Off-form List

Having watched most of the Home Nations' RWC warm-up matches, I have noticed that there are a fair few players who I believe should not be even close to their squads, mainly due to poor form. Feel free to add your own, but these are mine.

Lee Byrne
Shontayne Hape
Keith Earls
Brian O'Driscoll (although he's an Irish talisman so won't be dropped!)
Nick Easter
Richard Wigglesworth
Craig Mitchell (though this may be because he's not that great a player)
Matt Banahan
Graeme Morrison
Dimitry Szarsewki (sp?)
Pascal Pape

Thoughts?

One comment - BOD played once against France, back from injury. First game this season. He says himself he needs 3 games to get up and running properly.

You believe "he should not be even close to the squad".

Pathetic. Even including him with the list of journeymen above is an insult to the man.

HURLEY_BURLEY wrote:One comment - BOD played once against France, back from injury. First game this season. He says himself he needs 3 games to get up and running properly.

You believe "he should not be even close to the squad".

Pathetic. Even including him with the list of journeymen above is an insult to the man.

agree - BOD should still be one fo the first names on the team sheet....

Look - this is about FORM, not who won't be going to the World Cup. BOD is a leader and a team talisman - of course he'll go to New Zealand and I wouldn't expect him to not go unless he was on crutches and missing an arm.

It was maybe wrong to include him in this list as he's only just back from injury but he had no spark, no get up and go. He was very rusty. Don't get me wrong, I love BOD as a player - he has achieved far more than virtually every player in the game. He simply looked a shadow of his former self.

No it isn't, it's about FROM!

Oops My bad...

Wow this is a really poor list.

BOD seriously?

Wigglesworth was part of an AP winning team. Is he really to blame for the sluggish English backrow?

Schwarzweski - what's wrong with him?

Craig Mitchell - he is better than the overrated Paul James who supposedly can scrummage.

Nick Easter - is the best no 8 England have. Not saying much but still true.


Names I would add

Riki FLutey
Hendre Fourie
Gavin Henson
Huw Bennett
Paul James

Why is it a "poor list"? I'm only making my observations!

The 20 mins Wiggleswroth was on he looked poor. The french no 2 is not as sparkling as he has been in the past and the same goes for Easter. Maybe it's too much training!

Agree with all your additions though beshocked!

beshocked wrote:Wow this is a really poor list.

BOD seriously?

Wigglesworth was part of an AP winning team. Is he really to blame for the sluggish English backrow?

Schwarzweski - what's wrong with him?

Craig Mitchell - he is better than the overrated Paul James who supposedly can scrummage.

Nick Easter - is the best no 8 England have. Not saying much but still true.


Names I would add

Riki FLutey
Hendre Fourie
Gavin Henson
Huw Bennett
Paul James

beshocked - go on, admit it, this isnt an "out of form" list from you, it's a list of players you dont like. Its the only possible explanantion for including Huw Bennet who has lifted his form quite dramatically in the warm up games.

I also disagree with Paul James inclusion. Given stability on the other side of the scrum, he didnt have much of a problem with the Argentinian front row on Saturday.

ML Paul James got taken to the cleaners by Matt Stevens.

It did look like the Argentinians had the upper hand in the scrum to me.

Huw Bennett did nothing special at Twickenham. Simply another overrated Welshman. Maybe Huw Bennett shouldn't be there but the others definitely should.