: Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:57 am  

MOPSEY LIVES ON wrote:

the forwards are simalar in development the backs are on a different planet

they actually have backs! we have forwards playing in lower numbered shirts!

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 9:52 am  

Trinity Till Death wrote:

I'm wondering whether playing Westwood or even Ellis in the centre's maybe worthwhile. Like you say we have to impose ourselves and rattle a couple of cages like Newton use to do!

See my post on VT for team to face the aussies

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:42 am  

We can match them in the forwards and so we have to turn it into an arm wrestle and somehow stifle the half-backs. If it goes wide, we are goosed. The problem we have is that we will play a patient game, which will play into their hands. The New Zealand was desperate stuff from the start, and it created enough chaos to put off the Aussies. We will play it steadier and they will just pick us apart.

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:50 am  

Slugger McBatt wrote:

We can match them in the forwards and so we have to turn it into an arm wrestle and somehow stifle the half-backs. If it goes wide, we are goosed. The problem we have is that we will play a patient game, which will play into their hands. The New Zealand was desperate stuff from the start, and it created enough chaos to put off the Aussies. We will play it steadier and they will just pick us apart.

you mean were going to play like sl and bore them to death

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:53 am  

MOPSEY LIVES ON wrote:

you mean were going to play like sl and bore them to death

top plan!
we play sl play off type rugby, and as they enevitably fall asleep we very quietly tip toe to their line.

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 1:08 pm  

jonh wrote:

To be honest i do not think physically they are that far ahead, but mentally they are miles ahead, they are more comitted, more pasionate, more intimidating, more confident, prouder and more aggresive........England simply as they have for the last 20 years look apathetic, this mentality will take years to correct not a few short weeks in short.........we are going to need a bigger boat!

love it

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 1:10 pm  

i think englands best chance is to start a brawl in the first five minutes and rattle the ausies, the kiwis showed last night that if you give the aussies some clog they wont like it.

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:32 pm  

LG wrote:

Nuke anything south of Birmingham?

Sir, I like the cut of you jib.

: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:26 pm  

Dead Man Walking wrote:

As much as I like DB he'd be way out of his depth unfortunately. He'd be eaten alive by the Aussies and Kiwis.

I couldn't disagree more, Brough behind Englands pack could pick and poke Australia to death with the boot.

He absolutely would refuse to be dominated or intimidated.

Having now seen Aus & NZ and given the whole league of players to pick from I'd go for something like:

Briscoe
Eastmond
Clubb
Bridge
Hall
Tomkins
Brough
Graham
Diskin
Peacock
Ellis
Westwood
Burgess

Roby
Crabtree
Morley
Carvell

I don't think either Clubb or Bridge will be bullied by Inglis/Hodges or Matai/Sau. They are both physical centres who offer a different type of threat going forward and have solid defensive games.

Tomkins/Brough as a partnership give us a superb kicking game, good passing options and a running threat to the opposition.

The pack is big and brutal and that's how I would play them.

Diskin & Roby give us two kinds of attacking option from dummy half and either could be on the pitch dependent upon how the game has developed.

: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:09 am  

I wouldn't mind seeing Eastmond at full back, as I like the idea of him popping up everywhere in attack and complementing the half-backs. Briscoe is a good full back, but defensively we can only expect so much, as the Aussie attack in Briscoe's eyes will come at him something like this: