Ireland vs England Sat Aug 27th Aviva Stadium*mod warning post 910*

theboss80

Well its here, last warm up before the teams fly out to the World Cup and what better way to send the team off than a home game against the old enemy. With England having a history of preforming at the biggest tournament in our sport and Ireland looking to step up to the mark and preform to their capabilities it will certainly not be one to miss.

Ireland Squad:

Forwards
Rory Best, Tony Buckley, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Leo Cullen, , Stephen Ferris, Jerry Flannery, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Denis Leamy, Sean O'Brien , Donnacha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell, Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan, David Wallace
Backs
Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace, Issac Boss, Tommy Bowe, Gordon D'Arcy, Keith Earls, Fergus McFadden, Geordan Murphy, Connor Murray, Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Eoin Reddan, Rob Kearney


England Squad

Backs: Delon Armitage, Ben Foden. Chris Ashton, Mark Cueto, Matt Banahan. Shontayne Hape, Mike Tindall, Manusamoa Tuilagi. Toby Flood, Jonny Wilkinson, Joe Simpson, Richard Wigglesworth, Ben Youngs
Forwards: Dan Cole, Alex Corbisiero, Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens, David Wilson. Dylan Hartley, Lee Mears, Steve Thompson, Louis Deacon, Courtney Lawes, Tom Palmer, Simon Shaw. Tom Croft, Nick Easter, James Haskell, Lewis Moody, Tom Wood

vs

Last 5 Meetings

19 Mar 2011 Ireland 24 - 8 England
27 Feb 2010 England 16 - 20 Ireland
28 Feb 2009 Ireland 14 - 13 England
15 Mar 2008 England 33 - 10 Ireland
24 Feb 2007 Ireland 43 - 13 England

This will be no Friendly

thebaz

my team

murphy
bowe
darcy
BOD
earls
o'gara
murray
court
flannery
ross
DOC
cullen
ferris
heaslip
wallace

I would use POC very sparringly , i'd only play him against Aussie and Italy - we need to rest him , to get the best out of him in his twilight years

Teferi

England Win

Any chance of a match preview from Thomond? I always like them.

Expecting a big performance from Ireland. Finally. Against the auld enemy. As per usual.

irishbucsfan

thebaz wrote: »

my team

murphy
bowe
darcy
BOD
earls
o'gara
murray
court
flannery
ross
DOC
cullen
ferris
heaslip
wallace

I would use POC very sparringly , i'd only play him against Aussie and Italy - we need to rest him , to get the best out of him in his twilight years

If Paul O'Connell is in his twilight years then where are Flannery, Wallace and O'Gara?

MaryKing

thebaz wrote: »

my team

murphy
bowe
darcy
BOD
earls
o'gara
murray
court
flannery
ross
DOC
cullen
ferris
heaslip
wallace

I would use POC very sparringly , i'd only play him against Aussie and Italy - we need to rest him , to get the best out of him in his twilight years

I'd agree with that except less of the twilight years for Paul O'Connell - he is younger than both Leo Cullen & Donncha and he has just had a year off.

Fergus McFadden & Isaac Boss both need gametime as well - they need to be on the bench at least - then Rob Kearney could do with some more time as well ... very difficult to give everyone a chance to get up to speed.

MungBean

England Win

Ireland will be looking to do a demolition job on England and whether they do or not depends on what England want out of the game. From what I understand they wernt too pushed about playing the match in the first place so I dont think its as integral to their world cup prep as it is to Irelands.

Their next game after this will be against Argentina so I'd wager its an opportunity to give players game time more so than looking for a win, knowing Irelands main aim is a win on home ground after the recent defeats I dont think England will be prepared to try and match us physically. I can see them kicking away a lot of possession and avoiding a physical game. Hopefully Ireland can take advantage of it and win by a comfortable margin.

irishbucsfan

Where is Tommy Bowe in terms of fitness?

CouchSmart

Has to be a full team. Combinations need time to gel and after 3 defeats we need to start building some confidence. Team for this weekend will/should be team for Aussie game. It's definitely not perfect but too many important players were and still are way too rusty with the WC only 2 weeks away.

