ninehertz

1. • J Parker
   • Yeah he plays well for his club, but don't they all. No Grayson, no no no. What about that new 15? He looks good, can he kick it?
   • [11:36 on 02/12/08]
2. • bad admiral
   • delon armitage??? was good against pacific islands. again he's young and relatively inexperienced internationally. i think he placed a few choice boots in, but he was relatively unpressured when i saw him.
     
     again...a vast improvement on fucking balshaw.
   • [12:29 on 02/12/08]
3. • Big Si
   • Armitage, Care and Easter were the only three England players to come out of these last three games with any real credit.
     Care I like a lot, abrasive little bastard and can get good, fast ball out if the forwards give him the platform. Armitage is solid under the high ball, tackles well and has a good kicking game. And Easter is a rampaging beast of a man, just a shame his balance isn't the best...
     I hope Cipriani can get his game back, he's a genuinely exciting prospect.
     The real problem for England is the three quarter line - Sackey is half the player he was, Noon has had his moment, Flutey offers a bit in attack but looks dangerously suspect in defence (and considering Cipriani can't tackle either, this is not good at all), and the less said about Monye the better.
     
     There's that's my rugby speech. In summary, unless something massive happens in the Six Nations, the England participation in the Lions tour is going to be minimal, and rightly so.
   • [19:41 on 02/12/08]
4. • J Parker
   • England getting tough lessons, er sounds familiar. Where's Matthew Tait and Strettle - he was my tip for the top until he started getting embroiled with prossies.
   • [22:41 on 02/12/08]
5. • bad admiral
   • yeah...tait hasn't featured at all. where did he go? i think strettle keeps getting muntered by bigger lads...he missed 6 nations due to being crocked. for some reason, our 3/4s look a lot smaller than those of every other nation and i reckon that's a confidence thing.
     
     we need to believe that pound for pound we can floor 7ft kiwi centres with necks larger than their heads and muscles bulging out of any available crevasse, who can cover 100metres in 8 seconds and i don't think we do. we've tried out big men in the backs (vainakolo) and that was a big heap of shit so playing a more "trad french" game (quick hands, liquid defence and animal cunning) out back seems to be a winner.
     
     i fucking LOVE rugby.
   • [09:49 on 03/12/08]
6. • J Parker
   • Yeah to me rugby is to metal what football is to Westlife. I used to play though, I can understand people going 'its a lot of men touching each other' if they havent been through the very real pain of playing.
     
     I like that Armitage fellow. I should pick the 6 Nations squad. I always however end up wanting France to win, cos they are just tres coool
     [Edited by J Parker at 11:09 on 03/12/08]
   • [10:55 on 03/12/08]
7. • bad admiral
   • yep...it's got terrible press. apparently, getting concussions and wearing shorts in the snow makes you a "mummy's boy" and NOT mouthing off the opposition fans makes you a "toff".
     
     although at uni level there's a lot of "male bonding" going on so maybe people have a point about the gay thing.
     
     form will be found i'm sure. new manager, new team essentially. it's like terminal 5.
   • [11:17 on 03/12/08]
8. • J Parker
   • I think Corry should come back, absolutely awesome worker at No. 8 - but oversaw a terrible post-World Cup phase, poor bugger.
     
   • [16:23 on 03/12/08]
9. • bad admiral
   • we've had a bit of a fluid back 3 for ages. easter is the only semi permanent fixture and the only one who you actually notice. i agree, corry was great, but i personally think dusting neil back off is the way forward.
   • [16:50 on 03/12/08]
10. • Big Si
    • Neil Back is my all time rugby hero, and responsible for me getting kicked in the head a lot during my brief stint of trying to be him. It's over ten years ago and I'm sure I'm still concussed.
      
      But bringing people back is a short term answer, and I'm happy to take the long view at the minute. I also think Strettle is a must once he's fit, but Tait... I feel a bit sorry for him, he's a good player and an excellent broken field runner, but everywhere he's played for England he's been exposed with either a lack of skills, or a lack of size/strength. He should learn to play scrum half, he could get away with being weedy then.
    • [23:49 on 04/12/08]
11. • J Parker
    • See that interception try Cueto scored t'other day ? Why isn't he still in the team?
    • [18:41 on 05/12/08]
12. • Big Si
    • I didn't see it, no. I suspect he's not in the team because he went rubbish for about 18 months, and subsequently got forgotten about.
    • [02:08 on 06/12/08]

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