From an Australian… don’t despair fellas, you do have a very good side…. Mate you win a couple of close ones which you are very near to do and things start to look a lot different really fast. And I say this with a lot of humility because we still have long ways to go… big love boys…!!!
Fair play that was a cracking game. Oz now have some very exciting new players and serious pace. What a turnaround from the World Cup. Concerning from our point of view how basically every game we play we seem to lose it in the last few moments from winning positions.
Schmidt had a tougher job to turn it around from the world cup than Borthwick. Definitely can't use the Eddie Jones era as an excuse anymore! Think we were outclassed by a top coach.
Australia were in a far worse off position than England after the world cup, both coaches took over from Eddie Jones - no excuse for Borthwick there. So how have Australia turned it around and England are going backwards ?
People forget that Borthwick's only experience of coaching was holding tackle bags for Eddie - he was complicit in the failing England structure since 2019 and was totally on board with the shitty Jones-era coaching. Wrigglesworth shouldn't be near the coaching squad. Borthwick was a mediocre Test player, a crap Test Captain and has been a crap coach.
@@robinchanguion5400 have Australia turned it around? One win against an England side that, for whatever reason, stopped functioning after 20 minutes is not proof of anything. Beating a very poor wales will not prove anything either. If they have turned the corner it's because they have a world class coach who is prepared to take the loses as he builds. Gatland is doing the same thing with Wales and Borthwick should have done the same with England.
This whole flawed mentality of having to get Ford on the pitch is criminal. Jaime George saying we thought the game was done after 20 mins is criminal. The blitz defence being used all game every game regardless of the situation is criminal.
Always excuses and blaming either the players or the coaches for the last 21 years is the real joke. England have always had a decent pack of forwards and been competitive. They won't make life easy for the springboks this weekend.
You have just described a crime wave! In my opinion, apart from a decent World Cup runs the England team has not been pulling up trees and a purple patch every four years (and just falling short of the prize) is not a good return from the numbers that play in the Premiership, the rules restricting international selection if a player tries to exercise his right to play club rugby abroad, the fact that the RFU have signed a contract to screen the matches on Sky, or whoever it is, thereby not fully exposing the game to youngsters and the cost of those Twickenham tickets
@@konradyearwood5845 Those decent world cup runs were basically based on a very easy way to the semi-finals due to groups being decided on 4 year old world cup rankings
@@hsmedsvik I agree with your rationale regarding the World Cup situation but you still have to be a half decent team to get to the semi final or final stage. However, the Six Nations performance has been truly abysmal most years.
Finn Smith won the premiership with Northampton a few months back. Yet George Ford comes on to save the game. What possible justification is there for this ?
How well can Finn Smith cover full-back? If he can do a decent job of 15, he would be a better bench option than Ford as Ford is not test standard in any position other than 10. As it is, if Ford is your bench 10, he should stay on the bench unless Marcus gets injured. If Finn can cover 15, you should have him as your backup 10 and give him a run at 15 at the back end of games, switching into first receiver at times.
We are keeping old men around just for prior service and for cap records. I don’t like calling names out but there are at least 10 of that 23 that either are past it or never really had it and need to be moved on. We need to properly rebuild and sadly this Eddie 2.0 with added blitz is woeful.
The reason England are knackered after 20 mins is because they celebrate like they won the world cup every time the other team makes a mistake. The players need to keep their energy a lot more focused on the task at hand.
Having watch the game but not being an England fan, I kinda agree with Andy on the defense : going full on blitz 100% of the time is going to hurt England and most english players are not used to it. But what he's advocating for, mix approach : sometimes brlitz, sometimes not, could be even harder to put in place --> how do you communicate on the fly what sort of defense you should use. I guess it comes down to somebody (center ?) being the defence captain and calling the D plays. Finding the right balance is tricky obv.
It’s not that hard. You talk, you communicate and you understand your scenarios. Wide breakdowns with numbers up are often good to blitz. Midfield breakdowns if numbers down hold off and push. If you find numbers up the call comes from outside to press hard and close down space.
@ well I agree in theory. But in the heat of the moment , recognising , adapting and communicating can be hard and take precious time with all the noise around. Being flexible to what s in front of you is actually the hardest part about imo. If it wasn’t every side would have a great defence. For sure going blitz 100% of the time can not be a good strategy either as attacking sides get used to it and change their patterns to expose it.
@@romainviry3185 these guys are full time professionals. If they want to be the best team in the world, they would be able to convert the “theory” into practice. If they can’t, they won’t be.
Hey awesome show. Loving rugby been so close across the globe. Rugby healthy. Points separating top teams. Great rugga over the weekend. Welcome back auzzie.
instead of a pass, Ford should have grubbed it through, between the two Australians zeroing in on him. Lawrence was going at speed and had plenty of space in which to collect a little dinked through ball, with not much more in the way of him and the opposition touchline. But Ford is either too slow or too limited to consider that split second option. You have to have players who can change direction tactically in the blink of an eye - players who can see when the original plan isn't going to work or should be superseded by a new one as the situation changes from moment to moment. Not 'running the lines we trained for' isn't the issue, the problem is not running the lines the situation demanded.
No one is looking at mid field broken play defence. Huge gaps and doglegs gallor. Cunningham South was beaten about four times from being isolated but also leaving too much room on his inside shoulder. This seems to be an issue wide out too. Everyone feels ‘leave the inside over commit to the outside defence
Suaalii played for the Kings School in Sydney, a very well respected rugby school. He's 21 so would have only played league a short time. He's no novice to Union.
Suaalii played for Australian schoolboys and U/18's. But, there is a world of difference between playing at that level and playing professional sport against adults, and to do that for the first time at elite international level is ridiculous. He is going to take some time to get his defensive decision making right, but he has Len Ikitau beside him to help him out.
@@Hiltok He's obviously got a great footy brain and is an incredible athlete. When interviewed about the pressure he basically said I've played State of Origin ( Internal OZ League competition , best of 3 , basically 3 brutal test matches against the best oz players who would be the best in the world.
He stopped playing RU at 16. He's played NRL for 4 seasons. He played RL and RU and other sports at school, but his professional skills are those of an NRL player, surrounded by elite talent like Joey Manu, Daniel Tupou and James Tedesco, including challenging for high balls.
Tier 1 rugby is like golf, it´s not how far you drive, it´s about how well you putt. England start their games at a million miles an hour and have nothing left for the final 20min to close out games.
Genuine question - you keep referring to Steve saying they didn’t stick to the game plan and then saying it’s his fault for not drilling it into them. At what point do you look at Marcus smith as he is known for being loose and not sticking to game plans?
Just to further add after watching Ben youngs and Dan Cole speak on their podcast. They kept referring to grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Something either a 9 or 10 needs to do and I think we are lacking that having smith now and not Farrell.
Maybe Maro should be captain. Maybe England should embrace being the villain of world rugby. Maro's got grit, he's got heart, wears his heart of his sleeve, and he's still a good player. As a saffa I know whenever we play England, that Itoje is going to leave everything on the pitch.
Cant allow Maro to give stupid penalties right on that last min. He knows that as a veteran. Cant tell me he wasnt aware in terms of game management. One thing leaving it on the field but theres another in terms of gane smarts. Lol Itoje at the end was a brain fart.
The big question for England... Is this the coach that gives you the best chance of winning the world cup in a little over 2 seasons after this Autumn series
Steve Boxkick and the rest of his coaching team need to have the courage to ignore their own convictions and give the lads less prescription- when you already have field position you don’t need to kick for field position!! Kick and chase tactics won’t work if you’re defence line is constantly disjointed and your scrum weakens with replacements
England are going nowhere with Borthwick, they'll be lucky to beat Japan in two weeks. England's centre pairing will be a wide open door for the Springboks, other than that England look jaded, too tired to tackle. Maybe not celebrating during the game could save some energy and help them focus on the job at hand.
ABs, Arg, Oz and SA have just come off a very competitive RC. They are primed, battle hardened and fit. Really really fit. Adding in Super rugby, then their level of skills is going to be above the NH.
SA here. Too much woe is me. That is a very good side, they need to be more organized on defense, its a technical thing, not lacking in ability. Why isn't Owen Farrel playing?
I think most of the young and current Wallabies were identified and started their development under Dave Renie's. He had the Wallabies team moving in the right direction nicely until the ARU stabbed him in the back. Jones dropped half of the players from Renie's time for the RWC. Joe brought most of those players back. And they're thriving as they were under Renie. I think Hooper would still be there if Jones wasn't coach. He was still playing well and he'd have a role similar to Whitock and Smith. If England were looking to change head personnel, Renie might be a good option.
@davidfife-nm7uy Fair enough. I get that he didn't go to well in 7's, but 15's was his game and I think he would have prospered under a Renie or Joe. It's all in the past now. The boys are playing well.
Earl is simply not a test 8 - every time he touches the ball, he takes two steps in-field and three forwards into contact. He doesn't look up to pass or offload and his ego cost us a simple run in try from the back of a scrum when all we needed to do was get the ball to Randall quickly - instead he dragged the entire Aussie back row to the narrow outside channel and threw a hospital pass to the scrum half, who was then utterly isolated. He jumps out of the defensive line and misses tackles, too. Dombrandt coming on at 8 immediately saw actual link play from the 8 to the half-backs and his offloading close to contact gave us the Sleightholme try. Ford shouldn't be near the squad, nor should Slade. Curry hasn't been test level since 2021 and offers nothing other than reluctance to hit rucks - he was stood watching Marcus Smith hit the breakdown for most of the first half. Cunningham-South nailed on at 6, Earl plays 7 or not at all, Dombrandt starts at 8 to give us the link play. Start Randall at 9, leave Spencer on the bench. We need to either play Lawrence at 13 and call up Anyanwu at 12, or play Lawrence at 12 and call up Beard or Ojomoh at 12. The simple fact that Borthwick has called up Daly says it all - he's looking to play Ford for at least 40 minutes and kick the leather off the ball. We will lost by 30+.
Anyanwu is off to France, no point in playing him. Not convinced that Dommers is a Test No8. I agree that Ford, Slade, both Currys should be no where near the squad. I'd add George, he is not fit enough to play at test level and Daly, why oh why. Need to look to 2027 World Cup, who do want want to have a bucket load of caps and still young enough to perform. Nick Evans didn't want to stay, Felix Joned resigned. What is Steve actually doing? Remind you of the Martin Johnson experience?
England are trying to use a Bok-style blitz defence without having the Bok beef, fitness and chasing lost causes-ness. When the Boks used this blitz system they also missed more tackles, but there always seemed to be another Bok player to plug the gap. England unfortunately don't have that. Maybe Borthwick needs to try something new with the Boks
south afrika do blitz, everyone thinks they must also. SA does reveal-all documentary, others follow. SA does all players all positions, others try. SA do two teams, others can’t. learning is obviously good but if you don’t find your own culturally originated things, nothing good will come. joe has gotten to australia’s cultural core - mobility and skill. or i’m making all this up?
Couldn't have said it better myself. South Africa do what South Africa do best. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I know, but I'd rather see England ploughing their own furrow.
I would not normally watch a match between England and Australia but because of your podcast, the live of rugby pod cast and egg chasers podcast I was intrigued. England had the game untill tate came onto the field for Australia. His aggressive play at scrum half sparked self belief and from.then on they played with more determination. It list a bit just after half time but they found it again and from.then on they were not lying down. I expect this Australia team.to get stronger as the belief grows. England had enough to win but the belief was with Australia. Marcus Smith was plating like he came to win the game. Your bench didn't play like they came to win the game.
5c worth from a Kiwi,,, England are damn good,, they just need to play, have faith in each other, keep emotions in check even if you're ahead, and accuracy, and above everything else is fitness that is where it's at
I’m a kiwi all blacks supporter but wallabies played awesome DONT forget those names commentary they will be common names for wallabies and England Ireland wales Scotland Italy went down 4 of your 5 northern hemisphere teams lost bad France won cos Eddie jones is coach who fucked over wallabies in RWC
France won because we are far better than Japan, regardless of whoever is in charge. I have no lost love for Eddy but I’m not sure any coach would have made Japan beat us last Saturday 🤣
Enjoyed the pod. Agree with the concluding remarks about post-match honesty - eg. SB should’ve said he was wrong to change fly-half. That should feedback into the group in a positive way. IMHO Borthwick, in fairness to him, more or less has the players fans clamoured for: Furbank, Smith, Feyi-Waboso, Ben Earl, Freeman, etc. But they are not being well coached. Big loss to the Boks and I think SB’s future is in trouble. The honeymoon was over after the World Cup and walk-through group we had.
Siya gets subbed every game. You need a team of leaders. Impossible to have one leader in the professional game with all the variables. Find another excuse.
@@TheVinylOrchard One of the things I like about the young WB's is that Wilson, McReight, Bell and Williams are all good on-field leaders, while the old reserve props have both captained the team before and the scrum halves are also experienced captains of their state teams.
