england

[wycombewasp]

Tuilagi go's to the wing 2 number 8s on the bench and a flanker starts at 8, Eddie strikes again

[Rossm]

England: Steward; Tuilagi, Slade, Farrell (capt) May; Smith, Youngs; Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Hill, Lawes, Underhill, Curry.

Replacements: Blamire, Rodd, Stuart, Ewels, Dombrandt, Simmonds, Quirke, Malins.

 And two eights on the bench😣

[mike909]

Tuilagi go's to the wing 2 number 8s on the bench and a flanker starts at 8, Eddie strikes again

Given England have Malins in the 23 and Jones was suggesting the game is moving towards pace and width I'd have wanted Manu at 12, Malins at wing and Dombrandt at 8 with two flankers......to keep the pace high and to get first to the breakdown.......

But what do I know, eh!

[Heathen]

Tuilagi go's to the wing 2 number 8s on the bench and a flanker starts at 8, Eddie strikes again

Given England have Malins in the 23 and Jones was suggesting the game is moving towards pace and width I'd have wanted Manu at 12, Malins at wing and Dombrandt at 8 with two flankers......to keep the pace high and to get first to the breakdown.......

But what do I know, eh!

This is Eddie we are talking about. Never one to do the bleeding obvious!!!!

[Shugs]

Just the normal bilge from Jones. Tuilagi on the wing! With Farrell stationed at 12 on the odd occasion Youngs doesn’t box kick Smith’s role will simply be shovelling it onto Farrell for him to kick and he’ll get scowled at if he attempts to play.

[welsh wasp]

Didn't Farrell show his dissatisfaction with Cipriani on the rare occasion when they played together? Will Jones have instructed Farrell to keep Smith under control?
Has Tuilagi ever played on the wing for any team?

[baldpaul101]

Has Tuilagi ever played on the wing for any team?

yes. he played there for Tigers a few times when he was younger.
also remember him playing for England there under Lancaster maybe? not sure.

[baldpaul101]

For me the problem England have is that Farrell is seen as such a forceful character & leader that he has to play (rightly or wrongly).
However there are better 10s out there so he gets pushed to 12, which, when there are better 12s just pushes someone else out. Then he plays like the teams fly half but in the 12 channel.
For me either he plays 10, or he doesn't play.
it will be genuinely interesting how Smith plays with the de-facto fly half standing outside him.

[Trevs Big Tackle]

Hmmm,

How can I put a bet on Tuilagi getting a red card taking out the Australian fullback in the air while lazily chasing another ineffectual kick from Youngs?

[Rossm]

For me the problem England have is that Farrell is seen as such a forceful character & leader that he has to play (rightly or wrongly).
However there are better 10s out there so he gets pushed to 12, which, when there are better 12s just pushes someone else out. Then he plays like the teams fly half but in the 12 channel.
For me either he plays 10, or he doesn't play.
it will be genuinely interesting how Smith plays with the de-facto fly half standing outside him.

Plenty of miss passes and see how he likes being ignored. Or , being really nasty, have a quiet word with the Aussies before the game and set Farrell up for a few hospital passes

[backdoc]

Didn't Farrell show his dissatisfaction with Cipriani on the rare occasion when they played together? Will Jones have instructed Farrell to keep Smith under control?
Has Tuilagi ever played on the wing for any team?

Farrell has limited imagination. He is either the centre of the side, or he should be benched IMO.

[Raggs]

Has Tuilagi ever played on the wing for any team?

yes. he played there for Tigers a few times when he was younger.
also remember him playing for England there under Lancaster maybe? not sure.

Yeah he played against NZ on the wing for Lancaster.

He's registered his fastest GPS times on record for England, and he did have a wingers pace before (maybe not a Zammit/Radwan/May, but he's quick).

Not sure how I feel, suspect we drop Marcus into the backfield with Steward, and maybe May when needed, and have Tuilagi defending at 13.

[Rossm]

Genge Out.

England loose-head prop Ellis Genge has tested positive for Covid-19, meaning uncapped Sale prop Bevan Rodd will start against Australia on Saturday.

Newcastle's Trevor Davidson, who earned his only England cap in July, replaces Rodd on the bench.

Joe Marler - who came on for Genge against Tonga last weekend - is out after a positive test on Monday.

[mike909]

England - not sure that it's actually as much of a change as perhaps journalists have been suggesting......The pack is basically the preferred 2020 6Ns pack - Lawes, Curry and Underhill were the backrow three times that season and seemed in the absence of Billy, the go to selection.

As for the backs, Jones is gambling in playing Smith. The form 10 in the prem and with international experience is def Ford. I guess we'll have to wait to the 2022 6Ns before we get a feel for the backline. But other than Smith, with Young, Farrell, Slade and May, this is very much looking like a backline changed due to injury (Watson/Daly) than anything else.

If England don't stop giving away breakdown penalties (problem in both last two 6Ns) and fail to support quick ruck ball in the wider channels - then when they play the teams that have most recently exposed England's short comings, they might face some rather long afternoons.....

[wasps]

Mike...
My memory may be playing tricks on me, but didn't Cipriani turn a backline including Wigglesworth and Jamie Noon into an attacking force to be feared?


It's possible that the addition of Smith can do the same with Youngs and Farrell.... And we have the advantage of knowing that Youngs does have an attacking game to him, even if it is often neutered