France v England

[Banquo]

not to be sneezed at!

Put through the mill, if you will

I feel sad that I used exactly those puns when he was called into the squad - and absolutely nobody riffed from there

its the way you tell em

[p/d]

not to be sneezed at!

Put through the mill, if you will

I feel sad that I used exactly those puns when he was called into the squad - and absolutely nobody riffed from there

its the way you tell em

Yep. You got to hit the ground and run with it.

[16th man]

I feel sad that I used exactly those puns when he was called into the squad - and absolutely nobody riffed from there

its the way you tell em

Yep. You got to hit the ground and run with it.

The thing is, if you just spray them around, it inevitably ends in tears.

[Banquo]

I feel sad that I used exactly those puns when he was called into the squad - and absolutely nobody riffed from there

its the way you tell em

Yep. You got to hit the ground and run with it.

cant be run of the mill

[Which Tyler]

You're all just rubbing salt in the wound

[Mr Mwenda]

Getting spicy now.

[Mikey Brown]

I’m not very good at this. Should I just do run of the mill for the fourth time?

[Puja]

I’m not very good at this. Should I just do run of the mill for the fourth time?

You could try "Pepper"ing it in and see if anyone notices?

Did I do it right?

Puja

[Oakboy]

Corny.

[Banquo]

I’m not very good at this. Should I just do run of the mill for the fourth time?

I'll just mill it over, though you are a bit millitent

[p/d]

I’m not very good at this. Should I just do run of the mill for the fourth time?

I'll just mill it over, though you are a bit millitent

This thread is getting cracked wide open. Best we get back to p(r)eppering for the hot one tomorrow before the season comes to an end

[Mikey Brown]

So... is Earl a number 8 yet?

[Danno]

Don't you start

[Oakboy]

So... is Earl a number 8 yet?

Taking that seriously, having totally outplayed Doris, he now faces Aldritt. If he gets the better of him, most of us that doubted his future in the shirt will be silenced. He's certainly now one of our best three back-rowers. Going forward, who the other two are is interesting. Is Chessum going to own the 6 shirt? Will Curry ever regain full fitness? What about the other number 8 contenders? Is Earl at 7 the way to go? It's a good problem for SB to have.

[Dhorton]

I think Earl should 100% own that 8 shirt now having not been convinced on him previously.
If you pair him with Chessum at 6 and whoever is performing best at 7 that is a great back row moving forward.

I love what Tom Curry bring so if its him, or a returning Jack Willis then great.

If one of the other Number 8s is then performing so well that they can't be ignorned then they take that bench sport in a very similar way to what Jack Conan does for Ireland.

[Puja]

I think Earl should 100% own that 8 shirt now having not been convinced on him previously.
If you pair him with Chessum at 6 and whoever is performing best at 7 that is a great back row moving forward.

I love what Tom Curry bring so if its him, or a returning Jack Willis then great.

If one of the other Number 8s is then performing so well that they can't be ignorned then they take that bench sport in a very similar way to what Jack Conan does for Ireland.

100% agree. There should be no more discussion of "Oh, he should be shifted onto the flank to make room for X fave big carrier at 8" - the way he's playing at 8 is the kind of thing that we should be looking to build the team around.

Puja

[16th man]

I think Earl should 100% own that 8 shirt now having not been convinced on him previously.
If you pair him with Chessum at 6 and whoever is performing best at 7 that is a great back row moving forward.

I love what Tom Curry bring so if its him, or a returning Jack Willis then great.

If one of the other Number 8s is then performing so well that they can't be ignorned then they take that bench sport in a very similar way to what Jack Conan does for Ireland.

100% agree. There should be no more discussion of "Oh, he should be shifted onto the flank to make room for X fave big carrier at 8" - the way he's playing at 8 is the kind of thing that we should be looking to build the team around.

Puja

Absolutely this. Genuinely bemusing how some people decided that his generally strong world cup at 8 was proof that he should be given the 7 shirt.