Thinking that the ex-Boks coaches (now former-England) realized that the fundamentals required for the Blitz defence/attack/conditioning weren't available to them... situational awareness, lack of defense nous at 13, squad depth ... and the insane sustained sprint-based conditioning required for the back line.
Smith/Captain saying posts at every penalty doesn't help. Why not go for the kill? There was plenty of opportunity in good positions to go for 7 pts instead of 3. Also agree with Ford being done for England, if Farrell was removed from England Ford shouldn't be there either.
If Oz hadn’t scored that try what would this conversation be saying. I watched two electric offence teams with two pretty average defences playing a variation of basketball. England are a good team. I hope they don’t get into the habit of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory. They can win big matches.
To me, it's now fairly obvious bringing on Ford is a predetermined, programmed part of Borthwick's architecture. However, Smith was still running things from 15. Why is Borthwick playing by numbers & not being disciplined enough to follow the game? If it's happening with the backs, it's happening in every aspect of the game. I'm really struggling with Borthwick's mentality. Well done to Australia but we must improve & learn how to close out.
My biggest gripe with the blitz as an England fan is that we're, once again, trying to imitate South Africa because they beat us in another World Cup. We can't keep playing catch-up. We have to create a style of defense that suits our identity. Yes, it was starting to take shape under Felix Jones. But he's left. I think we should just accept that we don't have the personnel, both in coaching and player pool, to pull off the blitz.
Playing not to lose is the problem. Always has been our problem. The moment we start to attack we score points and start to win. The moment we kick to defend we lose.
The blitz defence is absolutely the right thing to do, you just have to do it right, and timing is everything. The Springboks blitz every single time a team goes wide, execution for England was the issue, not the concept, it’s going to take time for them to get it right. And Marcus cannot defend out wide or at 15 in that defence.
Very good analysis, much better than the anodyne crap in the papers. I felt England looked tired but Goodie nailed the reason, this blitz may cause opponents some issues but it definitely leaks tries and the England boys aren’t the physical specimens SA are and cannot carry it off. Why do we play people straight back from injury? Ford is rightly getting stick as is Slade but they are lacking game time and shouldn’t have been selected.
You need to get a better 13 and a couple of ball runners in the forwards. Missing guys like Courtney but they will come through as there are some good young guys.
Unfortunately England will eventually realise that one poor coach after another makes it impossible for such a talented group of players to fulfill their potential.
Bok fan here. If England focuses on the match and stop the plastic celebrations, we are in for a long afternoon. They lost four or five matches by less than seven points. Rugby can be brutal sometimes. But we will disrespect England at our peril.
@@thewielloyd988 Carter didn't go to league because of Eddie. He went because RA cut his team and told him he had to go to Sydney. He didn't want to go to Sydney.
@@Hiltok Yeah that too of course. But Eddie’s reign wasn’t the most joyous, positive environment for a kid to start in a gold jersey. Wallabies honours are what keeps people playing Union in Australia, that’s the draw card, and Eddie made that a more miserable experience than it needed to be. Rebels and RA pushing him to go to the Tahs instead of the Reds was the nail in the coffin.
As a Wallabies supporter, Ted Hill, Tom Willis, Tom Pearson and Guy Pepper, would worry them more ! Earl ,perfect bench player, covering 12,as well as Cunningham South!, second row,/ back row cover!
The SH teams look fitter than the NH teams. We (as in NH) look tired and leggy whereas they seem to have more energy and speed. In today's game the front rowers need to be able to run and need to be just as fit as the backs. It's a fast paced, high intensity high tempo game now, so we have to change our dynamics a bit.
I think there is a leadership issue as well. For example , I simply could not understand, why they would call for the play that they did on the 75th minute, when England were 2 points up . Which resulted in dropped pass and the wallabies scoring at the other end. If the decision making is that poor , what’s the point of multiple VC’s .
Angus Bell better than the OX (NCHE)? I don't think so remember Bell was one of the Australian props who had to flee the field when faced with BOK POWER
Guys…Suaallii played rugby all through school and he played Australian schools Wallabies and they won against the junior All Blacks. This wasn’t like 10yrs ago it was just before he went to NRL. And rugby in Australia is genuinely in big trouble…. It’s such a minor sport here now.
I remember when the all blacks attack was amazingly good, in their prime, we know the team. Back then Blitz style defence didnt even really exist. It was developed to shut that attack down. It worked very well in years to come. Now attacks are getting around it to an extent, its the evolution now of the attack. It isnt pretty, but its kind of working at the moment, enough to make blitz D less effective but still very tiring. Its reminiscent of mixed martial arts where strikers reigned supreme so in came the wrestling and grappling to nullify it and we just went through a whole stiker era again after they adapted to the wrestlers. Its great. But make no mistake, the all blacks advantage in the future will be flexibility and adaptability. The ability to play the style that will win that quarter depending on what the other team is doing.
Bell is still a work in progress at scrum time. He's just 24 and as good as you can expect at that age but there are plenty of better loosehead scrummagers in the world - 29 y.o. Nche being about the best. What Bell is is the best ball carrier and off-loader who wears a #1 jersey. He's also a very, very smart footballer - great tactical awareness. He's spent most of the past two years injured and missed a good chunk of SRP this year, too. If he stays fit and playing regularly the next couple of years, he is right in the conversation to be WB's captain.
Not been convinced by English midfield for long time, doesnt matter who is in the shirt. when their blitz worked its good and effective. Late try out wide with quick offload was similar to a quick tip on VDM try for Scotland in Calcutta cup. Quick tip on or offload and narrow line and full back up high means cover failure on the edge exposed. I was amazed the Boks gave us so much space at times on Sun then blitz next phase. England look like its all hurry hurry at times and teams will be able to change tactics to defeat it. England are close to being there despite the results and as a Scot i hope they dont get it right come Twickenham
The blitz slows your transition fromD to attack . England seem unable to do both. Boks are transitioning their suffocating blitz to be more adaptable now they want to play more rugby.
There is always this drop off when a team has played a really hectic game against powerful opposition to get up for the game the following Saturday against a "perceived" weaker team: England in the RWC2019 final, South Africa in the 2023 semi-final. You need to be a really tough minded set of individuals that can come back when you are facing unanticipated opposition.
England have lost 4 in a row. This form is alarming. There is no way England beat SA so it’s 5 this weekend even if we push them close, brave losers is not acceptable for England this isn’t Scotland. 🏴 Since beating Ireland the team have stayed still, which is frustrating. Borthers is on thin ice but he deserves to keep his job for the time being.
