The Six Nations. It’s like Christmas time for European rugby
fans, only the sense of optimism and excitement is tinged with a foreboding sense
of dread and potential despondency. A
bit like asking for the official Thunderbirds Tracey Island toy, but suspecting
that your parents (bless them) are attempting the Blue Peter version
toilet-roll-and-sticky-back-plastic version.
Perhaps no other country gets that odd
mix of expectations more than England, and with good reason too. A win ratio of 2 from 3 in the autumn doesn’t
sound that bad, but when you consider that England’s best display was in their
defeat to the All Blacks, it was really a rather mixed bag. Add in the fact that injuries have shorn them
of no fewer than 4 Lions Test players – and their main attacking threat in the
backline – then you begin to realise that there is a real unknown quantity
about England at the moment. Picking a
side is proving to be even more tricky than usual – especially out wide – but nonetheless,
RuckedOver gives it a stab...
Front Row
England's area of real strength is predictably depleted once again
by the absence of poor Alex Corbisiero, the Northampton loosehead who was so
crucial to the Lions' victory in Australia last summer. Somebody buy that
man a new set of knees, honestly (I would offer my own, but they're not in much
better shape).
However, despite the absence of the part-time gangster rapper,
there are blokes who can fill in admirably. Mako Vunipola is a Lions Test
prop as well and is a thunderous presence in the loose, whilst Joe Marler is no
shrinking violet either and is enjoying an outstanding season with Harlequins
and – most importantly – has settled on a haircut that doesn't make him look
like a cross between a nightclub doorman from Scunthorpe and an imbecilic clown.
For me, the Harlequins man gets the nod – not just for his sensible barnet, but
also for his form this year and his much improved work at scrum-time.
Plus, the sight of big Mako Vunipola coming off the bench after 60 minutes (the
return of the Mak, if you will) is enough to worry any opposition.
It is perhaps at hooker, though, where I think one of the most
exciting battles for a starting shirt is taking place. Perhaps that
reflects poorly on what I define as 'exciting', but Dylan Hartley and Tom Youngs
have been pushing each other to new heights this season. Youngs lost his
place after an indifferent Autumn series, but – given the fact he became a
father slap bang in the middle of it – it's understandable if his head wasn't
quite 100% focussed. That said, Hartley took his opportunity extremely
well, and his ferocity in the loose, his leadership and his relation with
fellow 'key cogs' in Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes at lineout time mean that he
should get the nod. I happen to think that Youngs is the better hooker
though – and with Leicester man leading a lineout with the best success rate in
the country (91%), it would suggest that his throwing-in is not as weak as many
would make out. His work-rate and physicality around the park borders
somewhere between impressive and psychotic, but it will be up to the
geometrically-perfect square-on-legs to earn his place back with displays from
the bench this Spring. The back-up, namely Rob Webber and the
increasingly impressive Dave Ward, have a fair way to go before they catch up
with Youngs and Hartley in my opinion. The good news all round, though,
is that these two look to battle each other all the way up to the World Cup for
a starting spot – and beyond…
The battle for tighthead is, unfortunately, about as exciting as
the shirt's current incumbent. Dan Cole is quiet, understated, but
devastatingly effective – and one of the first names down on the team
sheet. After an initial 'bedding in' period with the new scrummaging
laws, Cole has re-established himself as one of the best set-piece operators in
Europe and still offers a real threat at the breakdown, too. Worryingly,
for the men in white, his back up – the dynamic Dave Wilson – is out injured,
meaning that should Victor Mildrew's massive cousin go down injured, the highly
promising but inexperienced Henry Thomas is in line for a baptism of
fire. He can expect a bench spot this tournament.
Second Row
On to the gangly gang, and an injury to another Lion and stand-out
England performer in Geoff Parling has proven to be a blessing in
disguise. Courtney Lawes has jumped (literally) at the chance to lead the
lineout with his old mucker, Dylan Hartley, and is finally fulfilling that
potential we all knew he had. He's mastered that terrifying aggression
with an intelligence of knowing 'where the line is' – with that 'line' being a
fly-half's rib-cage just as they pass the ball – meaning that he's no longer
the liability he once was.
Packing down next to him will surely be the cherub-faced Joe
Launchbury. Despite having a toddlers face on Martin Johnson's body, the
young lock is tremendously physical and mobile around the park and looks like
being a fixture in the England pack for years to come. Backing this pair
up in the Six Nations squad is Bath's Dave Attwood and Leicester's Ed
Slater. Both are big, nasty, aggressive units who won't be phased by
physical opposition – for me, I'd give Slater the nod for the bench spot given
the fact he's slightly more mobile than Attwood.
