My England Captain 2016

There has been lots of pundits saying who should or shouldn’t be England Captain so I thought I’d give you my answer. Eddie Jones has said that the most important thing to be chosen is that you must be a guaranteed starter and play every game, injuries permitting.

So I think it is incredibly simple, Chris Robshaw should stay as captain. Let me explain why by discussing two things, “Why Chris Robshaw” and “if not Robshaw  who else”. Let’s start with the second of those first. So who are the other contenders?

Mike Brown

Going on the guaranteed starter base’s I think that there is only one guaranteed starter for England at the minute, Mike Brown, and some pundits are even questioning him to start. In my book because Mike Brown is the only guaranteed starter that would mean Eddie Jones he should be Captain. But let me ask you a question. “Would you have Mike Brown as your England Captain?” I didn’t think so and me neither. He may be a leader by example and a inspiration to watch play but their is a reason he is known as “Mr Angry” on the pitch which means he is not right for the armband. Yes maybe he would chill out on the pitch if he was given the armband, but do you really want him to do that, I want and like that angry side of him, it’s what I think gives him the edge. Brown will always be my Full back for club and country but sorry Mike I don’t want you to lose that angry side so you don’t fit the captains role.

Dylan Hartley

There has been a lot talk that Hartley is going to be given the Captains armband this week. For me this a monumental error, if Hartley is given the armband then I would have lost all respect for Jones before he has even played a game. I won’t be able to trust Jones to do the right thing because he wouldn’t have started with a huge mistake.

Jones said that everyone has a clean slate from when he started which is great but you can not over look their pasts as if they weren’t ever there. Hartley have over a years worth of suspensions in his career and he is only 28 years old. He has had three great honours taken away from him because of his discipline and behavior is so bad. He was removed from the Lions squad to tour Australia, not considered for the home World Cup and had the Saints captaincy all taken off him because of his discipline and the way you deal with that is make him Captain. No, no, no. What message does this give to every kid at grass roots growing up wanting to play for England. It gives the message that if you don’t play by the rules and treat the game/players/refs with respect, then you have a shot at being England Captain. I don’t care if he may be right for the role, his discipline trumps that. All of that is said with the assumption that he will be a guaranteed starter which at the moment his far from. At the moment I would start Tom Youngs at Hooker. Rant over.

Mario Itoje

I am huge fan of Itoje and think that he is a future England captain, just not yet. He isn’t currently an England starter in my estimate and even though he may become that over the next few years he still has to much to learn. I would like him to gain more experience and be around the England camp to understand the way it works and get stuck into the international set up before being given the armband. Maybe after Japan 2019.

Joe Launchbury

I think Joe is a contender. He needs to cement his place and become a guaranteed starter with his work ethic and power play being used as a weapon for England. There are rumors that a lot of opposing players across Europe really don’t like playing against him. He has the experience and gaining more day by day, he has the skills and he has the bright future without being to young to captain. The thing is that I never see him take charge, he always seems quite and just one of the team not being a leader. He never takes in huddles or at the end of the game. He also seems to have become a bit injury prone over the past year so that could be an issue. I think that the best he can hope for is vice captain but is definitely worth a consideration.

Ben Youngs

Youngs has been in terrific form for the past year and seems to be getting better as the months pass. He is clearly a leader for Tigers and almost seems to run both the backs and the forwards. He controls the game and has a eye for open space that he can fly through and he has game changing ability. All this shows he is a man that can lead through example. The way he has up’d his game over the last year shows his hunger and gives inspiration to others and grass roots kids because he was already a England international with  over 30 caps before 2015 so could have just settle with that. But no himself back up to the level need to be the best scrum half in the country.

He will be pushed by Care and Simpson for his place but I think the 9 shirt is his to lose and he is close to being a guaranteed starter. I think that the scrum half is a good position to be a captain from, as you see both sides of the game and call the shots between the back and forwards. With the way that his commands at Leicester Tigers you can certainly see him being England captain. Youngs is the only one that I think is right to replace Robshaw.

Chris Robshaw

Now onto “why Robshaw”. Ok so I will address the World Cup first. Yes he did make one huge mistake against Wales. At the time of the kick for the corner, I was sat in my lounge on my own and shouted at the screen “big call, big call, come lads drive it over”, at the time I was 100% behind the decision. I wanted to beat Wales, I wasn’t interested in a draw. In hind sight both him and I were wrong, in hind sight he should of gone for the posts, even I admit that. But we are all human, aren’t we, mistakes happen, so no need to grill him to death about it.

Robshaw has been knocked down by the whole country and his dog, but at Quins he has quietly got back to business, got back to doing what he does best. Robshaw is the best flanker in the country, yes play him at Blindside, his work rate and tackles are always higher than anyone else. He can carry and he is always encouraging and organizing the team, in particular the defence when we are under the cosh. An England captain needs to be able to take the hits, stand up take it, admit your mistake and get back to work, doing everything possible to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Robshaw does all of this.

Is he a guaranteed starter? I hear you say, What do you think? Who would you have instead, a flanker has to do a lot of the unseen work and he does. If you look back over all the games since the World Cup and tell me there is an English flanker that has been better than him then I’ll listen but you’ve never convince me that Fraser, Haskell, Wood, O’Connor, Gibson, Kvesic and even Wallace or Clifford have been better than Robshaw. If you think they have been then we must not have been watching different games. Robshaw and Youngs are the only ones that I think could probably join Brown on the guaranteed starters list so are the only contenders

Robshaw to retain the captains armband.

My Six Nations England Squad 2016

So Eddie Jones is about to make his first England EPS and I think that it could be an interesting selection. Not only for the players he changes but to see what style he picks, which we may well be able to determine through what players he select. My selection below is only based on the players and I am not going for a particular style.

