Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:29 pm  

Dunbar wrote:

I see that Mike Tindall has been reinstated to the Elite player squad following the recent appeal hearing

I don’t have any insight into whatsoever to the politics of the RFU as this seems to be beyond everybody at the moment. All I will say is that the three words Tindall, elite and player should never be used in the same sentence! (and before somebody points out he is a world cup winner... I am well aware of that and the way England played in 2003 was testimony to how much they trusted their backs to score tries – Tindall is a very poor centre)

While the whole thing stinks to high heaven, I doubt that Tindall will be in the 'elite' squad for much longer anyway. Tindall has never impressed me as a centre. He's the very antithesis of Will Greenwood, who he should phone daily thanking him for his world cup winner's medal. Manu Tuilagi and Mathew Tait are just two players who should ensure he never gets near an England shirt ever again.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:38 pm  

Mike Tindall also makes Fran Cotton look like God's gift to women.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:41 pm  

Has Cotton shagged the queen's granddaughter though?

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:54 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

Has Cotton shagged the queen's granddaughter though?

Ha! The Cotton Traders Negligee, coming soon.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:47 pm  

NZRL expecting sevens switch Surely the NZRU can manage to put a competitive side together with their own players.

NZRL expecting sevens switch Surely the NZRU can manage to put a competitive side together with their own players.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:53 pm  

Catalancs wrote: NZRL expecting sevens switch Surely the NZRU can manage to put a competitive side together with their own players. Add RL players into there though and you've got a side capable of doing anything they fancied. It's the chance for RL players to win an Olympic Gold too, something that is only possible if they do another sport, of which Sevens is the closest to RL.

Catalancs wrote: NZRL expecting sevens switch Surely the NZRU can manage to put a competitive side together with their own players. Add RL players into there though and you've got a side capable of doing anything they fancied. It's the chance for RL players to win an Olympic Gold too, something that is only possible if they do another sport, of which Sevens is the closest to RL.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:57 pm  

Just to add to that, picking a Sevens side for England with players from both codes, who would you pick? (My Sevens knowledge isn't great though, so I'm only picking players I know!)

Tomkins
Ashton
Tait
Chase
Lawes
Roby
Tomkins

Reed
Youngs
Wilkin

Would be pretty effective at Sevens I reckon.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Fri Dec 02, 2011 12:10 am  

Sevens is an awful game. I was invited to a tournament in Barcelona earlier this year and like an idiot I accepted. Thank gawd the bar was open.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Fri Dec 02, 2011 12:14 pm  

Goochie wrote:

Just to add to that, picking a Sevens side for England with players from both codes, who would you pick? (My Sevens knowledge isn't great though, so I'm only picking players I know!)

Tomkins
Ashton
Tait
Chase
Lawes
Roby
Tomkins

Reed
Youngs
Wilkin

Would be pretty effective at Sevens I reckon.

Looks a little lightweight to me that team

I watch a bit of the Union 7’s circuit on TV and you can see that the game is evolving. Whereas you would have seen a couple of playmakers in the past and 3 or 4 fast men, the successful teams now are all a very similar size and shape... usually about 6’1”, 16 stone and mobile. If I were to pick a hybrid 7’s team from League and Union, I would go for big outside backs (in the Briscoe, Hall, Jones-Bishop etc mould) and mobile back rowers... Tomkins and Lawes would be a good shout but so would the likes of Ellis who is mobile and has good hands – the best teams these days look at ways of going through the line whereas the old tactics of lateral passing to the flying wing men are less effective as the defences have become better organised

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:11 pm  

Dunbar wrote:

Looks a little lightweight to me that team

I watch a bit of the Union 7’s circuit on TV and you can see that the game is evolving. Whereas you would have seen a couple of playmakers in the past and 3 or 4 fast men, the successful teams now are all a very similar size and shape... usually about 6’1”, 16 stone and mobile. If I were to pick a hybrid 7’s team from League and Union, I would go for big outside backs (in the Briscoe, Hall, Jones-Bishop etc mould) and mobile back rowers... Tomkins and Lawes would be a good shout but so would the likes of Ellis who is mobile and has good hands – the best teams these days look at ways of going through the line whereas the old tactics of lateral passing to the flying wing men are less effective as the defences have become better organised

I've played a bit of sevens before, and as a front rower (in union), it's horrible!

I'd probably pick a bigger centre instead of Tait, Chris Bridge probably, as Yeaman's passing isn't good enough and have Ellis in the squad instead of Wilkin.

I wouldn't be surprised if the RFU asked a few RL players to play in the Olympic Sevens to be honest.