Edwards- Our Loss or His?

Another Wasps man, besides Dallaglio, with a good relationship with the press is Shaun Edwards, I am very bitter about the fact he is invoved in the coaching set up at Wales. I really think he’s enjoying the attention he’s getting. I mean he talks to the press more than Ashton and they really respond to him- very annoying. As much as I like Edwards, I can’t wait till Wales become unstuck against either France or Ireland. People go on about how we have lost a great coach in Edwards, they are right. But with the abundance of talent coming through the ranks Edwards will have lost out as well if he doesn’t return to the English setup. However, his experience with Gatland, Jenkins and Howley and possibly a Lions tour will prove invaluable when/if he comes back.

Cipriani for Balshaw?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7266410.stm

Dallaglio’s such a legend. I can’t wait till he gets involved in the coaching set up at Wasps with Ibanez. The problem is that Ashton doesn’t like him. Just after Lawrence’s book was published and before he retired, Ashton said he would still consider Lawrence for the 6 Nations as a player. I would have put money on him not being picked for the squad. But how is this all relevant now? I believe, like Dallaglio, that Cipriani would benefit greatly from playing in the same team as Wilko, I mean what player doesn’t? However, the ever unsubtle Dallaglio may have pencilled Balshaw’s name into the starting line-up himself by saying that Cipriani should start at 15. Let’s just hope I’m proved wrong when the team sheet comes out. I’ld like to think that Ashton isn’t that stubborn. It’s never good to have a coach that can’t admit when he’s wrong. The thing is, much to the average fan’s suprise, Ashton has a whole team of coaching staff behind him and wont take much notice of ex-players comments. He’ll be able to decide this one on his own. I doubt very much that he’ll read the article himself but he’ll probably hear about it from someone. What’s good is Lawrence is complimentry of the coaching setup and hopefully that will make the selection critism easier to hear. I look forward to Lawrence’s next interview in the press.

In the meantime- Cipriani for Balshaw- do it!

So Much Talent

The annoying thing about having all the rugby on a Saturday usually means that you don’t have anything to look forward to watching with your roast on the Sunday. The day after the Round 3 of the 6 Nations, this was not the case. I watched a great game between Saracens and Harlequins. Sarries lost this 15-6, but it wasn’t the tight game or the quality of good Guiness Premiership rugby (as opposed to watching Scotland play) that made me sit up a bit. It was the quality of Quin’s scrum-half Danny Care. He played brilliantly and really earnt his man of the match award. He did get good ball from the forwards and he used it very well. He played with the pace and vision of a player who is putting his hand up to be counted for England. Definately one to watch for the future. Poor Gomersall, he has had it tough, hasn’t he? He’ll have problems starting for Quins, if Care carrys on like this. The only annoying thing about watching Care play was the fact that the players around him aren’t good enough to recognise what he’s doing and run into the gaps he creates. He will definately need to move to a better club to develop his game. I would love to see him play for Newcastle as I don’t rate their scrum-half, I think it’s Dickson. Also Flood and Tait could cut great lines off Care’s sideways run that constantly asked questions of the Saracens defence. Plus, if Wilko is adamant on staying there, they might as well improve the players around him!

Another man who wants that 9 shirt may return from 10 months of injury this weekend. Harry Ellis. I bet you he is raring to go. It’s so frustrating to go see your mates go out and play rugby when you’re injured and let’s hope Ellis doesn’t get phased at all if he comes on against Danny Care’s old club Leeds Polytechnic this weekend. Scrum-half is a very common position for players to go into these days, probably due to the fact that you don’t have to be 6ft 6in or have run the 100m in 10.7s or boot the ball 80 metres. I think having a good pass can be developed alot easier then these things. Having said that, when Dawson retired a great void was left. With Wigglesworth, Care, Richards and Ellis in the mix, competition is tough. I think Perry and Gomersall have had their day I’m afraid. It’s a shame for Perry as he only really got into his rugby at a late age. You can never really write off Gomersall though.