I for one will be desperately worried if the following players don't show a marked improvement from last week:

O'Driscoll
D'Arcy
Earls
Sexton
Heaslip
Wallace - first game but we're outta time, he has to hit the ground running.
O'Callaghan
O'Connell
Bowe - if he's fit, same as Wallace.

Cpt_Blackbeard

England Win

It should be an interesting team, selection wise. I don't think we can play what we would unanimously call our 1st XV, as we have players who need gametime but, it should be very very close to our team for Australia. We need to win this!

1. Healy - Hopefully he is fully fit.
2. Flannery - He needs at least 60mins so he has a chance to be first choice.
3. Ross
4. DOC - It might be good for Cullen to get a runout with POC though.
5. POC
6. Ferris - It might be too early to start him, but he needs 60 straight minutes before Australia anyway. SOB could use a rest.
7. Wallace - We need him to get the gametime.
8. Heaslip
9. Murray - We needs to see if he is up to starting a game at this level.
10. ROG - He is playing better than Sexton and should be rewarded.
11. Earls - He deserves a chance to prove that Saturday was a once-off. Trimble has earned a rest too.
12. D'Arcy - He needs to perform and deserves a chance to find form.
13. BOD - See above.
14. Bowe - He needs to look fresh like Ferris did last week. Trimble is snapping on his heels.
15. Murphy - He is fortunate to be in the squad and will hopefully role back the years. He needs the gametime more than Kearney.

16. Best - Can he make a positive impact from the bench.
17. Court
18. Ryan - Ideally he will come on at lock but, he might be needed at 6 as Wallace and Ferris mightnt be able to last the 80 (despite them being our best athletes, sorry SOB :P )
19. Leamy - SOB and Trimble have earned/could use a rest. Leamy is in good form and will be good off the bench.
20. Reddan - I'm not sure about him or Boss though.
21. Sexton - He covers 12 but, ideally he'll come on at 10 and have an impact.
22. Kearney - He still needs a run out.

I know posters won't be happy that I have the two Munster lads on the bench but, I feel that I have made valid points for their inclusion.

thomond2006

England Win

Teferi wrote: »

Any chance of a match preview from Thomond? I always like them.

Not this time, I probably won't see the game.

I reckon both sides will put out strong sides to make it a proper 'warm-up' game.

My Pick (assuming Kearney is fit):
Healy, Flannery, Ross, DOC, POC, Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip;
Murray, Sexton, Earls, D'Arcy, BOD, Bowe, Kearney

Bench: Best, Court, Cullen, SOB, Reddan, ROG, Murphy

Ferris needs gametime more than SOB so he starts. Trimble should be rested. Earls needs a big game after last week.

GerM

England Win

CouchSmart wrote: »

Has to be a full team. Combinations need time to gel and after 3 defeats we need to start building some confidence. Team for this weekend will/should be team for Aussie game. It's definitely not perfect but too many important players were and still are way too rusty with the WC only 2 weeks away.

I for one will be desperately worried if the following players don't show a marked improvement from last week:

O'Driscoll
D'Arcy
Earls
Sexton
Heaslip
Wallace - first game but we're outta time, he has to hit the ground running.
O'Callaghan
O'Connell
Bowe - if he's fit, same as Wallace.

Would agree with your thoughts, CS. I expect to see close to a full team with the only possible alterations being the positions that are horses for courses i.e. hooker, outhalf. I'd disagree on your thoughts in relation to POC and Heaslip though. The two of them were carrying those around them for sections of the game last week. DOC needs to get the finger out. I think we need him at peak performance because when he's off form and anonymous, he's very anonymous but when he's on form, his workrate is unbelievable and is a great guy to have in there.

The Wallace situation is a conundrum for me now. Does a 35 year old with no game time at all and a minor injury come straight back in ahead of Ferris who seemed to be looking very sharp for his 20 minutes? If Ferris can be played for 50 minutes, I'm beginning to lean towards trying that and using Wallace as the impact sub, a role in which he has excelled in previously.

totallegend

thomond2006 wrote: »

My Pick (assuming Kearney is fit):
HealyCourt, Flannery, Ross, DOC, POC, Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip;
Murray Reddan, Sexton, EarlsMcFadden, D'Arcy, BOD, Bowe, Kearney

Bench: Best, CourtBuckley, Cullen Ryan, SOB Leamy, ReddanMurray, ROG, Murphy

Ferris needs gametime more than SOB so he starts. Trimble should be rested. Earls needs a big game after last week.

