Marcus Smith dropped from the England squad . . .

Papers are reporting Farrell dropped to the bench and Smith is starting…..

Farrell has not been in form for a good while now. Perhaps he has been overplayed and carrying niggling injuries.

Farrell's pole kicking has also not been good lately, and he seemed like he was playing injured for the EOYT. 

Given Smith is just as good a pole kicker, it would have made sense to have let him take the kicking responsibilities for the EOYT, and even in the 6 nations when both were on the pitch at the same time. 

Having Smith and Farrell together in the midfield is a small 10/12 combo and is more suited to a running than a defence game. 

England's defence has been poor in the 6 nations, and having some more power in the midfield with a specialist inside centre could be a better option. Perhaps too much space in the inside channel.

So perhaps it will be Farrell that becomes the bench option, at least until his form returns. 

As I said all along, he wasn’t dropped, he was sent back to Quins for a reason. 

And now he starts ahead of Farrell, who is benched. 

Genge captains the side. 

.,

Can someone please inform RooiA..e.

If the plan all along was to drop Owen Farrell, why send your first choice flyhalf to go play with a club team during test preparation?
The 10 is the key decision maker, so how did the team practises go without the key man?

Perhaps Smith just had a very good club game (he got man of the match)- and that changed Borthwick's decision.

Sorry to have burst your bubble Rooi but hats off for being a man to admit you read it incorrectly.

Well, now back to your sad pathetic and alcohol fuelled existence in RSA comrade.

By the way my life is filled with fun, joy and laughter surrounded by family and dear friends plus secure and safe in my surroundings I do not need chemicals to stay"HAPPY" and focused.

Perhaps you should make the necessary changes sooner than later. 

Cheers.

With Peeper predicting a surprise win for the Poms, they were pretty much doomed.

To Mrs Searle's credit a prediction is not something anyone - in most instances - can say was an exact science. One would have thought that England would have at least lost with dignity. 

Yes they were a ragtag bunch at the end….literally clueless. And right now Harrassmiss’ reputation hinges on the win over these clowns last November.

Yes, Erasputin has been hinging on a few meagre results to gloss over poor returns since 2018. It's quite incredible how he has been able to dupe South Africans for so long. 

Perhaps Smith just had a very good club game (he got man of the match)- and that changed Borthwick's decision.

So unlikely. Not even credible.

The decision reeks of populism. In a strict meaning, not the deformed definition as it is now that pits a supposed elite against commoners and an effort to appeal to them, as if it was a bad thing.

As the situation is, a coach is the only one naming a squad, he may take opinions from staff etc The list reflects only his mind.

Populism happened when a guy attempts to dilute the consequences of the monopoly on decision making by looking at popular stances and adopt them.

Setting the creative flyhalf was inspired by popularity, people wanted him as a starter. So in the process, the EN coach diluted his responsibility, he named a guy who was popularily wanted. The debacle is not his responsibility only, but also the responsibility of those who thought this would work. Nobody in the end is responsible, supporters never had the power to name the player as a starter and the guy in charge did what supporters called him to do.

The decision was disastrous. It was cruelly inept.

The mistake was trivial: thinking a player outside of any other reference than himself.

Here the guy was dropped because of hisg lack of puntin performances. Cruel in retrospect as this aspect of his game would not have made any change. Even if he had missed the kick the other guy succeeded (unlikely), this would have changed nothing.

The mistake was to reduce the differences between the two to the only kicking issues, the other would bring that and even more.

The problem is that the regular captain brings qualities than neither his half fly  and first row substitutes do.

Rugby is highly political and loves cronyism. The guy is a son of a rugby personality which gives him pull over refs. He brings venom and dirt to the field that could have helped the english squad.

Ironically, part of the debacle came from England not being allowed to play unfairly. A few dodgy calls now and then but all in all, English players behaved. They did not bring the vice they are used to.

And right now Harrassmiss’ reputation hinges on the win over these clowns last November.

It has probably more, the WC win weights.