WHO WOULD BE YOUR STARTING 15?

[chrisjw33]

Simple question. Not so simple answer.
If the season started tomorrow, based on the current players we have available, who be your 15 players to start against Newcastle?

The injury list changes that often its hard to keep up but at the moment i would go with:

1. Marcos Ayerza
2. Tom Youngs
3. Logovi'i Mulipola
4. Ed Slater
5. Geoff Parling
6. Tom Croft
7. Julian Salvi
8. Jordan Crane
9. Ben Youngs
10. Owen Williams
11. Niall Morris
12. Manu Tuilagi
13. Dan Bowden
14. Niki Goneva
15. Matthew Tait

[Skin_and_Muscle]

1. Marcos Ayerza
2. Tom Youngs
3. Logovi'i Mulipola
4. Ed Slater
5. Geoff Parling
6. Tom Croft
7. Julian Salvi
8. Jordan Crane
9. Ben Youngs
10. Owen Williams
11. Niall Morris
12. Anthony Allen*
13. Manu Tuilagi**
14. Niki Goneva
15. Matthew Tait

* Last season demonstrated how much we need him.
** Dan Bowden has left the club and 13 is Tuilagi's position.
(There's still a chance that Ayerza will be away with Argentina for the rugby championship, too.)

Apart from that, there's not much to disagree with. It'll all depend on how the new players go in pre-season but we've always had a strong first team. Now we have a very strong squad to complement it.

[jack]

Word has it that Dan B is long gone!

[Tigerbeat]

Dan Bowden has left and none of the new signings seem to be considered

[chrisjw33]

I totally forgot about Bowden.
As for new signings I am keen to see some fresh energy, just not necessarily on the first day of the season. Previous signings we haven't seen much of since buying are going to be of interest this season - Miles Benjamin etc.

[TigerLad]

I think we look really strong for next season. Our strongest starting line up might not change too much other than maybe Burns but having seasoned internationals coming off the bench will help us massively. Our bench next season could be

16. Ghiraldini
17. Rizzo
18. Logo
19. Kitch
20. Matera
21. Mele
22. Burns/Wiliams
23. Loamanu

That's an incredibly strong bench to bring on after 60 odd minutes and I think we will be stronger next season because of it.

[Smudge]

But of the nine you list, only Burns and Kitchener are English.

Having seen what happened to the England "kiss-ball" team in the world cup,
it is obvious that English football is handicapped by the predominance of far too many foreigners.
Clearly English rugby is in great danger of going the same way.

[RagingBull]

mine would be with Matera away with argie.

1) Ayerza
2) Youngs
3) Mulipola
4) Slater
5) Parling
6) Croft
7) Salvi
8) Barbieri (Harsh as I love crane but this guy is a beast behind the scrum, Crane would be my preferred option on hard ground though)
9) Youngs
10) Williams
11) Morris/Scully
12) Allen
13) Manu
14) Goneva
15) Tait

16) Ghiraldini
17) Rizzo
18) Balmain
19) Kitchener
20) Mafi/Crane/Gibson (cant pick really)
21) Mele
22) Burns
23) Loamanu/Scully/Morris (cant Pick)

potentially 12 out of 23 English players not bad imo.

[h's dad]

I think we look really strong for next season. Our strongest starting line up might not change too much other than maybe Burns but having seasoned internationals coming off the bench will help us massively. Our bench next season could be

16. Ghiraldini
17. Rizzo
18. Logo
19. Kitch
20. Matera
21. Mele
22. Burns/Wiliams
23. Loamanu

That's an incredibly strong bench to bring on after 60 odd minutes and I think we will be stronger next season because of it.

It's great when we have Logo to come off the bench but surely he is a nailed on starter for the beginning of the season?

[h's dad]

But of the nine you list, only Burns and Kitchener are English.

Having seen what happened to the England "kiss-ball" team in the world cup,
it is obvious that English football is handicapped by the predominance of far too many foreigners.
Clearly English rugby is in great danger of going the same way.

Good point. Do you want to give this important topic its own thread?

[kornboy130]

But of the nine you list, only Burns and Kitchener are English.

Having seen what happened to the England "kiss-ball" team in the world cup,
it is obvious that English football is handicapped by the predominance of far too many foreigners.
Clearly English rugby is in great danger of going the same way.

You're picking a very strange cross section of players to make such a statement.

A fair representation of our first choice squad for next season is:

1.Ayerza
2.Youngs**
3.Cole**
4.Parling**
5.Slater**
6.Croft**
7.Salvi
8.Crane*
9.Youngs**
10.Burns**
11.Benjamin**
12.Allen*
13.Tuilagi**
14.Goneva
15.Tait*

16.Ghiraldini
17.Rizzo
18.Mulipola
19.Kitchener**
20.Barbieri
21.Mele
22.Williams
23.Morris

*English
**English and in/around England Squad.

Now I would like more use of the academy so that rather than signing the international quality we've signed, we're producing it. That being said - we're definitely not short of an England international/potential England International player or 10.

[mol2]

Isn't Mulipola really a loose head - he's been playing at tight head because of Cole's injury. When Cole is back will he be bench loosehead or tighthead?

[sam16111986]

Mulipola can play both loosehead and tighthead. Given we have two international looseheads in Rizzo and Ayerza I'd assume he'd play more at tight. If injuries mean we are short on looseheads that might change.

1. Ayerza
2. Youngs
3. Cole
4. Slater
5. Parling
6. Croft
7. Salvi
8. Barbieri
9. Youngs
10. Williams
11. Morris
12. Allen
13. Manu
14. Goneva
15. Tait

16. Ghilrildini
17. Rizzo
18. Mulipola
19. Kitchener
20. Matera
21. Mele
22. Burns
23. Benjamin

Likely to see Balmain on the bench with Mulipola starting whilst Cole is injured. Smith or Scully on the bench whilst Benjamin recovers.

[Knightonian]

Wasn't part of Williams ban that he can't play any pre-season games; therefore Burns is going to start at 10

[Knightonian]

Remember how much RC loved Alesana despite his flaws - I can see lomanu quickly becoming our goto big hitting winger of choice

If you double team Manu and Lomanu in defence Goeneva can walk over .....