Comments on: Hartley could still feature at World Cup, says Rowntree

By: Leon

Leon — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 13:24:13 +0000

Ewers for Chisholm it is then

By: Pablito

Pablito — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 11:03:30 +0000

Forgot Ewers! He’ll only be 29. Definitely in there if he keeps up or improves his form (should have been in this year#s squad as well)

By: teecee

teecee — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 10:16:18 +0000

Still no Dave Ewers? What HAS this lad done wrong?

By: Leon

Leon — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 08:38:00 +0000

Good call, swap Clifford for either Ewels or Kruis and swap Sinkler for Hill

By: Pablito

Pablito — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:04:21 +0000

Like it!

Although reckon Jack Clifford will be in there somewhere and possibly Kyle Sinckler if he lives up to his talent

By: Leon

Leon — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 13:10:02 +0000

A bit off topic but seeing as Lancaster seems to be taking a long time deciding on his best squad for 2015, i thought I would help him get a head start with picking his 2019 squad:

J.Marler (29) M.Vunipola (28)
J.George (30) L.Cowan-Dickie (26) M.Haywood (27)
K.Brookes (29) Cole (32) P.Hill (23)
J.Launchbury (28) C.Ewels (23)
C.Lawes (30) G.Kruis (29)
M.Itoje (24) J.Chisholm (23)
L.Ludlam (23)
B.Vunipola (26) B.Morgan (30)
B.Youngs (30) J.Simpson (31) B.Spencer (27)
G.Ford (26) O.Farrell (30)
S.Burgess (30)
J.Joseph (28) H.Slade (26)
J.Nowell (26) H.Packman (23)
A.Watson (25) C.Wade (29)
E.Daly (26)

By: harlequin

harlequin — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 10:38:30 +0000

What is more important to the nation?Winning the World Cup or Stu’s principles?He’s already left Armitage Strettle and Abendanon in France.He must’nt leave Dylan watching on tv.

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 09:59:44 +0000

This is exactly what I tried to say on the other thread – yes Youngs throwing wasn’t perfect (a few were too low) but they weren’t really ‘not straight’. It was that combined with really poor and obvious calls to the middle which the French could pick off.

I think Hartley has always been helped by having Wood and Lawes his club mates there and Youngs was better when he had Parling. There are so many tiny variables in timing, height, speed of lifting when you change line out personnel that it makes a huge difference who you work with. If anything Youngs is bad at adapting to new jumpers rather than this actual throwing… I think it will come. I watch him week-in, week-out with Leicester and never see these issues. I will not be panicking until after the Ireland game if there is a repeat performance. Lawes really needs to help him out better as well.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:06:03 +0000

Hartley for 50-60 minutes, George for the last 20-30 minutes gets him good experience. With regards to Hartley’s dicipline, I would rather lose a man for 10 minutes, then have almost every scrum and every lineout fall to pot. Hartley needs to improve his dicipline but he’s still the best hooker in England.

By: Stu

Stu — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:17:28 +0000

Said it a few times, bring him in now – should have been training with squad anyway in my opinion. I don’t really understand Rowntree reasoning, sounds to me like SL felt forced to ditch him but has realized how reliant we are on the guy. He will have finished his ban after Fiji and be available foe majority of tournament so for me it doesn’t count as an issue in the same way Tuilagi indiscretion does. I don’t see any reason for SL to deny himself the best hooker he has when he is available after ‘ paying his dues’

By: Prophet Enoch

Prophet Enoch — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 18:05:42 +0000

As I predicted on 27th May 2015, b 4 the RFU ruled on Pigsy’s latest very short ban (6th!!???), it looks very much like Pigface will play at the RWC 2015.

England are already panicking as, without this most experienced Front Row player and utter yob, their RWC 2015 aspirations have taken a really serious hit in the 2 games with France.

I said in May that the ban would be so short as to allow Hartley to play in the 2015 tournament.
I predicted a ban lasting a few weeks and that was exactly was Pigface got. If selected now he misses the 1st game v Fiji only.

What a total disgrace the RFU are for the short length of his latest ban (5th for violent play, so much the spirit of the game, fair play at all times etc etc) and also the England coaching staff/Rowntree to prepare the path for the Pigface to return.

A convenient injury to one of the other selected England hookers after the Fiji game awaits unless that is the ever-violent Pigface is already included in the 31-man squad b 4 then!

Maybe the early naming of the squad allows Pigface to get a weekend training in with England b 4 Bank Holiday?

The RFU are rather good at this sort of thing as History proves.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:56:20 +0000

He’d be in my 31 man squad regardless of any injury. He missed a grand total of SIX throws throughout the entirety of 2014. 94/100 throws resulted in us winning the ball, and I distinctly remember that we should have had a penalty for one of those “steals” from O’Connell.
Best set piece forward on the planet.