• Earls has had enough game time, think McFadden deserves a run.
• Reddan is the 1st choice SH, I think we need to run with our first-choice combo at first anyway but would be interested to see Murray get 20-30 minutes with Ben Youngs nipping at his heels.
• SOB looked to be pretty primed last week, wrap him in cotton wool until Sept 11; think Leamy also needs some game time to try to hit a bit of form, so 30 minutes would do him good.
• Ryan on the bench not because Cullen has done anything wrong, but with Ferris and Wallace lacking in game time, we're more likely to need cover in the back row than the second row.
• If there is even a hint of concern over Healy and his toe, he should be rested; we cannot afford it to get worse. Besides, I'm dying to see this "Buckley can cover both sides" theory tested out; Cole, Sheridan et al should provide a good marker...

Tomtom364

Yes I'm going

totallegend wrote: »

• Earls has had enough game time, think McFadden deserves a run. McFadden has had more game time Earls i believe. anyway See Below
  
• Reddan is the 1st choice SH, I think we need to run with our first-choice combo at first anyway but would be interested to see Murray get 20-30 minutes with Ben Youngs nipping at his heels. Negates starting McFadden and leamy? Surely Murray deserves a chance to see what he can do from a start if macfadden and leamy deserve more game time. he hasnt had a start in any other warm up. just bench roles
• SOB looked to be pretty primed last week, wrap him in cotton wool until Sept 11; think Leamy also needs some game time to try to hit a bit of form, so 30 minutes would do him good. See Above.
• Ryan on the bench not because Cullen has done anything wrong, but with Ferris and Wallace lacking in game time, we're more likely to need cover in the back row than the second row. Agreed, Id play Ferris, wally, Heaslip with Leamy and Ryan on the bench. Ryan on at 50 for Ferris. Then leamy on for a SR and Ryan shifts in there.
• If there is even a hint of concern over Healy and his toe, he should be rested; we cannot afford it to get worse. Besides, I'm dying to see this "Buckley can cover both sides" theory tested out; Cole, Sheridan et al should provide a good marker... Completly agree. Not worth the risk if healy has a knock.

Some points.

Bigcheeze

"Ireland vs England Sat Aug 27th Aviva Stadium Sky Sports 3 @2.30pm"

Is this not on terrestrial TV ?

Tomtom364

Yes I'm going

Bigcheeze wrote: »

"Ireland vs England Sat Aug 27th Aviva Stadium Sky Sports 3 @2.30pm"

Is this not on terrestrial TV ?

Nope. Sky Sports live exclusive. Highlights on RTE later

browne_rob5

Bigcheeze wrote: »

"Ireland vs England Sat Aug 27th Aviva Stadium Sky Sports 3 @2.30pm"

Is this not on terrestrial TV ?

No
http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/rugby_irish/33534/

NikNak8

England Win

Still can't believe that O'Leary isn't going. Did not think that Kidney would make that call. Look forward to seeing Murray getting some game time. Ireland have always been slow to give youth a chance.
It is hard to guess what team Kidney will put out, I just hope there are no more injuries. There is a case to put out both replacement props as Ross and Healy have had plenty of gametime and why risk injury at this stage (pray there are no scrums!). I would also start Murphy as I don't even remember the last time he started with the first 15.
The team I would put out
Murphy
Bowe
O'Driscoll
Darcy
Earls
O'Gara
Murray
Heaslip
Wallace
Ferris
O'Connell
Cullen
Court
Flannery
Buckley

Quint2010

Yes I'm going

I'd like to see:

Kearney
Bowe
BOD
D'Arcy
Trimble
Sexton (we need to stick with Sexton if we are persisting with this gameplan)
Murray (To see he he gets on)
Court (Healy wont start because of toe injury I reckon)
Flannery (needs to start)
Ross
Cullen (to try him out at no 2 jumper and to see the him and POC combo)
POC
SOB
Wallace
Heaslip

Subs: McFadden, ROG, Boss, Buckley, Cronin, Ferris, Ryan

fitz

Quint2010 wrote: »

