Eng tour to Aus - 3 tests

"Australia will host England in a three-match series for the first time, after the 2015-16 Premiership season.

The opening Test will take place in Brisbane on 11 June, with the second match in Melbourne a week later and the final game in Sydney on 25 June.

England, who beat the Wallabies 26-17 at Twickenham in November last year, have not toured Australia since 2010.

The teams, who first faced each other in 1909, will meet in Pool A of the World Cup on Saturday, 3 October.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive Bill Pulver said: "It is remarkable that Australia and England have never before played a three-match series and the history of this occasion is sure to add to the anticipation for the tour." "

Is this a good idea? A Massive season already with the RWC and now a major series down under to round it all off. Eng need to take a full strength side to be competetive but will some key players have to be rested? With the Lions tour in 2017 there is not too much off-season and resting for our best boys to look forward to. It will certainly be exciting to watch and hopefully we can take a decent squad down there and give it a real bash.

I suspect that this will be more of a trial squad for both sides. A three match series is a great chance to test some emerging players, so I would expect to see a mix of the younger members of the current squad and up and emerging players.

This early in the RWC cycle, results matter less than performances - remember the Tour of Hell? - and there is no point overworking players who will have had an ultra-long season.

Poorfour wrote:I suspect that this will be more of a trial squad for both sides. A three match series is a great chance to test some emerging players, so I would expect to see a mix of the younger members of the current squad and up and emerging players.

I thought World rugby put a stop to countries sending out trial teams on tours, I thought they made these tours mandatory and that we had to field our best players we can. Unless I have missed something recently.

England have a huge depth of players at a similar level - you could replace half the team with players and you wouldn't notice a huge difference.

The problem has been the top level players - World Class ones.

Why take Wood on a tour like that when you have Burgess, Haskell, Ewers, Mark Wilson, Calum Clark etc
Robshaw might go as Captain but not play...ideal opportunity to check out Clifford and Kvesic.

We have a host of Locks that Lancaster will want to have a look at as back up to Lawes and Launchbury

At the same time...I don't see Lancaster sending that weak a side across there. He'll want to win.

Whats the squad number likely to be...40?

I was actually quite surprised that this is the first ever 3 test series between them. I long for the days of proper tours again but in such a congested season it won't happen.

June 11th. I'm guessing that even with the delayed start to the season the AP final will be at least 2 weeks prior to that to avoid the same farce as the NZ tour?

With Lancaster quite possibly moving a few players on after the RWC this could be a very interesting tour. Although player loads will need to be very well balanced to avoid burnout - when are we not saying that now though.

Given how Lancaster favoured youth at the start of his tenure it will be very interesting to see how players such as Parling, Haskell, Wood and Hartley will fit into his plans.

Parling will almost certainly be moved on with the likes of Slater, Kruis and Kitchener already around. However with many talented back row players coming through Wood and Haskell could be under threat. Likewise if Jamie George or LCD can step up then a player with the disciplinary record of Hartley could be fighting an uphill battle.

Props tend to play on longer but Davey Wilson will be looking over his shoulder with Brookes and Sinckler coming through.

Robshaw as well even, but if his performances stay as good as they have been I imagine he will be safe.

Looking at the extended RWC squad as a whole, Easter and Strettle won't feature again. Likewise Dickson, Wigglesworth, Ashton and Foden may struggle to stay around the squads with young talents pushing through.

hugehandoff wrote:Is this a good idea? A Massive season already with the RWC and now a major series down under to round it all off.

It hasn't been arranged off-the-cuff. The England summer schedule for 2012 through 2018 was decided as long ago as 2010.

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12504/6170481/england-reveal-tour-plans

Yep - the IRB June tours Schedule 2012-2018 was decided a good few years ago for all the major nations with the intention that England, Ireland, France would undertake 3 test tours to SA, NZ and Aus. Wales, Scot and Ital committed to combinations of Tier 1 and Tier Two countries if I recall correctly. hHere's some of the ones I found:

England
2012 South Africa 3
2013 Lions tour Aus 3 & Arg
2014 New Zealand 3
2015 RWC
2016 Australia 3
2017 Lions tour NZ and Arg
2018 South Africa 3
2019 RWC

Ireland
2012 New Zealand - 3
2013 Lions Tour - Australia 3
2014 Argentina - 2
2015 RWC
2016 South Africa 3
2017 Lions tour NZ 3 and Japan 2
2018 Australia 3
2019 RWC

