George Furbank's father is a mate of mine. He's beside himself with a mix of pride and nerves tonight and doesn't think he'll be able to sleep between now and the game.
Dead chuffed!
His Dad, that is. I'm sure George will be fine.
he's having a great season and for what it's worth, he interviews very well, a confident young man
It's about time the six reverted to the five nations .. watching anyone v Italy is a waste of time, unfortunate but there you go, they always give it a go but they are L2 to the others' Prem and Champ .. A good day out in Rome though so I guess they will be persevered with and there is no real candidate to take their place (not Georgia for sure)
The Scots really made the Irish work for the win, Scotland were much better than I expected, showing much more than just their usual grit and hard-headedness, though the come back last season v England was remarkable.
Looking forward to this afternoon's Parisian tear up
It's about time the six reverted to the five nations .. watching anyone v Italy is a waste of time, unfortunate but there you go, they always give it a go but they are L2 to the others' Prem and Champ .. A good day out in Rome though so I guess they will be persevered with and there is no real candidate to take their place (not Georgia for sure)
The Scots really made the Irish work for the win, Scotland were much better than I expected, showing much more than just their usual grit and hard-headedness, though the come back last season v England was remarkable.
Looking forward to this afternoon's Parisian tear up
It's weird how players can let off steam, violently, yet none of them feigns injury or pretends to be hurt.
Some modern footballers are utter embarrassments in this respect. Act the lad with their tattoo sleeves and shorn haircuts then roll around when tripped over
It's weird how players can let off steam, violently, yet none of them feigns injury or pretends to be hurt.
Some modern footballers are utter embarrassments in this respect. Act the lad with their tattoo sleeves and shorn haircuts then roll around when tripped over
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
Hopefully Watson is back next week. I don’t particularly like Daly on the wing and Kruis has to start ahead of Ewels. Furbank had a tough debut as well. Bit of a World Cup hangover performance in the first half. Got to give a lot of credit to France, new era for them and the crowd were certainly pumped up.
I totally agree with you about Youngs as well - he doesn’t do enough to warrant a start, that said, Heinz at 33 years old isn’t the answer either. Ben Spencer would be my choice. But it is defiantly a problem position.
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
Hopefully Watson is back next week. I don’t particularly like Daly on the wing and Kruis has to start ahead of Ewels. Furbank had a tough debut as well. Bit of a World Cup hangover performance in the first half. Got to give a lot of credit to France, new era for them and the crowd were certainly pumped up.
I totally agree with you about Youngs as well - he doesn’t do enough to warrant a start, that said, Heinz at 33 years old isn’t the answer either. Ben Spencer would be my choice. But it is defiantly a problem position.
Watson should start at full back, Furbank had a very nervous butter fingered start although he improved later .. keep Daly on the wing .. Kruis in the 2nd row, Genge at loose head (I have never liked silly looking Marlar), possibly Cowan-Dickie at hooker, Devoto in the centre (Tualigi looks unfit, his power running has become a bit outmoded and I can't recall him ever making a decent pass, I mean EVER) .. scrum half is a problem .. Heinz for all his 57 varieties is in better form than than Youngs, but not 'the answer' .. I don't really fancy Spencer, looks to be a 'manufactured' player to me, good in a steamroller team like Saracens but not the answer .. I have always liked Joe Simpson ex Wasp, now Gloucester, but he's 2nd in line to Heinz at Glos and possibly even behind Braley, the Englishman who is playing for Italy !! (Italian granddad), Simpson is 32 and I think his ship has long sailed away .. Danny Care ? .. probably not .. the Scotland game, although I have advocated multiple changes, will not be a game for too many raw newcomers lol .. so I expect Youngs will keep the gig and a youngster like Maunder of Exeter who got a cap in (I think) Argentina will be groomed (in the best sense of the word) for the future .. Jones rarely goes outside his original squad selections during a tournament .. No8 is another dodgy area .. Lawes had a poor game at 6, great player at lock and always a trier, but not really a 6. move Curry back there and bring in ????? .. I'd like Dombrandt, Simmons or Kvesic, I suspect Jones will persevere with Curry and select Ludlam at 6 .. That is a LOT of changes and I doubt many will happen lol
BUT .. Corporal Jones .. you have yer orders, get cracking ((:>)
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
Hopefully Watson is back next week. I don’t particularly like Daly on the wing and Kruis has to start ahead of Ewels. Furbank had a tough debut as well. Bit of a World Cup hangover performance in the first half. Got to give a lot of credit to France, new era for them and the crowd were certainly pumped up.
