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Eddie releasing only one England player for club duty can mean only one thing - Andy Goode
With Beno Obano the only player released by Eddie Jones to play for his club this weekend, we can only assume there’ll be changes to the England team to face France next week.
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There have been mixed messages coming out of camp with a statement on Wednesday indicating that “some of the squad members who have received less playing time during the tournament will be given the opportunity to play for their clubs.”
Some has turned into one with Obano starting for Bath against Exeter on Saturday but the likes of Paolo Odogwu, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Alex Mitchell, Ben Earl, George Martin, Charlie Ewels and Will Stuart all unavailable for Premiership action.
You have to hope that Odogwu and Lawrence in particular are going to feature and hopefully play a prominent part against France because there’s no point keeping them there to hold tackle bags if they aren’t.
Odogwu was absolutely flying for Wasps, and is still their top try scorer this season such has been their dip in form, but he hasn’t played a game of rugby for eight weeks now.
Lawrence started for England against Scotland in Round 1 of the Six Nations but hasn’t been seen since and he’s made just one Premiership appearance this season, so surely he should be starting for Worcester against Bristol if he isn’t going to play next week.
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Meanwhile, Max Malins and Ben Earl have come off the bench in all three of England’s Six Nations games so far but for just 26 and 46 minutes respectively. If they aren’t in line to start against France, they should be playing for their clubs.
The likes of Craig Casey, Ed Byrne, Ross Byrne, Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Stuart McCloskey and Tom O’Toole have all been released by Ireland to play for Munster, Leinster and Ulster in big games this weekend as a point of comparison.
Movement in and out of squads is different this year because of COVID-19 protocols and tournament regulations but players are allowed to go back and play for their clubs and the RFU said that’d be an “individual decision for each player from a performance perspective” this week.
We’ve seen Kyle Sinckler come into the England squad during the tournament after serving his ban and players have been at home for short periods during fallow weeks so some more changes in the squad would probably be possible if it were needed.
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Regardless, it’s hard to fathom how it is deemed that Obano is the only player who should be playing in the Premiership this weekend from a performance perspective.
The Six Nations title has gone for England now and it’s difficult to see how much is going to be gained by just picking the same players in the final two rounds so surely we should see some new faces starting next week.
We’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out officially but hopefully the fact that only one player has been released back to his club this weekend is an indication that we’re going to see a fresh England line-up to face France. We live in hope.
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments