GP / Six Nations plus others - w/e 04-06th February 2022

[Postiger2]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... sense.html

Glad I'm not going mad! I think SCW must have read my posts yesterday This is why I firmly believe Eddie was responsible for that needless defeat.

[tigerburnie]

As I said, a decent England side but would they have the mindset to win and the answer is obvious, Jones should never have been given the job, but the suits in the cabbage patch have little or no understanding of the game, before the last world cup with someone with an interest like Baxter in charge, we would not have lost that final.
Well played Scotland, instead of the usual hate the English kind of performance, they kept cool heads till the end and never gave up. England had a few too many passengers in that side who were for the most part anonymous.

[Leicestertinytiger]

The backline had no balance, with no strike runners or proper wingers. I don’t think Atkinson is amazing but at least he’s a proper 12. Slade I’m still unconvinced by at international level, he has the skillset but has never truly lived up to his potential.

Pack did good considering the amount of missing players.

[trendylfj]

Have to agree with "The Mail" - very poor use of substitutions - They were not needed at the time they were used and that is down to EJ.

[Scott1]

Is anyone aware that Scotland won at HQ and in France last year and only lost to Wales because they had a men sent off? Just putting that out there because some of the posts sound like we lost to Georgia. Sounds like some have enjoyed the loss so they can get their cauldron out

[westwinds31]

SCW ?! Yes 20 years ago, but not now sorry. I must have been watching a different game. England dominated possession and territory without really threatening, but had chances, space out wide not exploited etc I agree that it’s difficult with players out of position but Scotland offered very little apart from a defence that bordered on legality, off feet, slowing down the ball and offside. I get that it was for England to break that down. The game went the opposite to how I thought it would pan out, except for the result. I thought England would be defending and Scotland on the front foot. As I’ve said, replacements….you live or die by making them…if you win you’re a genius, lose and you’re clueless. It’s all ifs and buts.

[Scott1]

Read a couple of hilarious posts about it being EJ fault we lost the RWC final to SA. Nothing to do with Sinckler going off almost straight away or Mako getting pumped in the scrum. Nothing to do with poor performances by Youngs,Ford and Daly amongst others,nothing do with perhaps playing our final the week before,nothing to do with the superb performance from SA themselves. No all Eddie's fault

[Tiglon]

Scotland are a very decent team these days and a very settled team - at times not having huge depth of players available helps them because there isn't that temptation to constantly change things, which is the trap Eddie falls into.

England have been missing a big carrying number 8 since Billy V got injured and lost form. Eddie's England have mostly only been near their best with Billy in form and on the pitch. Simmonds and Dombrandt are both good players, but they aren't what the team needs - Barbeary is the most likely answer for me.

The back line lacks physical presence - who is going to get you over the gainline? Just like the Billy V situation, Eddie doesn't seem to have a solution when Manu is injured. We tried to batter Scotland into submission yesterday but we just didn't have the players to achieve that against a very good defence.

All that being said, if just one of a dozen different situations had been executed slightly better by England then it probably would have been a victory.

The penalty try? 100% correct IMHO. Not Cowan-Dickie's fault, it's a team error to end up with your hooker as the widest defender in your own 22 when we all know that Finn Russell loves a cross field kick.

[westwinds31]

Even if we’d have won the final, they’d have been moans. It’s the England way sadly and why we get this perception of not being as passionate about our country. It’s pretty clear to me.

Any ex-player or coach obviously need to earn a living and if that means making controversial statements that get a reaction then good luck to them. Woodward, Dawson, Guscott….I read it but form my own opinion.

[westwinds31]

Scotland are a very decent team these days and a very settled team - at times not having huge depth of players available helps them because there isn't that temptation to constantly change things, which is the trap Eddie falls into.

England have been missing a big carrying number 8 since Billy V got injured and lost form. Eddie's England have mostly only been near their best with Billy in form and on the pitch. Simmonds and Dombrandt are both good players, but they aren't what the team needs - Barbeary is the most likely answer for me.

The back line lacks physical presence - who is going to get you over the gainline? Just like the Billy V situation, Eddie doesn't seem to have a solution when Manu is injured. We tried to batter Scotland into submission yesterday but we just didn't have the players to achieve that against a very good defence.

All that being said, if just one of a dozen different situations had been executed slightly better by England then it probably would have been a victory.

The penalty try? 100% correct IMHO. Not Cowan-Dickie's fault, it's a team error to end up with your hooker as the widest defender in your own 22 when we all know that Finn Russell loves a cross field kick.

Decent post this. Fine margins England could easily have won that, bounce of the ball etc and we just needed that hole punch to break through. I trust Eddie to get it right, he’s hampered by injuries etc but what counts is the World Cup and he nearly delivered last time out.

[Rugbygramps]

Manu and Faff both on Sales bench

[Postiger2]

We'll see at the end of the 6Ns. Happy to eat humble pie if I'm wrong but my views are absolutely not based on one game and it's a lazy assumption to assume that anyone who thinks EJ is no longer than man only thinks so after the last 80 minutes. It is possible to have a view different to yours and it not be knee-jerk.

[Postiger2]

Scotland are a very decent team these days and a very settled team - at times not having huge depth of players available helps them because there isn't that temptation to constantly change things, which is the trap Eddie falls into.

England have been missing a big carrying number 8 since Billy V got injured and lost form. Eddie's England have mostly only been near their best with Billy in form and on the pitch. Simmonds and Dombrandt are both good players, but they aren't what the team needs - Barbeary is the most likely answer for me.

The back line lacks physical presence - who is going to get you over the gainline? Just like the Billy V situation, Eddie doesn't seem to have a solution when Manu is injured. We tried to batter Scotland into submission yesterday but we just didn't have the players to achieve that against a very good defence.

All that being said, if just one of a dozen different situations had been executed slightly better by England then it probably would have been a victory.

The penalty try? 100% correct IMHO. Not Cowan-Dickie's fault, it's a team error to end up with your hooker as the widest defender in your own 22 when we all know that Finn Russell loves a cross field kick.

Has Dombrandt been given enough of a chance to suggest he's not what the team needs?

[Scott1]

We'll see at the end of the 6Ns. Happy to eat humble pie if I'm wrong but my views are absolutely not based on one game and it's a lazy assumption to assume that anyone who thinks EJ is no longer than man only thinks so after the last 80 minutes. It is possible to have a view different to yours and it not be knee-jerk.

If you continuously fling mud one day it will stick!

[Tiglon]

Has Dombrandt been given enough of a chance to suggest he's not what the team needs?

It is only my opinion, but I think the way England play under Eddie we need bigger carriers - you can give Dombrandt 80 caps but he still won't be the battering ram. Dombrandt has excelled for Quins in loose play with space to run into and support runners to offload to, but he will rarely have those opportunities in this England side, they just don't play that way.