England

letsgoboks says...

J-bay and Cape St Francis... thanks for making me homesick Phil :D

Posted 10:41 20th June 2012

philipjfry says...

He spelt 'braai' wrong. Only 'one eye' Phil.

Posted 22:53 19th June 2012

NHsaints says...

Great article...few can Deny cole is a world class tighthead and with some honing and refining the English front Row is a serious force to be reckoned with...especially considering that Marler is the weakest link in the scrum and is only 21. Combine that with a Palmer - Lawes second row or a Lawes - Parling second row and you've got a tough looking tight 5. People looking for England's up coming 8? There were two...Narraway and the Wasps U21 8 (I can't remember his name) but unfortunately Narraway was ignored after injury and the Wasps 8 had to retire due to knee injury. With Kvesic the obvious choice at 7 for England in the coming years I'd move Robshaw to 8 - he can carry, tackle and offload. And then Let croft and wood fight for the 6 jersey. There are no real talents coming through at 8 and if we'd been trying to win the series Easter would have been our starting 8. I really like the Idea of Tuilagi on the wing...we've been exposed out wide before and he'll handle that easily and he's scored most of his best tries from a back 3 position or going down the wing. That'll also allow us to employ Joseph's skill at 13 and Barritt's endless tackling from 12.

Posted 18:47 19th June 2012

heathy says...

For me this particular tour has not been about winning. Granted, to record a win (or even two or three) would have been fantastic but in reality this was never ever going to happen. For me it was all about the performance, blooding young and inexperienced players and improving. There is nothing better than to have a tour against the Boks in their back yard as experience. Add to this they were able to compete and this will do the world of good going forward (I hope). Don't get me wrong, England are still a long way off. Even if we do win this next match (IF?) then it will not be the same as winning any of the first two. It is, as they say, a dead rubber. However, England should go all hell for leather and try to win it. Take something from the tour and learn. They have got SH teams in November and then a Six Nations competition after that. If we can keep progressing then this side is looking good for the future. After a few more games against SH oposition we need to look at taking a few scalps. We are a good three years behind Wales and for me, the next Six Nations is going to be interesting as I think Wales have gone backwards. In contrast, their tour was a disappointment for them. Ireland for me haven't really moved. They can be great one day and awful the next. Unfortunately, the Boks and the All Blacks are looking very good not only now but for the future.

Posted 15:33 19th June 2012

bloemboy says...

Nice article, offering praise where it is due. In my opinion though, Waldrom was no better than average and only stood out because he was in white. If he had been wearing a green or black shirt, he would have been totally inconspicuous. His carries etc. are a minimum expectation for a Bok or All Black loose. If you compare his 20 minutes worth to the play of Alberts, McCaw, Burger, Pocock, Reid etc, he simply isnt even in the same hemisphere....

Surely England can unearth another Dallalio from somewhere.

I completely agree on Dan Cole. Excellent player and technician

Posted 15:21 19th June 2012

objetive says...

Never enjoy dead rubbers as the team that has lost the series is always more motivated to win. Inevitably, the winning team also rests players not really injured (having done the business the week before). A consolation victory is then used as a basis to argue any number of "if only" scenarios in the first two tests and to convince oneself that one actually "deserved" (hate that word in a sporting context) to have won the series. Then DVD's are released about England's famous series "win" (because they deserved to win the 1st and/or 2nd test too). England, my message to you is to not speak a bunch of nonsense if you squeeze a win on Sat. Just accept it was a bit meaningless and that you have a lot to learn before you can win when it really matters. Having said all that, it has been great having you over and well done on competing in patches. Both you and the Boks will get a lot better. EngvSA final in the next RWC? Quite possible.

Posted 14:51 19th June 2012

melkdave says...

Annother concise and well written article,,and yes the J.P.Pitersen try was a soft try ,as he should have been nailed by the 1st up tackler.but still a great run.I to expect there to be changes ,much as Vicks has stated.B.Morgon has been a bit of a disappiontment imo ,given his ability and size ,but has shown enough in flashes as to his potential,he can only improve imho,and overall Eglands attack is still lacking .The support just isnt there at vital moments ,but again its showing improvment in flahes,consistancy in that regard will come (i hope) as the team developes.Overall its been a good tour so far from England ,lets not forget its a very experianced and powerfull SA team,picked purely to win against England ,as stated by HM himself.For it to be an outstanding tour England have to win a test ,and they arnt to far off doing that imho,They just need to cope with the SA power game ,which i know is easier said than done ,and keep the scores close thoughout the entire match,if they can stay within 3-5 ponts they have a good chance imho,Not going to be easy ,but then nothing worth doing is easy ,and what a morale boost it could be for a young developing squad /team.To have an away win against a major SH nation

Posted 14:30 19th June 2012