And all this is to ignore the plethora of emerging talent England
have in the engine-room of the pack – guys like George Kruis and Graham
Kitchener are pushing very hard indeed for a spot in the senior set-up.
The future looks very bright indeed for England's man-mountains.
Back Row
Now this is odd. Usually the position of fiercest debate,
the loose-trio now has a rather 'settled' look about it for the first time in
years. Yes, that's helped by the fact that yet another Test Lion, Tom
Croft, is out with a knee injury, but even if he was fit you do wonder if his
inclusion would upset the balance that England currently seem to have.
First up, at blindside, is Tom Wood. He likes to claim he's
a 7 – as almost all English flankers seem to do – but he's a top rate
blindside, getting through a mountain of dirty work that often isn't
noticed. For so long, people used to claim he was the new 'Richard Hill',
but it is only in the last year he has truly lived up to that mantle.
That said, he still possesses a scavenger instinct over the ball at rucktime,
so perhaps there is more of the openside in him than I give him credit
for. With Croft out, Tom Johnson is the man with an eye on the 6 shirt
but, despite being a worthy competitor, I don't see him stepping up to top
international standards consistently.
One of the reasons Wood won't be able to get his hands on the 7
shirt is the presence of Chris Robshaw, the captain. If you are one of
the people who spout the lazy argument that "he's not a 7", get out
now. We're all very bored of it. Last season Robshaw averaged 1.9
turnovers per game for England, a fraction shy of Richie McCaw's 2.1.
However, Robshaw carried more, made more tackles and more offloads. What
more can he do? The guy's work-rate is out of this world, and the fact
that we go into the Six Nations with no moaning about his suitability as a
seven or as a captain for once, should be a moment of sweet victory for the
Harlequins man. And with Matt Kvesic not kicking on as he would like to
at struggling Gloucester, Robshaw looks set to play another leading role for
his country. Oh, and my girlfriend is telling me to also point out that
he's 'hot'. Because that's very important too, apparently.
Packing down at the back of the scrum will be Billy Vunipola, the
Saracens behemoth who has been a key force in a side that has been sweeping all
before them on the domestic front this season. He still has a tendency to
drift in and out of games and have the occasional sulk, but with Robshaw and
Wood taking care of all the gritty work, the big man can concentrate on hitting
big lines off the half backs' shoulders. He'll get that 8 shirt ahead of
Big Ben Morgan, who has had a frustrating time behind a Gloucester front 5 who
spend most of the time on their arses. I think that Morgan has the better
attitude and rugby-brain, but he'll have to make the most of his impacts off
the bench if he's to win back a starting spot.
Half Backs
A real headache, this one, and not just from the amount of yapping
your 9s tend to do. The accepted trio seem to be Danny Care, Lee Dickson
and Ben Youngs, but don't discount Richard Wigglesworth either, who is having
an intelligent and consistent season at Saracens. But the position at 9
seems to be one of real frustration, with all 3 main incumbents having runs in
the shirt – promptly followed by a loss in form – and I think now is the time
for Lancaster to nail his colours to the mast and say which duo he thinks will
be his leading pair in 2015. For me, it has to be Youngs and Care.
Youngs has the complete game, and on his day can be sublime, but his form is
sketchy at the current time, whilst Care offers a real threat around the
fringes and the ability to create holes for his back row. He's also in
very decent nick at the moment, and so gets the starting spot ahead of Youngs
at the moment. It's extremely harsh on Dickson, who is always reliable,
but I don't think he has the attributes of an international scrum-half and his
last display, against New Zealand, which was riddled with errors, shows that
even he is not immune to the odd howler.
At fly-half, you can bet your mortgage (if you are lucky enough to
have one, as opposed to paying nose-bleedingly bad rental rates) on Owen
Farrell taking the 10 shirt. Yes, I think 'daddy' has been somewhat
helpful in allowing Farrell Junior to have an extended run in the shirt, but
since the removal of Toulouse-bound Toby Flood from the squad, he becomes the
only real choice with Freddie Burns struggling to find form and George Ford,
Flood's replacement, only just out of nappies (allegedly).
Despite
popular opinion, Farrell is a very decent fly-half, as he has shown for
Saracens, and is an expert at accumulating points. But he needs others,
rather than himself, to create the gaps and go through them, which is why his game
needs to be focussed on standing flat to the line, keeping straight, and
distributing swiftly. Leave the magic to your 9 and those outside
you. Warming the bench, I expect to see young Ford making the odd
cameo. The lad has talent flowing through his veins and it wouldn't be
surprising to see him take that 10 shirt ahead of 2015, if he keeps improving
at the current rate.
