ENGLAND CAPTAIN

  ok, no need to stop the world for this unsurprising newsflash.

But worth at least a thread on 606 ? Maybe so here goes.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25773881


As a side bar... should Easter accompany Robshaw in the backrow ? Easter is on fire this season.. be great to see him bring some of that to the England paddock one more time alongside the skipper.

Is it what you guys expected, is it right choice, is he guaranteed starter etc?

Yep, yep and yep

Only Wood/Hartley are possible competitors, but as long as he plays as he is currently, no reason for him not to be starting 7, so no reason to change captain.

I do hope we give others a chance to captain for a match, just so we have experience there before the World Cup, but no reason for Robshaw to not be our captain at the moment

bedfordwelsh wrote:Is it what you guys expected, is it right choice, is he guaranteed starter etc?

Expected? Yes
Right Choice? Think so, yes. Wood as deputy and maybe Hartley in an emergency (needs to nail the 2 shirt down long term before being considered a more permanent option).
Guaranteed Starter? Yes. Only other option at 7 would be Wood and he'll likely be starting at 6 anyway.

Cheers guys, always good to know proper opinions rather than some of the .... you read on here sometimes.

I have always thought of him more as a 6 than 7 but again only watch limited amount of Aviva/HC games.

gregortree wrote:  ok, no need to stop the world for this unsurprising newsflash.

But worth at least a thread on 606 ? Maybe so  here goes.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25773881


As a side bar... should Easter accompany Robshaw in the backrow ? Easter is on fire this season.. be great to see him bring some of that to the England paddock one more time alongside the skipper.

Right choice at this stage for the Captaincy. As far as Easter goes, no. Just no. Easter has 49 Caps and has never stood out as anything other than a capable international No.8.

Even in the matches in which he was MOTM?

Forgot to answer the op's other question regarding Easter - No, but thanks anyway. How often did he really transfer his club form to the international game? Plus he must be late 40's or early 50's by now  , don't think he would be dynamic enough. In an absolute emergency maybe at the WC but would rather have Ewers involved as back up to Bill V and Morgan. Don't think he's SL's kind of personality either, remember Will Greenwood saying that although not disruptive as such he tends to do things his own way in training etc. Can't see that fitting in too well with the current coaching trio of Lancaster, Farrell & Rowntree.

ChequeredJersey wrote:Even in the matches in which he was MOTM?

I remember Jamie Noon getting MOTM on more than one occasion. I'm sure Lesley Vainokolo got one as well...

ChequeredJersey wrote:Even in the matches in which he was MOTM?

And Joe Worsley.

bedfordwelsh wrote:I have always thought of him more as a 6 than 7 but again only watch limited amount of Aviva/HC games.

I don't like using the term but along with Wood they are both really 6.5's, either could play 6 or 7 internationally. Overall balance in the backrow along with the 8 is more important for me. Look what happened when we played a backrow of Robshaw (7) and Croft (6) and Wood (8)  .Can't remember who is was against .

He is also in the club form of his life though, and plays alongside Robshaw. I wouldn't pick him personally with Billy V looking good and Morgan hopefully just not so good at Gloucester, but thr fact is he's playing incredible rugby

bedfordwelsh wrote:Cheers guys, always good to know proper opinions rather than some of the .... you read on here sometimes.

I have always thought of him more as a 6 than 7 but again only watch limited amount of Aviva/HC games.

He's a 6.5 in that he's international class at 7, and proves it in every single match, and has won AP player of the year there, but also won player of the year at 6 and has the skillset to make an Int 6. I think even now he is one of our most underrated players

I would say that after Cole, Robshaw and Wood are our 2 most indispensable players.

We would be up the creek without any of those 3

Robshaw is really under rated in my view. He receives a lot of flack and i don't understand why, every game i have seen him in he has been amazing (apart from the welsh game)

I don't think there is anyone else capable apart from him anyway, maybe wood but i think Robshaw is twice the player wood is

I think you have a really good captain in Robshaw, no speculation needed really.

Classic 7 ? I guess we mean in the build of Neil Back or Richie McCaw, Pocock, and i'm old enough to remember JP Rieve (sp?). Robshaw is of the bigger build type of 7, hence the '6.5' comment we often see in teams today. Big is good theory. His starting credentials are not really in question. I confess the headline above is of the ' Pope caught praying. ' type of shock but thanks for your comments.

ChequeredJersey wrote:He is also in the club form of his life though, and plays alongside Robshaw. I wouldn't pick him personally with Billy V looking good and Morgan hopefully just not so good at Gloucester, but thr fact is he's playing incredible rugby

Agree he's playing some superb club rugby and were he move to SR permanently maybe he'd be more of an option as a hard carrying lock? Can't argue with his good form but his track record for country hasn't been so outstanding and if you can't replicate that club form over 49 games for country then when can you? He's a good player but not a top player. Never selected for the Lions, never mooted as the best in his position during international tenure.

Contrast that with Billy V, Morgan and some of the other young pretenders Fearns and Ewers and over time perhaps one of them has the necessary to be a truly world class 8. Certainly Billy V and Morgan seem to have what it takes.

I honestly think this team would really struggle without Robshaw, Wood and Launchbury those three are key to the way we play at present.

Easters real chance was too season's ago when he started this run of amazing form, when Quins were on the winning streak and when he'd just been dropped by Lancaster. If he was going to be picked it would have been then as we had no one else, he was playing astoundingly well and Robshaw (abd Care) could have done with the help in the new look England team.

It never happened and luckily we did find Morgan in the end and now Billy V so Easters time is gone. I'll always be a little disappointed that Lancaster couldn't see past any age or perceived personality issues to pick him when he was a real option though.

Oh and as to Robshaw, it's well deserved!

I would like to see a couple of other players tested out though.

In an ideal world i'd have liked a form 7 to be in the squad so that Robshaw can be subbed in games and Hartley made captain.

Hartley for me is the perfect foil to Robshaw, a lot more in your face, more visible and more physical. He's been outstanding playing and leading Saints and that should be rewarded.

After those two over the summer Wood and Webber or Kitchener should all be given try outs as captains so that we have a good core of leaders in the squad.

Disappointingly I don't think a single back is captain material.

yappysnap wrote:Easters real chance was too season's ago when he started this run of amazing form, when Quins were on the winning streak and when he'd just been dropped by Lancaster. If he was going to be picked it would have been then as we had no one else, he was playing astoundingly well and Robshaw (abd Care) could have done with the help in the new look England team.

It never happened and luckily we did find Morgan in the end and now Billy V so Easters time is gone. I'll always be a little disappointed that Lancaster couldn't see past any age or perceived personality issues to pick him when he was a real option though.

Couldn't agree more. It's a pity for him and borthwick they don't show this form a couple of years ago.

But then you do wonder just how much being of the international scene helps some players relax and enjoy the game again. France is stuffed with long forgotten England rejects busily warning a healthy pension fund ( dean schofield!) often looking better than they did forbte most part with England ( Andrew Sheridan)

It was a big call to shun Easter ( but then Johnson did that in his first eps) who is younger than people seem to think. Especially when England werent exactly awash with other options, Haskell in France at the time and not convincing in that role anyway.
But it was made so now we move on with two young and one old foreign fat 8s very much in the mould of Easter.


As for captain to robshaws done enough to justify a continued garuntees spot in the side (only a handful of players secure in their spots), and England if the most part are a winning side .... The win loss ratio is pretty decent and they are taking the hammering they did at times under the previous few captains.
Hopefuly he will be a bit less flappy an not make stupid decisions under pressure now he's more experienced in the role.
It was never not going to be him was it.