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#Post#: 59668--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: poorfour
Date: February 20, 2021, 9:35 am
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--- Quote from: RodneyRegis link ---
>
> That's interesting. So Jones is just flat out lying about the
best teams kicking all the time...
>
> Coaches here round on critics by saying that no team kicks the
ball more out of hand than New Zealand, a team held up as one of
the last bastions of adventure. The statistics show that the
tier one nations that kicked the ball most in 2020 were England
and France and the two who did so the least, half as much as
Europe’s top two teams, were New Zealand and Australia.
>
--- End Quote ---
Maybe they should have done... in case you didn’t notice, NZ
didn’t have their best season last season.
#Post#: 59882--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: DOK
Date: February 22, 2021, 5:55 pm
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Interesting to see Andy Powell saying that Eddie Jones is wrong
man for the job
HTML https://www.rugbypass.com/news/eddie-jones-wrong-man-for-the-job-and-farrell-shouldnt-be-involved-says-former-lions-back-row/<br
/>and Sam Simmons, Dombrandt, Marcus Smith and Mike Brown
should
be in the England team and Farrell shouldn't be involved at all.
#Post#: 59883--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: DOK
Date: February 22, 2021, 5:58 pm
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Brian Moore's Full Contact podcast: Undercooked Saracens players
are holding England back
HTML https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2021/02/22/brian-moores-full-contact-podcast-undercooked-saracens-players1/
#Post#: 59887--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: DOK
Date: February 22, 2021, 6:23 pm
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Sometimes you're just not flavour of the month
HTML https://www.rugbypass.com/news/sometimes-youre-just-not-flavour-of-the-month-marcus-smith-urged-to-stay-patient-in-bid-for-england-cap/
#Post#: 59888--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: DOK
Date: February 22, 2021, 6:44 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Joe Marler interview : Trading the Six Nations for
home-schooling, Harlequins and a princess party
Exclusive: Prop is 'conscious I might have played my last game
for England' but at ease with his reasons for withdrawing from
the squad
By
Charlie Morgan,
RUGBY REPORTER
22 February 2021 • 5:03pm
Joe Marler has an intriguing theory about lockdown
home-schooling. It came to mind during a recent maths lesson
with his six-year-old son, Jasper.
“I’d liken it to a player, particularly a very good one,
becoming a coach,” explains Harlequins’ premier loosehead prop.
“They sometimes struggle to understand why someone doesn’t
understand things the way they do.
“Me and my son were doing times tables. His class uses chips and
peas for numbers, but I’ll go: ‘Three times four is 12.’ I know
that, because I’ve learned it.
“Then it’s hard to break that down, though, so I’ve found myself
using chips and peas as well and wondering if that’s a better
way and if I’ve been wrong for 20 years.”
Family was the chief reason for Marler’s withdrawal from the
England squad last month, on the verge of the Six Nations. His
wife, Daisy, is five months pregnant. Jasper already has sister
Maggie, five, and 18-month-old brother Felix for company.
Marler initially attempted to convince himself that life in a
bio-secure bubble would be “manageable”. But the prospect nagged
away at him and, while on a dog-walk around 24 hours before
England publicly unveiled their squad, he privately changed his
mind.
The next morning, on his drive from home, 20 minutes outside of
Brighton, to Harlequins training in Guildford, Marler rang Eddie
Jones.
“I just said I couldn’t come because it was just going to be too
much to put on my wife and the kids in this weird world that
we’re living in,” Marler says.
“He said: ‘Yep, understand. Keep yourself ready in case there’s
an emergency. Appreciate your honesty.’
“I hadn’t told Daisy yet but, because of the feeling I had after
that [conversation], I knew then that it was the right
decision.”
There must be a sense of vindication. Marler, who has spoken
about his mental health troubles and is an ambassador for
charity CALM, or The Campaign Against Living Miserably, seems to
be content and at ease.
He enjoyed a refreshing swim in the sea with his brother-in-law
at Eastbourne on Sunday morning after Harlequins’ 24-12 win over
Sale Sharks. He was able to attend Maggie’s fifth birthday party
dressed as Belle from Beauty and The Beast. A bearded version.
Last December, Marler earned a 72nd cap off the bench in the
Autumn Nations Cup final against France. His time in camp over
the tournament suggested to 30-year-old Marler that he has a
different role these days.
“I’m a bit older, and I’m really third choice,” he says. “I’m
there to help develop other guys, particularly front-rows,
moving forward.
“Understanding that I might not have played a huge amount [this
Six Nations], I was still gutted not to be there. But I was also
loving dressing up as a princess for my daughter’s birthday.
