Life, as Stuart Lancaster might say, is a journey. The rugby season certainly is, and it marches
relentlessly on. We’ve had two weeks of
European rugby, two weeks of Premiership rugby now two weeks of Anglo-Welsh
action.
As usual Tigers will be “allowing the squad players a
chance” or picking the reserves in this competition, so I thought I’d do a
little thinking on how do you actually pick an LV Cup team?
Let’s start with the basics. Who can’t you pick? Marcos Ayerza, Pablo Matera, Dan Cole, Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling, Ben Youngs and Toby Flood will all be at Twickenham and Logo Mulipola is in the Samoan squad. Blaine Scully is in the USA squad but that is a non-test match against the NZ Maori so may be available. Ryan Lamb is unfit and banned if he is.
So who do we have to pick? Are there any last men standing? At prop Fraser Balmain is due a start, not only has the Geordie Giant been criminally under used so far this season with Cole and Mulipola otherwise engaged he is the sole tighthead available. Owen Williams is also sure to start as injury has forced us into not playing a fly half for the Extras. There is simply no one else left.
So by default they are the first names on my team sheet:
1.
2.
3. Fraser Balmain
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Owen Williams
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Next is there anyone we actively don’t want to pick to protect them for future games? For me Julian Salvi, as the only true 7, Dan Bowden, as the only fit 12, and Niall Morris, main full back until Tait is back, fall into this category. There are simply no circumstances that will force those guys onto the pitch.
Who else will be held back? Neil Briggs is unlikely to see action as backups to international players need to be treated carefully. A bit of All Black thuggery and Briggs is the main man for the rest of the season. David Mele is in the same boat. They aren’t short of game time, we have other options.
With that in mind who will make the second draft of selection? Sam Harrison will surely start at 9. Arguably he should have been given a chance to replace Mele in the last two weeks and he could use the LV Cup to reclaim his place on the bench. In place of Salvi it will surely be Jamie Gibson at 7. In the A League Lucas Guillaume has been doing sterling work but Gibson is a more natural 7, though not exactly Neil Back naturalness.
1.
2.
3. Fraser Balmain
4.
5.
6.
7. Jamie Gibson
8.
9. Sam Harrison
10. Owen Williams
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Then we have the returning players. Steve Mafi, Scott Hamilton and Matt Smith are all returning from injury. Are they fit enough to start? Do they need the game time to get into tip top condition for London Irish? I’m going to assume yes to both. Another player to throw into this category is Miles Benjamin. He did a sterling effort stepping in for the Ulster match, his first major start for 15 months, even though he was not ready and put in a real shift. I’m going to assume he is in fact fit and ready.
1.
2.
3. Fraser Balmain
4.
5.
6. Steve Mafi
7. Jamie Gibson
8.
9. Sam Harrison
10. Owen Williams
11. Miles Benjamin
12.
13. Matt Smith
14.
15. Scott Hamilton
Now that is building up to be a pretty canny back line and back row. The next stage for me is does the team need any more experience in any particular positions? The front row is especially interesting. The choices are fairly straight forward Stankovich/Bristow and Chuter/Thacker. We already have a youngster in Balmain, how are we going to balance the front 5? You also have to manage expectations. Harry Thacker is a very good player and fairly “showy”. He could easily be excellent at some open field situations and become a message board darling. How dare we not pick him every game? Cockerill is ruining his development! Etc. Etc.
I’d still start him though along with Stankovich to provide some greater scrummage power on the left hand shoulder.
1. Boris Stankovich
2. Harry Thacker
3. Fraser Balmain
4.
5.
6. Steve Mafi
7. Jamie Gibson
8.
9. Sam Harrison
10. Owen Williams
11. Miles Benjamin
12.
13. Matt Smith
14.
15. Scott Hamilton
Now we have 5 slots and a nice smattering of experience so do we have any players particularly on form in the Extras or youngsters who deserve a crack at the first team?
On the wing surely Henry Purdy will get a first team place. Physical in contact, pacey and with faintly dodgy hands he reminds me of a young Leon Lloyd. Benjamin will be looking to force his way into the first team but he might find himself leap frogged by this young man.
At number 8 quicksilver Irishman Michael Noone has captained the Extras, looked fairly tricky with the ball and committed in the nuts and bolts. The engine room of the second row will be a shoot out between Tom Price, Joe Cain, Harry Wells and Sebastian De Chaves.
Cain was initially the highest rated of the trio but is also the oldest which might explain it. Price is a lineout operator who has always been preferred by the England selectors. His age grade contemporaries Elliot Stooke and Dom Barrow are meatier beasts and already impressing in the Premiership. Wells has been playing more at 6 for the Extras this season but previously has been seen as a lock. The youngest, he has a lovely mean streak. Abrasive and aggressive he is certainly a departure from the likes of Croft or Mafi, more like Brett Deacon or Will Johnson.
De Chaves is seemingly preferred by Cockerill; perhaps our academy players should feign foreign accents? So I expect him to start alongside one of the only slightly younger locks. I would start with Price and have Wells on the bench.
Which leaves us with 12. Hepetema left the match on Saturday with an apparent concussion, we have so few centres but he is hardly experienced and warranting protection. Manu is reportedly in training and expected to make it for London Irish so we don’t really need to worry about protecting outside centres. We also have youngsters Pasqualle Dunn and Javiah Pohe. Pohe is a beast but his hands on occasion let him down. Dunn is hardly a lightweight but certainly smaller in comparison.
Who to go with? I would go with Pohe. He might drop a few but he’ll commit defenders and seems to have an eye for the big occasion.
So my team would be:
1. Boris Stankovich
2. Harry Thacker
3. Fraser Balmain
4. Sebastian De Chaves
5. Tom Price
6. Steve Mafi
7. Jamie Gibson
8. Michael Noone
9. Sam Harrison
10. Owen Williams
11. Miles Benjamin
12. Javiah Pohe
13. Matt Smith
14. Henry Purdy
15. Scott Hamilton.
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