Yep, not much time or opportunity at all, sadly (I assume you meant before the WC, not the next 6N)dpedin wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 10:22 amI get the 'needs must' argument but after the 6Ns there is precious little opportunity to establish new players into the team before the 6Ns. Interestingly one of the relative newcomers - Chessum - was your best player in the pack. I completely agree about Rodd who is a solid scrummager and is also useful around the park as well, always wins a few turnovers. Can't understand playing George who struggled throughout the game and perhaps was still suffering from head knock and lack of games? Perhaps some of these older guys were on their last chance ie show me what you've got, from Borthwick?inactionman wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:42 pmThe lineout issues are more than George's fault - two new jumpers and an out of sorts Itoje don't help - and he's usually a solid performer so he's not one for culling.dpedin wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:22 pm
As a Scot I dont just get the need to keep playing Youngs at the expense of other young and promising SHs. OK they perhaps are young and inexperienced but they need to be given a few games to develop and learn at international level. More generally I can't understand the sticking with the Smith-Farrell axis and the likes of Vunipola and Cole at prop, George at hooker etc.
England need to pick either Farrell or Smith at 10 and play a game that suits them, build a team around them and then pick real centres at 12-13. I know there were some injuries to potential centres ie Porter and Kelly, but surely there are other options available? Farrell just spent all his time trying to hit Russell and Marchant, who is not the best defender at the best of times, ended up left in no mans land defensively as a result.
Vunipola, George and Coles are all yesterdays men and Vunipola can't scrummage now, George's arrows were so bad he ended up throwing to the front for the whole game, Cole hasn't the legs for international rugby now. You have some excellent young guys who need to be exposed and developed at international level and I would have thought the 6Ns would have been the time in the run up to the RWC? It won't work out for them all but its not working for the old guys now so surely worth a punt?
But I'd agree that we needed to have blooded many more youngsters than we have.
There are some mitigations in the here-and-now for Borthwick, Cole was in as we're a bit light at TH with injuries to Stuart, Heyes doesn't quite look there yet, and Harry Williams has disappeared off the face of the Earth England-wise (and he's not the only one). At LH I've no real idea if Marler is still an England player, although Rodd should be ahead of Mako.
Borthwick's in a predicament of trying to change a team whilst maintaining a degree of continuity - he should have had longer, and some of the emerging players should have had more exposure by now, but we are where we are.
The selection of George is perhaps a nod to the fact the reserve hookers either aren't available (LCD, McGuigan) or aren't up to his level (Walker and Dunn are solid if unspectacular)