Gloucester swiftly replace Fraser Balmain with ex-England U20 prop

Super rugby is back with a bang but defence is very much optional in that league. It’s brilliant to watch but can have it’s limitations with the players it conditions for test level. They only really attempt penalty is goals in knockout games late in the season. Barrett and M’ounga had obvious struggles with pressure kicks last RWC. Barrett hadn’t even attempted a drop goal until he was around 70 caps.

It’s boring but defence still wins tournaments.

England will no doubt benefit from more highly skilled attacking players (assuming they allow them to play with some autonomy) but test matches are rarely high scoring affairs. It's good that our players are becoming more skilled, we've long played second fiddle in those stakes to the SH (and still do) but the players also need to learn how to grind out gnarly wins. The Premiership is already a very high scoring league, we don't need to push it any further.

His ultimate aim is to coach at international level again.

Tom Coughlin won the SB at the age of 76, and NFL does not suffer coaching fools gladly. Gregg Popovich is 75 and has been coaching the San Antonio Spurs since 1988 and he’s won five NBA title in three diff decades. Andy Reid is 67 and won the last two SBs with the Chiefs.

And in regard to Les Kiss’s age, well Nick Nurse got his first crack at the NBA in 2019, promptly winning a championship with the Raptors!

Rugby won’t go down the Soccer road and hire-and-fire like it’s the Wild West. It will find the value in older coaches as time passes. And even the manager of Real Marid is Carlo Ancelotti - aged 65!

The win rates are vitally important for this Lions tour. ‘01/’05/’09 were losses. ‘17 was a draw and ‘21 was a utter disgrace that stained the game. And a loss. They’ve won one test series in 24 years. And just 12 months ago people were worried about how uncompetitive Australia might be. Talk about added pressure.

Farrell is a straight forward, no nonsense type of guy. He’ll probably pick conservatively and with guys in their proven positions. He hasn’t the time for bolters or shock calls. Not with the touring schedule they have.

You haven’t remotely offended me, chief. Not at all.

You’ve actually missed that Ferguson is actually a sporting paradox. 23 years at the helm and the bulk of his success was from the mid-later point of his career. It only proves experience is more important than age.

I was being polite in suggesting the comparison was not stable.

His injury opens the door to blood a new loosehead prop, maybe Xavier Numia, who was a beast last SRP season but has not yet reached the same form. Ollie Norris is another contender at the Chiefs as is George Bower.

And like I said, he has only ever performed well at 7 in international rugby when there has been a specialist openside elsewhere in the back row who is able to share the defensive workload. If you’re going to lock in to only ever selecting Tom Curry at 6 then there’s no issues at all. But if there’s a chance that one day CCS, or Ted Hill, or Chessum, or Kpoku, or Carnduff might play 6, then a backrow with Earl at 7 would be extremely unbalanced.

I don’t have a pension fund. I am relaxed, but I’m that my tone offended you - it really wasn’t deliberate!