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Training squad exclusion of Robshaw and Care leave England fans puzzled
Eddie Jones has announced an England training camp ahead of the World Cup later this year, and there have been a number of noticeable omissions.
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The squad does not contain any players from Saracens, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester or Northampton Saints, as they all took part in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs, but a few big names are missing nonetheless from other clubs.
Former captain Dylan Hartley, who has not played for Northampton this year due to injury, misses out, as do Harlequins duo Chris Robshaw and Danny Care. The three of them have a combined total of 247 caps, which is a lot of experience to overlook.
Despite featuring for England recently, and having a great finish to his season with Wasps where he scored six tries in eight games, Nathan Hughes is another big name that misses out. However, it’s the exclusion of Robshaw and Care that has surprised many fans on social media.
Robshaw has not played for England since last summer’s series in South Africa, while Care played his last Test for England against Japan last autumn. But both players have had great seasons with Harlequins and were in with a shout for a recall.
Eddie Jones names his initial 29-strong England World Cup training squad https://t.co/bC6COkuWcc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 20, 2019
Robshaw was carrying an injury for the first half of the Six Nations, but he and Care were overlooked for the entire championship. However, with Jones trying to blood some young players into the squad, many put this down to the coach knowing what to expect from the flanker and the scrum-half.
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Therefore, this latest exclusion has confused many fans. This is how they have reacted on Twitter:
Feel sad that Robshaw and Care are not going but it's pretty inevitable. Pretty happy that Dombrandt is in the RWC squad. No Marler comeback?!
— Paul Harrison (@paulbharrison) June 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/burman_j/status/1141666707532066816?s=20
Staggered Robshaw has missed out to Shields.
— Edward Hale ? (@EdwardJBH) June 20, 2019
Hartley I thought should have been in getting treatment with Vunipola & Kruis. Care & Robshaw are more surprising does he know enough about them to not need them at what just a preliminary training camp?
— Gareth Rees (@garethrees9) June 20, 2019
@dannycare being overlooked by Eddie Jones is an absolute joke.
One of the world's best 9s and can change a game in a flash.
Terrible decision.— Jerry O'Sullivan (@JerryofSelby) June 20, 2019
I think they'd be justified in doing so in the case of Robshaw. Arguably the best 6 of the season, whilst Shields continues to under-perform. A lot of leadership dropping out with Care, Robshaw and Hartley as well
— Heads Up Rugby (@Heads_Up_Rugby) June 20, 2019
Shields over Robshaw ? pic.twitter.com/pIcRVib0hH
— Jack (@jackrobbins71) June 20, 2019
Shocking that Robshaw and Care have been omitted considering the season's they've had. Worried now about the 9 position as Youngs is the only real experience in the squad and we've got a tough group.
— Dom (@DomB116) June 20, 2019
Staggered Robshaw has missed out to Shields.
— Edward Hale ? (@EdwardJBH) June 20, 2019
Interesting that EJ has left Chris Robshaw out of England’s prelim World Cup squad, Danny Care too ? that’s a lot of experience and quality in key positions
— Kisset.C (@kyrosrugby) June 20, 2019
It would seem Eddie Jones doesn't want to win this world cup. How you can go with (aside from Ben Youngs) 50 minutes of test rugby at 9 is insane. Leaving out over 200 caps worth of experience in Care, Robshaw and Hartley. I'll get behind the boys all the way but not convinced
— Dom (@DomB116) June 20, 2019
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One of the main reasons why England fans are shocked at Care’s omission is due to the lack of experience at scrum-half after Ben Youngs. While Dan Robson and Ben Spencer, who is likely to be included at some point, are two emerging players for England, Care carries with him 84 caps’ worth of experience, which could be valuable.
Additionally, many fans are not completely convinced by Brad Shields yet, who is in the squad ahead of Robshaw. Shields arrived in England this season from the Hurricanes in New Zealand with the aim of making the World Cup.
He has been solid for both Wasps and England, but not necessarily spectacular. Some feel that he has not done enough yet to oust Robshaw from the England team.
Hartley’s inability to recover from a knee injury has meant that his World Cup chances, and potentially his England career, is over. However, to some fans there was a sense of inevitability that this would happen as he has fought a losing battle to recover.
Like Hartley, the absences of Robshaw and Care could spell the end of their England careers as well, which is unfortunate in these circumstances.
WATCH: Part one of the two-part RugbyPass documentary series on what the fans can expect in Japan at the World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
75 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments