England Saxons vs Irish Wolfhounds

First topic message reminder :

The England Saxons face Ireland Wolfhounds at Irish Independent Park on Friday, January 30 in Cork. Given that the six nations are too bloomin far away and this is a big RWC year with many players battling over a place in international squads i'm looking forward to this one. Who do we think should be in both teams. This is my england team

Corbisiero
George
Brookes
Kitchener
Kruis
Croft
Kvesic
Waldrom

Wigglesworth
Cipriani
Yarde
Slade
Joseph
Rokodunguni
Foden

Thomas
Cowan-Dickie
Vunipola
Parling
Clark
Dickson
Burgess
Myler

rodders wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:

quinsforever wrote:

rodders wrote:

quinsforever wrote:Wasps forwards demolished Leinster, Bath forwards did likewise to Toulon away and Glasgow at home

I think you've dreamt some of that up Quins. Bath haven't played Toulon and Leinster more than held their own against Wasps on their home patch, particularly at the breakdown, and 2 of the players who caused those problems - Ryan and Conan are starting for the wolfhounds.

Toulouse. my phone corrected to Toulon. and the most recent wasps leinster match, rather than the one 3 months ago, was all wasps in the forwards. 2 tries from rolling mauls in the last 20 wasnt it? and the ref seemed to favour leinster all match after getting the johnston incident in the first min. Haskell dominated at the breakdown too iirc. Leinster only looked dangerous in the first 30 minutes when they got quick ball for their structured back moves.

On the other hand, Quins' forwards did demolish Leinster...

Well its a good job Lancaster didn't pick any!

Bit worried about the role the weather could play - the Saxons have a big size advantage especially in the backs. Schmidt has obviously picked a backline to play a bit of rugby, rather than match the Saxons physically and athleticism (not that we could anyways) - so if it becomes attritional then that will favour the Saxons with their big ball carriers.

The Wolfhounds will need quick ball to have a chance here - move the Saxons around and be clinical with the ball in hand - use a clever clicking game to turn Ashton and Yarde around.

For me it's the experience and guile of the Wolfhounds versus the power and pace of the Saxons.

Kicking to Ashton didn't work so well for Munster...... he did the unexpected he caught the ball and continually pinned Munster back. Not saying the Wolfhounds can't have some impact against the wingers but they've just got to get the kicks right.

I think keatley had a particularly bad day with the boot against Sarries but goes without saying,

I just think looking at the Wolfhounds they won't run around or over the Saxons with Fitzgerald and McFadden on the wings - they'll try and play through the middle - I can see them chipping in behind and turning Burgess and Yarde - same with Earls.

So who's at number 11 for Saxons? ESPN seem to have missed that player out on the teamsheet...

Yarde and Ashton on the wings - Wade on bench I thought?

Yarde

I've only just seen the team - this should be a cracking contest. Some big guns in the Irish line-up!

Daly vs Earls is an exciting match-up, and Yarde and Ashton on the wings will cause some problems for the Irish if given decent ball.


Ireland Wolfhounds: Felix Jones (Munster); Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Keith Earls (Munster), Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster), Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster); Ian Madigan (Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Connacht); Jack McGrath (Leinster), Richardt Strauss (Leinster), Mike Ross (Leinster); Iain Henderson (Ulster), Mike McCarthy (Leinster); Dominic Ryan (Leinster), Sean O'Brien (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster).

Replacements: Rob Herring (Ulster), Michael Bent (Leinster), Nathan White (Connacht), Robbie Diack (Ulster), Eoin McKeon (Connacht), Isaac Boss (Leinster), Noel Reid (Leinster), Craig Gilroy (Ulster).

England Saxons: Chris Pennell (Worcester); Chris Ashton (Saracens), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Sam Burgess (Bath), Marland Yarde (Harlequins); Slade (Exeter); Lee Dickson (Northampton) capt; Matt Mullan (Wasps), Rob Webber (Bath), Henry Thomas (Bath); Matt Garvey (Bath), James Gaskell (Wasps), Dave Ewers (Exeter), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester), Thomas Waldrom (Exeter).

Replacements: Luke Cowan Dickie (Exeter), Alex Waller (Northampton), Jake Cooper-Woolley (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Carl Fearns (Bath), Joe Simpson (Wasps), Ollie Devoto (Bath), Christian Wade (Wasps).

funnyExiledScot wrote:..
Daly vs Earls is an exciting match-up
..

Two good runners with suspect defensive issues. Hmmm

Exactly! More of that please, and less of these 18 stone robots in the midfield!

Does anybody know how many international caps the saxons team have? Just heard the Wolfhounds have 322 in the starting XV.

Ashton is the most capped player at 38, after that its Dickson (18) and Webber (6) so I would guess its probably around 100 at max (Yarde, Thomas and Mullan having a few each)

Its on rte as well rodders

BamBam wrote:Ashton is the most capped player at 38, after that its Dickson (18) and Webber (6) so I would guess its probably around 100 at max (Yarde, Thomas and Mullan having a few each)

Cheers BamBam. Obviously D'arcy is the main contributor for the wolfhounds, 80 something caps i think. I'd guess that after him only Ross and Earls have more than Ashton with McFadden, Fitzgerald and O'Brien around the 30 mark.

darcy aside, lots of the irish caps are for players who are coming back from injury. so a bit of match fitness and shaprness may be lacking.

england have so many injuries amongst their most capped players...cole, corbs, farrell, tuilagi, foden, barritt, morgan, lawes, launchbury, wilson...that the saxons is full of the form players from the AP who have not yet got caps for England.

i can see this being a great game as everyone has so much to prove.

quinsforever wrote:darcy aside, lots of the irish caps are for players who are coming back from injury. so a bit of match fitness and shaprness may be lacking.

england have so many injuries amongst their most capped players...cole, corbs, farrell, tuilagi, foden, barritt, morgan, lawes, launchbury, wilson...that the saxons is full of the form players from the AP who have not yet got caps for England.

i can see this being a great game as everyone has so much to prove.

