The end of another long season of club rugby can mean only one thing – the looming presence of a summer tour. During June England will play Australia three times, firstly facing off in Brisbane, before travelling south to Melbourne and then on to the potential decider in Sydney. Whether the players need more high intensity rugby is up for debate. For many the season started last August in England’s world cup training camp- which seems a lifetime ago now- and played Premiership action most weekends. Those at Saracens, Wasps, Harlequins and Leicester have played at least two extra rounds of intense, knockout European rugby, and there was the small matter of the Six Nations a few months ago as well. That being said this summer offers the first chance for Eddie Jones to test himself against his native country which he took to the 2003 final – and we all know what happened there…
It is fair to say England finished the Six Nations on a high. A youthful, attacking brand of rugby, the continual bleeding of new players and five wins out of a possible five gave much positivity to Jones’ England future. However, Australia will be a different test altogether. The last time the two teams met England were dispatched 33-13 to knock the hosts out in the pool stage of a World Cup for the first time in history. Australia controversially beat Scotland in the quarters, swept past Argentina, but succumbed to Dan Carter’s New Zealand in the final. More commonly known for their devastating array of attacking backs such as Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Drew Mitchell and Matt Giteau the Wallabies also boast turnover king David Pocock- oh and I’ve heard Michael Hooper is pretty useful over the ball as well… In short, they have everything England lack- an effective and attractive attack and a proper 7. England, by contrast, will be strong upfront and in the set-piece, and can play some nice rugby, but their attacking game is certainly nowhere near as developed as Australia’s. I’m not suggesting that this will be a series centred on Australia’s attack vs England’s defence, but you have to play to your strengths. England fans have reason for optimism though. The dynamic second-row pairing of George
Kruis and Maro Itoje is verging on world class, and seems destined to be effective on the harder Australian terrain, and backs Jack Nowell, Anthony Watson and Henry Slade will relish the firmer ground, as well as the chance to test themselves against some of the very best.
In fact the mention of Slade brings me onto my next point- who will play? Eddie Jones has claimed that a number of England players have been guilty of tailing off after the Six Nations, and with the return from injury of Dave Ewers, Henry Slade and Manu Tuilagi to name a few we could be seeing a slightly different England to that which last played in March. Jamie George’s recent return to fitness will place captain Dylan Hartley under pressure, whilst the form of Kieran Brookes, Matt Mullan and Paul Hill could see them usurp incumbents Mako Vunipola and Dan Cole. Joe Marler will miss the tour entirely after his withdrawal. Kruis and Itoje have been an integral part of Saracen’s European winning team, and as such I can’t see them being ousted anytime soon. The bench spot could go to a number of names though, with Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury, Dave Attwood, Ed Slater and Geoff Parling all in contention. The back-row also sees much competition. There is a case for 31 year old James Haskell and Chris Robshaw to be rested, the latter having played a serious amount of rugby this season. If so, guys such as Matt Kvesic and Teimana Harrison could see their form rewarded with international rugby, along with Chiefs man Ewers and Will Fraser of Saracens. It remains to be seen if Eddie Jones takes a more athletic and traditional openside to combat the threat of the Pocock/Hooper axis. Billy Vunipola has continued his barnstorming Six Nations form for Saracens and so will start at no8, although injury could see Chief’s try scoring machine Thomas Waldrom or Ben Morgan feature. Nathan Hughes becomes eligible to play in time for the Autumn Internationals and I can’t even imagine how destructive a back row with him and Vunipola would be. Scrum-half will probably see usual suspects Danny Care and Ben Youngs squabbling for a starting spot- but it is the only straightforward spot in the backs.
A youthful, attacking brand of rugby, the continual bleeding of new players and five wins out of a possible five gave much positivity to Jones’ England future
Wow Eddie Jones has some decisions to make here. Farrell has to start at 10. He is the best English fly-half and this season has seen him add an attacking verve to his game. On form, Cipriani should be going as second choice. Bath have been abysmal this season whilst Sale continue to defy the odds. Cipriani at Wasps next season could see him fully unleashed behind a dominant pack and some of his best rugby yet. Ford is only young we must remember, and his form will improve, but it could be that a summer off is best for him to recover from such a long season and gain some confidence back in his game. The starting centre partnership throughout the Six Nations was Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph- and I would not be surprised to see something completely different this summer. Joseph has also been part of said awful Bath team, leaving the door open for Henry Slade, Eliot
Daly and Manu Tuilagi to steal a starting spot. That being said Joseph is a classy player and has always produced for England. If Jones wants a playmaker at 12 he will surely choose Slade. Tuilagi is developing his game, but he does not have Slade’s decision-making or boot. Equally Wasps man Daly could do a similar job- what he lacks in Slade’s playmaking ability he makes up for with livewire footwork and outright gas. Of course the playmaking 12 becomes less of an issue if, as I would do, Jones picks Alex Goode at fullback. The Premiership Player of the Year has gained an extra yard of pace in the last year or two which is evident in the numerous line breaks he has made this season. Able to cover 10, Goode is an extremely intelligent player, and although he has sometimes looked out of his depth at international level I believe Goode has what it takes to make the step up now. Furthermore, Mike Brown has not been at the same level this term. Another that has had a long, long season he relies on his physicality more than Goode- perhaps explaining why he has looked a little fatigued.
The wings provide further dilemma. Jack Nowell has been ripping up defences for the Chiefs while Anthony Watson has also had to endure Bath’s horror season- but his pace and footwork are undoubtedly still as brilliant. If Jones were to change though cases can be made for James Short enjoying a rebirth at Exeter, fellow Chief Olly Woodburn, Christian Wade at Wasps or marmite figure Chris Ashton of Sarries. In addition, Alex Lewington of London Irish is part of the England squad to play Wales later this month along with Semesa Rokoduguni. One of the few Bath players who can hold their head relatively high this season, he has one of the best steps I have ever seen. If Jones can create a combination of the above players that balances well England could have one of their most exciting backlines for a long time.
In fact there are even more names I haven’t even mentioned who will be part of the England squad to face Wales at Twickenham on the 29th of May. Players from the four clubs in the premiership playoffs- Saracens, Wasps, Exeter and Leicester- have not been included, meaning a few players will have a rare chance to audition their talents in front of Eddie Jones. The potential of this squad is huge. If, and it’s a big if, Jones can get the best out of his players, we could see an England team that finally competes with the Southern Hemisphere giants on a regular basis.
MY ENGLAND XV
- Mako Vunipola
- Dylan Hartley
- Dan Cole
- Maro Itoje
- George Kruis
- Dave Ewers
- Chris Robshaw
- Billy Vunipola
- Ben Youngs
- Owen Farrell
- Jack Nowell
- Henry Slade
- Jonathan Joseph
- Anthony Watson
- Alex Goode
- Jamie George
- Matt Mullan
- Kieran Brookes
- Joe Launchbury
- Jack Clifford
- Danny Care
- Danny Cipriani
- Manu Tuilagi