Centres
Now officially the most tedious debate since the "who killed
JFK" incident. Except we're probably closer to solving that latter
than we are to picking two centres to provide both creativity and running
threat in equal measure – at least, we are until a certain Samoan-born
individual returns from injury.
That 12 shirt, which has for so long been
the bane of the English game, now has a small army of potential suitors.
Leading the way is Billy Twelvetrees, who is one of the few bright lights in a
disappointing Gloucester side, and is a man who showed tremendous backbone to
bounce back from a howler against Australia in the Autumn to weigh in with two
impressive displays against Argentina and New Zealand. With Farrell at
10, having a second receiver is utterly crucial and Twelvetrees can count
himself as favourite to start against France, where he will look to demonstrate
his running threat and leadership skills as well. Behind him, the choices
are varying and intriguing – the returning Brad Barritt is a defensive
powerhouse with limited ability going forward, Kyle Eastmond lacks size but is
a crack-a-jack with the ball in hand, whilst Luther Burrell is direct and in
form but is an unproven entity at this level.
The 13 shirt, however, is completely empty – thanks to a pectoral
injury to Manu Tuilagi – and very difficult to fill. Following Tuilagi
into the 13 shirt is a bit like following Ron Jeremy into an orgy; there's a
very decent chance you'll feel inadequate. And it's made all the more
difficult in that the 2 obvious replacements – Henry Trinder and Jonathan
Joseph – are both crocked, meaning Lancaster will be forced to pick a 12 to play
out of position. I suspect he is likely to pick Luther Burrell, who
offers a similar direct-threat to Tuilagi, but he'll also be aware that Barritt
has plenty of experience at outside-centre too. I'd pick Eastmond though,
on the basis that he offers something completely different to Tuilagi, and
having a variety of threatening options is key for any side. Manu may
well be back for the last 2 games of the season, but whoever steps into his
spot will have a chance to really lay down a marker for future games.
Back Three
Nothing currently fills an English fan with soul-crushing
disappointment like the knowledge that two of the most talented prospects in
the game, Christian Wade and Marlande Yarde, are injured for this year's Six
Nations. On the same subject, nothing fills a fan with dread like the
sight of Chris 'Turnstiles' Ashton trotting out to take his place on the right
wing. But, with the injuries England have, I suspect that is a sight fans
will have to get used to.
There is going to be a new face on the left wing though, for
certain. A lot of noises are being made about Jack Nowell, the young
Exeter powerhouse, taking a spot on the left wing, and I wouldn't be surprised
(or disappointed) to see that happen, but I've long been a fan of Johnny May
and think he's looked very sharp this season, despite having limited
opportunities. He's got serious pace to burn and a fantastic step on him
and, despite the fact he occasionally looks like a headless chicken, can be
lethal in open space.
On the right, then, it looks like Ashton will retain his
spot. But I wouldn't have him, despite having an inexperienced bloke on
the left. I've long been a fan of the cocky winger, and have defended him
previously, but he's ran out of chances now. He was poor in the autumn,
despite looking sharp for Sarries, and there's no reason to think he's suddenly
going to bring back his form of 3 years ago either. I'd plump for Anthony
Watson, the Bath full-back-cum-wing, who provides safety under the high-ball –
a favourite trait of Lancaster's – as well as a gorgeously balanced and
explosive style of running. For me, the risk of playing Ashton now
outweighs the risks of playing a debutant, but I'd still be surprised to see
him out of the squad all together.
Full back is, of course, a welcome breath of fresh air, in that
Mike Brown is streets ahead of the competition. Brown was one England's
best performers over the Autumn and, despite looking like he'd kick you in the
crotch and nab your wallet given half a chance, he's a superb presence at the
back with that uncanny ability to always been the first defender. With
Ben Foden and a resurgent Mathew Tait injured, Alex Goode is the only main
competition for the Harlequins man. Despite an impressive run of form for
Sarries, Goode has too much ground to make up and, for me, is a long shot to
make the squad.
RuckedOver's England XV: Marler, Hartley, Cole;
Launchbury, Lawes; Wood, Robshaw (c), B Vunipola; Care, Farrell; May,
Twelvetrees, Eastmond, Watson, Brown.
Subs: T Youngs, M Vunipola, Thomas, Slater,
Morgan, B Youngs, Ford, Ashton
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