I agree, it has the potential to be a great game. Plenty of players have a lot to play for in this match. I'm hoping for but not expecting some half decent conditions. Think that will have a bearing on the game!

Stewie15 wrote:

BamBam wrote:Ashton is the most capped player at 38, after that its Dickson (18) and Webber (6) so I would guess its probably around 100 at max (Yarde, Thomas and Mullan having a few each)

Cheers BamBam. Obviously D'arcy is the main contributor for the wolfhounds, 80 something caps i think. I'd guess that after him only Ross and Earls have more than Ashton with McFadden, Fitzgerald and O'Brien around the 30 mark.

Can't belive SOB has only got 30 caps, he seems to have been around for years!

BamBam wrote:

Stewie15 wrote:

BamBam wrote:Ashton is the most capped player at 38, after that its Dickson (18) and Webber (6) so I would guess its probably around 100 at max (Yarde, Thomas and Mullan having a few each)

Cheers BamBam. Obviously D'arcy is the main contributor for the wolfhounds, 80 something caps i think. I'd guess that after him only Ross and Earls have more than Ashton with McFadden, Fitzgerald and O'Brien around the 30 mark.

Can't belive SOB has only got 30 caps, he seems to have been around for years!

Got his first cap in 2009 against Fiji but was behind Ferris and Wallace until Wally got injured and subsequently retired in the 2011 World cup warm up game against England. Then missed last year through injury.

Luke Fitzgerald has had to pull out of the Wolfhounds game due to illness. Craig Gilroy replaces him on the left wing. Andrew Conway is on the bench.

thats the first ping for crooked feed i have seen this season. lets hope its the first of many

Anyone have a working link they can PM me?

going to be a very fast game as the ref is showing absolutely zero tolerance for slowing down at breakdown for both sides.

quinsforever wrote:going to be a very fast game as the ref is showing absolutely zero tolerance for slowing down at breakdown for both sides.

Either that, or it will just be a succession of penalties and eventually yellows.

flankertye wrote:Anyone have a working link they can PM me?

Yes - you have pm

Notch wrote:

quinsforever wrote:going to be a very fast game as the ref is showing absolutely zero tolerance for slowing down at breakdown for both sides.

Either that, or it will just be a succession of penalties and eventually yellows.

Which is exactly the way things are going..

brilliant try. really good.

wolfhounds must be regretting not taking points earlier. naive

I think the players will release quickly - all ready showing. should make for a good game. ref sets out stall early, players realise and stop infringing

Thank you very much TJ! Lovely try from Slade there, Austin Healey wants England to be bold and select a Slade- Joseph midfield for the match against Wales. Reckon there's any chance of that?

where were all the irish defenders?

that pop pass which started that move was a mile forward...

quinsforever wrote:thats the first ping for crooked feed i have seen this season. lets hope its the first of many

Been a few I have seen Glasgow got pinged 5 m out against toulouse I think.

wolfball wrote:that pop pass which started that move was a mile forward...

Looked it but the ref didn't think so so it wasn't

The back-line is really not clicking. I feel for the likes of Gilroy who isn't going to see the ball very much at all. Worrying from Madigan.

thats cause it wasnt. ball carrier was being driven backwards when he popped it up. ball didnt go forwards though.

quinsforever wrote:brilliant try. really good.

wolfhounds must be regretting not taking points earlier. naive

It's only naive when the result is important,watching Madigan knock over easy penalties won't really show the coaches much.

Kvesic is impressing me for England.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

quinsforever wrote:brilliant try. really good.

wolfhounds must be regretting not taking points earlier. naive

It's only naive when the result is important,watching Madigan knock over easy penalties won't really show the coaches much.

naive.

get points on the board, then be expansive.

TJ wrote:

wolfball wrote:that pop pass which started that move was a mile forward...

Looked it but the ref didn't think so so it wasn't

Ref's get it wrong sometimes, just ask Wayne Barnes!

Breakdown is now a fair contest - players releasing quickly Good to see.

quinsforever wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

quinsforever wrote:brilliant try. really good.

wolfhounds must be regretting not taking points earlier. naive

It's only naive when the result is important,watching Madigan knock over easy penalties won't really show the coaches much.

naive.

get points on the board, then be expansive.

Lol yes all knowing sensei.

I agree - no point in kicking penalties at all.

D'Arcy is well past his prime now, not a good game from him.

no bonus points for tries. make teams chase the game and gaps open up

have to say i love the way its being reffed. no scrum collapses. no feeds. no hanging onto the ball.

not sure that was obstruction. would like to see replay

so why are they going for points now? i thbought it was an exhibition game...

quinsforever wrote:no bonus points for tries. make teams chase the game and gaps open up

But wahts the point in winning with pens - this game is all about impressing the coaches - and as I say that Wolfhounds kick a pen

quinsforever wrote:have to say i love the way its being reffed. no scrum collapses. no feeds. no hanging onto the ball.

Agreed

good call was obstruction

quinsforever wrote:have to say i love the way its being reffed. no scrum collapses. no feeds. no hanging onto the ball.

If only Glasgow /bath had this ref

if they did, glasgow would have had its whole pack yellow carded...

touche!