Should Easter be in the squad against France?

Light blue touch paper. Retreat to the pub.

Maybe if the game was being played in April but not March

RubyGuby wrote:Maybe if the game was being played in April but not March

Took me a minute to get that. I need more coffee!

That's how long it takes Easter too turn

RubyGuby wrote:Maybe if the game was being played in April but not March

.........

He's looked good to me recently. I think he's the in-form English no.8 but can understand why he's not in. Think he's viewed very much as the past rather than the future.

He is the form 8, and for me a step up from Dowson, but Morgan is raw and will only get better.

thebluesmancometh

So start with Morgan and Easter on the bench? Morgan doesn't seem to have the fitness for a full 80.

Ye I think he struggled with the pace of the game a bit didn't he, I would have started with Easter this tournament with a veiw of bringing Morgan into the team, but then Dowsen was playing well, and without causing offence Scotland and Italy first up are the teams that you could possibly get away with that.

Pre tournament Lancaster was quoted saying 6 points is target wasn't he? If so you have to look at the next 2 games and think, well if Morgan doesn't cut it it won't be through a lack of opportunity and give him 2 more starts, I don't think he's a poor player at all, and he will only get better.

Was a hell of a pace to be fair. I think you're right. Let him start against France and see how he gets on. The squad has already been selected for the France game and Easter isn't in it.

I think Easter was left out of the squad because he was one of those older players who were considered a bad influence in the RWC squad. To be fair, I don't know how much of that came from whispered, behind the back commentary (which I despise for the cowardly act it is). But this is what I read somewhere.

doctor_grey wrote:I think Easter was left out of the squad because he was one of those older players who were considered a bad influence in the RWC squad. To be fair, I don't know how much of that came from whispered, behind the back commentary (which I despise for the cowardly act it is). But this is what I read somewhere.

That's my take on it as well. Plus it would be seen as a backwards step now after the moving on to 2015 thinking that SL has been preaching.

S'truth. Would be a step backwards.

Going back to the point of Easter being considered a bad influence. When talk first started of him being left out of the EPS Will Greenwood commented that although he wasn't a disruptive influence as such, he was very much his own man who only did things his way and on his terms. If true then it didn't sound like the ideal player to have around when trying to build a whole new squad and team philosophy based on the new coaches ideals. Plus for another player to comment regarding the 30 grand toilet quote in the review then his attitude / sense of humour obviously didn't go down well with some players in the squad.

I'd rather settle the team as it is. We need to get a settled team so we can start gradually introducing new players as they deserve it (in ones and twos). This is the Wales and Ireland have done it so successfully. I believe this is what Johnson was doing and it did seem to work (at least at first). The 32 will stay the same for the whole 6 nations.

I'd like to give Marler a go on the bench at some point. Corbisiero covers tighthead (probably better than Stevens) and one of the stating props has to stay on anyway. I'd also like to start Sharples and Brown at some point as well (probably Sharples in the next game and Brown in the last one). Other than that keep the 22

Tuilagi also looked a bit unfit at times but you'd expect that on his 3rd(?) game back after hamstring injury. He's only played a handful of times since the world cup due to the two injuries. Give them time I say. If Morgan's fitness is an issue then give him a training targets to work on during the season.

nobbled wrote:thebluesmancometh

Morgan doesn't seem to have the fitness for a full 80.

He didn't seem to have the fitness for even half the match, he disappeared sometime after the opening quarter. Which was particularly upsetting because we really needed some strong forward carrying to capitalise on the good passages we had after HT.

First full game for him I guess though, I'm sure he'll improve. He'd better!

Morgan is fit enough for plodding around in the Rabo but I knew he wouldn't have the fitness for a full on international. He has looked ok coming on as a sub for 20 but I don't think he has that much more in him at this level.

It has taken the Scarlets a long time to get him to lose a couple of stone and get him training and watching his diet correctly. Not sure he is that professional still diet wise.

Agree with all of that Thunor, i'd love to see Marler get on to the bench and for Brown to get more then about 5 minutes at the end of the game (really hate that kind of pointless substitution).

Both the wingers need big games next or else i'd expect both to be gone by the summer tour.

easter would be a step backwards and IMO he is too slow - a donkey. Looks good with what he does but you have to look at what he doesn't do because of his lack of pace