We do now seem to have taken the radical step of looking at the available players strengths, picking based on that and playing somewhat accordingly. This has led to Earl looking increasingly effective at 8, as he's doing what he's good at, rather than being asked to try to replicate 6 years ago Billy V type running into bodies.

If we're absolutely sticking with a lock at 6, then his dynamism, coupled with a strong breakdown forward at 7, gives us a balanced back row.

[Mikey Brown]

I don't want to get too carried away but it reminds me a bit of how Ardie Savea has been "out of position" for about 10 years now, player of the year contender etc. while still apparently a 7.

I was very dubious at first but he's grabbed his chance in a way Dombrandt, Simmonds, Mercer didn't. I still can't convince myself we can rely on Underhill or Curry to be consistently fit, but I don't know if Earl could really translate what he's doing now to what the team need at openside.

I'd agree it may come down to which Willis brother makes themselves available and too hard to ignore. I suppose

► Show Spoiler

PEPPER

might come in to the equation too.

[Oakboy]

I think Earl should 100% own that 8 shirt now having not been convinced on him previously.
If you pair him with Chessum at 6 and whoever is performing best at 7 that is a great back row moving forward.

I love what Tom Curry bring so if its him, or a returning Jack Willis then great.

If one of the other Number 8s is then performing so well that they can't be ignorned then they take that bench sport in a very similar way to what Jack Conan does for Ireland.

100% agree. There should be no more discussion of "Oh, he should be shifted onto the flank to make room for X fave big carrier at 8" - the way he's playing at 8 is the kind of thing that we should be looking to build the team around.

Puja

I'm inclined to agree but if Curry does not get back fully fit and firing, and if J Willis is still in France our best three back-rowers might include one of the other No 8 candidates. SB picking Dombrandt on the bench may mean that he could still see Earl's best position as 7. At least, he wants to see him there for parts of games. Might the overall balance (including bench) be best served by Earl starting at 7 but covering 8? If the best available 7 is Underhill and the best other 8 is a fully fit T Willis, say, it might be worth considering (with a developing CSS the perfect bench man).

[Banquo]

I think Earl should 100% own that 8 shirt now having not been convinced on him previously.
If you pair him with Chessum at 6 and whoever is performing best at 7 that is a great back row moving forward.

I love what Tom Curry bring so if its him, or a returning Jack Willis then great.

If one of the other Number 8s is then performing so well that they can't be ignorned then they take that bench sport in a very similar way to what Jack Conan does for Ireland.

aye

[16th man]

I'd agree it may come down to which Willis brother makes themselves available and too hard to ignore. I suppose

► Show Spoiler

PEPPER

might come in to the equation too.

Not until he's a more seasoned campaigner.

[p/d]

Needs to be shifted to 7

[Banquo]

I don't want to get too carried away but it reminds me a bit of how Ardie Savea has been "out of position" for about 10 years now, player of the year contender etc. while still apparently a 7.

I was very dubious at first but he's grabbed his chance in a way Dombrandt, Simmonds, Mercer didn't. I still can't convince myself we can rely on Underhill or Curry to be consistently fit, but I don't know if Earl could really translate what he's doing now to what the team need at openside.

I'd agree it may come down to which Willis brother makes themselves available and too hard to ignore. I suppose

► Show Spoiler

PEPPER

might come in to the equation too.

Good work.

[Banquo]

I'd agree it may come down to which Willis brother makes themselves available and too hard to ignore. I suppose

► Show Spoiler

PEPPER

might come in to the equation too.

Not until he's a more seasoned campaigner.

even better work.

Hope we aren't being conned, I meant to say that before.

[16th man]

On Curry's fitness, you would hope that the hip surgery might be fixing some underlying problems, and that, aligned with the enforced time off fir the rest of his body, plus the hopeful loss of the extra bulk put on so that he could fulfill one of Eddie's post 2019 foibles and shift to 8, will mean he's going to be more durable going forward.

If he is then, best case scenario is we get one of our few contenders to be world class back, in his best position at 7.