I totally agree with you about Youngs as well - he doesn’t do enough to warrant a start, that said, Heinz at 33 years old isn’t the answer either. Ben Spencer would be my choice. But it is defiantly a problem position.
Watson should start at full back, Furbank had a very nervous butter fingered start although he improved later .. keep Daly on the wing .. Kruis in the 2nd row, Genge at loose head (I have never liked silly looking Marlar), possibly Cowan-Dickie at hooker, Devoto in the centre (Tualigi looks unfit, his power running has become a bit outmoded and I can't recall him ever making a decent pass, I mean EVER) .. scrum half is a problem .. Heinz for all his 57 varieties is in better form than than Youngs, but not 'the answer' .. I don't really fancy Spencer, looks to be a 'manufactured' player to me, good in a steamroller team like Saracens but not the answer .. I have always liked Joe Simpson ex Wasp, now Gloucester, but he's 2nd in line to Heinz at Glos and possibly even behind Braley, the Englishman who is playing for Italy !! (Italian granddad), Simpson is 32 and I think his ship has long sailed away .. Danny Care ? .. probably not .. the Scotland game, although I have advocated multiple changes, will not be a game for too many raw newcomers lol .. so I expect Youngs will keep the gig and a youngster like Maunder of Exeter who got a cap in (I think) Argentina will be groomed (in the best sense of the word) for the future .. Jones rarely goes outside his original squad selections during a tournament .. No8 is another dodgy area .. Lawes had a poor game at 6, great player at lock and always a trier, but not really a 6. move Curry back there and bring in ????? .. I'd like Dombrandt, Simmons or Kvesic, I suspect Jones will persevere with Curry and select Ludlam at 6 .. That is a LOT of changes and I doubt many will happen lol
BUT .. Corporal Jones .. you have yer orders, get cracking ((:>)
Talking of scrum halves I agree with you re Joe Simpson but would ask what has happened to Dan Robson his successor at Wasps?
I liked the look of him too. Maybe he is in the 'Launchbury black hole' too as far as Eddie is concerned.
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
I read your preview and you got quite a bit spot on. I agree with what you say about Ben Youngs, who kicks 90% of the time when often there's a better move on. The opposition just know what to expect. I thought Willi Heinz looked a better player when he came on (as he did during his cameos in the World Cup) but I didn't realise he was 33 years old.
And yes, France had some great young players and Shaun Edwards has done a great job sorting out their defence. They never seem to get the two sides of the game working together; always known for their flair but generally not supported with a strong defence. They probably won't win the 6 Nations but it's a young team now and I liked the look of a couple of their replacements. They'll only get better.
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
Hopefully Watson is back next week. I don’t particularly like Daly on the wing and Kruis has to start ahead of Ewels. Furbank had a tough debut as well. Bit of a World Cup hangover performance in the first half. Got to give a lot of credit to France, new era for them and the crowd were certainly pumped up.
I totally agree with you about Youngs as well - he doesn’t do enough to warrant a start, that said, Heinz at 33 years old isn’t the answer either. Ben Spencer would be my choice. But it is defiantly a problem position.
Watson should start at full back, Furbank had a very nervous butter fingered start although he improved later .. keep Daly on the wing .. Kruis in the 2nd row, Genge at loose head (I have never liked silly looking Marlar), possibly Cowan-Dickie at hooker, Devoto in the centre (Tualigi looks unfit, his power running has become a bit outmoded and I can't recall him ever making a decent pass, I mean EVER) .. scrum half is a problem .. Heinz for all his 57 varieties is in better form than than Youngs, but not 'the answer' .. I don't really fancy Spencer, looks to be a 'manufactured' player to me, good in a steamroller team like Saracens but not the answer .. I have always liked Joe Simpson ex Wasp, now Gloucester, but he's 2nd in line to Heinz at Glos and possibly even behind Braley, the Englishman who is playing for Italy !! (Italian granddad), Simpson is 32 and I think his ship has long sailed away .. Danny Care ? .. probably not .. the Scotland game, although I have advocated multiple changes, will not be a game for too many raw newcomers lol .. so I expect Youngs will keep the gig and a youngster like Maunder of Exeter who got a cap in (I think) Argentina will be groomed (in the best sense of the word) for the future .. Jones rarely goes outside his original squad selections during a tournament .. No8 is another dodgy area .. Lawes had a poor game at 6, great player at lock and always a trier, but not really a 6. move Curry back there and bring in ????? .. I'd like Dombrandt, Simmons or Kvesic, I suspect Jones will persevere with Curry and select Ludlam at 6 .. That is a LOT of changes and I doubt many will happen lol
BUT .. Corporal Jones .. you have yer orders, get cracking ((:>)
Talking of scrum halves I agree with you re Joe Simpson but would ask what has happened to Dan Robson his successor at Wasps?