Forwards (17)

Props – Marler, Vunipola, Cole, Mullen, Thomas,

Hookers – Youngs, George, Hartley

Second Row – Lawes, Launchbury, Kruis, Itoje

Flankers – Robshaw, Wallace, Haskell, Kvesic

Number 8 – Vunipola, Waldrom

Backs (15)

Scrum Halfs – Youngs, Care, Simpson

Fly Halfs – Farrell, Ford

Centre – Joesphs, Daly, Burrell, Twelvetrees,

Wingers – Ashton, Watson, Yarde, Nowell

Full back – Brown, Goode

People that would be in if now injured – Slade, Brookes, May, Tuilagi, Ewers

People that would be in if they could pick anyone – Armitage, Strettle

Right so having read that, I bet there are several names you don’t agree with and some you think are missing. With  Bath and Saints struggling this year and teams like Quins, Gloucester, Exeter and Wasps playing some great rugby and Saracens dominating anything they touch (except Quins), my EPS reflects all of this. So I’ll explain each position.

Front Row

The props pretty much picked themselves. I think Thomas was lucky to get in and only did so due to Brookes injury who has been great so far this year. I don’t think that Marler and Cole should be the starters though with Vunipola definitely being in the 1st XV and I would probably give Mullan a run at Scotland. If he can’t hack it then go straight back to Cole, same with Marler.

With the Hookers and I would start with Youngs, Hartley isn’t starting for Saints so can’t be starting for England, he needs more games to be match fit and build his form before he starts for England. George plays in rotation at Sarries so that can be of benefit for being in the EPS as an impact sub.

Second Row

In the Second rows you can’t ignore the strength and devastating power of the Saracens front five and this means that Kruis and Itoje are in the squad. They are both young and have a lot they can add to the team both now and after developing further. Itoje might not get much game time except if players are rested against Italy, but he is a future England captain and we need to have him learning the ropes now. Lawes has been a bit out of sorts for the last 6 months so I would start with the work horse that is Launchbury and Kruis. I don’t think Parling can last for 80 minutes so for me can’t be picked.

Back Row

I think Robshaw is still the stand out flanker in the country and since the World Cup he has proven that, except now at blindside. His tackle count, work rate, carries, off loading and general open play is better than anyone else’s. Haskell is 2nd to that at blindside with his defence and breakdown work but just please don’t let him do any carries coz he never gets past the gain line.

Now with Robshaw at blindside means openside has become an even bigger question mark. Yes I know Armitage would be my first choice too, however that is a none starter. So, being a Quins fan I lean heavily towards them and have been very impressed with Clifford over the past year however it is Wallace that has been stealing the ball and being a general menace at the break down this year and it is him I have put in the squad. Since Kvesic got his first 2 England caps in 2013, I don’t think he has done anything worthy of playing for England until now. This season he has stepped it up and is making a serious claim to that 7 shirt. For me he would start. Will Fraser is clapping at both of their heals while Callum Clark is to much of a liability at the moment and also is part of an under performing Saints team so is not considered with the same going for Wood.

As much as I would like to pick Easter for number 8, he would be my 3rd choice behind Waldrom and Vunipola. If Jones clean slate rule really applies then Waldrom should start, he has been wonderful for the Chiefs while Vunipola seems like he still has some learning to do. I don’t think Morgan has done enough for me so far this season and needs to up his game. Beaumont is a long shot but could be a future start.

Half Backs

Ben Youngs influence and control of the games for Tigers has helped that to become a force again from the start of a season for once. His play and ability to read the game makes him my starter. Care has to be part of the squad for his sheer game changing ability and ever increasing form. While Joe Simpson has been fantastic so far this season and fully deserves a run out for England against Italy at the very least because his flair and speed  can really open up games. I think we are now seeing signs of Wigglesworth and Dickson being on the wrong side of the hill so are counted out.

Owen Farrell is by a country mile the best fly half in the country at the minute and other than Dan Carter at Racing 92 is the best fly half in Europe at the moment. So is a “shoe in” to start. I would have liked to have include Cipriani as back up because he has played well so far this season and his game management and territorial play is spot on and would work well for the England way but he has not been great off the tee and is only in the 60’s, percentage wise, for his goal kicking which is not good enough for International rugby. That means Ford just about makes it even with Bath being so poor this season. What is encouraging is that he did have a very good game against Toulon this weekend.

Centres

This position has brought about so many taking points over the last 5 years and I don’t see that changing this year. Starting with not including Tuilagi, he just isn’t fit enough to be thought of for the 6 nations. He just needs game time and to prove he is still up at “beast level” for the next 4 months before being considered. The most in form player is Elliot Daly who just seems like he can do it all and is lighting up any game for Wasps. Joseph is another that can see a gap that no-one else sees and both Joseph and Daly have pace to burn but are 13 with going defence. Also I would like to see Lowe from Quins name being thrown into the mix. At 12 Burrell has up’d his game since being left out of the World Cup but still isn’t consistent enough, however I think Twelvetrees in the most in form 12 this season and also brings another creative passing game and kicking option that is needed at 12, something that Slade would also have done. Barritt is a serious contender but his offence is not good enough and that is shocking to hear coming from me because his defence is amazing and normally that is a focal point for me.