For me at the last try, it looked like Marcus Smith had the look of someone that had been calling Big Jim a Jessy all week on social media, and then ran in to him in the Dog and Duck's toilet afterwards.... He looked absolutely petrified of getting hit and ended up doing nothing of any use for that final try. Either come in and smash the ball carrier or keep your width. Be interested to see what people think. Surely an international can have that bad a weakness in the tackling department?
I'm not English, so I don't feel obliged to crucify the England team when they lose. But if you look at the two games England has played this Autumn series, against Australia and New Zealand, they have been the two most entertaining games of rugby by far this series. England haven't played rugby this entertaining possibly ever. Remember England are still recovering from the Eddie Jones train wreck too. They're playing some great rugby and they're making some mistakes. Still way better than playing shit rugby and losing. Get around your team.
Issue for Aus is that the main guys will be knackered as Joe is not rotating the team enough. He needs to play Sio, Ainsley Latu, Arnold, Skelton, Philip and Hodge.
I would agree with Sio, but Arnold isn't making this team - Australia isn't short on good locks at the moment with the likes of Williams, Frost, LSL, Swain, etc. And Hodge isn't making the XXIII either - he's well behind the likes of Samu Kerevi and Flook, who can't make the XXIII. Skelton will probably play this week - Jermaine Ainsley isn't making the squad unless there are consecutive Wallaby bus tragedies.
Disagree. Issue is these guys are all going to play a lot of games and there is little rotation ahead of the lions tour. They will be held together with sticky tape. There will be injuries and they are too thin on the bench. Ainsley is a better scrummager than AAA, who got destroyed against NZ and SA. And Slipper a great solider but also get creamed by SA and Nz at scrum time. Arnold best jumping percentage in France so makes sense for the rotation. Or Philip. Other guys you cite not as solid at lineout. Amatesero as well but Schmidt didn’t start him. Hodge not for centre he’s better at 15. The reason for him is his boot is huge and can settle things down for the 10s who need support till they get confidence up. Wright is a confidence player and regularly has very bad days. Lack of support has been a big issue for 10s.
Great video analysis. Just some feedback on the Pacific surnames. It would be nice to try and pronounce these names correctly. It’s not pronounced Sa-i-l-i or has an ongoing stutter. Think of it phonetically - Su-ar-lee-e. Andrew said it well. You’ll no doubt hear his name more often.
![เจ็บที่ยังฮัก - ม่อน วรวิทย์ [ Official Mv ] จอนนี่มิวสิค](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KALIGSRSjFs/mqdefault.jpg)
So our blitz defence is dodgy, our attack unimaginative and we don’t have any experienced coaches. Apart from that, it’s all looking great
lol
😂😂😂😂😂
You keep leaving out your head coach is rubbish 😂
Don't forget, not fit enough.
England forwards are extremely overrated. Their gas tank is awful
From an Australian… don’t despair fellas, you do have a very good side…. Mate you win a couple of close ones which you are very near to do and things start to look a lot different really fast. And I say this with a lot of humility because we still have long ways to go… big love boys…!!!
@@mauricemunoz242 ….. England beat Ireland in a very close game. Hold on to that and build upon.
Fair play that was a cracking game. Oz now have some very exciting new players and serious pace. What a turnaround from the World Cup. Concerning from our point of view how basically every game we play we seem to lose it in the last few moments from winning positions.
Schmidt had a tougher job to turn it around from the world cup than Borthwick. Definitely can't use the Eddie Jones era as an excuse anymore! Think we were outclassed by a top coach.
Australia were in a far worse off position than England after the world cup, both coaches took over from Eddie Jones - no excuse for Borthwick there. So how have Australia turned it around and England are going backwards ?
Head coach is the problem but it will be too late when the powers that be realise that.
People forget that Borthwick's only experience of coaching was holding tackle bags for Eddie - he was complicit in the failing England structure since 2019 and was totally on board with the shitty Jones-era coaching. Wrigglesworth shouldn't be near the coaching squad. Borthwick was a mediocre Test player, a crap Test Captain and has been a crap coach.
@@robinchanguion5400 have Australia turned it around? One win against an England side that, for whatever reason, stopped functioning after 20 minutes is not proof of anything. Beating a very poor wales will not prove anything either. If they have turned the corner it's because they have a world class coach who is prepared to take the loses as he builds. Gatland is doing the same thing with Wales and Borthwick should have done the same with England.
On the money reference, the Premiership has been over hyped for a few seasons now.
This whole flawed mentality of having to get Ford on the pitch is criminal. Jaime George saying we thought the game was done after 20 mins is criminal. The blitz defence being used all game every game regardless of the situation is criminal.
Always excuses and blaming either the players or the coaches for the last 21 years is the real joke. England have always had a decent pack of forwards and been competitive. They won't make life easy for the springboks this weekend.
You have just described a crime wave! In my opinion, apart from a decent World Cup runs the England team has not been pulling up trees and a purple patch every four years (and just falling short of the prize) is not a good return from the numbers that play in the Premiership, the rules restricting international selection if a player tries to exercise his right to play club rugby abroad, the fact that the RFU have signed a contract to screen the matches on Sky, or whoever it is, thereby not fully exposing the game to youngsters and the cost of those Twickenham tickets
Did George say that what a thikko
@@konradyearwood5845 Those decent world cup runs were basically based on a very easy way to the semi-finals due to groups being decided on 4 year old world cup rankings
@@hsmedsvik I agree with your rationale regarding the World Cup situation but you still have to be a half decent team to get to the semi final or final stage. However, the Six Nations performance has been truly abysmal most years.
Finn Smith won the premiership with Northampton a few months back. Yet George Ford comes on to save the game. What possible justification is there for this ?
How well can Finn Smith cover full-back? If he can do a decent job of 15, he would be a better bench option than Ford as Ford is not test standard in any position other than 10. As it is, if Ford is your bench 10, he should stay on the bench unless Marcus gets injured. If Finn can cover 15, you should have him as your backup 10 and give him a run at 15 at the back end of games, switching into first receiver at times.
Woodward was successful because his team was fitter than any other side.His training regime was brutal.
Huh? BS
@@ShiNooBi1986clearly not BS. England were undisputed the best under SCW for three years
We are keeping old men around just for prior service and for cap records. I don’t like calling names out but there are at least 10 of that 23 that either are past it or never really had it and need to be moved on. We need to properly rebuild and sadly this Eddie 2.0 with added blitz is woeful.
Would be interested to hear your 10 tbf
Step forward Dan Cole.
