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Will England be Wailing after this weekend at Twickenham?


By A demanding England Fan!
February 23 2012

England make four changes to their starting line-up for the match against Wales.

RBS Six Nations 2012

England v Wales

25th February - Kick Off 1600 GMT -Twickenham

Well here we go again..........but (and it is a big BUT) this is the first time England run out during this RBS Six Nations campaign onto home ground a Twickenham.  Will this be a good thing or bad for them?  I hope that the crowd will get behind them from the off and that they don't have a bout of nerves but we shall see.

Once again, as a fan all I ask is that they give a good performance even if they lose out to Wales on this occasion.  A full team effort of 100% that is all I ask.  I am not holding much hope on this match as on paper Wales really should win but you never know with sport.

Englands Lee Dickson (centre) during the training session at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot.

 All Pictures Empics - England's Lee Dickson (centre) during the training session at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot.

England change four for this weekend's game against Wales.  Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), Ben Morgan (Scarlets) and Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers) start their first Tests, after coming off the bench against Scotland and Italy.     Owen Farrell moves to No 10 in place of Charlie Hodgson, who has not recovered from an injury to his left index finger, with Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers) coming in to the centre.   Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) and Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers) make their first appearances of the campaign on the bench.

England coach Stuart Lancaster during a press conference at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot.Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: "It's been a good start with two wins but we've got real competition for places and Lee, Ben and Geoff deserve an opportunity to start this game. It means that Phil (Dowson) and Ben (Youngs) will provide a different role from the bench and it's great to have Courtney and Toby, who can also give us options in what I am sure will be a full-on encounter.

"Charlie cut his finger in training earlier in the week and needed stitches but it swelled up and there is a sprain there. We assessed him this morning and he cannot grip fully. Owen has trained throughout and knows our patterns and plays so we are fully confident in his ability to run the game from 10 and we are looking forward to seeing how Brad and Manu gel together in the centre.

"It's our first home game of the RBS 6 Nations which we are really excited about and we are sure the crowd will get behind us just as the travelling supporters have done in Scotland and Italy. Playing at Twickenham makes it extra special for us and I know we will get all the encouragement we need."


Good Luck England


st.george on horseEngland  15 Ben Foden (Northampton Saints), 14 Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints), 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), 12 Brad Barritt (Saracens), 11 David Strettle (Saracens); 10 Owen Farrell (Saracens), 9 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints). 1 Alex Corbisiero (London Irish), 2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), 3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), 4 Mouritz Botha (Saracens), 5 Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers), 6 Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), 7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), 8 Ben Morgan (Scarlets)

Replacements: 16 Rob Webber (London Wasps), 17 Matt Stevens (Saracens), 18 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), 19 Phil Dowson (Northampton Saints), 20 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers), 21 Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), 22 Mike Brown (Harlequins)


WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Ken Owens, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (capt), Toby Faletau.

Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Paul James, Ryan Jones, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, James Hook, Scott Williams.

 

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Will England be Wailing after this weekend at Twickenham?
Discussion started by Unofficial England Rugby Union (IP Logged), 23/02/2012 15:39
Unofficial England Rugby Union
Unofficial England Rugby Union
23/02/2012 15:39
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MESSAGES->author
Hardlymyfaultisit
23/02/2012 19:16
A win would be great but I suspect the Welsh will have a tad more cohesion, familiarity and confidence this season!

I think we know what we are going to get with Wales, Wales might not be 100% content in knowing what they are going to get with England, an ideal time to surprise them and get inside their game plan.

Good luck to all.

MESSAGES->author
PoyntonShark
23/02/2012 23:54
Possible that we could win a tight game, if our new found discipline holds out, but I seriously doubt it. Like the author I will be satisfied with further improvement in performance.
Gutted for Charlie, just when the back line gets some balance, and an on form 9, he misses out. Reckon that with some half decent ball, he and Manu could cause chaos, with Barritt filling the holes, even against a strong Wales side.

Much more excited by the possibilities of this game then the previous 2, but certainly approaching more in hope than expectation.

Unhappiness, where's when I was young
And we didn't give a damn
'Cause we were raised
To see life as a fun and take it if we can

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