Back 3

The wingers still seem like a weak point. May would be in the squad but wouldn’t be a guaranteed started as he has shown a few poor decision making moments this season. The best winger in England right now is Chris Ashton, he is so deadly and his club try record is second to none, as is his support play. He has worked on his defence and I think should start against Scotland. I would also have picked Strettle if he stayed in England. Watson should be the other wing but he has been playing at full back for Bath so needs to get back into the winger mentality. Nowell has been playing great as Exeter and is one of the reasons they are on the rise as well as being able to cover centre. Lastly Yarde has sorted out his bad start to his Quins career and is playing some wonderful counter attacking and offloading rugby at the Stoop while his kicking and positional play has come on leaps and bounds. His doesn’t start for one reason only and that is he try scoring tally is low and he needs to be more clinical in front of the line. Bath’s Rokoduguni is the next to jump in if an injury occurs but is still that one step behind the above players.

Brown is Brown and even with Goode breathing right down his neck is still the best 15 in the country. The clean slate comment could work against him with Jones because Brown was the best player for England at the World Cup and over the previous 2 years so would have a lot in the bank with England. Goode is a formidable player and brings another creative style of play if required, so Jones could chose him, whereas I would go for Brown. Foden does get an honorable mention but there is no need for a 3rd full back when Watson can cover.

So any arguments to this selection.

 

Week 4 Aviva Premiership

This week was the last week before the European competition kick off. For some teams that will be a much need time off from the domestic leagues. It will give teams a chance to take stock of the league and bring some much needed momentum from the European matches into the domestic games. Other teams will see it as a possible hindrance because they want to continue there good starts to the season. Once the European break is over we may see things change around in the table.

Harlequins 16-14 Sale Sharks

Harlequins every improving game this season must have decided to have a week off. They were very lucky to scrape through with a win here. There was 20 minutes of good play in the 2nd half, other than that they were at the mercy of Cipriani. He controlled the first half with some pin point kicking however it was Cipriani that lost them the game. He missed two penalties and last play drop goal, any of which would have got them a big away win at the Stoop. After the European break, Quins go to Chiefs and Sale have the Northern derby (haha) with Falcons coming to visit.

London Irish 14-45 Bath Rugby

For me there is one stand out moment in this game and that was Mckibbin’s first half red card. Mckibbin stamped on Thomas head and this was so bad and completely unnecessary that I think a many month ban is the minimum that should be given. It was a disgrace. It also cost Irish a try as they had just scored a penalty try. The scores would have been 10-7 and Irish would have been in the game, a game I thought they had an outside chance of winning. Instead they got destroyed. Bath did what any team should in that situation and exploited the extra man and space. They scored 6 tries with Priestland looking like he is fitting to his new team quite well. This win has moved Bath back up into the playoff fight, while Irish are now 8 points adrift of 10th and will be in a 2 horse race with Falcons, They are in real danger of going down already. Next up they host Wasps and Bath go for a big trip to Tigers.

Worcester Warriors 28 – 20 Newcastle Falcons

This was a great encounter for the neutrals. Worcester went flying out of the blocks and had the bonus point try by half time. However the Falcons were giving them a good game as they were playing the lovely rugby we know they can and scored a couple of tries themselves. This meant that there was a whooping 45 points scored in the first half. Even though there was only 3 points scored in the second half it felt like the Warriors were having to hold on to their lead. Falcons pushed them all the way and were chasing the losing bonus point till the end. The way the Falcons are playing you would have thought they would have enough to stay up. It is now a two team fight at the bottom so they will need to start finding some points. Worcester have pretty much secured another season in the top flight already. They are up to sixth and must be loveling life at the minute. Next week they could come crashing down to ground as they go to Allianz Park while Falcons go to the Sharks.

Northampton Saints 6 – 12 Saracens

Saints were lucky to have come away with a bonus point here. Saracens were all over them and should have scored a couple of tries. While the last minute penalty got Saints that important losing bonus point. Fellow England teammates Wood and Farrell clashed early on after a late tackle from Wood caused Farrell to react badly. This up’d the tempo of the game and that caused the tension. This was a tight affair with only Saracens really having a go throwing the ball around in the backs. It is a big win for them away at their main title rivals, a win that suggests they are on the path to that title. Saints are all at sea with this loss putting them unbelievably down into 10th place. They have a couple of weeks off the domestic league with the European games, this will be needed to get their season up and running. Next up is Gloucester at home with Saracens welcoming newsboys Worcester to Allianz Park.

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers 071115

Exeter Chiefs 19 – 6 Leicester Tigers

Exeter were the better team here and were dominate in the forwards, driving Leicester back on several occasions which is not something that you can’t normally say about Leicester. Exeter are looking like a team on the up still. They have got better year on year and don’t seemed to be slowing down. They struggled to keep up in Europe last time they were in the top competition due to lack of the depth in their squad so the next two weeks are going to be key to see if this time they have enough that it won’t affect their domestic season. Leicester will not be panicking but they will know that they have another big fight for the playoffs again this year. They need to sort out their discipline because it put them on the back foot here, that they never came back from. It doesn’t get any easier for either team next time with Chiefs hosting Quins and Leicester having Bath come to Welford road.

Wasps 23 – 3 Gloucester Rugby

Gloucester were already having a torrid time at the breakdown in this game before Halaifonua got his matching orders for a dangerous high tackle. Elliot Daly was providing some breath taking long penalties to build a Wasps lead which included a try for Wade. This is when Gloucester’s dreadful disciplinary record got in their way with the high tackle. They probably have the worst red card record especially over the last few years. They need to sort this to be able to progress in the table. Wasps did even up the playing numbers when Cittadini threw punches at Twelvetrees who was fighting Cittadini’s case for him not to get sent off. Wasps are looking unbreakable at home and Gloucester need to get their away form sorted starting with just getting into the opponents 22. Next up Wasps gave Irish away and Gloucester are visiting the Saints.