In Ireland we're doing the same, worryingly. Won't win much with old men in this sport.
Same reason Ireland lost, plastic energy, plastic celebrations. Keep calm and focus on the game, stop hyping yourself up 20 mins into a game
💯
Completely agree. What was James Lowe doing celebrating a 50/22 when his team are 10 points down with 5 to go? 😂
Yep, I'm sure the professional athletes will be looking to take advice from us casual internet commenters
No worries, South african 😅
💯💯💯💯💯
It's so funny when Jim gets excited and the superlatives start flowing...love it!
I think the performance against the ABs was stellar, not all is lost lads. Good commentary regarding blitz defence.
Nothing like setting the bar real low.
@@robinchanguion5400 Exactly this ...year after year after year of "rebuilding"...its utter BS
@@robinchanguion5400 I'm a bok supporter, so consider it a neutral take.
I think we need a montage of George Fords last 2 games. Missed tackles, interceptions, missed kicks…
Don’t, we’ll all start crying.
Ford plays like he's concussed when he comes on
Great player but passed his sell by date
George ford should not be in the squad
I’d rather have Owen Farrell on the pitch
The reason England are knackered after 20 mins is because they celebrate like they won the world cup every time the other team makes a mistake. The players need to keep their energy a lot more focused on the task at hand.
Haha😂
I think that's why even neutrals celebrate their loss...they are so annoying with their larger than thou attitude.
😂😂😂😂😂😂 true
It's embarrassing. Last week Vs NZ they celebrated tackles like they won the world cup
Ireland engaging in the same nonsense to their detriment
Having watch the game but not being an England fan, I kinda agree with Andy on the defense : going full on blitz 100% of the time is going to hurt England and most english players are not used to it. But what he's advocating for, mix approach : sometimes brlitz, sometimes not, could be even harder to put in place --> how do you communicate on the fly what sort of defense you should use. I guess it comes down to somebody (center ?) being the defence captain and calling the D plays. Finding the right balance is tricky obv.
It’s not that hard. You talk, you communicate and you understand your scenarios. Wide breakdowns with numbers up are often good to blitz. Midfield breakdowns if numbers down hold off and push. If you find numbers up the call comes from outside to press hard and close down space.
@ well I agree in theory. But in the heat of the moment , recognising , adapting and communicating can be hard and take precious time with all the noise around. Being flexible to what s in front of you is actually the hardest part about imo. If it wasn’t every side would have a great defence. For sure going blitz 100% of the time can not be a good strategy either as attacking sides get used to it and change their patterns to expose it.
@@romainviry3185 these guys are full time professionals. If they want to be the best team in the world, they would be able to convert the “theory” into practice. If they can’t, they won’t be.
Hey awesome show. Loving rugby been so close across the globe. Rugby healthy. Points separating top teams. Great rugga over the weekend. Welcome back auzzie.
instead of a pass, Ford should have grubbed it through, between the two Australians zeroing in on him. Lawrence was going at speed and had plenty of space in which to collect a little dinked through ball, with not much more in the way of him and the opposition touchline.
But Ford is either too slow or too limited to consider that split second option. You have to have players who can change direction tactically in the blink of an eye - players who can see when the original plan isn't going to work or should be superseded by a new one as the situation changes from moment to moment.
Not 'running the lines we trained for' isn't the issue, the problem is not running the lines the situation demanded.
you mean like Marcus Smith does?
@@ashleysoudah
yeah - if only there was a way we could have had Marcus Smith there...oh.
I am sure England's Bothwick can't wait anymore for the England vs Japan test match. What a RELIEF it will be.
Careful about Japan they did beat us when least excepted
Japan have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever lmao
Oz can’t wait to play them
Best rugby podcast. Honest, insightful and unvarnished without bias. Well done lads.
No one is looking at mid field broken play defence. Huge gaps and doglegs gallor. Cunningham South was beaten about four times from being isolated but also leaving too much room on his inside shoulder. This seems to be an issue wide out too. Everyone feels ‘leave the inside over commit to the outside defence
I'm used to watching England lose now. It's the norm now. I don't even get disappointed.
Suaalii played for the Kings School in Sydney, a very well respected rugby school. He's 21 so would have only played league a short time. He's no novice to Union.
Suaalii played for Australian schoolboys and U/18's. But, there is a world of difference between playing at that level and playing professional sport against adults, and to do that for the first time at elite international level is ridiculous. He is going to take some time to get his defensive decision making right, but he has Len Ikitau beside him to help him out.
RA CEO and ex scholar Phil Waugh presented him his test cap in the dressing room
@@Hiltok He's obviously got a great footy brain and is an incredible athlete. When interviewed about the pressure he basically said I've played State of Origin ( Internal OZ League competition , best of 3 , basically 3 brutal test matches against the best oz players who would be the best in the world.
He stopped playing RU at 16. He's played NRL for 4 seasons. He played RL and RU and other sports at school, but his professional skills are those of an NRL player, surrounded by elite talent like Joey Manu, Daniel Tupou and James Tedesco, including challenging for high balls.
@@steph333-w6u and he got sent off for a shocking tackle to the head in state of origin.
Tier 1 rugby is like golf, it´s not how far you drive, it´s about how well you putt. England start their games at a million miles an hour and have nothing left for the final 20min to close out games.
Good analogy tbf
Goeie vergelyking. ⚡👏🏻🥃🇿🇦
Spot on and our points tally towards the end of games is low
agree...and at that level the mental game becomes just as important.
all about the six inches....not in your pants but between your ears.
Genuine question - you keep referring to Steve saying they didn’t stick to the game plan and then saying it’s his fault for not drilling it into them. At what point do you look at Marcus smith as he is known for being loose and not sticking to game plans?
Just to further add after watching Ben youngs and Dan Cole speak on their podcast. They kept referring to grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Something either a 9 or 10 needs to do and I think we are lacking that having smith now and not Farrell.
Maybe Maro should be captain. Maybe England should embrace being the villain of world rugby. Maro's got grit, he's got heart, wears his heart of his sleeve, and he's still a good player.
As a saffa I know whenever we play England, that Itoje is going to leave everything on the pitch.
Cant allow Maro to give stupid penalties right on that last min. He knows that as a veteran. Cant tell me he wasnt aware in terms of game management. One thing leaving it on the field but theres another in terms of gane smarts. Lol Itoje at the end was a brain fart.
Itoje is just a black nothing having a day out with white mates.
He loves hanging around the fringes of the breakdown. Not the way Martin Johnston or Paul O'Connell played.
