TVaddict says...

Of the players in the squad I'd go for:

1)Alex Corbisiero

2)Dylan Hartley

3)Paul Doran Jones

4)Mouritz Botha

5)Joe Launchbury

6)Phil Dowson

7)Jamie Gibson/Carl Fearns (I haven't seen Fearns play so can't judge)

8)Ben Morgan

9)Lee Dickson

10)Owen Farrell

11)Christian Wade

12)Brad Barritt

13)Jonathan Joseph

14)Chris Ashton

15)Ben Foden

16)Lee Mears

17)Matt Stevens

18)Tom Palmer

19)Tom Johnson

20)Haydn Thomas

21)Freddie Burns

22)Alex Goode

Starting XV has 9 starters from the 6 nations so there should be enough of the core of the squad to build on the performance, but with some young inform players coming in around them. Jonathan Joseph and Christian Wade definitely deserve their place and would benefit from the experience, especially with the free running style of rugby played in barbarian matches. I'd also liked to see Paul Doran Jones given a start, because I'd prefer him in the 22 to Stevens, but he needs a chance to prove himself.

Posted 21:37 18th May 2012

melkdave says...

I also welcome RUGGERNAUT as APV has said the forum can be quite heated at times .But mostly its just jossing and the majority of posters do think and have good thoughts concerning the game and teams.Now if only the coaches and IRB wuld take notice all rugbys problems would be solved LOLOLOLOL just joking

Posted 12:40 17th May 2012

5Lock4ward says...

Thanks to all who responded to my Nick Kennedy inquiry. Your answers are probably more accurate than my own thoughts. I know it's sinister and I've caught an incredible amount of venom on here before for making this suggestion but I think national teams give caps to spite their competition. Kennedy was also eligible to represent Ireland. So I wonder if England didn't cap him to prevent him from wearing Ireland's shirt. I also wonder the same about the myriad polynesian gentlemen who've been given one cap in the Black shirt thus no longer being able to play for Fiji, Tonga or Samoa. That's not a knock on the respective unions mind you, these men all made their own choices. Anyhow, just a thought.

Posted 14:10 16th May 2012

APV1 says...

@ jamesliveinhope - absolutely. But we can also use the Baa-Baas match to give them a run out too. But the core of the team will be playing (or in the AP Final), so shouldn't be too rusty. Have I missed the point (again!)?

@ Ruggernaut - welcome aboard! You will find that most posters on here wear their loyalties on their sleeve, so it soon becomes obvious where they lie. Some names also give their allegiances away. And most are quite reasoned, albeit passionate.

There are those who are less reasoned and should be generally ignored. I'll leave you to make those decisions, but it won't take you long.

You will also see many familiar and tiresome arguments repeated (often by those dullards mentioned above): England can't develop its own youngsters, despite having the largest playing pool in the universe, and is full of foreigners; all refs are biased against Saffas; everyone in the world is biased against the Saffas; Richie McCaw is a cheat (well, he is!); and so on. Agian, you'll soon draw your own conclusions.

And sometimes some of us just like to wind other people up, just for the sheer hell of it.

But, for the most part, the posters are fairly reasonable, although enjoy a heated debate.

Welcome aboard, Ruggernaut, your input is valued!

(I'm a Bath, England, B&I Lions and Baa-Baas - depending who they're playing - supporter, so you'll have to excuse my bias.)

Posted 12:19 16th May 2012

jamesliveinhope says...

@5locck4ward - I suspect his biggest challenge was that he was(is) too similar a player to Borthwick (who I still feel is one of the best captains in the premiership).

Both players were considered to be a little lightweight for test rugby so the second lock was always going to need to compensate in the grunt department. To be fair, at Bath Borthwick was playing alongside Grewcock and Kennedy alongside Casey at Irish so the theory was borne out a little by the way that they were both played at their clubs.

Posted 08:23 16th May 2012

JamieTheProp says...

@ RugbyLeRoux - incisive!

While South Africa will be a very tough tour and could, quite possibly, not result in a test win England have had 8 years of not playing well and are currently rebuilding. This isn't about a tour in June it is about building a squad of young platers who will grow together and compete for a World Cup in 4 years.

There is no pressure from the English rugby public for the team to beat South Africa - it is an exercise in seeing what the team can do in a hard tour environment and seeing them progress through the process.

That said from every intelligent and generally arrogant South African the same can't be said of the expectations for your team - which piles the pressure on.

While I admit you are huge favourites I saw nothing in the World Cup to say that you are going to smash us. Our defence is sound with Wales, who are a far superior team to the current South Africa one, couldn't put a hatful of points past us) so why should you feel that you will?

We are also building an attack which again I hope to develop over the tour.

Finally we do have a world class scrum (and one that will only get better) and a world class kicker - so whenever England tour with that combination there is always hope.

If you are going to comment that England will get murdered then at least tell us what makes you think that, what the match-ups are you think are superior. You may well be right and you'll certainly look more intelligent and consider for doing so.

On the other hand you could just do what most Saffas on here do and tell us you are just going to beat us up - which is very forward thinking.

Posted 06:30 16th May 2012

Demers says...

The shot of Freddie Burns in this article is a classic example of how not to punt. His upper body is swingig to his right and his kicking leg is swinging across the flight of the ball. Where have all the kicking coaches gone?

Posted 22:04 15th May 2012

jamesliveinhope says...

@APV1, I was in two minds over this but surely the fringe boys will be making up the midweek team in SA and will gain considerable hi intensity game time there. Meanwhile, the 1st team will go into a test match with almost a month without game-time in a series that could have ramifications for RWC seedings.

Would also be happy to see as near a test side as the premiership final will allow as I've got tickets.

Posted 21:50 15th May 2012

RugbyLeRoux says...

England are in serious trouble come June!

Posted 20:10 15th May 2012

5Lock4ward says...

Serious question here seeking a serious answer; Why has Nick Kennedy never gotten another look by England or the Saxons after his solid performance against the Pac. Islanders? Is he not part of one of the best line-out operating pairs in the game? Also a dynamic ball carrier. What's the deal?

Posted 17:32 15th May 2012