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Exeter Chiefs	Driver - RIP 606
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Harlequins	Steven_Sharks
Leicester Tigers	LukeLovesLuka
London Irish	stnick88
London Wasps	Arry
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Waiting List
1. pullthestrings
2. Bathite

Qera dominated everyone at wc 4 years ago and was in most teams of tournament. Great at breakdown. Brown is not international would rather armitage but his attitude stops his selection.

Armitage had an off day today. Qera is canny, does a job in AP.

Agree there Steve, Robshaw 10 times better at BS. I'm thinking him and Wood will alternate rather than Robshaw be out and out 7

Probably play left and right if they were the flankers for England.

Morgan was very good today. Thought he had a very strong game overall and am now more confident with him at 8. Foden was truly outstanding though. How he wasn't MoM I don't know.

Foden didn't get motm?!?!?? Didn't listen to after game but thought it was a def.

Morgan went backwards in scrum all day but was excellent, didn't offer loads in loose but has great control

Gave MoM to Myler!!!!

Can't wait to watch the rest. I am excited by Morgan but would like Easter or walds on bench in case. Anyone see rowntree talking of how England need to find a 7 said it could be Saull or
Someone
That comes through but we need a genuine 7.

Personally I think there is no
Need for a genuine 7 in a team if you
Play a power game. Look at ulster last night ferris does do much at breakdown that Henry can play 7 easily.

SA pre burger and brussow did it loads.

However if you want to play open rugby and with Ashton sharples and foden you do then you need a linking 7 a la kronfeld.

England are more likely to win through playing wide so need a genuine 7. Don't have the power and set piece of france

Henry was better than Ferris last night, Henry a very underrated player.

Talking to a load of saints fan last night who thought lamb should be Eps. Personally I don't despite his form.
He need a season of consistency for me to believe.


They were all
Firmly in the not play ashton again for the club camp

Thought ferris was unplayable last night his carries and hits were
Frightening. Man for man Ireland's backrow so
Much better than ours. This is why we need to
Realise we will not win anything for a while

Leicester backrow absolutely blown away last night

Does not bode well for England hey pooly.

Croft is a strange one great player but not a proper 6 which means we have to compensate in other backrow positions. Worked for lions with heaslip and Wallace alongside him but they were wc and allowed him
To roam free.

Think we may be better with robshaw and wood until a genuine test class 7 emerges.
I
Am a huge wood fan but prefer him at 6

Agree completely, think Croft maybe a better bench option. Was outstanding in Aus on hard pitches but not the type of flanker you need on a cold night in Ireland.

Wanneberg Henry and ferris is
Some
Unit.

Power power power. Ferris is so quick and just a wrecking ball no
Wonder he gets injured.

On front foot ball sob ferris and heaslip hard work for
Any international team

Pete and nick just read Irish report http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7429314,00.html

You guys same as us no depth. That backrow will never win a game or that front row.

Is allinson first choice ??? Heard that Rory lawson off to you again rumour does not go away. He would be top for you great service and good defender. Not much of a threat around fringes but his service and control great for open team.

Apparently glos going with Lewis and robson as back up next year ie skint if we off tindall, les and lawson it's about 650k off salary cap and can get a second row
Who can scrum and back up front row so we don't run wood and harden into ground. We are sniffing around lots of falcons players apparently like shiells. I hope it's Murray and Hudson.

I've not seen the game Mat as been at work all day and still stuck here, but I said yesterday that we'd struggle with that back row.

Sisi will be a good player, but he's an 8 making his first start and first appearance in the Heino against Sam Warburton at 7. Was always going to be a big ask. Likewise Evans is a lock playing 6 and Gray is still young and needs a couple of big, quality flankers to get the best from him.

Our first choice XV will give any team in the AP a good game, but as you say, depth is a massive issue and has been for a while.

It's the only place we have quality, the front 5. Shiells has a big future, totally under the radar but one of best young scrummaging LH's in prem

Always looks handy pooly. Got a brutal lesson from
White early season that will do him well.

Has a good body position and looks decent. Most teams sub props at 50 or 60 glos play them go 70 or full 80. That's why they get injuries.

Sisi looks talented for sure. Not sold on shingler

Good times article on England. Talking of how wood, mullan, Payne or flatman would have been a better selection than Marler due to scrummaging weakness.

Personally I would pick Marler in the squad so he can develop

Barnes certainly scathing on youngs and cole.

" Friday evening was shocking for England and none more so than youngs. An outstanding talent but changes to his game has damaged his ability to perform. He has also become petulant this is probably due to his inability to rediscover his game"
Coles yellow card for mouthing echoed the stupidity off the field in nz and it's as if bOth players believe there own hype.

Barnes will not be welcome at Leicester soon

Should we not have some kind of age limit or possible transfer allocation on Championship players?

I feel for whoever gets a Champ side next season as they've more than likely been cleaned out of any half decent players because they've all been signed up to sit in some bodies reserves.

Great idea pooly. We could also make the top 6 teams cough up.
The top 6 cough up a player each or give the championship a certain amount of free foreign transfers.