Week 3 Aviva Premiership

Now that we are into week 3 you can already see the Premiership table taking shape. Yes there are a couple of teams out of place but generally it doesn’t look to different from what is possible at the end of the season.

Saracens 24 – 14 London Irish

Saracens continue to storm the table but this performance was not convincing. They did enough to get the win but Irish did show them up enough that other teams, will be licking their lips at the gaps that were appearing. Ellery has replaced Strettle on the wing better than they could have imaged, as he is looking like a real live wire. It could have been a different game if Tikoirutuma hadn’t been sin binned in the 2nd half. A sin bin that Saracens took advantage of before then turned the screw. They will need to be better against the better teams headed their way in particualar next week. Where as Irish will be encourged as it looks like they will have team that is up for the regulation fight, however they still came away with nothing to show from this positive showing. Next up Saracens visit the Saints in probably the biggest game of the season so far. While Irish will think that have a chance when hosting Bath.

Bath Rugby 28 – 38 Harlequins

Quins are continuing to look very impressive this year. They have taken a massive scalp here and with 6 minutes to go the result was looking like a whipping, Bath then got a couple of tries to make the score look more respectable for them but still will not like the loss to a team they should beat at home if they are to challenge at the top. Quins were impressive and the biggest difference was in the forwards with this them taking hold of the Bath forwards. Bath gave away to many penalties in their own half, especially when Evans is on the kicking form that he is at the moment. A perfect 10 from 10 kicks means he is now the leading points scorer in the league. Things are looking good for them whereas Bath need to get their season up and running before the top 4 slips further away. They will get that chance when they visit Irish next week. Quins however invite Sale to the Stoop under the Friday night lights.

Gloucester Rugby 24 – 22 Worcester Warriors

This was an eventful game in the first half with the half way scores being 19-17 but in the second half it didn’t have as much to offer. Worcester in their first West Country derby back in the top flight pushed Gloucester all the way and were even in front for a period. Both teams will be reasonably please with result. Gloucester don’t have Laidlaw back yet but they don’t need his boot with Twelvetrees doing such a sterling job. They are doing what they do ever year and play some great to watch rugby. The Warriors are going to be the underdogs every game, which meant you won’t be able to help yourself cheering for them and when they are entertaining us like they are so far they are warranted a cheer. There fight this year is going to be great to watch. Gloucester are away at Wasps next while Warriors have a massive regulation battle when they have the Falcons come and visit.

Newcastle Falcons 3 – 41 Exeter Chiefs

Alarm bells must be ringing here for the Falcons. They have gone backwards from last week and got destroyed by the Chiefs at home. They shouldn’t be on the receiving end of 6 tries when they play anyone especially at home. This is one game where you shouldn’t look at the stats. If you did it would have seemed a reasonable close encounter but when you watch the game or even the highlights all you can see is a whipping. Chiefs are storming up the table with a real test next week as they host the team that in all likelihood they are going to taking the fourth spot from, Leicester. Falcons go to Worcester in desperate need of something big because a loss there could put Worcester 10 points clear after only 4 games. Meaning it will be a two horse race for survival.

Sale Shark 20 – 14 Northampton Saints

Sale look like they could make the AJ stadium a fortress again this year. Saints were always playing catch up in this game, they were only just keeping Sharks in reach and that were due to missed kicks from Cipriani. Kicks that if he got would have put Sharks further ahead. Saints will however need to go back to the training ground again because their set piece and discipline is not where they should be if Saints are to challenge at the top. Sale are up and running with back to back wins and will want to push on. Next they have a trip down to Quins needing to improve their away form while Saints have a supposed table topping clash with Saracens at Franklins gardens.

Leicester Tigers 24 – 16 Wasp

There is a lot rivalry between these two teams so it is often a game that form has not affect on. However over recent years Tigers have controlled Wasps  at Welford road and this result was exactly what the form book said. Wasps haven’t won at Tigers in 8 years and have a dreadful away recorded. Tigers were always ahead and even though Wasps were always in range it changed when Gopperth got sin binned for a tackled in the air. Tigers jumped on the 14 men to increase their lead which Wasp couldn’t pull back even with a late try of their own. Tigers go to the south cost to face Chiefs next which is turning into an important game, while Wasps have Gloucester visiting the Rioch.

Aviva Premiership Matchday 2

This weekend the Premiership continued with teams either trying to counter or continue their opening weekend results. The interesting games are just going to keep coming. There were another couple of big games this weekend that kept us on our toes and I’m not even talking about the games that happened at Twickenham.

Gloucester 15 Saracens 17

Saracens will be pleased with this win. They did what needed to be done to win. Ellery looks like a great livewire to replace Strettle. He is showing that Saracens are playing good rugby. This week there opponents Gloucester fought back and they fought through the boot of Twelvetrees again. This game was about the kickers as 27 of the 32 points were off the tee. Saracens are top of the table and will be happy with that and could be there for a while to come. Gloucester will also be encourage as there start has been a lot more positive than first thought. Next up Gloucester host a West Country derby against Worcester and Saracens host Irish.

Sale Sharks 27 Worcester Warriors 13

This was an expected result but not an expected performance as Sale were definitely the better team. There were signs of the team that threatened the top six last year and Cipriani was pulled the strings again now that he had the ball to do so. Sale looked so much better than they did last week and will be relieved because they needed to step it up even though it was only game two. Warriors shouldn’t be to dis-hearted because AJ Bell stadium is know as a tough place to go and they did make sure they were counted even if they never really threaten the end result. However O’Callaghan is already proving his weight in gold and will be vital if they are to survive. Next week Sale have Saints coming to town while Warrior are back to their first West Country derby at Kingsholm against Gloucester.

