TVaddict says...

At the end of the day the South African first XV had around 450 caps compared to England who had around 170, so we were totally outmatched experience wise. Also given that for most of our players this was their first south Africa tour, the most physically challenging tour, I thought they gave a good account of themselves.

The important thing, obviously, is that we improve for the next game. We either need to kick a lot less, or make our kicking much more precise. If Barritt is injured, then I think we should move Tuilagi to 12, and Joseph to 13. With the extra space that Tuilagi creates Joseph has the pace to get through the gaps. I think we should either start with Dickson at 9 and Farrell at 10, or Youngs at 9 and Flood at 10. I think Farrell needs Dickson's clean passing to properly thrive. Maybe put Haskell on the bench instead of Dowson to add some physical presence.

Posted 17:17 10th June 2012

astrospange says...

How many caps did SA have compared to Eng? How many SA players play together in the Super 15's? Point being they will be familiar with each other. All this talk about only having one week is enough to galvanise any team. Eng new team have now seen the mark and will have something to aim for. Bring the next test on!!

Posted 08:19 10th June 2012

LondonWasp says...

to lose by 5 points i think is quite positive. we could be looking at a more NZ vs Ireland score !

Posted 22:38 09th June 2012