tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post5760962267482248717..comments2023-07-09T21:38:41.963+01:00Comments on TOTAL FLANKER...a rugby blog: Ahem...TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-61198054023276065282009-03-17T21:23:00.000+00:002009-03-17T21:23:00.000+00:00Agreed, a great result and an exciting day at Twic...Agreed, a great result and an exciting day at Twickenham. However, it is important to cast a critical eye over individual performances. The stars were undoubtedly Flutey, Armitage and Croft. They were well supported with very good displays from Easter, Cueto and Worsley. The rest of the team were adequate BUT, Borthwick was poor as were Shaw and Goode when he came on. Borthwick gets smashed back nearly everytime he gets the ball, he simply does not have the physicality for international rugby. Croft and Kennedy Simon Shaw is just to old now, he has been a very good player but looked ponderous, as he has for wasps all season and he made some silly decisions. <BR/><BR/>Lets keep the stars but keep improving the team. Kenedy in for shaw, Hartly to start at hooker and Foden to be on the bench but get 30 mins.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-43166590355212490232009-03-16T23:08:00.000+00:002009-03-16T23:08:00.000+00:00I'd agree that England were not as good on Sunday ...I'd agree that England were not as good on Sunday as the press are claiming, but then again neither were they anywhere near as bad as they were portrayed to be in the media prior to the French game - which is the point I've been trying to make.<BR/><BR/>I agree that this was not a revival as such because in fact England have steadily improved from game to game so far this tournament. Yes, the French played badly, but you can't deny that England played very well for 40 minutes. They are far fom the finished article, as the 2nd half against France showed, but a corner HAS been turned in so far as the players now know that they can perform.<BR/><BR/>Still very much work in progress and no doubt there will still be trials to be overcome but at least we can now see what England are trying to achieve and they are at least facing (if not heading) in the right direction.<BR/><BR/>A false dawn? Maybe, but right now I'd say the glass is beginning to look half full.Total Flankerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06368624271678527333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-43003699207446955502009-03-16T11:55:00.000+00:002009-03-16T11:55:00.000+00:00I always read your posts with great interest. 40 ...I always read your posts with great interest. 40 minutes of good rugby against a side that seem to have left their heads and hearts on the Eurostar do not make for much of a revival in my book.<BR/><BR/>Given that dominance in the first half what would any SH side have done in the second? Poured on another 30 points. Why were England unable to do that?<BR/><BR/>We are all looking for crumbs of comfort and treating half a match of decent rugby against below par opponents, in a game with some very odd refereeing decisions, as this week's messiah. The media are congratulating England for playing with XV players like this was a special achievement.<BR/><BR/>No corner has been turned. It is a false dawn. I want to be wrong but I don't think I am.Greg Collinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13795008618836745837noreply@blogger.com