Northampton Saints 42 Newcastle Falcons 16

The Saints needed a reaction after last week and they got it. They flew out of the blocks and even though the Falcons kept in touch for the first half the Saints powered to a bonus point win. The forwards seem to be the difference and turned the screw in the second half. Foden and Day’s brace’s as well Burrell getting a try, showed that there are good English players that didn’t get to the World Cup but making sure they are still on England’s radar. Falcons have a lot of work to do but they are still playing with ball and showing some impressive moments, this won’t however change that they are winless from the first 2 games. Next Saints go to Sale and Falcons already needing a win to steady them, host Chiefs

Wasps 16 Bath 9

Wasps have been pretty formidable at their new home and this game hasn’t changed that. Wasps were not necessarily in control until Matawalu held back Hughes and got sin binned as well as giving away a penalty try which changed the outcome. They played the most exciting rugby and looked like they was close to scoring on a couple of occasions. There home form is going to be very important this year as the Rioch is seeming like a fortress for them with their away form being so up and down for a few years now. Bath will look at this game as a missed opportunity and an opportunity they should have taken, especially if they are to challenge for the title. It is not doom and gloom for them yet as this is only the second game but to win the title you need to beat mid table teams and no offence to Wasps that is what they are. Next up for Wasps is a monster of a game as they go to Welford Road and for Bath a home game at the ever improving Harlequins.

Exeter Chiefs 38 London Irish 11

If you look at the stats of this game you would think that Exeter lost this match. This will be very worrying for Irish fans as they were taken apart but a fantastic Chiefs team. The Chiefs are looking very impressive and these 6 tries only add to that, Norwell getting two of them. This performance is only providing that they could be a very seriously be a top four team. Irish are already in danger at the foot of the table. This is not good and they need to kick the troubles straight away, unfortunately this is not going to happen next week as they face Saracens away. The Chiefs have a long trip up to the Falcons.

Leicester Tigers 22 Harlequins 19

Harlequins will be very disappointed to come away with only a bonus point loss. They were in this fight till the end and were even 4 points ahead with 25 minutes to go before Pearce went over to win it for the Tigers. Quins look like a much improved team and this is going to continue. They still have some of their England contingent to come back but in the meantime future England players like Clifford are taking advantage of their game time. Tigers are not seeming like the great team that they have been over the last decade or so, but then we rarely see their greatness before the run in to the playoffs. However they will still be pleased with the new signing of South Africa legend of Jean De Villiers who will only bolster their team. De Villiers and Tuilagi as a centre partnership will definitely be worth a watch. Next up Tigers host long time rivals Wasps and Quins go West to Bath.

Aviva Premiership underway Matchday 1

The Aviva Premiership is underway. The opening weekend brought about some big matches, big shocks, and big wins. With England out of the World Cup all the English players were back at their clubs. Not all of them feature for their clubs but other were thrown straight back into domestic action.

Worcester Warriors 13 – Northampton’s Saints 12

Worcester’s first match of their return to the top flight could be the biggest upset of the season come May. Heathcote on his debut will already go down in folk law and be a hero for the Warriors supporters with his 80th minute drop goal to win the match despite missing three earlier penalties . Especially as it was only 2 minutes after Myler looked like he had settle the tie in the Saints favour. The game wasn’t of great quality and their was a huge 29 turnovers in the game but Worcester were the better team. Heathcote is going to have to improve his kicking percentage if Warriors are to stay up this year because they only had a 20% success rate compared to Myler’s 100%. Saints have a lot of work to do if they want to top the table again this year. They had a strong team out with only a few international players missing so they need to just put this down to a bit of rust and get up and running next week. Next up for Warriors away Sale and Saints are home to Falcons.

Harlequins 26 – Wasps 21

This was the Nick Evans show. He scored one, set another up and kicked 16 points. Evans is proof that age and size is irrelevant as the 35 years and small in comparison, the Kiwi is controlling and dominating games. Quins are team in transition with the quality players that have come in to back up the England contingent as well as the great youth system they have. This game was between two teams that like to play and with it being the first game of the season you might understand the 50 missed tackle that the match accumulated. Wasps just can’t win on the opening day of the season while Quins will be very pleased to get the win after Wasp destroyed them the last time these teams meet at the Stoop. Quins have a massive game going to Welford road and Wasps host Bath.

Newcastle Falcons 27 Gloucester Rugby 39

I have to say I thought that Falcons would get this done and was surprised to see Gloucester win this. The boot of Twelvetrees kicking them to win with a whooping 29 points. Recent history shows this was going to be a high scoring affair. The Falcons will be worried now as this would have been a game they would have look at when the fixtures came out as a game they should win. The problem is they were very poor and were the cause of this defeat. They were over 24 points down at half time and gave away way to many penalties away in their half and also lost 2/3 of their own scrums. There discipline needs to be fixed immediately because with Worcester showing they can win against big teams, the Falcons could well be for a hell of a dog fight at the bottom of the table. However they are playing ball and that is encouraging. Gloucester will be please with this win and should use this as a platform to push on earlier on but will be need to be careful because they leaked 27 points to a relegation contender. Next up for Falcons is Saints away and for Gloucester they welcome Saracens under the Friday night lights.

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Bath Rugby 19 Exeter Chiefs 17

Bath will breath a big sigh relief. Both teams were at good strength and with Exeter smashing Bath in a friendly last week and being ahead on several occasions in this game Bath will take the win no matter how small and tight it was. Ford back from a failed time with England kicked the winning points with 3 minutes left to go. Exeter are a team that look like they are going to threaten the playoff spots this year will be disappointed with this result. They did not mange to take advantage of Bath going down to 14 men on two occasions while Banahan and then Burgess get sinned binned. Exeter will need to be better moving forward because Bath were they for the taking and Exeter kept missing opportunities. Bath visit Wasps next and Exeter have Irish coming to town.