I'd like to see:

Kearney
Bowe
BOD
D'Arcy
Trimble
Sexton (we need to stick with Sexton if we are persisting with this gameplan)
Murray (To see he he gets on)
Court (Healy wont start because of toe injury I reckon)
Flannery (needs to start)
Ross
Cullen (to try him out at no 2 jumper and to see the him and POC combo)
POC
SOB
Wallace
Heaslip

Subs: McFadden, ROG, Boss, Buckley, Cronin, DOC, Ryan

I'd go along with that, but I reckon DK will see this as a must win, so wouldn't be surprised to see Reddan and Healy, and maybe Earls, depending on whether he still sees Earls as first choice 11. Also reckon Ferris will bench, at least.

Quint2010

Yes I'm going

fitz wrote: »

I'd go along with that, but I reckon DK will see this as a must win, so wouldn't be surprised to see Reddan and Healy, and maybe Earls, depending on whether he still sees Earls as first choice 11. Also reckon Ferris will bench, at least.

I forgot about Ferris. Thanks:D

JustinDee

Bigcheeze wrote: »

"Ireland vs England Sat Aug 27th Aviva Stadium Sky Sports 3 @2.30pm"

Is this not on terrestrial TV ?

Was talking to RTE yesterday at team announcement. Apparently they've highlights at 7pm.

totallegend

JustinDee wrote: »

Was talking to RTE yesterday at team announcement. Apparently they've highlights at 7pm.

BBC also have highlights, just if anyone is in the UK (or is sick of listening to Hooky); think it's @ 6.30 but would need to double check.

ionadnapokot

England Win

NikNak8 wrote: »

Still can't believe that O'Leary isn't going. Did not think that Kidney would make that call. Look forward to seeing Murray getting some game time. Ireland have always been slow to give youth a chance.
It is hard to guess what team Kidney will put out, I just hope there are no more injuries. There is a case to put out both replacement props as Ross and Healy have had plenty of gametime and why risk injury at this stage (pray there are no scrums!). I would also start Murphy as I don't even remember the last time he started with the first 15.

Yea i completely agree about the front row. Buckley has to play now. try and get him as ready as possible.
14 days from our first WC match. Arguably only Three players look up to WC speed; Ross, SO’B and Heaslip. Can we get a morale boosting win against England without Ross & SO’B? Not sure.
I'd have a similar team as yourself with a few alterations:
1 Court 2 Best 3 Buckley
4 POC 5DOC 6 Leamy (SO’B looked brilliant and id play Leamy at 6)
7 Wallace (fingers crossed) 8 Heaslip
9 Murray (has to play now)
10 Sexton (get used to playing with Murray)
11 Earls (needs games Trimble and McFadden look sharper)
12 Darcy 13 BO’D
14 Bowe 15 Murphy
Subs
Healy, Flann (injury concerns Still)30-40mins, DRyan, Ferris(injury concerns Still) 30-40 mins; Boss, RO’G, Kearney 20-40 mins

molloyjh

No I'm not going

I think we need close to a full team out. We need to get the guys to gel and the game plan to stick before getting on the plane. That said there are a few players that need game time so we've to account for that too. My choice would be:

Healy, Flannery, Ross (pull Healy if he looks even slightly uncomfortable)
Cullen, POC (realisitically it will be DOC but I really want to see this combo)
Ferris, Heaslip, Wallace

Reddan, Sexton (we can't go into the WC not having played our first choice half-backs together properly)

Darce, BOD

Earls, Murphy, Bowe

Replacements: Court, Best, Buckley, Ryan, Murray, ROG, Kearney

Trimble, DOC and SOB have had plenty of game time and I don't see another being of much use to them. Fla may not be up to a full 80 yet so we may need Best. With Healy potentially carrying a niggle and Ross so important I think we need cover at both tight and loose-head. Ryan covers both second and back-row, Murray needs time on the pitch as does Kearney. That leaves the last place to either ROG or McFadden in my eyes. Ferg needs the time more, but both ROG and Sexton are so important I'm not sure how to call it tbh. A lot depends on Darces fitness (and performance). We could see Sexton at 12 again, but in such a physical encounter will this be too dangerous?

thebaz

irishbucsfan wrote: »

If Paul O'Connell is in his twilight years then where are Flannery, Wallace and O'Gara?

