RugbyRebels

canta_brian wrote:According to Chris Ashton and Danny Care the following is what a combined NZ/England team would look like.

Backs: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Jonny May, 13 Sonny Bill Williams, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Aaron Smith.

Forwards: 1 Joe Marler, 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Brodie Retallick, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Ardie Savea, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Billy Vunipola.

Any thoughts?

Puja wrote:

Lizard wrote:I guess it depends on whether you’re picking a team to play England’s game plan or NZ’s. I would probably go for Moody and Coles for their handling game. Sinckler is good though.

Oddly, I'd be picking Mako and George for the same reason!

Puja

Lizard wrote:I guess it depends on whether you’re picking a team to play England’s game plan or NZ’s. I would probably go for Moody and Coles for their handling game. Sinckler is good though.

Stom wrote:

Lizard wrote:I guess it depends on whether you’re picking a team to play England’s game plan or NZ’s. I would probably go for Moody and Coles for their handling game. Sinckler is good though.

Mako is the best handling prop around, and George is pretty damn good.

Take Coles or Moody out of a black shirt and you'll see how they match up. It's always hard to compare as you guys have had a team situation that has evolved really nicely over 15 bloody years. There has always been continuity and there has always been change, and it's meshed together to create an environment it seems easy to flourish in.

I think our pack is as good as anyones. The front row are superb, Itoje is excellent, and the backrow is fantastic. The only certainty I'd pick from NZ in that pack is Retallick. The backrow would scrap it out, and Itoje would oust Whitelock for me.

Lizard wrote:

Stom wrote:

Lizard wrote:I guess it depends on whether you’re picking a team to play England’s game plan or NZ’s. I would probably go for Moody and Coles for their handling game. Sinckler is good though.

Mako is the best handling prop around, and George is pretty damn good.

Take Coles or Moody out of a black shirt and you'll see how they match up. It's always hard to compare as you guys have had a team situation that has evolved really nicely over 15 bloody years. There has always been continuity and there has always been change, and it's meshed together to create an environment it seems easy to flourish in.

I think our pack is as good as anyones. The front row are superb, Itoje is excellent, and the backrow is fantastic. The only certainty I'd pick from NZ in that pack is Retallick. The backrow would scrap it out, and Itoje would oust Whitelock for me.

It’s going to be a bloody good scrap, isn’t it!

Lizard wrote:Which is better, Curnderhill or Cavea?

J Dory wrote:Eddie looking a bit panicky with the spy gate accusations followed by a swipe at the media, feeling the pressure maybe?

Queue the trademark Hansen super dry come back.

Mikey Brown wrote:

J Dory wrote:Eddie looking a bit panicky with the spy gate accusations followed by a swipe at the media, feeling the pressure maybe?

Queue the trademark Hansen super dry come back.

Hard to tell because he’s such a petulant dickhead basically all the time.

I believe that sometimes it’s a genuine act of making himself the lightning rod it most of the time I think he’s just being a twat.

Mikey Brown wrote:

J Dory wrote:Eddie looking a bit panicky with the spy gate accusations followed by a swipe at the media, feeling the pressure maybe?

Queue the trademark Hansen super dry come back.

Hard to tell because he’s such a petulant dickhead basically all the time.

I believe that sometimes it’s a genuine act of making himself the lightning rod it most of the time I think he’s just being a twat.

Which Tyler wrote:For the love of god - any god; fuck it, ALL gods - can we please stop this insistance on amalgamating 2 names into 1.
I hate it with dog breeds; it has absolutely no place when talking about human!

We're not German, we're allowed to use the space bar when required!

Digby wrote:

Which Tyler wrote:For the love of god - any god; fuck it, ALL gods - can we please stop this insistance on amalgamating 2 names into 1.
I hate it with dog breeds; it has absolutely no place when talking about human!

We're not German, we're allowed to use the space bar when required!

Just to clarify Edd and Dee are not separate people, his name actually is Eddie, hope this helps.

The All Blacks are in line to spring a major surprise when naming their team to play England in their Rugby World Cup semifinal on Saturday.

NZME understands that Scott Barrett is set to be given the nod to start at blindside flanker, with Ardie Savea moving to openside flanker and Sam Cane dropping to the bench.

zer0 wrote:Suggestions that S.Barrett will start at blindside, Savea at openside, and Cane on the bench.

The All Blacks are in line to spring a major surprise when naming their team to play England in their Rugby World Cup semifinal on Saturday.

NZME understands that Scott Barrett is set to be given the nod to start at blindside flanker, with Ardie Savea moving to openside flanker and Sam Cane dropping to the bench.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/a ... d=12279196

I'm unconvinced this isn't just a ploy to make sure Cane sets some sort of unbeatable record for 'most caps without playing all of the top tier nations'.

EDIT: And supposedly some other suggestions that Moli will start ahead of Ta'avao, which I would not be at all opposed to. Quite the opposite, really.

Lizard wrote:I don’t like the idea of playing guys out of their best position in RWC play offs. It never ends well.

I hope that Hanster know what they’re doing. I guess they want the presence of S Barrett but without breaking up the Whitallick locking partnership. Unless they’ve been doing some huge shifts in training, this move on top of using Beau’unga could be a shift too far. Even having Breece on the wings instead of Nahoane is a bit recent, as is using Moolala as props in place of Frankuafe.

George Ford has been tipped to make shock return to the England starting team for Saturday's World Cup semifinal against the All Blacks. UK newspaper, the Telegraph, has reported that Ford will come into the starting team at first-five, with Owen Farrell moving out to No 12 and Manu Tuilagi playing at centre.

England coach Eddie Jones is also expected to tinker with his forwards and call up George Kruis to play a lock, in place of Courtney Lawes. Kruis is expected to be more of a handful in the lineouts than Lawes, with Jones believing this will be a crucial part of Saturday's game in Yokohama.

Jonny May, the winger who scored two tries against the Wallabies last weekend, is expected to recover from his hamstring injury and will be available to play.

...

Ford's recall will be bad news for Henry Slade, who'll be making way in the starting team for him. Slade got the nod to play against Australia because Jones feared the physical presence in the midfield of Samu Kerevi. The expected All Blacks midfield of Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue will provide England with challenges, but running directly up the middle of the field won't one that features as prominently as it did with the Wallabies.