Which player from your nations most likely first choice starting XV would you miss the most if he was unavailable...?

First topic message reminder :

The injury count pre-Six Nations starts at the close of the Autumn internationals and is an endless torrent of good and bad news. Some players returning others getting injured until the actual teams are announced and everyone has survived the intensive conditioning levels set by International coaches no players are guaranteed.

But who would be your Nations most critical absentee...?

flankertye wrote:Dan Cole would be a huge loss, I'd also say Billy Vunipola would be a huge loss. I don't believe Morgan deserves or is ready to start games. Although he could easily prove me wrong being at the back of a decent scrum.

I agree. I think Cole is Englands most influential player. He is a leader, a strong character, an excellent scrummager, pretty good in the loose, excellent at the breakdown but also really really good at the crafty stuff: slowing down ball, collapsing mauls and other quite subtle things which he executes in a very intellegent way. I reckon he is a fairly sublime player.

Hi Cyril,
Tough call - I think that both will play a part. I like the idea of Billy V starting and Morgan coming on in the 2nd half at some point.
You are right, Morgan had a good game for Gloucester vs Perpingan.

flankertye wrote:Dan Cole would be a huge loss, I'd also say Billy Vunipola would be a huge loss. I don't believe Morgan deserves or is ready to start games. Although he could easily prove me wrong being at the back of a decent scrum.

Dont be so quick to rule out Morgan mate. The entire Gloucester team looks decidely out of sorts. Morgan on form is a beast of a guy ( id love to see him at the Falcons). We want him back firing...so him and Billy (maybe even Ewers) can drive each other to the next level.

As for who we miss...yes Cole is a huge one.

One not mentioned...i think we finally saw Dylan Hartley bring his club ability to the international level in the AI's. And on that form (despite how you feel about him) he is a quite fantastic player. Possibly not as big a loss as Cole would be...

Geordiefalcon the difference is at hooker were have quite a lot of depth compared to TH.

We have Hartley,Youngs,Webber,George and Ward.

That's pretty good to me. All play for the current top 5 in the AP.

I appreciate that Beshocked...just saying thats all.

Though personally...i think at their peak Hartley is ahead of them all.

beshocked wrote:Geordiefalcon the difference is at hooker were have quite a lot of depth compared to TH.

We have Hartley,Youngs,Webber,George and Ward.

That's pretty good to me. All play for the current top 5 in the AP.

Hooker is looking rosy at the moment. Another position that looked problematical not so long ago. They're all in good form. Ward was immense yesterday. I've not seen much of him before.

Quins seem to have a new hooker every week.

Gray, then Buchanan was all the bees knees...now ward?

GloriousEmpire wrote:

englandglory4ever wrote:Tuilagi without a DOUBT. England would have beaten NZ again last autumn had he been there. Tomkins had a nightmare of a game. But its a silly post really as its a team game.

Why? Would he have taken over the lineout throwing?  Or cooking the team meals for NZ during the week?

Biltong's Suzy was unavailable for cooking duty, and Tui was out injured, so yes, those are the reasons NZ won. Not that England were just not good enough or anything.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Quins seem to have a new hooker every week.

Gray, then Buchanan was all the bees knees...now ward?

They're all excellent, but take it in turns to be the one who isn't injured. We had Brooker in the Saxons before that horrendous knee injury as well.

GeordieFalcon wrote:

flankertye wrote:Dan Cole would be a huge loss, I'd also say Billy Vunipola would be a huge loss. I don't believe Morgan deserves or is ready to start games. Although he could easily prove me wrong being at the back of a decent scrum.

Dont be so quick to rule out Morgan mate. The entire Gloucester team looks decidely out of sorts. Morgan on form is a beast of a guy ( id love to see him at the Falcons). We want him back firing...so him and Billy (maybe even Ewers) can drive each other to the next level.

True it's hard to judge a player when the whole team is suffering, and as I said I'd love for him to prove me wrong. Hope Ewers or Dickinson comes along as well, so we're spoilt for choice at 8!

I was going to give a rambling comment about why (for Ireland) it is and isn't O'Brien, Healy, O'Connell or O'Driscoll.

Meaning, O'Driscoll in his prime was worth three or four times his weight in gold. he was precious to the cause. Now that he's on his way out, I'm not so certain anyone has replaced him yet in my mind as a player that would really be missed from the current irish set-up and extended squad.

Yes, problems can and do hit when more than one of the main guys is out, but considering each player on his own, none of the above missing would strike fear into my heart.

But you have to name one. So it's Sexton. Out of favour and out of luck at the moment over in ambitious Racing! - I still think this man hasn't begun to write his history yet. I have a feeling his best days are still in front of him. And I think he'll eventually be the player Ireland looks to.

SecretFly wrote:But you have to name one.  So it's Sexton.  Out of favour and out of luck at the moment over in ambitious Racing! - I still think this man hasn't begun to write his history yet.  I have a feeling his best days are still in front of him.  And I think he'll eventually be the player Ireland looks to.

Even as a very young player Sexton has always seemed to be a 'go to' man and not afraid to give older, more seasoned performers a rollicking. He dragged Leinster back into that HEC final with Saints through sheer willpower (and tries and kicking). It helps that he has an angry face too