POC is so important to ireland for big games , we need him at 100% - these days he doesnt have what it takes to give it week in week out , down to mileage and age - use him sparringly and we will get a lot more out of him where it counts , SA and Aus

molloyjh

No I'm not going

ionadnapokot wrote: »

1 Court 2 Best 3 Buckley

I think this would be a terrible idea personally. England are going to come over and play a hugely physical game. With this front-row our pack would be destroyed and any chance of good, quick, clean ball would be gone - nevermind the penalties our collapsing scrum will concede giving Wilkinson all the opportunity in the world. Both sides need a win this weekend and if we play this front-row against England I can't see how we could hope to win it.

Brendan97

England Win

it would be an ideal game to try heaslip at 7 that would give ferris gametime and not risk wallace (bring him on half time?)

phog

thebaz wrote: »

POC is so important to ireland for big games , we need him at 100% - these days he doesnt have what it takes to give it week in week out , down to mileage and age - use him sparringly and we will get a lot more out of him where it counts , SA and Aus

He's had more rest in the last year or so than any other Irish player, bar maybe Fla.

NikNak8

England Win

molloyjh wrote: »

I think this would be a terrible idea personally. England are going to come over and play a hugely physical game. With this front-row our pack would be destroyed and any chance of good, quick, clean ball would be gone - nevermind the penalties our collapsing scrum will concede giving Wilkinson all the opportunity in the world. Both sides need a win this weekend and if we play this front-row against England I can't see how we could hope to win it.

Neither can I and thats a big problem but if they are not good enough they should not be on the plane. We need to test them and better do it now than at the business end of the tournament.

Great to see real opinions expressed about players and line-ups and am amazed it hasn't disintegrated into the usual Provincial Bash-Up.

Think Murphy and Murray have to start as they haven't done so yet.
Think Reddan and Sexton have played together somewhere before and should know each other pretty well!

thebaz

phog wrote: »

He's had more rest in the last year or so than any other Irish player, bar maybe Fla.

some players are more important to the team than others , some players recover naturally faster , some players body's age faster - POC is a player who needs to be at 100% to be truly effective - again just my thoughts

Brendan97

England Win

POCs problem is he has shrunken back into his shell he isnt the player who was throwing himself in collisions a couple of years ago. i know he is getting older but this is a mental issue

Wollwead

Why oh why do we do this to ourselves. We are on the brink of departing for another WC waiting for a decent performance (not perfect but decent) and giving players gametime (I hope DK does this now rather than in WC). Before the last WC our performances weren't great and this time we're following a similar path. I'm not too optomistic about Saturday's game but I really really really hope i'm wrong and Ireland come out and give an acceptable performance.

molloyjh

No I'm not going

NikNak8 wrote: »

Neither can I and thats a big problem but if they are not good enough they should not be on the plane. We need to test them and better do it now than at the business end of the tournament.

Great to see real opinions expressed about players and line-ups and am amazed it hasn't disintegrated into the usual Provincial Bash-Up.

Think Murphy and Murray have to start as they haven't done so yet.
Think Reddan and Sexton have played together somewhere before and should know each other pretty well!

I might agree with you had we put in a good performance on Saturday and won that game. Now, more than anything, we need a good performance and a win. If we don't get that then we're in serious trouble in NZ. Court and Buckley have been tested and we know what they can do. I think it's just time to get this show on the road.

As for the Reddan/Murray thing, while Reddan and Sexton played together at Leinster that was months ago in a different team, with a different game plan and at a difference level. A lot of time has been wasted on TOL which has meant the other SHs have suffered. Both Boss and Murray could claim to deserve a place in the match-day 22. Both need the time. But as I said, it's time to get this show on the road. We can start Murray against the USA if we win this weekend.

And yes great to see so little provincial rubbish. That gets old fast. As I said elsewhere, the provinces can't win a World Cup, only Ireland can.

ionadnapokot

England Win

molloyjh wrote: »

I think this would be a terrible idea personally. England are going to come over and play a hugely physical game. With this front-row our pack would be destroyed and any chance of good, quick, clean ball would be gone - nevermind the penalties our collapsing scrum will concede giving Wilkinson all the opportunity in the world. Both sides need a win this weekend and if we play this front-row against England I can't see how we could hope to win it.

