Guess your England RWC squad of 31

[darganj]

Forwards

Alex Corbisiero
Joe Marler
Mako Vunipola
Tom Youngs
Jamie George
Rob Webber
Dan Cole
David Wilson
Joe Launchbury
Courtney Lawes
Dave Attwood
Geoff Parling
James Haskell
Tom Wood
Chris Robshaw
Ben Morgan
Billy Vunipola

Backs

Ben Youngs
Richard Wigglesworth
Danny Care
Owen Farrell
George Ford
Danny Cipriani
Luther Burrell
Brad Barritt
Jonathan Joseph
Jack Nowell
Jonny May
Chris Ashton
Anthony Watson
Mike Brown

[Will S]

I would like to see Eastmond in there. At the moment we have a 13 who can create and three 12's in Farrell, Burrell and Barritt who would tackle the opposition team bus but won't give you much going forward. Eastmond can also play 13 and has gas so if anything happened to JJ he could step in there.

[Mo Leicester]

Can't help thinking he will find a place for Burgess.

My Lancaster squad (not mine):-

Starters
M Brown (Harlequins),
A Watson (Bath),
L Burrell (Northampton),
J Joseph (Bath),
J Nowell (Exeter Chiefs),
G Ford (Bath),
B Youngs (Leicester).
D Cole (Leicester),
T Youngs (Leicester).
J Marler (Harlequins),
C Lawes (Northampton),
J Launchbury (Wasps),
C Robshaw (Harlequins),
T Wood (Northampton).
B Vunipola (Saracens)

Bench
M Vunipola (Saracens),
D Wilson (Bath).
R Webber (Bath),
D Attwood (Bath),
N Easter (Harlequins),

S Burgess (Bath),
O Farrell (Saracens),
R Wigglesworth (Saracens),


Others
G Parling (Leicester).
A Corbisiero (Northampton),
J Haskell (Wasps),
B Morgan (Gloucester),
J George (Saracens)
A Goode.
B Twelvetrees (Gloucester).
D Care (Harlequins),

[mol2]

If fit Corbisiero would surely start, but will he be fit?

[Hot_Charlie]

Joe Marler may argue with that...

[Noddy555]

Whatever squad is announced, if it it doesn't contain Slater,Ben & Tom Youngs and Coley then a mistake's been made. I think that's one reason why Strettle's moved to France, because on current form he should be in the squad but knows he won't be picked. At least the Aussies have shown some sense and picked Giteau and Mitchell, any hoe for Steffan Armitage. It's a criminal act not selecting him for the training squad, but until we get rid of the stuffed shirts who run English rugby, sanity will be a foreign item.

[jgriffin]

Morning Noddy!
Agree with you re Strettle - a deadly finisher this season and IMO far more effective than May or Nowell in both attack and defence.
I think the squad will be very predictable, even with Hartley out, and as I've said before, will be lucky to get second in the group. The Ozzies will have no compunction in bailing players out of jail if it takes that to win and Gatland will pick his best XV even if they all played in Japan (Gatland's Law being total ar$e). Moral high ground and favouritism won't come into it at all.

[Noddy555]

Yes Griff I have to agree with you, if I were Steffan Armitage and wanted to play international rugby, I'd seriously think of changing nationality probably to French. The French would pick him like a shot.
And wouldn't it be wonderful for him if he played against England in the six nations and scored the winning try. That would stick it up the stuffed shirts craw.

[mol2]

Strettle?
He may be an excellent finisher but there is rather more than that required of an international winger something May is starting to find out and I think Nowell has shown he has learned already (and I will be the first to admit that when he first got picked for England I couldn't see what he had done to merit selection).

Is Steffon Armitage that good? He has the fortune to play in a Toulon side that can make it easy for any player to look good. Would he look as good if Toulon were playing against a side with as many big, talented players?
Sadly we are unlikely to find out as that would mean ditching the England captain and risking a potential exodus of English players to France.

Will he have 3 hookers in the squad? Webber's form tailed off last season so not sure he's a definite for the bench. They might want a big hooker as an option in case they have to play Vunipola who can be exposed against the stronger scrummaging outfits. (Not an issue if Marler and Corbisiero are the fit loose heads)

Will Slater have enough games under his belt to be considered as a utility lock/flanker option?

[tigerburnie]

I think you are missing the point re Armitage, players were told to stay in England if they wanted to play in this WC. They did and he didn't, if Armitage walked into the room, most of the rest of the squad would walk out.

[jgriffin]

That issue is long gone; SL has made his play and IMHO I think we may be in for a lot of tears before a premature end. I expect us to go into the Aus match having to win to stay in the comp.

[Mo Leicester]

Stretton is not good enough.
An international winger has to be able to play full back. Good positional sense, good under the high ball, good defence.
If it was just about finishing, Wade is better.

Armitage is not significantly better than others in his position. So not worth the disruption picking him would cause.

[Noddy555]

To all posters re Steffan armitage and this will be my last comment on the subject, one of the most sincere truism ever written was that Patriotism in the wrong sense is the last refuge of a scoundrel. The quality of a player's game should be the only determining factor in England selection not who he plays for. If we had space travel I'd even select a player from Mars if he qualified by birth as English. Mind you games up there would be pretty dull, you know no atmosphere.

[Timmers]

Stretton is not good enough.
An international winger has to be able to play full back. Good positional sense, good under the high ball, good defence.
If it was just about finishing, Wade is better.

Armitage is not significantly better than others in his position. So not worth the disruption picking him would cause.

Not all international wingers can play fullback.....Defensively, I'd argue strettle is just as good as various other wingers in the squad. The key reason he's not in is because he isnt as fit and quick over 80 minutes as the younger players. Lancaster has made no secret of the fact he's striving for the fittest squad in the tournament. the likes of strettle and our mathew tait have all the technical attributes but they just arent as fit and sharp as they were in their younger years. Watson has been caught out defensively for england on more than one occasion, but he's lightening quick, just like joseph, and both can run for 80 minutes. Lanacaster is opting for these sort of players in the back line. Yards an incredible finisher but too small and lancaster clearly feels he'll just get knocked out the way..

I rate nowell, he put in a superb shift against france. his low centre of gravity and leg drive can make precious yards.....May has score one wonder try for england and done nothing else apart from run across the pitch side ways.

[jgriffin]

There is always that dilemma - fit but clueless vs wily but a little older. I always thought the subs rule had solved that, but hey ho, what do I know.