Saracens 41 Sale Sharks 3

So which one is it. Is it that Saracens were mightily impressive or is it that Sale were dreadful. For me it was that Saracens were impressive. Sale did conceded 20 turnovers with 15 penalties but otherwise the stats don’t look to bad for Sale especially not a 38 point loss bad. Saracens were just very good in open play and this was down to Hodgson. Just like Evans at Quins the old men are providing the quality that lights up the Premiership. Hodgson exploited the Sharks defence and was also perfect from the tee. Before this game I thought Sale were going to struggle this year and after this game I think the struggle could be worse than I thought. They have to get themselves sorted or this could be a seriously bad year for them. Next up Saracens go west to Gloucester and Sale host the Warriors which could already prove to be a vital game for them.

London Irish 16 – Leicester Tigers 28

Leicester will be pleased with this solid win that was never really in doubt. Tigers came out of the blocks with all cylinders firing and laid down power play earlier on. There were a lot of turnovers in this game and it was not a game that with have everyone talking but is a game that shows us that Irish still need a lot more money invested to get this team moving up the table rather than down which is looking likely. Tigers are going to be in a fight all season for the playoffs and will be pleased with start. Next up for Irish is a trip to Sandy Park and Tigers are hosting Quins.

Aviva Premiership 2015-16 Predictions

With the Rugby World Cup onto the knock out stages the domestic season can get under way. England were dissappointing but its time to forget about that and knuckle down to the wonderful world of club rugby.

The 12 teams will all be playing their first matches this weekend. We kick off on Friday night with three games. Newboys Worcester Warriors hosting last years table topping Northampton Saints and then there is a massive game already at the Stoop with Quins taking on arch rival’s Wasps. Lastly Gloucester are in the North East facing the Falcons. After a big opening night there’s no stopping with the Chiefs at Bath and Sarcens hosting Sale on Saturday before Irish welcome the Tigers on Sunday.

So how do I see each team doing this year.

Bath Rugby 2nd

Bath fell at the final hurdle last year and that stage will be the minium again this year. They have a back line that is full of flair and with a couple of good purchases in Priestland and Matawalu that will only strengthen that line. There ageing pack is only getting older and with that they have lost some experience up front so will have to be careful about having the ball cut off before it gets to the backs. However another strong season but I don’t think they will challenge for the title as well as getting knocked out in the Semi’s.

Exeter Chiefs 4th

This is the year that I think they could take anothe huge step for the small SouthWest club that just seem to push on year on year. There must be something in the water done there because what they are doing is phenomenal. The mix they have of experience and youth is working a treat. The backs have some great emerging talent that have another year and for some, England experience under their belt. Losing Munm is a big loss even though Parling should fill that gap nicely. With Salvi also joining the back row will be beneficial. They seem to be turning into a team that take all the experience Tigers players which is going to be very interesting because it is Tigers that they are going to replace in the top 4.

Gloucester Rugby 9th

To me nothing is going to change for Gloucester this year. They haven’t brought any real quality in and will have another nothing year. They may be threaten with relegation even though they will survive with ease in the end. One thing you know is that we are going to have some amazing tries because that’s want the speed demon May is capable of. But this season will be classed as another year of rebuilding but will no moves forward.

Harlequins 6th

Well my beloved Quins. They have had the best summer of transfers of almost any team in years. They have bought in serious proven quality in Horwill, Jones, Roberts, Visser as well at Stanley and Luamanu. I was really please to see Swiel bought on a perment bases because I see him as the long term replacement to Evans. We may have lost some good players as well with the legend that is UUUUUUUGGGGGOOO retiring being sad to see. I will miss screaming that at the Stoop. However I am really excited to see Quins play this year and think that we will be climbing back up the table causing some big stirs on the way. Even though this is suppose to be the transition year the stirs will start with Wasps.

Leicester Tigers 5th

Well Tigers always seem to end up in the top 4 no matter what. They pushed it last year with a dodgy 6 months but that didn’t stop them pushing everyone out the way to get into the top 4. However for me this is going to be the year that they will fall short.  I think this is the year that they are going to be pipped and loss out on that play off spot which could also signal the end of Cockralls managerial reign at the club. They have lost some big players in Allan, Salvi, Parling and Thorn without really replacing them.

London Irish 10th

How the hell Irish manage to scope Ben Franks is beyond me. What must he be being paid. Whatever it is, it is the purchase of the summer. Signing Maitland, McKibbin, Tikoirotuma will also give them some much needed experience to help the load of young players they are now coming through. This Irish team will not be pushovers this years and will show so great sparks while pushing forward and starting to show some of that investment that has come in. There is a lot of work to be done but it looks like things could be heading in the right direction.

Newcastle Falcons 11th

Newcastle seem to be ever improving without actually improving their position. I like the fact that they have a go at teams regardless who it is and Richards has given them belief they can threaten the big boys. However they are still going to struggle with results. They have lost some big players with Blair, Clegg and in particular Brookes all moving on. They have brought in a few fringe players of which some of them could force their way into the first team. Venditti and Botha are both good acquisitions that should help fill the void of the out going players. They will struggle again this year with the teams at the bottom get better and better as well as closer and closer but I will enjoy watching them as always and they will just about have enough to stay up.

