The following players have today been released back to their clubs:
Steffon Armitage – (London Irish)
George Chuter – (Leicester Tigers)
Jordan Crane – (Leicester Tigers)
David Flatman – (Bath Rugby)
Ben Foden – (Northampton Saints)
Andy Goode – (CA Brive)
Ben Kay – (Leicester Tigers)
Courtney Lawes – (Northampton Saints)
Paul Sackey – (London Wasps)
Richard Wigglesworth – (Sale Sharks)
Looks like Shawsy will be involved with Lawes going home, and Johnno clearly didn’t see our full-back poll given that he’s sent Foden home.
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The inclusion of Foden, Lawes and Armitage on that list is the biggest indictment of the current coaching staff yet… including Saturdays performance
And the fact Goode, Chuter, Wigglesworth, Sackey, Kay and Crane were there in the first place shows how poor the selection has been
The likely hammering that awaits on Saturday is made all the worst that we can’t reasonably claim to be building for the future… Looking across the channel enviously I wonder what it will take for the RFU to wake up and do something about those running the national team
It would really annoy me if i were one of the players who kept having to link up with the squad then get released each week, like Armitage has. Although it’s less of a pain for him than for the Leicester boys who’ve got further to travel to the hive of tactical activity that is Pennyhill Park.
Shame for Foden and Lawes.
Does Goode leaving mean we don’t have a 10 on the bench?
Lawes showed more in 10 minutes than Borthwick and Deacon have in the whole other time they have played. Scandalous. This really is end of my tether time. Something will have to change once we’ve been dry humped all over Twickenham on Sat.
Oh dear god…
Well thank the lord for small mercies. At least tait might play and Andy Fatboy Goode can go home and tuck into some more pies
This is my prediction for the team
1. Payne
2. Hartley
3. Bell
4. Shaw
5. Borthwick
6. Worsley
7. Moody
8. Haskell
9. Hodgson
10. Wilkinson
11. Banahan
12. Geraghty
13. Hipkiss
14. Monye
15. Cueto
16. Thompson
17. Doran-Jones (Wilson if fit)
18. Deacon
19. Croft
20. Care
21. Erinle
22. Tait
Regardless of the score on Saturday (and I’m not optimistic), unless England produce an absolutely magically performance (again, I’m not optimistic), I can see demands for Johnno’s resignation following.
Spike’s right. Getting called up to be part of the national squad should be a matter of overwhelming pride and excitement. Can you imagine what goes through the minds of these guys – oh great, I’ve got to go and join this shambles for a few days, be away from family, friends and the club that pays my wages, before being let go. What’s the point? Mind you, I guess it could be worse – you could be selected to play (out of position) in a team with no leadership, no gameplan and the AB’s waiting to give you a rogering on international TV.
Is he really planning on putting Cueto at 15? Bloody hell, that really is the definition of insanity. What he is essentially saying to Foden is – come along to training camp, but just know that I don’t plan on playing you even if there are no other recognized 15′s available.
Holy sh*t – I missed Lawes on the first read. That is ridiculous. So based on Johnno’s selections, the best second rows in the country are:
(1) Borthwick
(2) Shaw
(3) Deacon
(4) Lawes
(5) Kay
(6) Kennedy
When most of us, it appears, would be focused on (4) and (6) with (2) playing some role in the short term only.
Selection at the moment is a moot point! Unless we can find a tight 5 without an obsession for scrum power above all else and 2 halfbacks whose only ambition is to hack the ball aimlessly up the pitch then we’re forever doomed!!! RIP English rugby (for the foreseeable future!)
Everything is said. Lawes have played ten minutes. It is a big shame and I can not believe MJ did this. How many games are we going to try to put no number 15 in the team???
I am totally lost…
For the first time this Autumn I can watch the game live having no game of my own due to a rest weekend.
I can’t even bring myself to sit through it and am going to go shopping with the mrs instead. Probably won’t even record it to watch later, and will just catch highlights if they happen to be one when i’m about, infact I’d rather recordthe wales or scotland matches and watch thsoe as live.
Johnson’s England has turned me into a fair weather fan, it’s sad, but i just can’t bring myself to watch such a dire stale team with so many preposterous selection choices, i’d genuinly rather go and watch club rugby if I had the choice.
Everyone with even a passing interest in rugby can see whats going wrong why can’t they? Is it stubborness, or just a willingness to accept we don’t have the class to compete anymore (which I don’t believe).
GP rugby is strong, look at the two SA tour games. Last nights was fast and both teams had some ambition about them, and put that into practice. The GP and HC has produced some class games that are ferocious and intense, I honestly reckon this england team would lose to at least 6 of the GP teams right now.
Don’t think they’d fair any better in the Magners or Top 14.
oh, and to add to that I think a huge part of these problems is the EPS.
The test team shold be selected from the best players at the time, not form someone Johnson selected 6 months ago. The EPS should be named the week before the International window, not during the summer.
Looks like the rumours about Erinle may be true (Hutch) according to the Times website. May God have mercy on our souls.
Tait is my tip for full back. That way Monye can toddle off back to the wing where he will fully be able to demonstrate his only skill (running fast in a straight line), meaning that Banahan can take a pew on the bench and continue to look as wooden as the 6ft 7″ plank he has been masquerading as for the past couple of weeks.
I’m so happy that MJ hs finally realised that Andy Goode has more important things to do than warm the bench, like washing his hair and starring in Timotei adverts. He is not an international 10, although with no cover in the squad for this position now, what’s the betting that the “Saviour of English Rugby”, Jonny Wilkinson, gets carted off after 2 minutes on Saturday with some weird tropical disease.
I’m going to watch England’s shambolic performance at Twickenham on Saturday and I am looking forward to it. Well, I’m looking forward to watching the All Blacks teaching England a lesson – I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m an England fan yet I hope the All Blacks put 50 past us. Certain people will have to provide answers after a showing like that.
http://studsonthe22.blogspot.com/2009/11/squad-switcheroo.html
Erinle in for Geraghty according to the Times – good spot Kemlo. Erinle and Hipkiss…sounds like a poor man’s Tindall and Noon!
to be fair, erinle is on form at Biarritz, and playing very well.
And lets not forget the pairing of Hipkiss and Erinlee tore Bod and Darcy a new one in the HC cup final last year – yes Leinster won but they absoloutely dismantled the midfield.
Erinlee can’t pass, but he can tackle and is fast and strong – he will get us to the gain line, but not much more.
Geraghty to the bench to cover 10 and 12? why would you need (no)Goode?