England need to hit the ground running
JEREMY GUSCOTT
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
WHAT England need to happen is for them to play exceptionally well in the World Cup warm-ups which begin against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. The Welsh at the Principality Stadium is a good opportunity for Steve Borthwick's crew to make a statement, because Warren Gatland's side have not been in a great place since he returned as head coach for the Six Nations.
However, although Gatland is going through a tough time with Wales, the reality is that this is a story of two teams trying to find their inner core – and it is made all the more intriguing because this could be a forerunner of a World Cup quarter-final between the old rivals.
People who love rugby will always really look forward to Wales v England because of the depth of international rivalry and history, but the recent backdrop is that both these sides have been playing poorly. That is why I will be looking mainly for what has changed from their form over the last year, and which players, whether English or Welsh, are taking responsibility and accountability for those improvements.
For example, Maro Itoje may statistically have played well this season, but the pictures I've seen show that he is not dominating collisions, or winning turnovers, in the way that he did when he first came on the international scene. Yet, if Itoje gets a man-of-the-match award in Cardiff it will have a knock-on effect in helping others to step up.
The England team I would select for the trip to Cardiff is pretty familiar, and has plenty of experience. It reads: Freddie Steward; Anthony Watson, Ollie Lawrence, Manu Tuilagi, Max Malins; Owen Farrell (capt), Ben Youngs; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum / Jonny Hill, Courtney Lawes, Jack Willis, Billy Vunipola.
I should start by saying that the reason Youngs is picked at scrumhalf is because my starting nine, Ben Spencer, was cut from the training squad early on. Elsewhere in the backline I've gone with Farrell at fly-half, and opted for a centre combination of Tuilagi (12) and Lawrence (13), because I like the power and impact of that duo. However, Tuilagi has to rediscover the inspiration he showed at the last World Cup, and keep that cheeky smile when he is enjoying running over people, while Lawrence has to regain the effective form he showed at times during the Six Nations.
In my view the option of playing George Ford at fly-half with Farrell at inside-centre is done, but Farrell needs to be at his best to keep Ford and Marcus Smith from taking the 10 shirt off him.
In the back three I like the footballing skills of Malins, as well as his sneaky quick-thinking, good timing, and his ability to read the game. He takes one wing slot, and I also picked Watson ahead of Joe Cokanasiga and Caden Murley, because he has never really had a bad game for England.
“Farrell must be at his best to keep Ford & Smith from taking No 10 shirt”
You could say the same about Freddie Steward, who has made such a consistent impression that he has become a fixture at fullback. By contrast, I would like to see Cokanasiga have a massive impact like he did in his early internationals – and when he next gets a run he has to find that again. Murley being dropped caused a bit of a stir, but although he had a very good Premiership season he clearly did not quite do enough in England training to convince Borthwick.
The same applied in the forwards to Sam Underhill, which is not entirely unexpected because he has been ravaged by injuries since the 2019 World Cup. What surprised me more was the way that Zach Mercer was let go when the other options at No.8, Alex Dombrandt and Billy Vunipola, have not been convincing.
Mercer had a big impact for Montpellier in the French Top 14, and grew as a player, but there has been nothing about why he was left out, and you can only speculate that maybe he was not fit enough. Dombrandt has not been able to step-up at international level to match what he does for Harlequins, which is why Billy Vunipola gets the nod from me at No.8, mainly on the basis of past Test performances. He has shown before that he can be inspired, and have a genuine impact – however, this is Billy's last hurrah.
At blindside you have to go with Lawes for his experience, effectiveness, and work-rate, although Lewis Ludlam is another workhorse. I've made a big call at openside by picking Jack Willis over Tom Curry – but Curry's presence on the bench would make it ultra competitive.
World Cup warm-ups are an exciting time for players because of the anticipation of playing for your country in such a great tournament, and the knowledge that you have a chance to deliver on the training field, and in the preparatory matches, to make it a reality. In most teams there is also a different vibe because there are so many ‘don't-knows' about what lies ahead – and uncertainty creates its own atmosphere.
England struggled to be consistent in the last three years of Eddie Jones as head coach, and in the first eight months of Borthwick succeeding him – yet everything in the camp has to remain positive.
There are so many questions with England, but hopefully they will go into the World Cup with no more concerns over fitness. In my experience, however, you can get in the greatest physical condition, but then the critical part is that you have to find the right mentality to bring your best as a player.
We need to be realistic about World Cup expectations, because at the moment neither England nor Wales are at their best. However, there is no better place over the next month for them to start making big improvements than in the World Cup warm-ups.
