!?). We also beat a clearly very impressive Ireland team.

Yes this Autumn has been extremely disappointing and proved we are some way off being the best in the world, but the reaction off the back of it has been madness as far as I’m concerned.

And Benjit – Launchbury was brought into train with England before he was a guaranteed starter for Wasps so I’m not sure your facts are right there.

I agree with your point though – SL has always waned towards safe picks. For the most part though, I’ve agreed with most of his selections. People talk about Ford as if he is some obvious world beater – is he? He still looks pretty shaky in my book. Don’t get me wrong, with Farrell off form I’d start him, but he misses easy kicks too often.

Out of interest, what under 20s would you want in? Cowan-Dickie I like – but he still doesn’t start regularly at Prem level. Sam Hill is an interesting one, as is Slade, but Hill is still very raw and Slade is really a 10 as much as he is getting game time at 13.

I could rumble on all day really but you get my point.

I have a massive issue with the continued selection of Barritt over Burrell. BUT, with both Burrell and Tuilagi out he did make sense at the start of the Autumn.

Cipriani – I’m a massive fan of and will always want him in. But really, that’s quite small grievances.

Our pack (whether SL or Rowntree) has grown into one with incredible strength in depth and one that can compete with anyone. We still have issues in our back line but we are England, we always have – let’s not sit that at SL’s door.

By: H James

H James — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:36:33 +0000

Fair comment and I think SL would like to have other options at 13 within this strategy. And perhaps there are in the likes of Burrell and Burgess (though the latter at 13 rather than 12 might not work).

I don’t like the look of a centre partnership without one of Tuilangi, Barritt or Burrell – other combinations seem to lack the physical intensity to front up to the best teams. We can’t run around everyone. Top teams will just turn us over in the 13/wing channel every time.

By: Benjit

Benjit — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:32:16 +0000

Staggy I really don’t understand your point. You talk as if world class players are born that way. They are not. They are developed. Ford is a case in point. One of the outstanding players of his generation at age grade, but left out of 6n squads in favour of Goode? The coaches should be there to identify the talented players and then judge which ones have the right mental make up to make the top grade. Ford and a few of the recent junior world cup winners are no brainers as far as I’m concerned. And yet Lancaster time and again picks safety first solid club players like Botha, Waldrum, Tomkins, Goode over more talented players. It’s about risk and reward. SL takes fewer risks and gets more limited reward. Look at Launchbury, only for into the side though injury despite stellar performances at Wasps.

By: McShane

McShane — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:20:48 +0000

To be honest, I don’t know who should be in right now aside from maybe Burrell for Barritt. This is probably one of the reasons I’m not the England coach. But seriously, you bring up a good point that the size of England’s player pool complicates selection. After every so-so performance the media and the general public (myself included, and I’m not even an England supporter) want a new backrow, a new centre partnership, Cipriani at 10, etc. Barring 1 or 2 questionable selections, I think Lancaster has picked about as strong a XV as he could have this Autumn. I was simply saying you can’t completely absolve him of blame if they end up going 0 for 4.