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Feb 2022
6:16pm, 10 Feb 2022
12,739 posts
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Little Nemo
I loved the Bergamasco brothers and their Sideshow Bob resemblance 
Very nervous about France against Ireland!
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Feb 2022
8:01am, 11 Feb 2022
899 posts
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The Mussile
England squad is a shocker when you look at the numbers
27 players. 16 forwards. 11 backs.
Forwards: 6 props. 3 hookers. 4 locks, all of them also covering blindside. No blindsides. 1 openside. 2 number 8s.
Backs: 2 fly halves. 2 scrum halves. One specialist fullback. One 13 who can play back 3, one 13 who can play wing. One winger who mostly plays 15 or sometimes 10. One 13 who can play 12. No specialist 12s. Two specialist wings, one of whom is slower than an arthritic sloth.
Then there’s 3 backs who weren’t in the initial squad who have jumped ahead of the players chosen in front of them only a couple of weeks ago.
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Feb 2022
8:37am, 11 Feb 2022
8,955 posts
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Raemond
I seem to know loads of people giving away their France Ireland tickets this weekend because of the bloody rona.
Unfortunately because dogs, cats, and Dutch bureaucracy we can't take any of them
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Feb 2022
9:06am, 11 Feb 2022
24,914 posts
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TROSaracen
Yes I’d agree Mussile. I’ve felt for some time that Eddie feels that a coach winning with 15 players in their right positions is a coach luckily blessed with good players, but a coach winning with players out of position is a much cleverer coach. And he really wants to be seen as a clever coach, always.
It feels as if his regime has jumped the shark, and he combines needless meddling and inconsistency in some areas with infuriating stubbornness borne of a bloody minded desire to prove people wrong in others.
He’s always had a short shelf life throughout his coaching and the pattern is being repeated here.
Austin Healey has certainly broken ranks in the Torygraph, and was pretty scathing and noted he ‘would not be surprised’ if Italy win.
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Feb 2022
9:27am, 11 Feb 2022
2,652 posts
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Fields
Believe Eddie has a spare front row travelling due to covid concerns and not wanting to forfeit the game. Agree his selection is a bit haphazard.
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Feb 2022
9:33am, 11 Feb 2022
902 posts
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The Mussile
I have a lot of time for Austin Healey. He may be miles up his own derriere but he was an outstanding player that coaches couldn't work out how to best use and he is an insightful pundit.
As a bonus he is also hated by the Welsh (and many others)
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Feb 2022
9:38am, 11 Feb 2022
2,655 posts
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Fields
He’s the best in-game pundit so far, he sees the space before it happens - and before the cameraman gets there (same as Jiffy - they had that instinct when playing too). If him and Ben Kay are doing a game together then it’s the best all round pundit combo.
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Feb 2022
9:47am, 11 Feb 2022
75,861 posts
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Gobi
I met Austin Healy at Cafe Ventoux , like us out with his mates. Seemed sound but then I don't hate him or sound Welsh.
Still digesting how bad we were against Ireland.
Pleasing to see the jocks win but it can't cover how bad we were
I'm looping in distress
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Feb 2022
12:53pm, 11 Feb 2022
24,915 posts
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TROSaracen
Team’s out. Good (Randall, Dombrandt 8), bad (Ewels, Itoje 6) and meh (Nowell, George, Will Stuart).
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Feb 2022
12:56pm, 11 Feb 2022
2,667 posts
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Fields
England team named - 8 changes. Trigger warning for TRO and Mussile behind the spoilers…
Only Genge survives in the front row
Ewels in the row!
Itoje at 6! Dombrandt at 8.
Randall at 9, Smith at 10. Slade and Marchant in the centres which I approve of and wanted last week. Nowell on the wing.
Chessum may get a debut off the bench.
England lack carrying so Dombrandt and Genge will get a lot of work in that area I think. And Nowell - who I expect to score a bundle of tries - of his 14 test tries most have not been against top level teams in my view.
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