6 Nations - FRANCE v ENGLAND - 10/03/18 - MATCH THREAD

[TightHEAD]

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FRANCE v ENGLAND - 10/03/18 - MATCH THREAD


Kick off: 16:45pm

Venue Stade de France BBC One & BBC Radio 5 live





England Team Starting XV
15 Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby 31 caps), 14 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers 32 caps), 13 Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors 11 caps), 12 Owen Farrell (Saracens 56 caps) C, 11 Elliot Daly (Wasps 16 caps), 10 George Ford (Leicester Tigers 43 caps), 9 Danny Care (Harlequins 79 caps), 1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens 47 caps) VC, 2 Jamie George (Saracens 23 caps), 3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers 80 caps), 4 Joe Launchbury (Wasps 50 caps), 5 Maro Itoje (Saracens 17 caps), 6 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints 64 caps), 7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins 62 caps), 8 Nathan Hughes (Wasps 13 caps).

Finishers
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs 4 caps), 17 Joe Marler (Harlequins 54 caps), 18 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins 8 caps), 19 James Haskell (Wasps 75 caps), 20 Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs 5 caps), 21 Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens 29 caps), 22 Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby 38 caps), 23 Mike Brown (Harlequins 67 caps).



France Team News







Head to head
 P-103 England won 57, lost 39, drawn 7



Fully expect to see a tight game in poor weather conditions.
Must see a reaction from England at all costs, we've been treading water since the tour down-under imho and have seen little or no improvement since, plenty of depth but they must start playing like they own the shirt.

[mid_gen]

Oh well, time to ring the changes.

Ford needs some time away to get his mojo back.
George shouldn't start.
Watson isn't a fullback.
Every forward needs to watch clips of Sinckler carrying...on repeat....for hours.
Brown isn't flash but he gives us some edge that we lack otherwise.
Farrell, Teo, JJ is our best midfield.

[No 7&1/2]

Not of a reaction that isn't it gen?

[No9]

Hard lines best side won.

Highlight for me has to be this replay, as I'm sure there's a subliminal message there somewhere

[eirebilly]

Hard lines best side won.

Highlight for me has to be this replay, as I'm sure there's a subliminal message there somewhere

When that came up on the coverage, I had to look at it twice.

[carpet baboon]

Well can I just ask the England fan(s) who questioned Ireland not spanking this "terrible" french team in Paris a few weeks ago to make themselves know to me.
I have some questions for you

[No9]

Hard lines best side won.

Highlight for me has to be this replay, as I'm sure there's a subliminal message there somewhere

When that came up on the coverage, I had to look at it twice.

Same here..

[No 7&1/2]

Not me. But you're putting your head up for next week carpet!

[carpet baboon]

Not me. But you're putting your head up for next week carpet!

I know but I couldn't help myself. Watch you lot remember how to play next week and ruin my day

[Heaf]

Hopefully they can play more like they did in the last 10 rather than the first 70

[Heaf]

And do something about the breakdown - finally!

[No 7&1/2]

Ha carpet. You stand a good chance

[englishborn]

Well hopefully this will stop Eddie from playing it safe.

Too many things wrong with England right now.

Care is showing why is the sub and not starter, he has been horrible slow at the breakdown this six nations since Youngs got injured.

The breakdown is a joke for the team right now, having Lawes at 6 has been proven not to work at this standard but for some reason Eddie has stuck with it. Robshaw has been playing without a partner, but has been a rare bright light this tournament.
The rest of the forwards seem to not read the breakdown and far too often have just stood there and let the ball be taken in without support, or bizzarely running into the defence without any support, what is amazing is this was seen vs Scotland and we see the exact same thing 2 weeks later.

The combination of poor breakdown work and Care playing horribly slowly has caused the Ford Farrell axis to be more or less negated as they have been playing from a stand still. This would be ok if we had any ball carriers but we have so few we have very little go forward against a team that does compete at the breakdown.

[No9]

Don't want to put the boot in when your obviously feeling bruised, but done some maths and it looks like England will be playing for 3rd place in the final weekend. They loose, and Scotland beat Italy (probable) and Wales beat France (really possible in Cardiff - and Wales get BP win tomorrow against Italy - Probable) and England could end up 4th.

Wow.. that'll quickly bring Eddie Jones honeymoon period to an end.

[No 7&1/2]

Not that you want to copy and paste it every thread 9

[thomh]

Shame but hopefully will kick Jones into addressing the breakdown in particular as an issue. Simmonds was pretty quick to it when he came on, securing the ball before a france player locked onto it, so hopefully we'll see this:

6. Robshaw
7. Simmonds
8. Hughes

Or

6. Robshaw
7. Haskell
8. Simmonds

I'd be looking to give Sinckler a start as well. We're short of carriers, which he is, and Jones giving the pack a chance to redeem themselves didn't yield much. Time for the opposite strategy. Cant have a situation where players are all retaining their positions despite poor performances, even if Cole hasn't himself done anything wildly wrong.

[No 7&1/2]

From the looks of it Hughes doesn't look to be avail rl on my very limited insight so you're possibly looking at mercer on the bench.

[No9]

Not that you want to copy and paste it every thread 9

Don’t know what you mean...

[No 7&1/2]

Lol

[RuggerRadge2611]

This does have a feel of "back to the drawing board". 2 weeks on the bounce England have not been reactive to what's happened on the pitch. Out thought in 2 games is a bit of a worry.

I just wish England would cut loose they have some really talented guys, but they seem shackled, if that makes sense.

[majesticimperialman]

I haven actualy seen any of the games  this after noon, apart from the first 5minutes of the England v France game after half time. But i would just like to say well done to Ireland for winning the 6ns a week early. 

Still the Grand Slam to play for next week, but from the 5 minutes that i did see of the England game, Ireland could well do it in style against England.

