Going into the Kiwi tour, I allowed myself to feel very excited about the fresh batch of players and despite the disappointing finish not to win the six nations, I remained optimistic. The tour showed England that the strength in depth is unparalleled. This, as I’m certain you’re all aware, creates the competition for places.
England Rugby Depth Brings New Competition
I was very impressed by Kyle Eastmond in the first test, quick feet and an eye for a gap led him to make a name for himself in the first game on a competitive world stage (building upon his very positive performance against Argentina last year). His spark was something that has been said to be lacking from the 12 jersey in recent times, with Stuart Lancaster opting for Twelvetrees as his number one choice which, in my view, doesn’t add excitement to the play in the same way that Eastmond does. He only needs to work on improving his defensive capabilities in order to progress in his pursuit of making the 12 jersey his own.
Another option, again through young players performing on the world stage, is to replace the seemingly secured spot at the fly half role, Owen Farrell. This could be done with his ascending understudy George Ford. This leaves Farrell free to slide across to a role at twelve in which he has found success in for Saracens. He would offer creativity (arguably), kicking options out of hand and from the tee, and his tackling is an improvement on that of Eastmond’s.
Ford is yet to convince me however of his international capabilities as he hasn’t been given the opportunity. Potential? For certain, but Cipriani’s rise to form could be another option in a tactical revamp. Who knows, what is certain is that no jersey, no matter how capped a player is, is secure. Take Geoff Parling, a player who I admire as a lock myself, yet my first pick at a second row pairing would be the recently proven partnership of Launchbury and Lawes, offering lineout success (can never be under emphasized) with dynamism in the loose and obviously crucial and ferocious tackling. Despite Parling’s Lions experience, that’d be my pick. Reinforce this competition from the likes of Slater and Attwood and it makes for a very highly contested position. Personally, my choice would be to continue the success of the proven partnership stated, with Parling on the bench and Atwood in reserves, pretty much as Lancaster has done.
The other headache for Lancaster is the position England have been having the most trouble with in recent times. The wing. Should Ashton be replaced? Personally, I think he is on form for Saracens and should be included in the squad, however I appreciate the high rushing England defensive line isolates his weakness in the tackle. Does this outweigh his potential contributions? Maybe. But when you have the talent and flare of Wade (who also isn’t an accomplished tackler), Watson, Yarde and Nowell, Ashton has to earn the right to the jersey.
The preffered situation is what has happened at the number 8 position. Young Vunipola comes in, making headway and creating competition, to propel both himself and his rival Morgan forward. This has been proven in the pair’s constant improvements in form. Also worth a mention in the prop department I think is Dave Wilson, who had enormous boots to fill, replacing an injured and heavily relied upon Dan Cole, yet he did it very successfully in the Six Nations.
At flanker, I was very impressed with the contribution and overall improved mentality of Haskell who offers 50+ caps of experience, and would be an asset to the team if he can keep up his performances, although he will have a tough time removing Wood from his spot.
Clearly, with the 2015 World Cup on the horizon, now is the time for all players to prove themselves. But for me, the future is looking exiting and dynamic and I see England going far on the World stage.
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