NICK CAIN

One of the oldest methods of assessing the strength of a team is to look at the 2-8-9-10-15 positions that form the spine.
There are those who say it is an outmoded formula, and we will get a register of whether they are correct when England take on Fiji in today’s quarter-final in Marseille because, on current form, England’s spine is not in great shape.
Hooker Jamie George’s throwing-in is top tier, but his impact elsewhere has dropped off. Ben Earl is a novice No.8 whose loss of control at a scrum against Samoa could have been crucial. Alex Mitchell has not yet shown the pass...