'We were a bit shaky towards the end': Marcus Smith's England view

Kwagga played 150 caps for a highly successful Blitzboks team and has two World Cup medals.

He’s a legend of the game and the hype is real.

As for Sexton, POM and Faz, how they've acted may or may not be more effective than Cane but a lot of their behaviour isn't exactly statesmanlike.

Why is that? It's because they are the survival of the fittest

1. They survived the brutal conditions on the slave ships

2. Then the weak were culled by the harsh working conditions on the plantations

3. The best of the best were bred like race horses creating super humans

This is why black athletes dominate the NBA and NFL - speed and power.

No crisis here. Calm down everyone.

What’s more interesting to me is who gets called into take Malherbe’s place in the touring squad. A backline player? A forward?

Safe bet would be another tighthead and Mchunu would be a good choice. Spending some time with the team on tour will be good development for him. Even if he spends most of his time warming Ox up. But I can see him playing in Wales if he got called up.

Jordan Hendrikse would be a great backline call up. Well deserved. That kid looks on fire are the moment. @DP

Unlike other teams, there are superstars at every position for the All Blacks. In fact, the bench is almost always consistent of younger, less experienced players (Darry, Tosi, Aumua, Williams, Ratima/Hotham). If people want to find future superstars, look at the All Blacks XV. Thats where all the interesting 'make or break' players are.

Maybe the need to adopt the forward pass?

Also in the NFL hitting with your shoulder is allowed - as we know in rugby if you do that you will be thrown out of the game.

As long as you get that Australias picture, with just a few hours flight to where the best Clubs teams in the world are located, or 10 hours to where the richest are (holding most SA's greats) congested in Tokyo, is actually quite rosey, I have accomplished what I set out to do 😜

They've had some good games Glasgow so far, have to see if I can still catch that one. Interested in the Lions as well as it sounds like the pushed Leinster regardless of the scoreline. I stoped hearing of the jetlag complaint, and actually heard how techniques had made it less of an issue, but I agree its a better picture having only teams in the same timezone. I really would like the rest of Africa to be leapfroged into the pro era by some huge investment. What's your opinion on how all 4 squads are building relative to the old days, 2000' and 2010's? I've not actualy heard any sort of comparison to some of the great SR teams out of SA yet. Looking forward to seeing some of these fixtures hyped up once nov is gone and teams build towards 6N time, was some good hype excitment for rugby after the Cup so hope it returns.

Australia just need someone like Rassie to step in and take them forward, big 'if' though. Then the game there and in "skaapnarland" can get in on the hype! If with just a touch more reality in their boasts 😉

Sure Injuries at Lock HB, loosies and FB made some of these new blood selections anything but daring, but just because you have a large bunch of outstanding talent that made them obvious selections doesn't mean you then have extra allowance to take an extra bunch of gambles.

Yeah I agree, I still think it's been the best selecting weve had in a long long time is all I'm saying.

Pero and Love were both injured, can't both come back and get a start at 15 and given Dmac has just made the transition to first five I don't mind they give him every game possible (in any other circumstance i see razor playing Pero at 10 and Love at 15 with no regrets). Mo'unga also got this game in 22' largely for the same reasons. Finau and DP got first crack. Then DP got injured and Blackadder was given a chance, before Sititi was tried next (and now back to Finau). Thats 2 of 3 (or 3/4) new guys getting a chance. Did you want both of those new fellas to play against Japan while also having a debutant start next to them? We were only leading that last fixture by 4 points you remember. They sent Ratima off to London instead of playing him, how is that not telling him they believe in him?

We'll be back to Sititi, Ardie, and Cane next week, theres no other way to break it to ya, don't cry or break anything, lets just hope they win for now. I'll take Ardie moving to 7, or Lakai coming on for Cane, or Barrett playing 6. I think one of them has to happen with their current prediciament and that's enough invention for me.

It could unfortunately be a tough, especially on the Welsh, Scot, and Italian dynamics. I expect, but hope it doesn't happen, the SA'n sides to end up dominating URC (and eruope) much like how NZ dominated SR.