Can you successfully select your national team? 30 man squads no balance rules 1 Point for each player you have in your squad who ends up in the WC squad 1 bonus point for each group of positions (prop, hooker, second row, backrow, scrumhalf, fly half, midfield, outside backs) you pick all the players and only those players who are more than likely selected to play in that group of positions e.g. If Luatua gets selected his primary group of positions is backrow. You'll need him in your squad to complete the backrow bonus point criteria but not the second row bonus point criteria because it's a secondary group of positions for him.
Dane Coles Keven Mealamu Charlie Faumuina Owen Franks Ben Franks Wyatt Crockett Samuel Whitelock Brodie Retallick Patrick Tuipulotu Jerome Kaino Kieran Read Liam Messam Richie McCaw Sam Cane Victor Vito TJ Perenara Aaron Smith Aaron Cruden Colin Slade Beauden Barrett Dan Carter (Had to put him in cause I only had 29 players) Conrad Smith Sonny Bill Williams Ma’a Nonu Malakai Fekitoa Cory Jane Israel Dagg Julian Savea Charles Piutau Ben Smith
FR Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola, Dylan Hartley, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, David Wilson SR Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury, Dave Attwood, Geoff Parling BR Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood, Tom Croft, James Haskell, Ben Morgan, Billy Vunipola SH Ben Youngs, Danny Care FH George Ford, Owen Farrell, Danny Cipriani C Billy Twelvetrees, Jonathan Joseph, Manu Tuilagi, Luther Burrell OB Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell, Johnny May, Christian Wade
The tough predictions are > Reserve halfbacks. Does 9 or 10 get the 3rd man cover. Could easily be only one Danny going or neither. Slade left out deliberately to wind up Blunder > Kyle Eastmond is good vs Stuart Lancaster hates Kyle Eatmond > Pick two from May, Wade, Ashton, Rokuduguni and Yarde > How much 15 cover do you need given Brown's concussion issues but with Watson and Cipriani floating around the squad
Great Front Row possibly unrivalled - although france sometimes can muster a good 1-2-3 Great Back Row. Great Pack in general.
The pack pretty much picks itself, with the caveat that Croft's fitness and Le Great Hask Argument could go wither way, but neither of those are that likely to play anyway.
Taking into account the 3 hookers, 3 scrum halves I reckon the England 30 will be Props Marler, Vunipola, Wilson, Cole Hookers Youngs, Hartley, Webber Locks Lauchberry, Lawes, Parling Back row Robshaw, Wood, Vunipola, Morgan, Haskell, Kvesic Scrum halves Youngs, Care, Simpson 10/centre Ford, Farrell, Ciprani, Barrett, Tuilagi, Joseph Back 3 Brown, Watson, Nowell, May, Goode,
Way, way short on props and the second row there imo. Think we'll just roll with Youngs and Care at 9 too
He's got 10 in the tight five so in a squad of 30 that's hardly a mile short. 11 might be more likely but no more
I hope we give Hika Elliott another look. Offers a rough game style we could use and did alright in his all black stints. Think he is in that class between Mealamu and Harris.
Reckon we should go Hookers (3): Coles, Mealamu, Elliott Props (5): Franks, Franks, Faumuina, Crockett, Woodcock Second Row (3): Rettalick, Whitelock, through (filt0wned because I can't spell, btw)sh Back row (5): Read, McCaw, Kaino, Cane, Messam Scrum half (3): Smith, Perenara, Pulu Fly half (3): Barrett, Cruden, Carter Midfield (4): Smith, Nonu, SBW, Fekitoa Outside Backs (4): Smith, Dagg, Savea, Jane Elliott vs Harris - don't think Harris is ready, if Coles goes down would prefer Elliott be in our 23 for a big match through (filt0wned because I can't spell, btw)sh vs Tuipulotu - don't know what you'll get with Patrick so I left him out Messam vs Vito vs Luatua - Messam is a brain explosion waiting to happen, Vito is a world beater who goes missing and Luatua is a little raw but covers lock really close race Pulu vs TKB - considering this'll be a bench player would rather Pulu Fekitoa vs Crotty - Considering Ben Smith is in the side he can cover 13 better than Crotty so I have Fekitoa in the side as best available player if we need to have a mass back line reshuffle with injuries to Nonu, C smith and a winger lol Piatau vs Jane - Jane is a big game performer we need him and could well start on the right over Dagg
Yeah if we take 3 hookers i think Easter could get a look in as 4th choice.second row and 6th choice back row. As for Slade i think if he was a serious contender now he'd have been given a go already. Unless we get an injury to ford/farrell/cips he wont go imo. Which is a shame because it will be a fantastic experience for a 22 year old just to be around
If you go for five props then going to need one who can play both sides and that seems to be less common these days. Third choice hooker and 9 are necessary but will get naff all game time and it means you need a couple of utility players so Goode gets in! Or could be brave and pick Foden as fullback wing and 3rd choice 9 cover!
I would rather have Foden that Goode. Think England have been rough on him. If we do take a utility back it's more important that they cover centre seeing as Watson, Nowell and May have played 15 extensively for their clubs. That's on of the reasons I'd like Slade over Cipriani but the evidence suggests the latter is more favoured.