I liked the look of him too. Maybe he is in the 'Launchbury black hole' too as far as Eddie is concerned.
Jones got his selection wrong, probably took the French too lightly .. How Ben Youngs has got nearly 100 caps is beyond belief .. England's bench had three or four who should have started .. the French wanted it more but now the other teams will see them coming and will know not to take them lightly .. the wet weather was a big factor but should really have expected it to suit England more than France .. poor, perhaps complacent England will need to buck up to do the Scots next weekend .. France could be on a roll if their young players can keep it up
Hopefully Watson is back next week. I don’t particularly like Daly on the wing and Kruis has to start ahead of Ewels. Furbank had a tough debut as well. Bit of a World Cup hangover performance in the first half. Got to give a lot of credit to France, new era for them and the crowd were certainly pumped up.
I totally agree with you about Youngs as well - he doesn’t do enough to warrant a start, that said, Heinz at 33 years old isn’t the answer either. Ben Spencer would be my choice. But it is defiantly a problem position.
Watson should start at full back, Furbank had a very nervous butter fingered start although he improved later .. keep Daly on the wing .. Kruis in the 2nd row, Genge at loose head (I have never liked silly looking Marlar), possibly Cowan-Dickie at hooker, Devoto in the centre (Tualigi looks unfit, his power running has become a bit outmoded and I can't recall him ever making a decent pass, I mean EVER) .. scrum half is a problem .. Heinz for all his 57 varieties is in better form than than Youngs, but not 'the answer' .. I don't really fancy Spencer, looks to be a 'manufactured' player to me, good in a steamroller team like Saracens but not the answer .. I have always liked Joe Simpson ex Wasp, now Gloucester, but he's 2nd in line to Heinz at Glos and possibly even behind Braley, the Englishman who is playing for Italy !! (Italian granddad), Simpson is 32 and I think his ship has long sailed away .. Danny Care ? .. probably not .. the Scotland game, although I have advocated multiple changes, will not be a game for too many raw newcomers lol .. so I expect Youngs will keep the gig and a youngster like Maunder of Exeter who got a cap in (I think) Argentina will be groomed (in the best sense of the word) for the future .. Jones rarely goes outside his original squad selections during a tournament .. No8 is another dodgy area .. Lawes had a poor game at 6, great player at lock and always a trier, but not really a 6. move Curry back there and bring in ????? .. I'd like Dombrandt, Simmons or Kvesic, I suspect Jones will persevere with Curry and select Ludlam at 6 .. That is a LOT of changes and I doubt many will happen lol
BUT .. Corporal Jones .. you have yer orders, get cracking ((:>)
Talking of scrum halves I agree with you re Joe Simpson but would ask what has happened to Dan Robson his successor at Wasps?
I liked the look of him too. Maybe he is in the 'Launchbury black hole' too as far as Eddie is concerned.
I miss Charlton vs Barnsley - Charlton win I attend France vs England - England lose Im other news I am officially attending all the remaining Wales games.....
I miss Charlton vs Barnsley - Charlton win I attend France vs England - England lose Im other news I am officially attending all the remaining Wales games.....
Comments
The Scots really made the Irish work for the win, Scotland were much better than I expected, showing much more than just their usual grit and hard-headedness, though the come back last season v England was remarkable.
Looking forward to this afternoon's Parisian tear up
Looking forward to this afternoon.
the Scotland game, although I have advocated multiple changes, will not be a game for too many raw newcomers lol .. so I expect Youngs will keep the gig and a youngster like Maunder of Exeter who got a cap in (I think) Argentina will be groomed (in the best sense of the word) for the future .. Jones rarely goes outside his original squad selections during a tournament .. No8 is another dodgy area .. Lawes had a poor game at 6, great player at lock and always a trier, but not really a 6. move Curry back there and bring in ????? .. I'd like Dombrandt, Simmons or Kvesic, I suspect Jones will persevere with Curry and select Ludlam at 6 .. That is a LOT of changes and I doubt many will happen lol
BUT .. Corporal Jones .. you have yer orders, get cracking ((:>)
I liked the look of him too. Maybe he is in the 'Launchbury black hole' too as far as Eddie is concerned.
also this one on Simpson .. https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/domestic-club-rugby-union/34937/clamour-for-saracens-free-agents-may-start-a-slaughter-says-joe-simpson/
I attend France vs England - England lose
Im other news I am officially attending all the remaining Wales games.....