England v New Zealand ** news & injury thread **

[roughyedspud]

C'mon then kiwi fans..

Put a 17 together out of that squad

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

1. RTS
2. Nightingale
3. Whare
4. Hiku
5. SKD
6. Lolohea
7. Nikorima
8. Matulino
9. Luke
10. Bromwich
11. Taukeiaho
12. Proctor
13. Taumalolo

14. Brown
15. Moa
16. Taupau
17. Harris

18. Blair
19. Kahu
20. Glenn
21. Rona
22. Liu
23. Beale

Went with Brown mainly because I can't recall Kearney playing Luke for 80 minutes often if at all. I think we'll have someone providing interchange cover at hooker.

The other option he may go with is Hiku to partner Lolohea in the halves with Nikorima playing his bench utility role. That will push SKD inwards with Rona/Beale/Kahu fighting it out for the vacant wing spot.

 

[shiznit]

1. RTS
2. Nightingale
3. Whare
4. Hiku
5. SKD
6. Lolohea
7. Nikorima
8. Matulino
9. Luke
10. Bromwich
11. Taukeiaho
12. Proctor
13. Taumalolo

14. Brown
15. Moa
16. Taupau
17. Harris

18. Blair
19. Kahu
20. Glenn
21. Rona
22. Liu
23. Beale

Went with Brown mainly because I can't recall Kearney playing Luke for 80 minutes often if at all. I think we'll have someone providing interchange cover at hooker.

The other option he may go with is Hiku to partner Lolohea in the halves with Nikorima playing his bench utility role. That will push SKD inwards with Rona/Beale/Kahu fighting it out for the vacant wing spot.

Blair would have to be there somewhere....

There's some good young forwards who are going to miss out... Personally I can't see them picking both Taukeaho and Taupau in the same side... I think they will both be competing for a bench forward spot...

 

[deluded pom?]

Two players who played for Tonga and one from Samoa in this years mid season test. There are no consequences in our sport, you can pretty much just do what you want.

Would this be classed as their once in a WC cycle switch. I'm not even sure what the rules are anymore.

 

[roughyedspud]

Blair would have to be there somewhere....

There's some good young forwards who are going to miss out... Personally I can't see them picking both Taukeaho and Taupau in the same side... I think they will both be competing for a bench forward spot...

you still think it's a development team lol


no halves though...so no chance

 

[Bovrick]

I'll freely admit I haven't seen anything really of Nikorima in the halves, can he distribute or kick? From what I've seen of Tuivasa-Sheck and Lolohea, the pair have been average at best in both of those departments. Looks like a lot of pressure on Isaac Luke. It will be interesting if the Kiwis can get any ball to their threequarters, not that there's that much to write home about there, though Whare has always stood up at international level.

That pack though, wow. Many aren't even near their peak potential and it looks phenomenal. England will have a lot to do to control the ruck and inevitable offloads.

 

[Last Week]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Whare fill in the halves some what.

 

[shiznit]

you still think it's a development team lol


no halves though...so no chance

You still haven't figured it out yet fluffydud...

This is a kiwis team... Unless we lose...

Then it's a development team... :lol:

 

[ozbash]

Tuivasa-Sheck has had a great NRL season setting records for metres run.
Tui Lolohea is a fantastic young talent but he has been swapped around at fullback, centre and halfback this season. It must bugger up a young fellas confidence being chopped and changed all the time.
He was 6 for the Warriors U20 side and was impressive.

Its going to be an interesting tour, huge mistake, imo, leaving Benji out of the squad.

 

[shiznit]

As for no halves... if your using Flopkins at halfback you guys are worse off than we are...

 

[ozbash]

No halves no chance..

Cracking pack though

It moves the odds a bit more in England's favor.

 

[Bovrick]

As for no halves... if your using Flopkins at halfback you guys are worse off than we are...