He’s gettin on abit England scrum needs an overhaul
He' generally has mediocre games and his celebrations are immature and pointless..
Plus he's as English as Vegemite
The big question for England... Is this the coach that gives you the best chance of winning the world cup in a little over 2 seasons after this Autumn series
Steve Boxkick and the rest of his coaching team need to have the courage to ignore their own convictions and give the lads less prescription- when you already have field position you don’t need to kick for field position!!
Kick and chase tactics won’t work if you’re defence line is constantly disjointed and your scrum weakens with replacements
My game of the season!...You guys are are so frigg'n great at this pod shit!
Hey guys you almost beat the ABs but missed the kick….
Kicks* had a few missed between drop goal attempts and penalty
I love Jamie George, but Curtis Langdon and Theo Dan have been the best in that position for the last 18 months.
England are going nowhere with Borthwick, they'll be lucky to beat Japan in two weeks. England's centre pairing will be a wide open door for the Springboks, other than that England look jaded, too tired to tackle. Maybe not celebrating during the game could save some energy and help them focus on the job at hand.
Steve is the Joe Bidden of Rugby.
Leave Joe alone
Who is Joe Bidden?
Dementia Joe😂😂
He's not that good
The Steve impression 😂
Where does Andrew Porter get the energy to play 70 minutes a game and then come host this show?
Legend.
Enjoying the Borthwick impressions Goodey
ABs, Arg, Oz and SA have just come off a very competitive RC. They are primed, battle hardened and fit. Really really fit. Adding in Super rugby, then their level of skills is going to be above the NH.
So how did England stuff up twice against NZ, in NZ this summer ??? This is BS excuses
Spot on silky skills ala suaalii ikitau and co
@@IverKnackerov I dont think England have played enough rugby. And Im not sure Steve Borthwick is the man to take them to that extra level.
So then why did england not win when they went to nz at the start of the season with a new coach
Super rugb is awful
SA here. Too much woe is me. That is a very good side, they need to be more organized on defense, its a technical thing, not lacking in ability. Why isn't Owen Farrel playing?
He’s based in France, playing for Racing 92 in Paris. He can’t be selected under current RFU rules.
Owen Farrell would certainly be able to do a job for this England team. Better than Ford
I think most of the young and current Wallabies were identified and started their development under Dave Renie's. He had the Wallabies team moving in the right direction nicely until the ARU stabbed him in the back.
Jones dropped half of the players from Renie's time for the RWC. Joe brought most of those players back. And they're thriving as they were under Renie. I think Hooper would still be there if Jones wasn't coach. He was still playing well and he'd have a role similar to Whitock and Smith.
If England were looking to change head personnel, Renie might be a good option.
Hooper is a has been mate. Eddie did the right thing moving him on. Look what he has done since. Tried sevens and failed, then retired
@davidfife-nm7uy
Fair enough. I get that he didn't go to well in 7's, but 15's was his game and I think he would have prospered under a Renie or Joe. It's all in the past now. The boys are playing well.
Earl is simply not a test 8 - every time he touches the ball, he takes two steps in-field and three forwards into contact. He doesn't look up to pass or offload and his ego cost us a simple run in try from the back of a scrum when all we needed to do was get the ball to Randall quickly - instead he dragged the entire Aussie back row to the narrow outside channel and threw a hospital pass to the scrum half, who was then utterly isolated. He jumps out of the defensive line and misses tackles, too. Dombrandt coming on at 8 immediately saw actual link play from the 8 to the half-backs and his offloading close to contact gave us the Sleightholme try.
Ford shouldn't be near the squad, nor should Slade. Curry hasn't been test level since 2021 and offers nothing other than reluctance to hit rucks - he was stood watching Marcus Smith hit the breakdown for most of the first half. Cunningham-South nailed on at 6, Earl plays 7 or not at all, Dombrandt starts at 8 to give us the link play. Start Randall at 9, leave Spencer on the bench. We need to either play Lawrence at 13 and call up Anyanwu at 12, or play Lawrence at 12 and call up Beard or Ojomoh at 12. The simple fact that Borthwick has called up Daly says it all - he's looking to play Ford for at least 40 minutes and kick the leather off the ball. We will lost by 30+.
Anyanwu is off to France, no point in playing him. Not convinced that Dommers is a Test No8. I agree that Ford, Slade, both Currys should be no where near the squad. I'd add George, he is not fit enough to play at test level and Daly, why oh why. Need to look to 2027 World Cup, who do want want to have a bucket load of caps and still young enough to perform. Nick Evans didn't want to stay, Felix Joned resigned. What is Steve actually doing? Remind you of the Martin Johnson experience?
Awesome comments guys 🤜 balanced an knowledge ✅ From an ABs fan
England are trying to use a Bok-style blitz defence without having the Bok beef, fitness and chasing lost causes-ness.
When the Boks used this blitz system they also missed more tackles, but there always seemed to be another Bok player to plug the gap. England unfortunately don't have that. Maybe Borthwick needs to try something new with the Boks
Love goodes impersonations of Borthwick. Need a compilation of them.
👀 You’re easily pleased
south afrika do blitz, everyone thinks they must also. SA does reveal-all documentary, others follow. SA does all players all positions, others try. SA do two teams, others can’t. learning is obviously good but if you don’t find your own culturally originated things, nothing good will come. joe has gotten to australia’s cultural core - mobility and skill. or i’m making all this up?
Couldn't have said it better myself. South Africa do what South Africa do best.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I know, but I'd rather see England ploughing their own furrow.
England can beat anyone in the wet. Pray for a blizzard boys.
I would not normally watch a match between England and Australia but because of your podcast, the live of rugby pod cast and egg chasers podcast I was intrigued. England had the game untill tate came onto the field for Australia. His aggressive play at scrum half sparked self belief and from.then on they played with more determination. It list a bit just after half time but they found it again and from.then on they were not lying down. I expect this Australia team.to get stronger as the belief grows. England had enough to win but the belief was with Australia. Marcus Smith was plating like he came to win the game. Your bench didn't play like they came to win the game.
As a wallaby supporter, I find the crowds reaction to Ford coming in appalling
True it was but they were booing because they thought Smith was coming off
5c worth from a Kiwi,,, England are damn good,, they just need to play, have faith in each other, keep emotions in check even if you're ahead, and accuracy, and above everything else is fitness that is where it's at
Let's concentrate on things like the Bomb Squad. That is real focus on the fundamental challenges in winning.
