APV1 says...

OK, all good points, with a fair amount of logic thrown in. So I think I've come up with a revised version:

Cole

Hartley

Corbisiero

Botha

Parling

Dowson

Robshaw (c)

Morgan

Youngs

Farrell

Foden

Barritt

Tuilagi

Ashton

Brown

Marler, Mears, Palmer, Johnson, Care, Flood & Joseph.

But I wonder what SL et al will come up with..? Youth vs experience? Solid vs flair? Old stalwarts vs Baptism of fire?

(Starting to get a little excited now chaps...)

Posted 09:56 07th June 2012

Headhunter99 says...

@APV1

Like your picks especially the front 5 which has enough snarl and attitude needed in SA. I suppose Botha being a SA does help us.

Its the wing option that concerns me, I hear what your saying about Strettle but what other options have we got out there ? Good point about Brown at 15, he does bring a different dynamic to the side and is the type of player to get under the Boks skins and make them give penalties away.

Posted 07:38 07th June 2012

NHsaints says...

@jonesy2 no an impressive 6 nations campaign is a record first 3 away wins ever with a squad made up of mostly non caps and Charlie hodgson...I mean we were missing about 4 first choice players for most of the tournament...(tuilagi for 2 games, wood for 5, Lawes for 4.5 and Care for 5) and didn't play several first choice/experienced/better players (Flood, Haskell and Wade to name a few). Not to mention our young Front row came into their own against Scotland, Italy, France and Ireland not to mention for the first time in 9 years our only counterattacking threat wasn't from Foden or Delon Armitage it was from all the backs...

Posted 21:03 06th June 2012

TVaddict says...

@APV1

I like the team but doubt it'll be that. I expect it'll be the same team that played against Ireland, but with Dowson at 6, and Johnson and Marler on the bench.

Also, didn't Sharples get injured? I like Wade and Joseph but I don't want to throw them into the deep end straight away. Let them play the first mid-week game, and if they impress then promote them to the first team for the last test.

Posted 17:44 06th June 2012

APV1 says...

@ jonesy2 - nope. An impressive tournament is doing better than expected and England did exactly that.

Scotland's win over Oz was impressive,although far from easy.

Posted 15:02 06th June 2012

JayStarr says...

No matter how tired you are England, the South Africans have just had 15 weeks of Super Rugby under the belt - and all played in derbies last Saturday... At the moment they are more tired and more bruised than you are. This particular Sprinbok team have also never played together - only the front row and the 9/10 axis are an established unit - the locks, back row, centres and back three have never played together as a unit... and some of them have simply never played with each other. Bismarck, Eben Etzebeth and Juandre Kruger have never played together either, so their line-outs won't be the strong weapon it normally is.... etc.

You should get it out of your minds that you're playing the Springboks of old. Yes, they'll be physical - but they have a new coach, new players, new combinations - and they've only had a few days together. You have an entire 6 Nations together - you have momentum, confidence and cohesion on your side... and even though you might feel tired, you're fresher than them too.

You need to approach this game knowing that you can beat them - you just need to play with intensity and do the basics right, then you will win. Expose the holes that will be there in defense, score tries, then hold onto the ball and defend well - and be patient... the penalties will come if you apply the pressure. Zane Kirchner, Morné Steyn, Pierre Spies, Juandre Kruger and Willem Alberts are the weak links on defense.

Posted 14:42 06th June 2012

jonesy2 says...

impressive six nations campaign? they didnt even win it. an impressive six nations campaign is winning every game easily.

Posted 13:58 06th June 2012