All this talk about 9 though is to take nothing away from the battles for the 12 shirt on the otherside of Wilko. Barkley, Flood, Geraghty, possibly Cipriani… It’s all very exciting to have such good players competing for 9, 10 and 12. Let’s hope the talent is well managed. No one wants an Austin Healy situation. One thing is certain- if Wilkinson continues playing as well as he did in France he will be the first name on the sheet in 2011. However, that’s a massive if. The talent that Cipriani has can not be wasted and the idea of bringing him in at a different position, which he is also very good at, should be considered by the coaching staff, especially when there is a clear gap at 15. Experimenting must be done in the Scotland game. If it is done during the other tests it will effect our ranking, which is hugely important this year.

http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/mediazone/pressrelease/newsid=2022353.html

France 13 – England 24

Wow! What a game. The back row had an awesome game, as did the half backs. I suppose so did the front five and back line! What epitomised the game for me was the last 5 minutes, England’s composure and dominance in the pack really showed there. There was no need for Wigglesworth to celebrate like a footballer, but it really showed how pleased the lads were with the win. Looks like Yoda’s plan is coming together after two fairly disappointing games. It was very good to see Vainikolo have a good game and get used more. Clerc’s frustration at being bundled into touch every time he went near big Les showed in a little bit of afters after the Wigglesworth try. Poor guy shouldn’t have switched wings, he didn’t get it as bad as Rougerie though! But that seemed to be the game plan. Don’t give the back three any space and dominate the scrum. Almost every scrum turned into an English penalty. What I liked most about this game is that France didn’t really choke, they just got frustrated because England played better.

Brian Moore had quite a few rants at Balshaw for his positioning and also for letting the ball bounce and then shouting about it to his team mates! Rightly so. Wigglesworth, Wilkinson and Sackey were forever dropping back to help him out and I realy felt that he didnt pull his weight defensively.

Tait came on for Noon and although Noon had a great game, it’s a shame that Tait wasn’t bought on a little earlier to enable him to run those beautiful lines that he runs so well. It seems that Ashton doesn’t see Tait as a full back and will stick with Balshaw, I am not sure if this is because he is being stubborn, or because he believes in him or a bit of both. Maybe he thought he would give him a full last game, but I think that’s being optimistic.

Wilkinson did miss 3 out of 7 kicks and points difference will decide this tournament if Wales are tripped up by France or Ireland. Wilkinson played brilliantly though, and it is easy to see why Cipriani wasn’t used at all during the game. Ashton managed the substitutions very well in this respect. France, on the other hand, used all their subs and gave it everything they had, it just wasnt enough.

England still need to improve on their lineouts and running moves through the backs. It’s no doubt that Balshaw can run a decent line and he needs to come in off Flood more, like Tait does at Newcastle. Vainikolo needs more ball, he always needs a lot to stop him and it takes it out of the defence if nothing else.

Lipman impressed me yesterday, as did Croft, who really rose to the challenge. I doubt he expected to play as much rugby as he did before the game and he handled the pressure well. Conceeding penalties needs to be cut out by the back row but that comes with experience- sort of! Austin Healy mentioned that he would like to see a back row of Croft, Haskell and Lipman. That would be awesome. When Lawrence retires at the end of this season, I really hope that Wasps play Haskell at 8. In the meantime, as I’ve said before, England can still try it out in the last 20 in the next game assuming Haskell is fit to play. I also think that Croft would make a good open-side, but he needs experience there and Lipman is playing well.

So let’s hope Haskell recovers and the camp remains injury free over the next two weeks so that our game can develop further for the Scotland match.

Pre-match nerves for the French game

France v England

The game is just hours away, the two teams who were picked as favourites before the tournament meet in Paris to conclude what should be a bloody good day of rugby. 

The forwards Ashton has picked are brilliant. The only issue I have is at 7, but that is due to injury and it’s not like Lipman isn’t good. However we do need to find a decent No 8. I dont think it’s a bad idea to put Haskell there and move Croft to 6, but that needs to be done in the last 20min of this game to see how it works.

At 9, Wigglesworth really needs to perform like he can this weekend, as when Ellis and Richards come back of injury he’ll be under a lot of pressure. Gomersall was always on his way out. However, he always plays better as an underdog with something to prove, it would have been nice to see him come in off the bench but with Hodgson on such good form there’s no space.

