Except an Australian version.. Oh wait...

I can see yer point but lets not forget we have to play Wales first and with the greatest respect that will be another "warm up/none event".
So bearing that in mind i'd rather see what the likes of Ablett and Cudjoe for e.g can offer now rather than get caught out and have to throw them straight in against the Kiwis and Aussies.

Sorry, this is not the way to do it. You need your strongest side out to get to know each other. Let's be clear what a "squad" is all about. It's not about giving everyone a game like a bunch of juniors on a club tour. The squad is there in case your first team choices get injured or lose form badly.

So, if Wales is a "non-event" what possible information can you get from how Ablett or Cudjoe perform compared to how they have played in far more competitive games for their clubs all season?
It is a warm up, so let's use it to actually warm up the players who are going to play the following week rather than those who will be fetching the water and kicking tee on.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 290003.stm Not on GF day he wasn't

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 290003.stm Not on GF day he wasn't

Or infact any of the last 5 grand final night!

Briscoe and Yeaman know exactly how each other play and have been involved at this level many times and we won't learn anything else about them other than shaking a few cob-webs off.
My point is IF we lose either or both we are left throwing in Ablett and Cudjoe when neither has played together and one hasn't even played at this level.
The same with Morley and Peacock for e.g what are we gonna learn now about them??
This is an opportunity for the fringe lads to get stuck in and at least have some idea IF called upon later on in the tournament.
The Wales match will give the coach perfect chance to get his 1st choice 17 out there and sharpen up which isn't such a bad idea rather than "hoping" no-one gets injured friday and you're left throwing lads into international games cold.
Also going by that bench do you honestly think that's the 1st choice 17 for wales ,Kiwis and Aussies??

I repeat, what are you going to learn that you couldn't already know about? A non competitive match tells you nothing about a player. Play your first choice 17, they can't possibly combine properly unless they get a chance to practice.

Here's a scenario, the "first choice" 17 goes out against Wales and play like they haven't met each other (which in all hoestly they haven't as a unit). What do you do as coach? "Damn, if only we'd had another game to gel?" Squad players are squad players. You assume they know how to play rugby because you selected them in the squad, but you are not obliged to give them all a game.

The England Union bods play a dozen internationals a year together, including a huge chunk of time where they effectively don't play club rugby because of autumn internationals and 6 Nations - they just train together. We play a couple of games at the end of the year and think we can play about with selection to "look at players".

I'd have my starting 13, I'd have my most valued first choice player off the bench (usually dummy half relief) and if I wanted to look at 3 forwards I'd do that and have them on the bench. Spell my first choice props a little more than normal if needed to give them a lighter workout.

Spot on.

Too often we select a non team in the warm up, then the first choice is rusty in the first game, then because they were rusty, we say well x and y need to come in place of x and y and then combination are screwed again for the next game.

Decide on your best 17, and play it. Deviate only through injuries or poor performance.

I agree with you totally.

DHM- Yeaman and Briscoe KNOW each others game and are "on the same page" whereas Ablett and Cudjoe are not.
Also any of the combination of the four could be needed and we have an opportunity to get them gametime together yet don't use it?
JP and Morley know how to play FR with Roby at 9 again Bailey doesn't so why not have 1 drop out and at least give the other a hit out?
I'm not saying here you go lads you've been called up so deserve a game ,i'm saying there's a chance to get 1 or 2 new lads used to the combinations and ready if called upon.
Of course your 1st choice 1 ,6,7and 9 and possibly 13 should get the maximum time together but where there's a chance for 1 or 2 new lads to get gametime before the tough fixtures i'd use it.
We use our 1st choice 17 here and then again against Wales and lose for e.g Morley and Briscoe now we send in another FR and Winger absolutely cold against the 2 best teams in the world?
There are players within the the 1st choice 17 perfectly capable of sitting out France and coming in against Wales ready to go.

in the case of yeaman and briscoe, they won't gave played a game for 5 weeks. the wire players 3 weeks. the team to play against Aus and Nz should get some practice.

Not playing your first choice team because you're worrried they are going to get injured is frankly rediculous.

If that was the point i was making you'd be 100% right but if you read what i'm saying you'd see clearly it's much more of a case of giving 1/2 of the new lads a better chance to be ready IF required.
Like i posted there are players within the squad who are shoe ins for the 1st 17 that can comfortably miss the France game and turn out against wales pretty much unaffected.

Not at all. In fact we should put our best 4 players on the bench against Aus until the last 10 minutes in case they get injured in the first 70. They would then destroy the injured Aussies. I am Steve MacNamara.

No. You're Andy Goodway and you've just left MOS, writers player of the year and Players Player of the year, Iestyn Harris warming his bum while Andy Farrell leads us to defeat (again) at 6.

[i"I've no idea what Andy Goodway was thinking about starting with Farrell at stand off and Harris on the bench. It's not for me to comment, but they might play one of their props there next week and I'll be quite happy" Frank Endacott[/i