Do people genuinely believe this? Tomkins has performed well in the halves at international level. His only problem has been people putting false projections on him that he's some devastating runner and a try machine. Look at him, he's tiny. He's not one of those flash in the pan pure runners who hit a leg injury and fade into nothingness, like we see over and over at fullback in the NRL.

His ridiculous try stats were for one main reason (plus his speed before successive injuries) - his assist stat. He was at a professional club where people would be where he wanted them to be, and the indecision he created in defences did his work for him. None of this existed at the Warriors, especially when they just gave up in the second season.

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

No Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran, Thomas Leuluai, or Benji Marshall.

It is hard to see the Kiwi halves excelling given their inexperience at Test level. However the Kiwi pack is so powerful, that an England pack without Sam Burgess and George Burgess is not likely to contain the Kiwi forwards. In that context the novice Kiwi halves may do well.

 

[shiznit]

Do people genuinely believe this? Tomkins has performed well in the halves at international level. His only problem has been people putting false projections on him that he's some devastating runner and a try machine. Look at him, he's tiny. He's not one of those flash in the pan pure runners who hit a leg injury and fade into nothingness, like we see over and over at fullback in the NRL.

His ridiculous try stats were for one main reason (plus his speed before successive injuries) - his assist stat. He was at a professional club where people would be where he wanted them to be, and the indecision he created in defences did his work for him. None of this existed at the Warriors, especially when they just gave up in the second season.

:lol:

The guy played the majority of his time with multiple time International winger of the year Manu Vatuvei outside him and golden boot winner Shaun Johnson on his inside.

There's nothing in the StupidLeague that gets better than that.

Tomkins was just a flat track bully who took advantage of the weak level of football England. When he came up against the best he went missing...

Lolohea > Tomkins in the halves easily...

Lolohea has a U20's premiership... That's probably the equivalent of an ESL title...

 

[Vic Mackey]

I said it in another thread, thought Simona would have made it, especially over guys like Kahu and Beale. Played as well as can be expected for Samoa at 7 earlier this year.

 

[Bovrick]

:lol:

The guy played the majority of his time with multiple time International winger of the year Manu Vatuvei outside him and golden boot winner Shaun Johnson on his inside.

There's nothing in the StupidLeague that gets better than that.

Tomkins was just a flat track bully who took advantage of the weak level of football England. When he came up against the best he went missing...

Lolohea > Tomkins in the halves easily...

Lolohea has a U20's premiership... That's probably the equivalent of an ESL title...

That's a really long way of saying no, you don't believe it.

Lolohea is a great prospect, with a very good head on him and a strong running game, but as yet he has inconsistent passing, poor kicking, and little game sense. He isnt a half, not yet. Hopefully he proves me wrong in the internationals, otherwise NZ will be relying purely on their pack, and RTS running himself into the ground.

 

[roughyedspud]

As for no halves... if your using Flopkins at halfback you guys are worse off than we are...

We aren't using tomkins the the halves...it was just a idea floated around the interweb & by tomkins himself....macbanana though will go with widdop & smith....

 

[roughyedspud]

:lol:

The guy played the majority of his time with multiple time International winger of the year Manu Vatuvei outside him and golden boot winner Shaun Johnson on his inside.

There's nothing in the StupidLeague that gets better than that.

Tomkins was just a flat track bully who took advantage of the weak level of football England. When he came up against the best he went missing...

Lolohea > Tomkins in the halves easily...

Lolohea has a U20's premiership... That's probably the equivalent of an ESL title...

Dude give up...even your fellow kiwis think you are talking like a tithead

 

[Last Week]

Kiwi's might want to take a leave out of the Bulldogs play book, where their forwards are basically the halves and the halves are just runners.

Don't think they will, but maybe for periods throughout the game.

 

[roughyedspud]

pppssstt the bulldogs "2nd" stand off...james graham...is englands prop....we'll do it better than the kiwis will lol


infact its not even the bulldogs play book...it's ENGLAND PLAYBOOK...jammer has been doing it for england long before he taught canterbury how to do it