Keeping to a game plan will only take you so far a game changes as the minutes tick by you have to be able to adapt and change as the game progresses
I’m a kiwi all blacks supporter but wallabies played awesome DONT forget those names commentary they will be common names for wallabies and England Ireland wales Scotland Italy went down 4 of your 5 northern hemisphere teams lost bad France won cos Eddie jones is coach who fucked over wallabies in RWC
France were playing another NH team ….Japan is NH.
@@peterlangan1181 I didn’t say Japan is southern or northern I said France was only northern hemisphere team that won
France won because we are far better than Japan, regardless of whoever is in charge. I have no lost love for Eddy but I’m not sure any coach would have made Japan beat us last Saturday 🤣
Not many brain cells with this one.
Enjoyed the pod. Agree with the concluding remarks about post-match honesty - eg. SB should’ve said he was wrong to change fly-half. That should feedback into the group in a positive way. IMHO Borthwick, in fairness to him, more or less has the players fans clamoured for: Furbank, Smith, Feyi-Waboso, Ben Earl, Freeman, etc. But they are not being well coached. Big loss to the Boks and I think SB’s future is in trouble. The honeymoon was over after the World Cup and walk-through group we had.
Just give Marcus the captaincy. He has the right energy and pulls all the strings.
Boy do England lack leadership. They miss Farrell. Can’t have a captain who’s always subbed.
Siya gets subbed every game. You need a team of leaders. Impossible to have one leader in the professional game with all the variables. Find another excuse.
@ indeed. The England 03 team was stacked with them. We don’t have anyone who steps up when George goes off. Itoje isn’t captain material either.
@@TheVinylOrchard One of the things I like about the young WB's is that Wilson, McReight, Bell and Williams are all good on-field leaders, while the old reserve props have both captained the team before and the scrum halves are also experienced captains of their state teams.
Thinking that the ex-Boks coaches (now former-England) realized that the fundamentals required for the Blitz defence/attack/conditioning weren't available to them... situational awareness, lack of defense nous at 13, squad depth ... and the insane sustained sprint-based conditioning required for the back line.
hows langdon not in the squad is beyond me
Smith/Captain saying posts at every penalty doesn't help. Why not go for the kill? There was plenty of opportunity in good positions to go for 7 pts instead of 3.
Also agree with Ford being done for England, if Farrell was removed from England Ford shouldn't be there either.
Looking forward to the South African game already 😂😂😂
If Oz hadn’t scored that try what would this conversation be saying. I watched two electric offence teams with two pretty average defences playing a variation of basketball. England are a good team. I hope they don’t get into the habit of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory. They can win big matches.
Do we have a coach still in camp that understands the blitz defence??
I fucking love this show your smashing it keep it up boys 🏴🏴
To me, it's now fairly obvious bringing on Ford is a predetermined, programmed part of Borthwick's architecture. However, Smith was still running things from 15. Why is Borthwick playing by numbers & not being disciplined enough to follow the game? If it's happening with the backs, it's happening in every aspect of the game.
I'm really struggling with Borthwick's mentality.
Well done to Australia but we must improve & learn how to close out.
My biggest gripe with the blitz as an England fan is that we're, once again, trying to imitate South Africa because they beat us in another World Cup.
We can't keep playing catch-up. We have to create a style of defense that suits our identity.
Yes, it was starting to take shape under Felix Jones. But he's left.
I think we should just accept that we don't have the personnel, both in coaching and player pool, to pull off the blitz.
Playing not to lose is the problem. Always has been our problem.
The moment we start to attack we score points and start to win. The moment we kick to defend we lose.
there's a fine line between winning and losing, its called the equator!
The blitz defence is absolutely the right thing to do, you just have to do it right, and timing is everything. The Springboks blitz every single time a team goes wide, execution for England was the issue, not the concept, it’s going to take time for them to get it right. And Marcus cannot defend out wide or at 15 in that defence.
Let's face it, England are simply short of international players and a decent coach.
Very good analysis, much better than the anodyne crap in the papers. I felt England looked tired but Goodie nailed the reason, this blitz may cause opponents some issues but it definitely leaks tries and the England boys aren’t the physical specimens SA are and cannot carry it off. Why do we play people straight back from injury? Ford is rightly getting stick as is Slade but they are lacking game time and shouldn’t have been selected.
You need to get a better 13 and a couple of ball runners in the forwards. Missing guys like Courtney but they will come through as there are some good young guys.
Unfortunately England will eventually realise that one poor coach after another makes it impossible for such a talented group of players to fulfill their potential.
Bok fan here. If England focuses on the match and stop the plastic celebrations, we are in for a long afternoon. They lost four or five matches by less than seven points. Rugby can be brutal sometimes. But we will disrespect England at our peril.
love the detailed analysis and fully agree. Games are won by strategy and brains as much brawn these days
When you have both that’s the gold medal 👍
Jordan Petaia, mark watanetawase, Carter Gordon
Carter Gordon would be mighty useful to still have in gold. Eddie did a whopping number on the joint.
@ the three of them in the Wallabies backline would’ve been unreal!
@@thewielloyd988 Carter didn't go to league because of Eddie. He went because RA cut his team and told him he had to go to Sydney. He didn't want to go to Sydney.
@@thewielloyd988
What are you talking about 👀
@@Hiltok Yeah that too of course. But Eddie’s reign wasn’t the most joyous, positive environment for a kid to start in a gold jersey. Wallabies honours are what keeps people playing Union in Australia, that’s the draw card, and Eddie made that a more miserable experience than it needed to be. Rebels and RA pushing him to go to the Tahs instead of the Reds was the nail in the coffin.
Ikitou is a heavily underrated Centre. He’ll be in the conversation when the wallabies become competitive again. He was better than sualii
Sorry boys respectfully disagree Bell still need to learn from Ox Nche
As a Wallabies supporter, Ted Hill, Tom Willis, Tom Pearson and Guy Pepper, would worry them more ! Earl ,perfect bench player, covering 12,as well as Cunningham South!, second row,/ back row cover!
Jim you nailed it! 😊 👍
The SH teams look fitter than the NH teams. We (as in NH) look tired and leggy whereas they seem to have more energy and speed. In today's game the front rowers need to be able to run and need to be just as fit as the backs. It's a fast paced, high intensity high tempo game now, so we have to change our dynamics a bit.
I think there is a leadership issue as well. For example , I simply could not understand, why they would call for the play that they did on the 75th minute, when England were 2 points up . Which resulted in dropped pass and the wallabies scoring at the other end.
If the decision making is that poor , what’s the point of multiple VC’s .
Angus Bell better than the OX (NCHE)? I don't think so remember Bell was one of the Australian props who had to flee the field when faced with BOK POWER
We need Underhill in defence.
