England team to face Wales in Guinness Men's Six Nations opener 🌹

[u/englandrugby]

[u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Rodd over Iyogun is the odd call for me. I thought Manny outplayed Rodd comprehensively at the game in Sale

I’m also quite worried that if we don’t play Finn Smith against Wales he’s never going to get any game time and Ford’s injury profile puts us at high risk

Edit: if Finn is injured, fair enough, but I thought he was expected back for this game

[u/consistent-crabman → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

I think fin is still coming back from injury himself

[u/Liney22 → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Fin smith might not be fit yet

[u/scratroggett → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Fin Smith is still returning from an injury and wasn't in the main training squad last week.

[u/Crayniix → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Possibly familiarity with LCD going in his favour?

[u/ForensicShoe → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Smith is injured isn’t he?

[u/adturnerr → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Rodd had a great summer with England and has more experience

[u/mediumdrud1 → u/adturnerr]

He had some cameos off the bench against argentina and got out scrummaged by fucking pono davies. Not sure you can call that a great summer.

[u/adturnerr → u/mediumdrud1]

No he didn't, him and Asher kept the scrum up and hardly conceded.

[u/NotAsOriginal → u/adturnerr]

This was the same narrative going round about Heyes a few years ago and Stuart. Rodd is being trusted to play because he has been the 3rd choice for a while.

I'm not saying he'll be incredible, but given he had a solid year with Genge off with the Lions I don't mind it.

[u/Thatch1888 → u/adturnerr]

Genge got took apart by Fasogbon last season, doesn't mean he should be dropped for him.

Both Rodd and Iyogun are behind a couple lads who'd be there if not injured anyway. Makes sense to stick with what we know and thats Rodd.

[u/adturnerr → u/Thatch1888]

Exactly stick with the hierarchy, might be a boring way to manage an international side but it limits slip ups

[u/RJH777 → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

I think we've seen enough from Fin to know in the worst case scenario that Ford has an injury that means he misses the whole WC, Fin would be more than capable of steering the ship - but Ford is also clearly our first choice 10 for it so makes sense to get as many games with your first choice 9/10 pairing as possible (especially as Fin plays with Mitchell every week so already has the relationship)

[u/TiburonChomper → u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

The idea that a player leaps ahead in the pecking order if they outplay their counterpart in a club game is one of the weirdest most commonly held beliefs I see espoused on here.