I hear ya! but unfortunately it could be our WC front row. struggle against england or play our entire 1st choice front row for 7 out of 8 test matches (rest v Russ) - which would equate to 7 matches in 9 weeks. 6 matches in 9 weeks is on the edge of Physical capability (for props).
This is all subject to Ireland actually planning on winning the world cup.

bamboozle

our strongest team must start with Murphy, Ferris and Flannery getting at least 30 mins in the 2nd half.
DOC needs to up his game big time, POC needs to stop carrying so much ball and leave it to Wallace, Healy, SOB and Heaslip to gain ground, we need him and DOC obliterating rucks to ensure quick ball.

not too bothered if we win, what i want to see is out first choice team start to gel and get up to WC intensity.

we've a 2 weeks break after this so plenty of time for those who have played a lot over the last few weeks to recover (ie trimble) but Trimble and Bowe to start on the wings with RK at 15.

molloyjh

No I'm not going

ionadnapokot wrote: »

I hear ya! but unfortunately it could be our WC front row. struggle against england or play our entire 1st choice front row for 7 out of 8 test matches (rest v Russ) - which would equate to 7 matches in 9 weeks. 6 matches in 9 weeks is on the edge of Physical capability (for props).
This is all subject to Ireland actually planning on winning the world cup.

We can play Court and Buckley against the USA and Russia anyway. Depending on how we do against Italy we can bring them on for a while too. And sure if we're getting hockeyed by Australia and aren't going to win I'd bring them on there as well and save the other 2 for the Italy game and QF. That way we could be looking at Healy and Ross getting say between 60 and 80 mins against Oz and 60 against Italy. Let's face it, at this stage we'd be doing well to make the SF. I can't see us reach the final. So both props should be able to handle that.

andrewdcs

England Win

I keep mentally flip flopping between wanting to see "the real deal" what Kidney considers his best 15 vs England (as every side could have a different first 15) or cotton wool the crucial areas (Props, OHs) and keep the gametime balance.

I'd reckon it'll be Reddan ROG again, with sexton on bench to come on at 12.
I'd reckon buckley and court start (!!) with healy and ross on the bench for final 20? this leaves us very vulnerable to handling errors... so the backs better not drop anything.
I'd also be resting SOB, Ferris start.

for the backs, I want Earls to play to forget his blip, and Kearney and Bowe to get game time, darcy and mcfadden in the middle.

Brendan97

England Win

andrewdcs wrote: »

I keep mentally flip flopping between wanting to see "the real deal" what Kidney considers his best 15 vs England (as every side could have a different first 15) or cotton wool the crucial areas (Props, OHs) and keep the gametime balance.

I'd reckon it'll be Reddan ROG again, with sexton on bench to come on at 12.
I'd reckon buckley and court start (!!) with healy and ross on the bench for final 20? this leaves us very vulnerable to handling errors... so the backs better not drop anything.
I'd also be resting SOB, Ferris start.

for the backs, I want Earls to play to forget his blip, and Kearney and Bowe to get game time, darcy and mcfadden in the middle.

DK has already ruled out using rog at 10 and Sexton at 12 he said it was a once off

molloyjh

No I'm not going

Brendan97 wrote: »

DK has already ruled out using rog at 10 and Sexton at 12 he said it was a once off

And the last bloody thing you want is both your OHs on the pitch against a muscle outfit like England. Imagine they both got injured!? :eek:

Podge_irl

No I'm not going

thebaz wrote: »

POC is so important to ireland for big games , we need him at 100% - these days he doesnt have what it takes to give it week in week out , down to mileage and age - use him sparringly and we will get a lot more out of him where it counts , SA and Aus

We have no idea if he has what it takes to give it week in, week out because he hasn't had the opportunity to do it in a long time. I would be of the opinion the man desperately needs game time, not even more rest.

CatFromHue

Does anyone know when the teams are announced for this?

Stev_o

No I'm not going

Brendan97 wrote: »

POCs problem is he has shrunken back into his shell he isnt the player who was throwing himself in collisions a couple of years ago. i know he is getting older but this is a mental issue

Wot.

