England Vs Barbarians

With Leicester and Harlequins in the final what team do you think SL & Co. will field ?

Here are a list of the players available for the game

Forwards (13)
Mouritz Botha (Saracens)
Alex Corbisiero (London Irish)
Paul Doran Jones (Northampton Saints)
Phil Dowson (Northampton Saints)
Carl Fearns (Bath Rugby)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)
Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)
Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
Ben Morgan (Scarlets) ????? injury permitting
Matt Mullan (Worcester Warriors)
Tom Palmer (Stade Francais)
Matt Stevens (Saracens)

Backs (10)
Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints)???? Injured?
Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Ben Foden (Northampton Saints)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Charlie Hodgson (Saracens)
Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)
David Strettle (Saracens)
Christian Wade (London Wasps)

If im correct there are only 23 to chose from (only 3 Back subs) my team would be...

1.Corbisiero
2.Hartley
3.PDJ
4.Launchbury
5.Botha
6.Fearns
7.Johnson
8.Morgan/Dowson if injured

9.Dickson
10.Farrell
11.Strettle
12.Barritt
13.JJ
14.Wade
15.Foden

Bench

Goode
Hodgson
Ashton ???? Injured??
Mullen
Mears
Dowson (but will be on if Morgan is injured)
Palmer

If some of these Injuries turn out to be serious we could have some problems having 22 players available

Presumably then some other players will be called up, even if it is just for this game.

DaveM wrote:Presumably then some other players will be called up, even if it is just for this game.

My thoughts exactly , by the looks of things we will need possibly a Player who can play in the Back 3. May?
A scrum half , with Lee Dicksons brother probably on the bench for Quins we would need to pick out 5th Scrum Half. The young 9 from Sarries ? (Name escapes me)
And a Back row player if morgan is Injured. Attwood and move the young wasps Lock to the Backrow ?

Matt Mullan
Dylan Hartley (needs some rugby before tour)
Paul Doran-Jones
Dave Attwood (called up for this game only)
Joe Launchberry
Tom Johnson
Carl Fearns
Ben Morgan (if fit, needs some rugby before tour)

Lee Dickson
Owen Farrell
Chris Ashton (if fit, needs some rugby before tour)
Brad Barritt
Jonathan Joseph
Christian Wade
Alex Goode

Jamie George (called up for this game only)
Matt Stevens
Matt Garvey (called up for this game only)
Phil Dowson
Ben Spencer (called up for this game only)
Charlie Hodgson
Johnny May (called up for this game only)

Mainly fringe players, but I've gone for the Six Nations 9/10/12 who will probably be competing en masse against the Leicester 9/10/12 for starting spots. A few players called up to plug holes where they arise, and to have a look at some of the emerging talent that's missed out on the main tour.

Kvesic is having an operation on his shoulder so won't be available.

Edited. Not sure why I left out Fearns in the first place.

The'll probably call in quite a few players to the squad for this one I'd have thought. Have broken down the squad by position. I reckon they might add a player to each group except the back three.

Stevens, Mullan, Corbisiero, Doran-Jones
Hartley, Mears
Palmer, Botha, Launchbury
Dowson, Fearns, Johnson, Morgan

Dickson,
Hodgson, Farrell
Joseph, Barritt
Goode, Wade, Foden, Strettle, Ashton

From that (given that they wont necessarily pick the best team available), I'd like to see;

Mullan, Hartley, Doran-Jones
Botha, Launchbury
Johnson, Morgan, Fearns

Dickson, Hodgson
Barritt, Joseph,
Ashton, Foden, Wade

I'll be honest and think he'll rest a lot of the lads who played in the 6Ns and try his midweek side.

1.Matt Mullen
2.Lee Mears
3.Paul Doran-Jones
4.Graham Kitchener
5.Joe Launchbury
6.Tom Johnson
7.Carl Fearns
8.Ben Morgan

9.Lee Dickson (C)
10.Charlie Hodgson
11.Christian Wade
12.Brad Barritt
13.Johnathan Joseph
14.David Strettle
15.Alex Goode

Driver

Kitchener will be with Leicester.

When does Hartley's ban end? If he's avaliable I'd like to see him given a run out against the Barbarians as he needs the game time before the tour.

He would have been available for the Premiership final, so will almost certainly play in the Barbarians game, as he need some rugby before the tour.

I'd be surprised if it wasn't as full strength a side as can be mustered. There won't be another warm up game before the first test and if they don't play against the Barbarians a number of the likely starters wouldn't have played a competitive game for more than a month.

I'd imagine Lancaster will go for something like:

Corbisero
Hartley
PDJ
Palmer
Botha
Dowson
Fearns
Morgan
Dickson
Farrell
Strettle
Barritt
Joseph
Ashton
Foden

Stevens
Mears
Launchbury
Johnson
Hodgson
Wade
Goode


Calling someone in to cover SH would be the most pressing addition, but Dickson often plays a full match and Foden could cover at a push if Dickson gets injured. They'll surely have to call in extra players to fill out the next couple of weeks of training though.