Maybe a 23yo age limit ?? And only 4 signings a season?

I'd happily give a player up.

Irish have opened talks with gopperth and rumours of cipriani too.

I don't understand why we even have relegation. The problem is taking apart the squads they build up. Like Driver when he went down with Worcester had to sell his decent players cheap as otherwise he'd get nothing for them. I got Gibson, Lund and Regan King for 10 mil and they were replaced with players from Exeter which weren't any better.

Good point Steven - could easily do a relegation freeze or allow the team to keep all the players and bring in x number of foreign players from an agreed list.

Mat it's been reported that Tindall is off to biarritz at the end of the season to play with Balshaw again.

Also keep an eye out for Elliot Dalys try this weekend!

I think they should be allowed to keep there squad in full and have first pick of any players from the promoted side who are not already in the game.

Great start to Leinster v Glasgow.

Gray is so good to watch play, he will be huge for Sale next season. Sexton is the form 10 in the World right now and is playing some lovely stuff. Stuart Hogg a good prospect for Scotland, not many men get the better of Rob Kearney on the high balls.

Fancy Glasgow to nick this one.

Good news tindall is off. His best friend is balshaw and he is often over there

Will be good for England as it would give Trinder, May more starts. Didnt realise how good Sharples was defensively until yesterday - pretty sure that if Strettle gets a good game today he will start with Hodgson, Farrell and Barritt in the England backline.

Was interesting in the Times today that two columnists were saying that neither Barrit nor JTH are the answer for England - Mat you must have been happy with some comments about Dowson and whether he is just a good club player as not one aspect of his game stands out at the international level. His form deserves the call up, but I'm not sure he's an international. Guess his leadership will add to the squad though.

Guys I am at work today and tomorrow all day and will have no time to do Heino/Amlin results until Tuesday so if anyone wants to do them in the meantime please feel free to.

That was one unkind bounce sharples got yesterday for the try. That's one of the great things about rugby the ball is an odd shape and can go anywhere. Sharples is an aggressive defender and great one on one. He is a very good fb when he plays there and would not be surprised if he ends there long term

SOB support play is fantastic, best 6 in the NH for me.

Ferris and Bonnaire ahead of him for me.

Steven_Sharks wrote:Ferris and Bonnaire ahead of him for me.

Agree 200% Richie grey is such a signing for sale he is carrying really well

Ferris pushes him hard, but Bonnaire nowhere near. SOB is awsome!

6. SOB
7. Warburton
8. Faletau

Lions trio.....

I suspect Heaslip might get the nod at 8.

Wouldn't be surprising for it to be completely different come next summer.

Heaslip hasn't hit the heights from 2 years ago, top 8 but I fancy Toby to surpass him soon if he hasnt already

SOB definitely the most physically gifted - but don't think he has rugby brains of the others mentioned. Interesting article in the Telegraph today about rugby hardmen and how the traditional sort of punching each others lights out has been replaced with guys like Lawes and the players that put in big hit after big hit. Main point though was that you needed intelligence etc.

Lions backrow

6 ferris
7 warburton
8 heaslip with faletau pushing really hard


Personally I think bonnaire way above sob and maybe even ferris. Bonnaire dominates games and really is a big game player. He was immense in the wc. Think lydiate could challenge for a lions spot also

To suggest Faletau is better than Heaslip at the moment is ridiculous to me. Heaslip is absolutely vital to Leinster's success and Ireland's.

In a Lions pack that will likely be quite inexperienced I think Heaslip and POC will be certainties as we stand providing fitness and form is as it is at the moment.

1. Healy
2. Rees
3. Jones/Cole
4. Gray
5. POC
6. Ferris/SOB
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

or something similar is what I expect to see.

for me heaslip is a lot better than faletau.
not 100% sold on faletau yet, good WC yes but Heaslip has been quality for a long time.

Bonnaire untouchable in lineout but SOB on a different planet in every other aspect, always surprised Bonnaire gets near French starting tbh.

Heaslip is quality but living off reputation a little

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Bonnaire untouchable in lineout but SOB on a different planet in every other aspect, always surprised Bonnaire gets near French starting tbh.

Heaslip is quality but living off reputation a little

Bonnaire apart from kaino was the best 6 at the world cup and was dominant in every game that's why he is in the French side.

Baffling comment from you there pooly

Think heaslip has been in great form when I have seen him. Went off the boil in the early part of last season but was great after and key to there Heino.

Beattie is having a shocking game as sub

bonnaire is brilliant.
SOB carries well and you probably see him do more stuff but bonnaire's work rate is immense and does a lot of unseen work

Also baffled by the suggestion Heaslip is living off reputation. Couldn't disgaree more.

If he living off reputation I'd hate to think what the likes of JM Hernandez and Brussow are doing

Devon toner is better every game I see. Is he challenging for Ireland? Must be with doc no longer starting for munster

Never really rated Bonnaire up there, just one of those I though was a bit of a weak link for France. Def wouldn't say he was one of best 6's in WC.