One warm-up too many for England - Andy Goode
England’s final game before the World Cup is great for the North East but it’s one warm-up too many and shows World Rugby need to expand the squad size.
Eddie Jones’ selection of three players outside of his 31-man squad to face Italy shows that three would have probably been the optimum number of games to have in preparation for getting on the plane to Japan.
It’s great for Joe Marchant, Charlie Ewels and Matt Kvesic who get another cap and possibly know that they’re next in line for a call-up should anyone get injured in their position but it’s clear he doesn’t want to risk certain players who have played enough already.
The game has changed drastically over the past three or four years in terms of the size of players and the impact of Test matches on the body and four warm-up games seems to be a bit much given what we’ve seen.
I also think World Rugby need to look at expanding the size of the squads to 33 or 34 at World Cups because of just how attritional international rugby is. The intensity that England train at, let alone play at, is phenomenal nowadays.
I wouldn’t advocate a big increase because that would dilute what it means to go to a World Cup and mean more players would be going and not playing but coaches want to work 15 on 15 in training and that just isn’t possible with a 31-man squad.
You normally expect up to about a 25 per cent attrition rate in club rugby with that proportion of your squad missing at any one time because they’re banged up so I think adding a few more spots is reasonable and necessary in the modern game.
I would make it a 34-man squad and I think that would allow coaches to get some more quality training done, which is more important than warm-up games in many respects, as well as allowing them to cover more positions properly.
The conversation around Billy Vunipola, in particular, starting all four of these games is a storm in a tea cup for me though. You can get injured in training and certain players get better with more games. Billy has missed some time over the past year or so and I don’t see an issue with him starting again if the coaches think it’s the right thing to do.
It does highlight the fact that he is the only genuine number eight in the squad but that is the balance that Eddie has chosen so he will have a big workload.
It might seem strange to some people that this is the game he’s starting at fly half but Owen Farrell hasn’t started at 10 yet in these warm-up games, so I think he had to start there in this one.
Ben Youngs will be looking for a big performance alongside him as well after a few people have raised questions about his displays in August and with only two scrum halves in the squad.
It’ll be great to see Ruaridh McConnochie finally make his debut after having to pull out of the first couple of warm-up games through injury and he’ll be eager to prove why he’s been selected.
And, before his Achilles injury Anthony Watson was England’s first choice full back and he is a world class operator when fit and firing so it’s great to see him back starting in the 15 jersey.
There have been some question marks over Elliot Daly defensively and under the high ball but I still think he gets in the starting XV at full back or on the wing for the big games at this World Cup.
Newcastle won’t care about how many warm-up games there are and it’s great to see an international being taken up there. We saw what it was like up there for the Champions Cup final back in May and it’s a great atmosphere at St James’ Park.
It’s not just great for the fans either. I had the privilege of playing for England at Old Trafford back in the day and the players will be excited too, especially Mark Wilson.
They’re only warm-up games but the way England have played in theirs over the course of the past month compared to some of the other leading nations you could argue they’re the form team in the world all of a sudden.
Things are looking good but it’s no good peaking too early. November 2 is the time to reach an absolute peak. Only time will tell whether England can do that but they’ll settle for getting through this one without any injuries.
Comments on RugbyPass
So as long as the playmaker still has the ball IN his hands, its OK. Otherwise the timing is wrong and he’s a liability. No grey line there. Thats the rule he is advocating ? Got it.
3 Go to commentsWrite them off at your peril
8 Go to commentsJust fantastic that the professional game is finally being taken to the Pacific islands. Not before time. It justifies the mere existence of Moana as a club, hopefully they can start to get some positive results too. Check out the sheer joy of the crowds in Fiji and the buzz that having a home team creates. Tonga always had (has ?) issues with their ground not complying with International rugby standards, which NZ always used as an excuse for many years not bringing the All Blacks over. Hopefully this match is the first of many. Would be great to see some tourism grow on the back of it. I once went to the Cook Islands Sevens in Rarotonga - tiny island nation but man did they turn it on. Tonga and Samoa will too given half a chance.
1 Go to commentsQuite right. Punish the time wasters. Its BS these time delays for non-injuries. The Boks have been using it for years now to slow down opposition and now its a scourge on the game. Put players like DeGroot on the sideline and restart play immediately. Watch how 5-6 min to fix your boots quickly becomes 1-2 minutes. Better still how about some personal professional management and you check the conditions/turf beforehand and get yourself better prepared. It might even help your team.
1 Go to commentsWhat drivel. Rugby as a contact sport should not be further diminished by crying over legal hard tackles. Take on the line? Be ready to take the hit. This is PC nonsense.
3 Go to commentsGregor Paul is going to be proved totally wrong. The Crusaders will get in the top 8 and are capable of winning this comp. The return of magnificent captain and player Scott Barrett on Friday was huge. There are a number of players returning and Ethan Blackadder showed huge progression in only his third game back. Christian Lio-Willie has added a new dimension , these two’s combination with Cullen Grace was fantastic. This builds depth when you have outstanding players like Tom Christie and Dom Gardiner also available. The tight five improved ten fold and this is with Tamaiti Williams and Codie Taylor being back.Others are set to return. Johnny McNicoll on his return home has been a revelation. Paul can dismiss Fridays win by the Crusaders as much as he likes and he will prove very popular in this country in doing so. But he will be proved wrong , Rob Penney and his coaching team will have the last laugh.
8 Go to commentsI haven’t seen or heard to many whinging about Finau quite the opposite. The TMO’s have reviewed each time and taken no action, so if they have now been alerted it’s not from people whinging The player comes flying out of the line and launches himself at the attacker so it is probably ruled as a committed tackle, but at what point does it move to tackling a player without the ball Time will tell
3 Go to commentsThis cracked media record of aligning success or failure on head coaches is remarkable. Using the crusaders past history as an example, a more sensible observation and analysis could be that the recent head coaches had inherited a extremely successful combination of players linked to their traditional historical support of the Canterbury people. That period ended this year when the new coach was introduced to virtually a new team. And in a year where other franchises have grown much stronger than their respective past, it was always an anticipated reality that the coach and his new crusader team were up against it. Therefore, I humbly believe that unlike some commentators present, I laud coach Penny and the team for their efforts to date and I am sure given another term and with Canterbury behind them they will be riding high once more. Strange all this coming from me who lives in Taupo and a one eyed chiefs supporter. Can't wait for all future chiefs and crusader games!
8 Go to commentsGrt bench player..keep him there..
3 Go to commentsA Springbok 2-0 win: haha told you we were champions now shut up An Irish 2-0 win: the referee was under orders from world rugby to cheat us but luckily we don’t care because this is part of Rassie’s grand world Cup plan.
112 Go to commentsI hope they didn’t pay Jones fee?
2 Go to commentsTo be fair, the teams he's had to put out are reminiscent of those available to Gatland during his horrible run at the Chiefs in late 2020. Anyway, he's only got a two year contract and Wellingtonian Tamati Ellison will be ready by then, as will a lot of talented youngsters (like the Chiefs Gatland blooded). The Crusaders are planning for the long term.
8 Go to commentsGreat to see more community spending leading to higher participation in the community. It's a long road but that's a good first step.
2 Go to commentsPoetic justice for trying to sell him to Australia as another kiwi saviour coach, not ! Deans was just as bad actually but McCaw and Carter covered up for him. That’s why they didn’t want him as All Black coach, even after Graeme Henry’s bumbling effort in 2007.
8 Go to commentsSACK HIM !
8 Go to commentsSafas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
112 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
112 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
112 Go to comments