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       #Post#: 155521--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: RodneyRegis
       Date: June 17, 2026, 12:53 pm
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       Do we not have any fullbacks in the squad who would benefit a
       lot more from this than old man ford?
       Kick the leather off everything and get ripped to shreds. A
       great confidence builder for some young hopefuls.
       #Post#: 155524--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: FrostAndFire
       Date: June 17, 2026, 3:57 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       It is kind of depressing to see Ford there starting. Not that I
       think his days as an England 10 are necessarily over, but he is
       behind Fin Smith and has limited years left. This was the
       perfect chance to give a younger 10 a go (not even Marcus,
       necessarily). But that's the way of Borthwick.
       #Post#: 155533--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: Rocker
       Date: June 18, 2026, 3:08 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Why not play Marcus at 10 and use a young full back?
       Good to see Dommers get a go, but he'd be better with Marcus at
       10.
       Ford :(
       Tom Curry should be rested for a summer. He's managed so few
       games this season with injury you cant help thinking he could
       use a proper rest.
       #Post#: 155534--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: MaidstoneQuin
       Date: June 18, 2026, 3:30 am
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       --- Quote from: Rocker link ---
       >
       > Why not play Marcus at 10 and use a young full back?
       > Good to see Dommers get a go, but he'd be better with Marcus
       at 10.
       > Ford :(
       > Tom Curry should be rested for a summer. He's managed so few
       games this season with injury you cant help thinking he could
       use a proper rest.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       Redshaw would have been an interesting pick to see how he goes
       #Post#: 155545--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: Banstead Quin
       Date: June 18, 2026, 9:37 am
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       Just want to see Dommers play like Dommers, not under orders to
       try and be a Ben Earl clone
       #Post#: 155546--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: Brown Bottle
       Date: June 18, 2026, 10:11 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: Banstead Quin link ---
       >
       > Just want to see Dommers play like Dommers, not under orders
       to try and be a Ben Earl clone
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       It's hardly likely.
       #Post#: 155548--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: T-Bone
       Date: June 18, 2026, 5:13 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Why on earth play ford at 10 for this game. We know what he can
       and can't do. Play Marcus or one of the other options. Madness
       #Post#: 155549--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: Lock5
       Date: June 19, 2026, 12:15 am
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       France XV v England XV - Live 5:15 pm - Friday, June 19th
  HTML https://rugbypass.tv/live/304756
       #Post#: 155550--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: Yareet
       Date: June 19, 2026, 1:29 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: T-Bone link ---
       >
       > Why on earth play ford at 10 for this game. We know what he
       can and can't do. Play Marcus or one of the other options.
       Madness
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       I think the issue is that fans see that it’s a non-cap match and
       think of this game as a chance to try new players.
       My perception is that coaches tend to use it instead as a game
       to knock the rust off before the summer tests. Consequently,
       they pick as close to the test team as possible.
       Looking at the games a year before a World Cup, this team is
       pretty consistent. In 2022, it was a Tigers v Sarries final so
       Marcus played 10. In 2018, the final was Sarries v Chiefs and
       George played 10.
       My guess is that had Saints lost last weekend, Fin would be
       playing 10 tonight and we wouldn’t be having this conversation
       #Post#: 155556--------------------------------------------------
       Re: England XV named for the French game
   DIR By: JammyGit
       Date: June 19, 2026, 4:35 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: Yareet link ---
       >
       > I think the issue is that fans see that it’s a non-cap match
       and think of this game as a chance to try new players.
       >
       > My perception is that coaches tend to use it instead as a game
       to knock the rust off before the summer tests. Consequently,
       they pick as close to the test team as possible.
       >
       > Looking at the games a year before a World Cup, this team is
       pretty consistent. In 2022, it was a Tigers v Sarries final so
       Marcus played 10.
       --- End Quote ---
       Which was only his 8th start for England, so it made _some_
       sense to give him more game time, but this was absolutely
       nowhere near the Test side - Rodd, Walker, Collier, Ewels,
       Chick, Randall, Atkinson, Cokanasiga all started and either
       didn't tour or didn't make a matchday squad, Freeman played 15
       rather than wing, and we had a heap of newbies on the bench who
       I don't think ever got any further. We got thumped,
       unsurprisingly. It's a very very big stretch to claim this game
       as "being as close to the test team as possible".
       Still, it worked out, as Marcus played 10 for a series win in
       Australia.
       --- Quote ---
       > In 2018, the final was Sarries v Chiefs and George played 10.
       --- End Quote ---
       Ah yes, I remember this. We lost 6 in a row with George at 10
       including getting thumped in that Barbarians game, dropped him
       for Cipriani for the final match on tour, and promptly beat the
       Saffers at home. He already had 38 starts for England at 10 by
       that point with no-one else getting a look-in (and to be clear,
       he was great for most of them, but had a poor 6N and looking at
       someone else was a good idea taken up far too late). It was very
       close to being the Test team in that BaaBaas game, and in a very
       familiar situation, Cipriani came on early but had to play
       fullback while George played the full 80 at 10 as a result.
       So, two matches - one with the first choice 10 who was still a
       newcomer to Test rugby but an obvious experimental side, with a
       heavy loss but a series win afterwards; the other with a first
       choice 10 who was an international veteran, the guts of a Test
       side on its way to a 4th defeat in a row, and a disappointing
       series loss only livened by the win at the end, sparked by a
       different 10...
       I don't think we've established a pattern or a justification
       with this data, tbh.
       Also, for the record, SA put out a largely experimental side in
       their warmup before our tour in 2018 :-)
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