Northampton Saints 3rd

The Saints grasp on the Premiership is going to slip this year. They are not going to be the same force they have been over the last couple of years. They should easily be in the playoffs and with a game spare. I also see them in the final but I just don’t think they are going to be the league runaways this year and they will have to fight hard for that 3rd. Brookes, Matfield have been brought in to replace the out going Ma’afu, Manoa and Dowson with future Irish star JJ Hanrahan coming in replace the out going Hooley. They look good on paper but I just feel that there’s something missing, like they have lost an edge they had over everyone else. However that edge could just be the vacating Manoa.

Sale Sharks 8th

Sale have lost some big names this year and that is going to affect them. I think they will only slip one place but are going to along way behind in turns of the standard to the teams above. There is going to be a divide in the Premiership with Sale be the leader team on the bottom set of teams. Cueto, Hines, Di Marchi and Mclean have nearly 250 caps between them so that is ridiculous loss of experience in one go. They brought very few in, other than Stringer and they will feel this. This could be a turbulent year for them and they will have to rely on their forwards to get them from looking over their shoulder.

Saracens 1st

I think they are going to top the table and win the playoffs. They are a team with incredible quality through out and a huge amount in depth as well. They will miss Strettle but he has had enough waiting for England to come calling and has now gone for his pay day in France. They haven’t really dabbled into the transfer market both for incoming and for letting players go which shows that McCall is happy with his squad and after their play off win last year they will know that they can do it again. They are the only team to have made the knock out stages of the Champions Cup for the last four years with two Semi’s and one final in that and their is a reason for that.

Wasps 7th

Wasps had a good surprising year last year and even though I don’t think that year was a one off I do think that they won’t be able to reach the heights of the Champion Cup again. They have changed quite a lot of the squad, losing some experience in Goode, Bell and Varndell. They having a nightmare Champions Cup group so will not have enough to fight at the top level on both domestic and European fronts and that will cause them to slip this year.

Worcester Warriors 12th

Worcester are going to make sure they are counted this year. They are not going to be a London Welsh. This club has a big history in the Premiership and will be kicking and screaming all year. They will pick up some wins and cause the teams just above them to think twice, however they have a tough run in at the end which will bring to a stop the points they will need to stay up at a time it matters. They will be great to watch because you can see them catching teams by surprise with their play and with the ever amazing Pennell leading their back line they have a very dangerous weapon. They have been incredibly busy in the summer getting lots of players in and out. I think this could disrupt them a bit too much because like Welsh last year those new players were not settle in by the time things got rolling. The one benefit there though, is that with the season starting late they have longer to gel together.

England sign off with a big win

England are out of the World Cup but they signed off with a expected fans pleasing win. We beat Uruguay convincingly on the scorecard 60-3 by the end of the game and the result was never in question. However the performance even though it was pleasing to the eye, could have been better.

England scored 10 tries including hat tricks from Easter & Norwell followed by a brace from Watson. This will show that this was an easy victory especially if a 37 years old can get a hat trick in what has got to be his last England international. However England never really got into the high gears and never needed to.

The team was much changed which I was pleased to see so everyone that didn’t get a run out in the other games got some good game time in this match. This will give them the World Cup buzz and hopefully the desire to work hard to make sure they are in the squad for Japan in four years. The players that were given a run out looked good and those players in the backs had a lot of freedom to throw the ball around and did well when give the chance.

I thought that there was still things that would cause me concern. The big concern for me is still the same old thing that I have been saying for months now and that is turnovers. A team that only has four full time professional’s managed to get more turnovers than a team that was second favourites going into this World Cup. That figure is disgraceful.

As much as I haven’t really decided on what England should do next I do believe that Lancaster will go, as to whether you like him or not, how can the manager of a host nation and supposed superpower in World Rugby survive being knocked out of their home World Cup in the group stages. So whoever comes in after him has to be so hot on discipline and the breakdown. The turnovers was the worse thing against Uruguay by far but I didn’t feel that the penalties conceded were much better. These are two key areas of the game that at the moment we suck at.

Something that was nice to see though, was to see that the lineouts seems to be on the mead. Youngs who has been dodgy for so long on the international stage with his throwing does seem to have connected with Parling and the lineout has started to become a strength again.

Ok so I am going to be brutally honest her. I am not sure about this 10-12 Ford – Farrell partnerships works. But then at the moment I am not sure that Ford works for England at all. Yes I know this is going to be controversial but I don’t think Ford has worked in the last two months, warms up matches included. He has added nothing for me and I would seriously drop him altogether and make Farrell my number for the next few years and build him into a England 10 that can compete with the World best just like they did with Jonny. My back up and game changer off the bench would be Cipriani.  Ford is a great club player but for me he hasn’t work internationally.

What about the Six nations I can hear you say. Well yes he was better but the Six nation is different kettle of fish as it is not knock out rugby like our group was, nor was their the pressure of that a World Cup brings and it is rugby with a set of teams that are not the best teams in the world. If England were suppose to be the best in the Northern Hemisphere why were we 2nd again.

However this game was a good performance by England overall. There were smiles from everyone again and a feel good factor. The stand out positive from the World Cup from the English point of view though has been the unyielding support that the team has had from the country. Even though England were out of their own World Cup the fans came out in force and were singing and cheering the whole way through the game. The fans have worn the rose and will always support this team. So bring on the World Cup in 2019. But before that we have to achieve success over the next four Six Nations.

After a weeks reflection. England knocked out by the Ozzies.

Its been a few days now but I still feel so gutted. I can not believe that this has happened. This is an article that I never thought I’d ever have to write. England are out of the Rugby World Cup and are the first host nation ever not to get through the group stages.