So a very well done to Ireland.

[lostinwales]

Fecking hopeless.

I mean - the ref was a waste of space etc, but that did not stop us winning.

Everything just feels so lethargic.

[majesticimperialman]

I havent actualy seen any of the games  this after noon, apart from the first 5minutes of the England v France game after half time. But i would just like to say well done to Ireland for winning the 6ns a week early. 

Still the Grand Slam to play for next week, but from the 5 minutes that i did see of the England game, Ireland could well do it in style against England.

So a very well done to Ireland.

[TightHEAD]

I think we should do a Wales and play a 2nd string team next week, our players are knackered.

Wouldn't surprise me if Eddie quits and walks after the Irish game.

[No 7&1/2]

You went into this saying we should play the first side no matter what tight head.

[Mr Bounce]

Looking back at the start of the season before the first squads were announced, it certainly seemed that we might get some in-form players starting or breaking into the team but due to injuries and idiocies we lost Tom Curry, Sam Underhill (on and off), Marler, Sinckler, Haskell, Henry Slade, Hughes, Daly, most of whom would likely have had an uplifting effect on this squad throughout the 6 Nations. Instead we then also lost Ben Youngs which affected us massively.

I am not saying we would have won with those players, but the majority of the team looks out of puff, out of ideas and jaded right now. The only players I thought who were worth their positions today were Robshaw, Daly, possibly Cowan-Dickie and certainly Sinckler. The rest looked bewildered. It's difficult to see where it's all gone wrong but I reckon that a lot of it is down to good players being rushed back too early and not being at full fitness.

It's easy to point at "quick fixes" but there are certainly issues at 9 and in the back row. Ford looks massively off-form and his chest-height tackling is laughable, especially on Bastareaud. We need players to create something from nothing. This lot didn't really look like they could create a sundae in an ice-cream parlour.

Just for fun I'd love to see Eddie sack the majority of the team and get a whole load of new faces in just to blood them and do something a bit different. At least they'd be proud to play for their country: How's about this team:

15. Pennell
14. Wade
13. Slade
12. Loszowski
11. Daly
10. Smith
9. Robson
8. Mercer
7. Ben Curry
6. Robshaw
5. Lawes
4. Ewels
3. Sinckler
2. Cowan-Dickie
1. Marler

16. George
17. Hepburn
18. Williams
19. Kruis
20. Simmonds
21. Young
22. Farrell
23.

We most likely wouldn't win, but it would be entertaining, we'd learn an awful lot about the players selected and they would at least WANT to represent the Red Rose.

Usually excellent players like Cole and Launchbury are not playing well and clearly need a rest anyway...

[poissonrouge]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it but on basis of todays results, Ireland move to 2nd in world rankings, overtaking England

[TightHEAD]

You went into this saying we should play the first side no matter what tight head.

No I didn't.

[maestegmafia]

How come England got the line outs with the penalties after 80 minutes was up?

[Duty281]

How come England got the line outs with the penalties after 80 minutes was up?

Recent-ish rule change, as of July 2017.

[whocares]

How come England got the line outs with the penalties after 80 minutes was up?

I guess it is because it was a penalty :
A half ends when the ball becomes dead after time has expired unless:
A scrum, lineout or restart kick following a try or touchdown, awarded before time expired, has not been completed and the ball has not returned to open play. This includes when the scrum, lineout or restart kick is taken incorrectly.
The referee awards a free-kick or penalty.
A try has been scored, in which case the referee allows time for the conversion to be taken.

[No 7&1/2]

Remind me what you said then tight, thought you were saying there was no room for experimenting at all. Changed because we can no longer win?

[TightHEAD]

I think you have me confused with someone else, go and a have a few more drinks mate.

[No 7&1/2]

Nope. You must just have changed your mind then.

[TightHEAD]

Or you are wrong, mistaken identify!

[No 7&1/2]

So you're not the guy who said we should be picking first choice players unless forced then?

[TightHEAD]

No wonder you have over 15k posts!
Zzzzz

[No 7&1/2]

Ah. You were possibly just saying you didn't want to experiment against Italy just ireland. Fair enough.

[TightHEAD]

Where do we go from here?

Finishers need to start, for the fun of it I'd start Marler and Sinkler can't be any worse and at least they will fight for the Red rose.

[No 7&1/2]

So what did you make of cares and Georges performances? Presumably they did alright for you? Te'o?

[TightHEAD]

Never liked Care starting for Quins or England, George is not the player he was pre Lions, Te'o did the job he had to do.

When Robshaw is your best player then you know the England of old has returned, it was like watching Bombers England out there these last two game.

Eddie has to earn his money this week.

[No 7&1/2]

Lancaster england who always won 4 out of 5 games?

[TightHEAD]

Lancaster england who always won 4 out of 5 games?

Yeh, he did so well in 2015 rwc!!!

Lol 15000+, all quality posts no doubt!

[Collapse2005]

Although for guns to come on to a england france thread to say that makes me regret it immediately!

What?

[RDW]

Genuine question - have England ever lost 3 games in the 6N?

Ireland's win is in no way guaranteed next week, but no one would have guessed England losing 3 at the start of the tournament if they do.

[No 7&1/2]

Your call of champions!!!!! Guns just seemed a little too much of rubbing it in.

[Collapse2005]

Your call of champions!!!!! Guns  just seemed a little too much of rubbing it in.

Do you expect me to not be happy Ireland won the championship? Also I was already posting on this thread.

[Collapse2005]

3 championships from 5 is some record.

[TightHEAD]

Can’t wait for post 15013!

[Collapse2005]

I cant wait for the trophy ceremony in Twickers.

[No 7&1/2]

I would maybe suspect you would guns. But then my original post and subsequent would still stand.

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