Steve B is a Premiership Coach. Clearly not an International Coach. Can’t see it getting much better.😢
Guys…Suaallii played rugby all through school and he played Australian schools Wallabies and they won against the junior All Blacks. This wasn’t like 10yrs ago it was just before he went to NRL. And rugby in Australia is genuinely in big trouble…. It’s such a minor sport here now.
With a whole lot of wealthy people who love it and will follow a team that has a crack.
I remember when the all blacks attack was amazingly good, in their prime, we know the team. Back then Blitz style defence didnt even really exist. It was developed to shut that attack down. It worked very well in years to come. Now attacks are getting around it to an extent, its the evolution now of the attack. It isnt pretty, but its kind of working at the moment, enough to make blitz D less effective but still very tiring. Its reminiscent of mixed martial arts where strikers reigned supreme so in came the wrestling and grappling to nullify it and we just went through a whole stiker era again after they adapted to the wrestlers. Its great. But make no mistake, the all blacks advantage in the future will be flexibility and adaptability. The ability to play the style that will win that quarter depending on what the other team is doing.
was at the Wales match Sunday, I had to re-watch the England game when i got home just to rebalance emotions....
Yeah same, was pissed about two close losses to Australia and New Zealand, but loved seeing the Wales debacle.
Yh it’s bad we miles behind England too 😑🤦♂️
There's an argument on how good NRL players are in comparison, because Suaili wasn't an outright star in the NRL. He was good but not a headline.
He made the NSW state of origin team this year, he may not have been the best, but he was sure up there
@@joelhungerford8388he was something like 6th choice for his position and lasted 7 minutes
The best loosehead in the world is without a doubt NOT Angus Bell but Ox Nche!
Bell is still a work in progress at scrum time. He's just 24 and as good as you can expect at that age but there are plenty of better loosehead scrummagers in the world - 29 y.o. Nche being about the best. What Bell is is the best ball carrier and off-loader who wears a #1 jersey. He's also a very, very smart footballer - great tactical awareness. He's spent most of the past two years injured and missed a good chunk of SRP this year, too. If he stays fit and playing regularly the next couple of years, he is right in the conversation to be WB's captain.
Not been convinced by English midfield for long time, doesnt matter who is in the shirt. when their blitz worked its good and effective. Late try out wide with quick offload was similar to a quick tip on VDM try for Scotland in Calcutta cup. Quick tip on or offload and narrow line and full back up high means cover failure on the edge exposed.
I was amazed the Boks gave us so much space at times on Sun then blitz next phase.
England look like its all hurry hurry at times and teams will be able to change tactics to defeat it. England are close to being there despite the results and as a Scot i hope they dont get it right come Twickenham
I called it. All the warning signs were ringing loud. Again!
The blitz slows your transition fromD to attack . England seem unable to do both. Boks are transitioning their suffocating blitz to be more adaptable now they want to play more rugby.
There is always this drop off when a team has played a really hectic game against powerful opposition to get up for the game the following Saturday against a "perceived" weaker team: England in the RWC2019 final, South Africa in the 2023 semi-final. You need to be a really tough minded set of individuals that can come back when you are facing unanticipated opposition.
Imagine the stare Jonno would give Earl after he happy clapped a turnover 😅
England have lost 4 in a row. This form is alarming. There is no way England beat SA so it’s 5 this weekend even if we push them close, brave losers is not acceptable for England this isn’t Scotland. 🏴 Since beating Ireland the team have stayed still, which is frustrating. Borthers is on thin ice but he deserves to keep his job for the time being.
For me at the last try, it looked like Marcus Smith had the look of someone that had been calling Big Jim a Jessy all week on social media, and then ran in to him in the Dog and Duck's toilet afterwards.... He looked absolutely petrified of getting hit and ended up doing nothing of any use for that final try. Either come in and smash the ball carrier or keep your width. Be interested to see what people think. Surely an international can have that bad a weakness in the tackling department?
*can't
Smith is no coward. Tackles dudes twice his size and weight, he’s a very competent defender, better than many half backs.
Exhibit a.. Poor tackler George ford. Tackles like a revolving door
england may be losing (wots new?), but they look far more dynamic since they spilled farrell.
England weren't aggressive anove and they came to twickenham smiling i thought what aww smiling for game face at all times😡🏉🏴
I'm not English, so I don't feel obliged to crucify the England team when they lose. But if you look at the two games England has played this Autumn series, against Australia and New Zealand, they have been the two most entertaining games of rugby by far this series. England haven't played rugby this entertaining possibly ever. Remember England are still recovering from the Eddie Jones train wreck too. They're playing some great rugby and they're making some mistakes. Still way better than playing shit rugby and losing. Get around your team.
I remember martin Johnson saying he was gonna make England a dominant force in the men’s and women’s game in both 15s and 7s yeah right
He just gave Ford a contract. He’s going to play him.
Scots were down to 14 players after 10 minutes they still stood tall in the rucks
Issue for Aus is that the main guys will be knackered as Joe is not rotating the team enough. He needs to play Sio, Ainsley Latu, Arnold, Skelton, Philip and Hodge.
I would agree with Sio, but Arnold isn't making this team - Australia isn't short on good locks at the moment with the likes of Williams, Frost, LSL, Swain, etc. And Hodge isn't making the XXIII either - he's well behind the likes of Samu Kerevi and Flook, who can't make the XXIII. Skelton will probably play this week - Jermaine Ainsley isn't making the squad unless there are consecutive Wallaby bus tragedies.
Disagree. Issue is these guys are all going to play a lot of games and there is little rotation ahead of the lions tour. They will be held together with sticky tape. There will be injuries and they are too thin on the bench. Ainsley is a better scrummager than AAA, who got destroyed against NZ and SA. And Slipper a great solider but also get creamed by SA and Nz at scrum time.
Arnold best jumping percentage in France so makes sense for the rotation. Or Philip. Other guys you cite not as solid at lineout. Amatesero as well but Schmidt didn’t start him.
Hodge not for centre he’s better at 15. The reason for him is his boot is huge and can settle things down for the 10s who need support till they get confidence up. Wright is a confidence player and regularly has very bad days. Lack of support has been a big issue for 10s.
Great video analysis. Just some feedback on the Pacific surnames. It would be nice to try and pronounce these names correctly. It’s not pronounced Sa-i-l-i or has an ongoing stutter. Think of it phonetically - Su-ar-lee-e. Andrew said it well. You’ll no doubt hear his name more often.
Ford really is the finisher but not in the required way.