Even though England were dreadful Australia were actually very good. I thought they looked like a team that could go very late into this competition and now look like contenders. The Ozzies were decisive and took advantage of a weak England defence. The World class players in the Ozzie squad stepped it up and Foley was a model play-maker for them. This Ozzie team is a very different team from a year ago before Cheika took over. He has complete turned them around and did something that maybe England need to do. That being that he has said the best player will be selected and I don’t care where they ply their trade.

I don’t want to lay into England to much because so much has been said and written over the last few days. However I do feel that they didn’t really show up. What I mean is that mentally they weren’t switched on. The reason for this I believe is the pressure. England were supposed to be very fit and we have some very talented players and would have trained the skills and set pieces to death. Pressure is something that you can’t train for and can affect each person differently. One thing that pressure can do is cloud the mind and this is what I think it did to England and in doing so clouded our judgement and we then weren’t as sharp as we should have been for a World Cup.

The other problem I think is that less that a handful of the squad have played at a World Cup before and this includes the coaching team. This showed, the team did seem a bit rabbit in a head lights and it didn’t help that their first World Cup experience was at Twickenham that can be an incredible intimated place for both away and home teams because of the expectation and hope that the home fans bring.

The English players do not have anyway near the amount of experience or RWC experience as the majority of other teams. Biggar has more caps that Farrell and Ford put together. England have only 13 players with over 30 caps and 5 players with over 50 caps in the squad. If you compare that to other teams, Wales have 17 over 30 caps and 11 over 50 caps, Australia 17 and 12, then South Africa 18 and 10 with lastly the All blacks with 21 and 10. Plus each of these teams has players that have over 100 caps where as England’s most is 61. This shows a huge different in experience and how England are just to far behind at the moment.

England’s strengths over the last few decades have been the power in the forwards and the territory game that we play. This time round it didn’t happen and we didn’t seem to sort out the problems that were obvious over the last two months. The lack of discipline, weak set pieces and the turnovers both in giving away to many and not turning enough opponents ball over, were all their right from the start of the warm up games and didn’t seemed to be addressed.

What happens next for Australia is that they have Wales and I would expect them to win and get through to the Quarter finals as group winners especially after watching Australia get their record win at Twickenham. If they do win this group I think we will see them make the final because they will likely face Scotland in the QF and then France, Ireland or Argentina in the SF and I would expect them to beat all of those teams.

For England it is a case of just finishing off the competition with some pride by beating Uruguay convincingly and giving some players a run out that haven’t played so far. We have a young inexperience team that needs game time and it is a talented team so the more minutes on the pitch in big settings the better. The RFU will have an inquiry after the World Cup and I hope they get down to the bottom of this despicable and embarrassing performance. I hope this will motivated everyone to make sure it is never like this again and that we now look up and to Japan in 2019. I will never forgot this because of how much hope I had and how low I feel now.

England vs Wales – Must win

Today England we be taking on Wales in the biggest match of the RWC so far. Every since the groups were draw three years ago their has been an eye on this game as this is a huge match for these two nations at this stage of the competitions. Especially with the added spice of the rivalry between these two nations.

Normally when two teams of this magnitude met in the group stages of the RWC the consequences are that the losing team will still make the Quarters finals by being group runner up. However in this game that is not the case, the loser of this game is going to be in last chance saloon and that last chance is going to be against the Australians. With them being two time World Champions, once in England and once in Wales they are going to be tough to beat for anyone.

Ok so personally (and yes I know how bias I am) I think it is much more important for Wales to win than England. Let me explain why by looking at England first. We all know that the pressure is on England to win for a few reasons. They are at home, they will have 80,000 fans in the stadium and the whole country expecting, not just for this game but for the tournament as they are expected to go very deep into the tournament. So with that it means we really need to win the group to have any an easier route to the final which will help after such a hard group and that starts by beating Wales. England have already put away the Fijians and are at home throughout the competition while also having a winning record again the Australians at Twickenham including winning the last 3 out of 4 games at the home of rugby. So the worries for England if we lose aren’t that big.

So onto Wales and they are in trouble if they don’t win for numbers of reasons. They are not at home and Twickenham is tough place to go especially when the crowd are behind England. My main worry though it the record them have and the injuries they have while having to face two very good teams still. So after this game Wales will be facing the Fijians and even though they have a good record against them the Fijians have show that they have something to offer in this World Cup with their forwards pushing England and Australia off the ball a few times as well as collecting numerous turnovers. Wales will only have 5 days to recover which means any knocks that players can pick in this game will give them minimal time for them to recover and train in between the games. It is not a given that Wales can get past Fiji especially as a bonus point could be very important for them.

The big one is the Ozzies. After the Fiji game Wales will have 9 days till this game and that is a long to wait for a must win game and this means they could over think it. The Welsh have a dreadful record against the 3 big Southern Hemisphere teams. They have played 98 matches against them and only won 15. 10 of those are against Australia however they have only won 2 and draw one in the last 25 matches and have not won any in the last 10 with even 6 of them being at home. They have faced them 5 times in World Cups and have not won since the 87 World Cup 3rd place playoff. Wow that’s a lot of stats and all of them are massively in favour of the Australians.

With regards to their injuries they are not in good shape. Some teams are better in depth than others and every team can handle some injuries but I do think that Wales are struggling with both. There fully strengthen first team is very strong but I do feel they lack depth and now that they have picked up some key first teams injuries and then some of the squad players have also picked up injuries this means that the new first team has weak areas which could be targeted by all three other teams and that is all dependent on them not picking up any more injuries.

It is a must win game for both teams but it could be more detrimental to Wales if they loss than to England. I would like to see Wales in the Quarters. (Ok I said it I and I won’t say it again). Even thought I love Australia I will always support a home nation first. But today is all about England beating Wales. I don’t really care how as long as that job is achieved. Come on England.