Quote ="Superted"On paper the squad looks good - but when you take into account recent form and injuries, I'd say it's one of the weakest teams they've sent in years. When you look at the starting 13 named above I see some clear weakness based on current form/fitness;
Boyd - was very good this year, but not as good as Tedesco - still miles better than what we have though
Mansour - Outstanding and will rip us apart around the ruck. Can suffer from the dropsies though
Inglis - Been out of form for 2 seasons and is suffering from a degenerative knee condition that is limiting his ability to train and play at his highest level -, did nothing for most of this year
Dugan - Perpetually injured and hasn't had a spell of good form in a long time, has the odd good running game, but can't pass. Is a better fullback than centre.
Ferguson - Was pretty awful all year.... Can't for the life of me see why he's been picked
Thurston/Cronk - Champions and could beat us on their own
Matt Scott - Playing absolutely busted at back end of the year and had minimal impact. Has a number of chronic injuries.
Smith - See Thurston and Cronk
[uWoods - Massively overrated in my eyes. Big plodder, but has a cult following - nothing to write home about[/u
Cordner and Gillett - Both very impressive and a miles ahead of our 2nd rowers.
[uMerrin - Has the odd good game where his offloads work, but when the going gets tough, he goes missing. Can turn plenty of ball over and not the best defender[/u
Then looking at the other pack men, Boyd, Klemmer and Thaiday are all very good and will cause damage. If I were the Aussies, I'd most definitely have Holmes in ahead of Ferguson - he is freakish. They've also left Fifita and Radradra at home due to 'disciplinary issues' (or political correctness gone mad, depending on your view) , arguably the best prop and winger in the world - those two players alone would have made a huge difference to their strength.
The best England pack we can put out can definitely do a job on that Aussie pack, we've got great options at 9 (though still not Smiths level) and if players like Watkins and Hall are at their best, we can match their outside backs.
Our issue is that our halves and fullback options are clearly a million miles behind, and would more than likely struggle to make a 4th choice Aussie team.
Plus, whilst we can muster a strong 17, if we're cruelled by injury to a couple of key players, our back up options don't look great.'"
It's all about opinions i suppose.
