Stuart Lancaster names England team to face Scotland
Stuart Lancaster has named the following team to play Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is at 4pm.
15. Alex Goode (Saracens, 6 caps)
14. Chris Ashton (Saracens, 29 caps)
13. Brad Barritt (Saracens, 11 caps)
12. Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
11. Mike Brown (Harlequins, 11 caps)
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens, 12 caps)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 28 caps)
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 5 caps)
2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 4 caps)
3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps)
4. Joe Launchbury (London Wasps, 4 caps)
5. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers, 12 caps)
6. Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 13 caps)
7. Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt, 12 caps)
8. Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby, 9 caps)
Replacements
16. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 42 caps)
17. David Wilson (Bath Rugby, 22 caps)
18. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 4 caps)
19. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 15 caps)
20. James Haskell (London Wasps, 45 caps)
21. Danny Care (Harlequins, 37 caps)
22. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers, 53 caps)
23. David Strettle (Saracens, 12 caps)
What do you make of the team?
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You’d think Farrell was sh*te reading these boards sometimes. It must have been a different player that I saw against Racing Metro the other week.
No-one doubts Farrells ability to kick goals. He has literally no running game. That is the problem if you want to beat the best teams.
You mean teams like New Zealand?
“That is the problem if you want to beat the best teams” Wasn’t farrell playing when we beat New Zealand?
He seems to have been playing in quite a few of England’s recent good performances and victories.
I do agree that he has a limited running game, but I think that his kicking from hand, his distribution and his game management have all improved this season. While his goal kicking and the ability to perform under pressure (which you can’t coach) is as good as anybody’s.
Let’s remember too that while Burns is very promising, he’s as yet unproven under the pressure and pace of international rugby. He’ll get his chance and I hope he succeeds, but at the moment I find it difficult to argue with Lancaster going with Farrell even if Burns had been fit.
Yes Farrell was playing when we beat New Zealand. But any fly half in the world could have managed that game. Our forwards were the ones who won as the game against New Zealand. As has been mentioned many times on here, Farrell actually didn’t have a particularly good game against NZ if you watch closely.
I’m not a massive Farrell hater; I appreciate his good qualities, but he has huge limitations.
If we want to be consistently one of the best teams in the world, (which I am assuming we right!?), then Farrell is not the man to take us there.
Watch the NZ Video again. Agree he needs to progress in attack. That game was not just won by the forwards. The backs defence was awesome. Led by the way by Farrel.
I was a Farrell doubter, after the SA tour I became a detractor as I thought his contributions were about the worst I had ever seen from an England 10.
I do however believe his performance against NZ was hugely influential (more than individually brilliant), as the goals started to fly over and the defence started smashing them back the team seemed to grow in belief and confidence. I think he deserves to keep his place. The test now is we are going into a game as favourites, I hope to see us play like favourites, i.e. with some confidence we can create something with the ball and not just hoof it away.
‘while Burns is very promising, he’s as yet unproven under the pressure and pace of international rugby’. So is everybody at one time or another, that’s never an argument not to pick someone.
Farrell is solid and a fantastic goalkicker but his passing is laboured, he is ponderous with ball in hand and his kicking from hand is woeful. Mentally he is tough as anything but that can only get you so far. Saracens are a different team when Hodgson is playing, he is by far the standout fly half in the country and has been for years, shame he’s retired and was never really given the credit or trust he deserved.
Very interested to see how Twelvetrees goes. On paper he could be exactly what we have been crying out for, now we get to see if he is good enough skills-wise, mentally and physically to step up. If he does then weirdly the man who could suffer long term is Alex Goode. He was brought in to have a second distributor nearer the breakdown because we lacked one in the centres. If Twelvetrees can fulfil that role at 12 then we’ll want a full back who runs in the wider channels. Brown and Foden are much more suited to that role than Goode.
A Few names perhaps I would have picked but all in all a good selection. Disagree about Farrell.I love him defensively as well as in attack. Watched him playing at school and all the way to senior. He will only get stronger and better. Always has had a Cool head.
With injuries in mind, I don’t think that this team is much different to the one any of us would pick.
My concern is the backs on the bench. We have good impact subs on the bench in the forwards, but nothing to really help the backs if we need to change the plan. They are only there to provide injury cover or fresh legs. SH switch at 60, FH switch at 70, and Strettle only on if there is an injury.
Will everyone please get off Farrell’s back at least until we’ve played the game. Some of things said about him on hear are absolute rubbish. He can’t pass, kicking from hand is woeful, all he does is kick and tackle, blah, blah, blah. If he was that bad, he would never get picked for Sarries, and would not be playing for England.
But his kicking from hand is woeful and all he does is kick and tackle so why wouldn’t people say it? What kind of an argument is it to say he must be good or else he wouldn’t get picked? Obviously hes good compared to me or you but hes not good at international level.
Youngs does tend to crab a bit,but Care is worse by far,I can barely remember him running forward.
Looks a good team but what struck me was the low number of caps in the XV with only three players with more than 13, Ashton, youngs and cole. Wales front row probably has more caps between the three of them than the whole England team. Still think they will brush scotland aside comfortably mind you. Do you think this XV will be a core for years to come?
I think people are most happy about with this England side is that it has a future. Nearly all the players are playing well but also have age on there side and look like they could improve as a unit over as much as 10 years if lucky.
Regarding the number of caps, Richie McCaw had more caps than the entire starting pack for England that beat NZ. The whole NZ front row had more caps than England’s 23… Yet what was the result there? Caps in the bank are irrelevant, it’s the performance that you put in on the day.
These young English lads can either sink or swim after that NZ win, personally I hope for the former.
The fact is, and I know it’s a cliche, but you are only as good as your next game, whether you have 1 or 91 caps.
Just realised I said prefer them to sink… Not the case! I want them to SWIM! Damn this tiny phone screen!
Isn’t it a little odd that England are playing effectively 3 inside centres. I like all three of them but I am a little uncomfortable that we seem to missing a 13. With Goode at 15 we seem to lack for a little outside pace.
Agreed but in SL I trust (at least until further notice!). I think that he knows what he is doing.