POC was probably one of the stand out players against France, it's almost a shock seeing him play and remember how good of a player he just is. Guy was everywhere either making tackles, taking the ball up the middle, hell saved a try.

IMO he's better then he was a year or so ago when he was marked by stupid handling errors.

Gracelessly Tom

England Win

andrewdcs wrote: »

I'd reckon buckley and court start (!!) with healy and ross on the bench for final 20 60?

If these two start I think Ross and Healy will be on after 20!

Mighty_Mouse

Times up for tinkering!
At this point it's crucial to give the strongest 15 a chance to play together.

molloyjh

No I'm not going

CatFromHue wrote: »

Does anyone know when the teams are announced for this?

Thursday lunchtime for the us anyway. Not sure about England.

PhatPiggins

No I'm not going

Stev_o wrote: »

Wot.

POC was probably one of the stand out players against France, it's almost a shock seeing him play and remember how good of a player he just is. Guy was everywhere either making tackles, taking the ball up the middle, hell saved a try.

IMO he's better then he was a year or so ago when he was marked by stupid handling errors.

I find it less infuriating to add to ignore list !

Stev_o

No I'm not going

PhatPiggins wrote: »

I find it less infuriating to add to ignore list !

Personally I find it interesting to see here it develop here so ill know in advance what sh*te ill be reading in the Indo and Times on the weekend.

little173

No I'm not going

Team I would like:

Court
Flannery
Ross
POC
DOC
Ferris
Heaslip
Wallace
Reddan
O'Gara
Earls
Darcy
BOD
Bowe
Kearney

Pretty strong team - Healy may not be fit and rather leave him out of this one, Reddan should start with ROG, Murray is still the 3rd choice and may force his way in over the tournament but Reddan remains no.1 at the moment. ROG is pushing hard to replace Sexton, and should start this one and give Sexton the chance to come on and change the game.

Other than that it picks itself really, need the win and England will put out a strong side, need to get the side to gel, especially in the backs.

fitz

Based on the squad, my gut tells me DK will play the strongest team he can.
Assuming fitness, the following would not surprise me:

Healy
Flannery
Ross
DOC
POC
SOB
Wallace
Heaslip
Reddan
Sexton
Trimble
Darcy
BOD
Bowe
Kearney

Possible variations would see Best, Ferris and Earls start ahead of Flannery, SOB and Trimble respectively.

I think DK's going to want a win, and that's the kind of team I'd expect him to pick to go after it.
I'm not going to try and predict the bench, that's a bit more up in the air.

Stev_o

Stev_o wrote: »

Wot.

POC was probably one of the stand out players against France, it's almost a shock seeing him play and remember how good of a player he just is. Guy was everywhere either making tackles, taking the ball up the middle, hell saved a try.

IMO he's better then he was a year or so ago when he was marked by stupid handling errors.

Phillip Matthews on BBC mentioned that POC had shed a fair bit of weight, and that he is now in a similar shape to when he was a couple of years ago.

I think it has helped him massively, as I feel that a lot of players who put on that much muscle in the mid point of their careers, in a short enough space of time, can really struggle with the mobility element of it. BOD is another prime example of someone who overdid it, and then benefitted hugely from cutting back to a more manageable size.

POC looks a good 6/7 Kg smaller than he was 12 months ago, but he looks like he's got a step more pace and more fire in the bolg.

Stev_o

No I'm not going

Deleted User wrote: »

Phillip Matthews on BBC mentioned that POC had shed a fair bit of weight, and that he is now in a similar shape to when he was a couple of years ago.

I think it has helped him massively, as I feel that a lot of players who put on that much muscle in the mid point of their careers, in a short enough space of time, can really struggle with the mobility element of it. BOD is another prime example of someone who overdid it, and then benefitted hugely from cutting back to a more manageable size.

POC looks a good 6/7 Kg smaller than he was 12 months ago, but he looks like he's got a step more pace and more fire in the bolg.

The game has moved on. Australia and New Zealand set the precedent by running everything back at people and you could tell even in the S15 the teams that were aerobically fit and those still packed to the brim with too much muscle.

You'v got to be aerobically fitter then previous to be able to keep up with things at the international level.