Some pundits are talking about moving Wilkinson to 12. It’s an interesting idea. Cipriani needs to improve his defence. Right now, moving Wilkinson is something that should only be done if injurys hit England mid-game. It would be easier to put Cipriani at 12, but he really covets Wilko’s shirt. Flood is playing so well, with such pace and vision, Barkley’s going to have a bit of a job coming back into the side once he’s finished smashing sky sports producers at weddings. The future for English rugby at 10 and 12 is very promising. This will be a very strong point for England if managed correctly. Overall I am quite happy with the backline, although I don’t think Noon should be a permanant fixture at 13, despite his amazing defence two weeks ago. This position has been a problem since Greenwood retired and I struggle to think of a long term world class outside centre for England bar Tait, which some may say leaves a gap at full-back. But for now, stick with Noon, he’s playing well and his big hits encourage others.

The only decision that makes me cringe is the one that fans have been moaning about since the start of the tournament. When the Welsh say they are going to kick to who they deem to be your worst player and pressurise him AND he crumbles, you’ve got to take a step back and think. I do hope that Ashton knows something that we dont and Balshaw magically becomes good enough to put on Jason’s old shirt, but I am not an idiot. I wont say bring on Lewsey like so many others as he isn’t in the squad in the first place (although he should be) but bring on the guy who played so well in the same French stadium only three games ago slotting in at full back for the injured legendary Jason Robinson.

The England team I selected on Monday night was identical to the one that Ashton has selected with the exception of Gomersall for Hodgson and Tait for Balshaw.

It’s clear from reading Ashton’s interviews that he is fed up with the stick he is getting. So if Balshaw doesnt improve tomorrow then I can see Tait resuming his England career in the form of an early second half substitution.

As for the French team, what a formidable side. I won’t pretend to know the French team as well as I know the English, but it’s clear that Szarzewski is a good replacement for the much missed, awesome Ibanez. And with Mas and Nallet the England pack will have a handful at the breakdown. The inexperienced Parra must be put under pressure through the young Picamoles at the base of the scrum. Picamoles the man mountain has Bonnaire and Dusatoir at his flanks- no pressure Wilko!  I think that the 10 man game that England sometimes revert to is under-rated, especially when you look at the skill and power of the French forwards. Traille has been selected as goal kicker and if it does turn out to be a kicking contest I expect him to choke. However with the infamous demon back three that France currently have and the vision of Trinh-Duc, they wont be thinking about the 2 and 3 points that arent guaranteed.

Four games ago England were underdogs at the Saint Denis Stadium in France and they won. Three games ago Paul Sackey closed down the man everyone was calling the best winger in the world. I think he’ll do it again. One thing is certain, assuming the French dont go into that all so familiar suicidal mode after falling behind, England will have to play a full 80 minutes to win this game and fend off the challenges of the many impact players Lievremont will use off the bench.

Let’s just hope that Vainikolo’s inexperince in union isnt exploited by Rougerie. Let’s hope Balshaw settles and doesn’t make too many errors. And let’s hope the wind blows the right way for Jonny. If England can win tomorrow then the loss against Wales can be put down to good coaching from the Kiwi and Englishman and a post World Cup Final stutter.

The teams, courtesy of BBC sport:

France: Heymans (Toulouse); Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), Marty (Perpignan), Traille (Biarritz), Clerc (Toulouse); Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Parra (Bourgoin); Faure (Sale), Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Mas (Perpignan), Nallet (Castres, capt), Pape (Stade Francais), Bonnaire (Clermont-Auvergne), Dusautoir (Toulouse), Picamoles (Montpellier).
Replacements: Servat (Toulouse), J-B Poux (Toulouse), Thion (Biarritz), Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Yachvili (Biarritz), Skrela (Stade Francais), Floch (Clermont Auvergne).

England: Balshaw (Gloucester); Sackey (Wasps), Noon (Newcastle), Flood (Newcastle), Vainikolo (Gloucester); Wilkinson (Newcastle), Wigglesworth (Sale); Sheridan (Sale Sharks), Regan (Bristol), Vickery (Wasps, capt), Shaw (Wasps), Borthwick (Bath), Haskell (Wasps), Lipman (Bath), Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: Mears (Bath), Stevens (Bath), Kay (Leicester), Croft (Leicester), Hodgson (London Irish), Cipriani (Wasps), Tait (Newcastle).

Good Luck boys!