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Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 8:47 pm
by Oakboy
I do like our second row. Two big mobile units!
Shame that Bracken over-ran on the breakaway. Looked a try otherwise.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:13 pm
by fivepointer
A bit more control and composure in the French 22 and the game would be wrapped up by now.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:14 pm
by Which Tyler
fivepointer wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:13 pm
A bit more control and composure in the French 22 and the game would be wrapped up by now.
And another one
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:17 pm
by Which Tyler
Harsh, ball is up, and moved away from the ruck. Looks like it's outside the 1m untouchable zone.
Still a horrible law, right or wrong in this case
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:27 pm
by FKAS
Which Tyler wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:17 pm
Harsh, ball is up, and moved away from the ruck. Looks like it's outside the 1m untouchable zone.
Still a horrible law, right or wrong in this case
Always looks bad when you dive over the ruck to slap the ball down.
France's discipline has been awful. Their 8 looks a cracking talent though. All Rugby saying he's not getting any game time at Bordeaux, I imagine that'll change pretty quick it somebody else will offer it to him.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:40 pm
by FKAS
Unlucky from Davies there, his footwork had given him more time to make that clearance than he thought.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:50 pm
by Which Tyler
Wins a win.
TBH, the result never looked in doubt, but just a touch more clinical and we'd have have had 50-up
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:53 pm
by fivepointer
Made hard work of that. Nice to finish with a try but we should have put a lot more points on the board.
Good moments from pretty much everyone, but Pollock and particularly Timmins put the consistent work in over the full 80.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:57 pm
by Epaminondas Pules
Scrappy but comfortable. Lord knows how Coen stayed on as long as he did! He was pretty woeful, kicking at goal aside. The 18s lads who’ve come up are proper talented and picked on skill not size.
And nice to show France and Ireland that technique beats size come scrum time!
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
by Epaminondas Pules
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:57 pm
Scrappy but comfortable. Lord knows how Coen stayed on as long as he did! He was pretty woeful, kicking at goal aside. The 18s lads who’ve come up are proper talented and picked on skill not size.
And nice to show France and Ireland that technique beats size come scrum time!
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:24 pm
by p/d
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:57 pm
Scrappy but comfortable. Lord knows how Coen stayed on as long as he did! He was pretty woeful, kicking at goal aside. The 18s lads who’ve come up are proper talented and picked on skill not size.
And nice to show France and Ireland that technique beats size come scrum time!
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
All ok EP?
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:17 am
by Scrumhead
Surely odds on for a GS now?
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:28 am
by FKAS
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:57 pm
Scrappy but comfortable. Lord knows how Coen stayed on as long as he did! He was pretty woeful, kicking at goal aside. The 18s lads who’ve come up are proper talented and picked on skill not size.
And nice to show France and Ireland that technique beats size come scrum time!
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
Davies came on at fullback didn't he. Perhaps there was an injury concern that made them hold off bringing him on at 10. Kinder not making it past half time maybe limited them a little, needed to hold someone back against another injury.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:34 am
by Epaminondas Pules
FKAS wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:28 am
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:57 pm
Scrappy but comfortable. Lord knows how Coen stayed on as long as he did! He was pretty woeful, kicking at goal aside. The 18s lads who’ve come up are proper talented and picked on skill not size.
And nice to show France and Ireland that technique beats size come scrum time!
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
Davies came on at fullback didn't he. Perhaps there was an injury concern that made them hold off bringing him on at 10. Kinder not making it past half time maybe limited them a little, needed to hold someone back against another injury.
He did, but he can play 10, 12, 13 and 15. Hall went to FB when Kinder went off with Lilley going to 13. I’m biased cause I’m a massive Davies fan, but also Coen is the weak link in this backline.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:35 am
by Epaminondas Pules
p/d wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:24 pm
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:57 pm
Scrappy but comfortable. Lord knows how Coen stayed on as long as he did! He was pretty woeful, kicking at goal aside. The 18s lads who’ve come up are proper talented and picked on skill not size.
And nice to show France and Ireland that technique beats size come scrum time!
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
All ok EP?
All good. First time I’ve talked to myself and not ended up in an argument!
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 8:12 am
by p/d
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 9:08 am
by Oakboy
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:35 am
p/d wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:24 pm
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
All ok EP?
All good. First time I’ve talked to myself and not ended up in an argument!
EP, I've never seen Coen play before. Based on just last night's game, I'd say not outstanding but efficient to more or less the same level as the rest of the backs. He looked an integral part of a good, functional backline with no stars. You obviously know far morel
Overall, the match looked a classic rugby example of the forwards deciding who won and the backs determining by how much. Our forwards looked special. The backs looked unexceptional.
One little aside. The lineout frequently mis-functioned till the change of hooker but the new guy was far less ambitious with safer, shorter routines. I just wondered if that was coach-inspired or skill-related i.e. did the captain's calls relate to how good the hooker was perceived to be. Inside knowledge would probably suggest different conclusions to a casual spectator's view.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 9:56 am
by FKAS
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:34 am
FKAS wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:28 am
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 pm
I get it cause it was a late call up for Davies, but still Coen was far from good.
Davies came on at fullback didn't he. Perhaps there was an injury concern that made them hold off bringing him on at 10. Kinder not making it past half time maybe limited them a little, needed to hold someone back against another injury.
He did, but he can play 10, 12, 13 and 15. Hall went to FB when Kinder went off with Lilley going to 13. I’m biased cause I’m a massive Davies fan, but also Coen is the weak link in this backline.
I thought Coen was tidy but conservative. The conditions maybe playing a part, his goalkicking was impressive and always a bonus in poor conditions. Can't say I've been impressed on the limited number of times I've seen Coen previously. I'd like to see Davies get a go just to see if this backline can cut loose with someone a little more ambitious at 10 or whether core skills are a limiting factor, we knocked on a few times from promising moves last night.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:23 am
by twitchy
Do we have any good centres?
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 11:33 am
by Oakboy
twitchy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:23 am
Do we have any good centres?
All I can say after watching ONE game, is that there were no obvious budding BODs. Others will be far better-placed to judge.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 12:36 pm
by fivepointer
Thought Allison looked pretty handy. Good feet and hands, plus defensively very solid.
Also thought McEachran was good. We know about Sela's quality but the LH put in a very effective performance.
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 2:05 pm
by Which Tyler
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:34 am Coen is the weak link in this backline.
You can say that again!
Epaminondas Pules wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:35 am
All good. First time I’ve talked to myself and not ended up in an argument!
Definitive proof that you NOT Mike Brown!
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:32 pm
by Mellsblue
twitchy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:23 am
Do we have any good centres?
Shouldn’t this be on the EPS thread

Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 5:44 pm
by Oakboy
Mellsblue wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:32 pm
twitchy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:23 am
Do we have any good centres?
Shouldn’t this be on the EPS thread
Doesn't matter where you put it, we still haven't fricking got any!
Re: England u20 24/25 Season
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 5:49 pm
by Mellsblue
Oakboy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 5:44 pm
Mellsblue wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:32 pm
twitchy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:23 am
Do we have any good centres?
Shouldn’t this be on the EPS thread
Doesn't matter where you put it, we still haven't fricking got any!
lol. Very true.