“Well… we all dressed up as princesses because she wanted a
princess party, only for her to say she didn’t want to do it
anymore five minutes before were due to start – and when I say
start, it was only us sending her out of the room to get dressed
while we got the kitchen ready. She came around eventually.
“There was being able to do that, and being able to support my
wife with the home-schooling of the older two while looking
after the youngest, who is 18 months, running around like a
blue-arsed fly. It’s been really good to share the work-load
like that and it’s important that is my priority.
“Am I conscious that I might have played my last game for
England? Yeah. But I sit comfortably with my reasons for why.”
Ten months ago, as the pandemic was taking hold, Jones pointed
out that Marler would only be 33 at the next World Cup. Tendai
‘Beast’ Mtawarira, the Springboks’ scrum-destroying inspiration
in the 2019 decider, had been 34 at the most recent one.
With that in mind, and for all the qualities of Mako Vunipola,
Ellis Genge and Beno Obano, Marler’s opinion on his England
standing – as well as the question he raises himself about his
Test future – is self-deprecating.
Of course, you might expect a phlegmatic tone from someone that
has already been in and out of international retirement.
“Selection is always out of my control anyway, so I don’t get
worked up about it,” Marler adds. “In any team – or most teams,
at least – it’s one man’s decision.
“They either like you or they don’t. You either fit their thing
or you don’t. All you can concentrate on is trying to play the
best you can and enjoying yourself as much as you can.”
This attitude, as well as the fact that Marler remains an
exceptional player, has been in full evidence over a run of four
consecutive Premiership wins that has swept Harlequins into the
top three.
The timing of the club’s up-turn, however, has bred
“frustration” given his friendship with departed head of rugby
Paul Gustard.
“Everyone knows professional sport is result-based and
ruthless,” Marler says. “That doesn’t make it any easier when
people decide to part ways.
“Every time we win, there is a part of me thinking: ‘Boys, we
could have done this under Paul.’ Maybe that’s hindsight, or
chicken-and-egg… or whatever s--- analogy you want to throw at
it.”
Overall, though, is this the happiest Marler has ever been?
“Yeah, I guess it is,” he answers. “My start-out years were
quite fun. I was fearless, with no expectation. I hadn’t
experienced any professional down-sides. You’re young, dumb,
full of c--. You’re happy as Larry, picking fights with people
you looked up to on the telly.
“In the middle of your career, you might have won a bit here and
there. But you’ve failed at this and failed at that. You start
worrying about what people think, second-guessing yourself.
“You start hiding because you don’t want to make a mistake,
listening to too many people and not being yourself.
“Without going through all that, though, I don’t think you do
get to a position where you’ve learned. Am I happy now? Yeah,
I’m really enjoying myself, trying to help young players come
through and win stuff. Rugby is fun.”
Without pausing, as if he has remembered it halfway through his
last point, Marler confronts one gripe that – hopefully – will
soon subside.
“There is still a big part of me that thinks rugby is really,
really s--- and soulless without fans. I used to think: ‘Aw,
those fans are nauses.’ Then you take them away and you run out
in an empty stadium… and it can feel awful.
“Everyone can hear my sledging. Although it does give me a
chance to sledge opposition coaches.”
At the weekend, Sale forwards coach Dorian West copped a barb
from the pitch shortly before half-time. Marler made peace as
the players resurfaced for the second period. His lockdown has
been a bright one.
“It’s all fun and games. We’ll even miss home-schooling when
we’re not doing it… actually, I take that back. But I will be
happy helping out with the occasional homework.”
#Post#: 59921--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: MadMax
Date: February 23, 2021, 6:01 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: DOK link ---
>
> Interesting to see Andy Powell saying that Eddie Jones is
wrong man for the job
HTML https://www.rugbypass.com/news/eddie-jones-wrong-man-for-the-job-and-farrell-shouldnt-be-involved-says-former-lions-back-row/<br
/>and Sam Simmons, Dombrandt, Marcus Smith and Mike Brown
should
be in the England team and Farrell shouldn't be involved at all.
>
--- End Quote ---
Hmm Andy Powell's judgement has been called in to question once
or a hundred times though hasn't it :)
#Post#: 59984--------------------------------------------------
Re: Mike Brown blames Eddie Jones
DIR By: Dibden
Date: February 24, 2021, 4:27 am
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Billy says he is playing rubbish which we all know.Then why in
heavens name is Jones selecting him?Billy says he’ll correct it
on Saturday.By inference Jones has told him he’s playing.
There is Dommers and Simmonds to name but 2 whose form is way
ahead.
I honestly believe Jones has lost it as Australia and Queensland
recognised in the past and fired him.
For me the next 3 games should decide whether he keep his job.
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