Just seems like another decision that makes no sense. Both Daly and Watson were flexible on where they played (especially Daly) and so to pick 2 out and out wingers seems to remove even more options (and put pressure of Steward as that was one, possibly even 2, full back options removed).
Reports of Smith practicing at 15 are also making more sense...
Scott1 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 2:32 pm
Daly is ruled out too!
BBC
Utility back Elliot Daly has a knee injury and is unavailable for this weekend but is expected to be fit for the World Cup, while wing Henry Arundell is recovering from a back spasm.
England have already lost scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet to an ankle injury for the tournament and the Leicester number nine has been replaced in the squad by Alex Mitchell.
Borthwick has until 28 August to name his final squad.
Scott1 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 2:32 pm
Daly is ruled out too!
BBC
Utility back Elliot Daly has a knee injury and is unavailable for this weekend but is expected to be fit for the World Cup, while wing Henry Arundell is recovering from a back spasm.
England have already lost scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet to an ankle injury for the tournament and the Leicester number nine has been replaced in the squad by Alex Mitchell.
Borthwick has until 28 August to name his final squad.
Daily Mail said Daly is definitely out and Watson is the one who is touch and go for the RWC
"Rugby isn't a contact sport,ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport" Heyneke Meyer
Officially only Watson is out, that's the only one England have announced.
Daly not official, but Chris Foy of the Daily Mail usually has some REALLY good breaking news from England, so he has at least one or two really good sources in there.
Used to run around with an 11, 14 or 15 on my back.
Call me a cynic but this is what happens when you arrange 4 matches in quick succession and promote them all as full tests to get the crowds in. That results in broken players. These needed to be uncapped warm up matches with rolling subs and maybe 1 or at most 2 of them played under test conditions to get some sharpness at the end. To effectively bring the players straight out of pre season into a full tilt test match is just insane.
GB72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 2:58 pm
Call me a cynic but this is what happens when you arrange 4 matches in quick succession and promote them all as full tests to get the crowds in. That results in broken players. These needed to be uncapped warm up matches with rolling subs and maybe 1 or at most 2 of them played under test conditions to get some sharpness at the end. To effectively bring the players straight out of pre season into a full tilt test match is just insane.
Tell that to Eben Etzebeth! A similar thing was put to him but he said the AB game was a full on test match. It is what it is but i agree that there is a very fine line between being test match fit and shopworn
"Rugby isn't a contact sport,ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport" Heyneke Meyer