NZ
2012 - Ireland 3
2013 - France 3
2014 - England 3
2015 - RWC - England/Wales
2016 - Wales 3
2017 - British and Irish Lions tour.
2018 - France 3
2019 - RWC Japan

Pot Hale wrote:Yep - the IRB June tours Schedule 2012-2018 was decided a good few years ago for all the major nations with the intention that England, Ireland, France would undertake 3 test tours to SA, NZ and Aus.  Wales, Scot and Ital committed to combinations of Tier 1 and Tier Two countries if I recall correctly.  hHere's some of the ones I found:

England
2012 South Africa 3
2013 Lions tour Aus 3 & Arg
2014 New Zealand 3
2015 RWC
2016 Australia 3
2017 Lions tour NZ and Arg
2018 South Africa 3
2019 RWC

Ireland
2012 New Zealand - 3
2013 Lions Tour - Australia 3
2014 Argentina - 2
2015 RWC
2016 South Africa 3
2017 Lions tour NZ 3 and Japan 2
2018 Australia 3
2019 RWC

NZ
2012 - Ireland 3
2013 - France 3
2014 - England 3
2015 - RWC - England/Wales
2016 - Wales 3
2017 - British and Irish Lions tour.
2018 - France 3
2019 - RWC Japan

Wales have toured Australia and S Africa in the last two years, but I guess you could call Australia a Tier 2 country at present. Wales do tour lower Tier countries during the Lions tour. Pity other nations can't do the same really.

rainbow-warrior wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:Yep - the IRB June tours Schedule 2012-2018 was decided a good few years ago for all the major nations with the intention that England, Ireland, France would undertake 3 test tours to SA, NZ and Aus.  Wales, Scot and Ital committed to combinations of Tier 1 and Tier Two countries if I recall correctly.  hHere's some of the ones I found:

England
2012 South Africa 3
2013 Lions tour Aus 3 & Arg
2014 New Zealand 3
2015 RWC
2016 Australia 3
2017 Lions tour NZ and Arg
2018 South Africa 3
2019 RWC

Ireland
2012 New Zealand - 3
2013 Lions Tour - Australia 3
2014 Argentina - 2
2015 RWC
2016 South Africa 3
2017 Lions tour NZ 3 and Japan 2
2018 Australia 3
2019 RWC

NZ
2012 - Ireland 3
2013 - France 3
2014 - England 3
2015 - RWC - England/Wales
2016 - Wales 3
2017 - British and Irish Lions tour.
2018 - France 3
2019 - RWC Japan

Wales have toured Australia and S Africa in the last two years, but I guess you could call Australia a Tier 2 country at present.  Wales do tour lower Tier countries during the Lions tour.  Pity other nations can't do the same really.

Eh - Wales did play a three match series in Australia - a Tier One team.
They only played a two-mtach series against S Africa (Tier One) and a mid-week game against Eastern Province XV
During Lions tour, Wales played 2 tests against Japan and Ireland played USA and Canada and an Emerging Ireland side played Georgia and Uruguay.
Italy played Fiji, Samoa and Japan last year.
Not sure what your point is??

Australia for the 2015 World Cup are tier 1, they are however, tier 2 as far as the IRB ranking stand. That's all.

Yep Rainbow & if we are going back to when the draw was made - Wales were Tier 3......

England are currently 4th, who said coming 2nd doesn't pay!

Gwlad wrote:England are currently 4th, who said coming 2nd doesn't pay!

You did. Repeatedly. Predictably. At every conceivable opportunity.

GeordieFalcon wrote:

At the same time...I don't see Lancaster sending that weak a side across there. He'll want to win.

Whats the squad number likely to be...40?

I think a lot depends on what happens in the World Cup - suffer the embarrassment of being knocked out in the group stages, and I expect the strongest squad possible will go looking for some pay-back/recovering pride. Beat the odds and win, and I expect Lancaster to be much more pragmatic about resting players and experimenting with fringe players. Ditto really for Australia.

nobbled wrote:

Gwlad wrote:England are currently 4th, who said coming 2nd doesn't pay!

You did. Repeatedly. Predictably. At every conceivable opportunity.

D'ya think? D'ya think i'd forgotten? Do you even grasp the concept of irony?! clearly not!!!