RWC QF: England v Fiji
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@Machpants said in RWC QF: England v Fiji:
@Duluth said in RWC QF: England v Fiji:
According to reports in the British press Ford won't be in the starting xv, Farrell at 10 & Smith at fullback
Farrell is the chosen one, so no matter what he starts. He's England's beaudy
You have managed to insult both players at once.
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So reports of a fight between Arundel and....guess! Yeah you got it right, Farrell.
Also reports of there being a 3-way split between the Drua players, NH players and coaching group.
Personally I reckon this is just the "forgotten" quarter trying to create some excitement.
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I think Fiji now having reclaimed the underdog tag will play much better than what they did against Georgia and Portugal.
I think after they beat Aus they found themselves in the unfamiliar position of being expected to not just win, but win well on the world stage and make the 1/4's, a situation they don't often find themselves in.
I don't think the players responded well to that pressure and expectation and played within themselves and conservatively which certainly didn't suit the Fijian rugby style.
So I expect them to play a lot better - whether that "better" is enough to beat England I'm highly unsure. Conservative, knockout rugby simply suits England down to the ground.
So I'll say Fiji with my heart and England with my head...
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@Bones said in RWC QF: England v Fiji:
@Duluth England wearing white again, very rare.
They keep changing the shirts so as to sell more. I can only assume they feel no-one wants to buy them currently
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@Dodge said in RWC QF: England v Fiji:
@Bones said in RWC QF: England v Fiji:
@Dodge hah yeah popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday after someone mentioned about AB ones...60% off or something at Lovell.
DM me your address and i'll send you an England one
I'm not falling for that again.
Oh you mean a jersey?
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England team to face Fiji
England: Smith; May, Marchant, Tuilagi, Daly; Farrell (capt), Mitchell; Genge, George, Cole, Itoje, Chessum, Lawes, Curry, Earl.
Replacements: Dan, Marler, Sinckler, Martin, Vunipola, Care, Ford, Lawrence.
So Borthwick has finally realised what everyone else has known since RWC final 4 years ago - the Ford-Farrell axis does not work. Consequently he dumps the best game controller we have got, to select not the best attacking threat we have but the guy who is the second best game controller and has no attacking threat. Well at least we have a proper centre partnership now. Next step - give them some ball in space.
Not. Holding. Breath.
We continue to pick wingers with no pace, signalling that they will be there as kick chasers only.
Marchant aside (and Smith to a degree), where is our pace?
Vunipola the busted flush. The five year busted flush, is on the bench again. For the life of me I cannot see why. As much as I rate Underhill, why not pick an out and out 8 as a replacement? Good flankers, we have. No 8s not so much.
Arundell's reported fracas with Farrell seems to have been the excuse to cast him to the wind. He's off to France next season and there is yet another real talent for England that will get nowhere near his potential.
It's criminal.
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@Catogrande I thought May was quick...or is "was" the important word there?
Bizarre borthwick just can't let Fozzie get the limelight on his own. But hey at least the bench looks like it will have more impact than the starters.
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Whilst he’s no slouch, he has lost that out and out speed he had. Not frightening pace anymore unfortunately.
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@Catogrande said in RWC QF: England v Fiji:
Whilst he’s no slouch, he has lost that out and out speed he had. Not frightening pace anymore unfortunately.
That was pretty much all he had to give him an edge, so yeah I see your concern.
