Here is the England team to play South Africa on Saturday, in the first of their Autumn Internationals fixtures.
England XV:
Mike Brown
Marland Yarde
Elliot Daly
Owen Farrell
Jonny May
George Ford
Ben Youngs
Mako Vunipola
Dylan Hartley
Dan Cole
Joe Launchbury
Courtney Lawes
Chris Robshaw
Tom Wood
Billy Vunipola
Replacements:
Jamie George, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, Dave Atwood, Nathan Hughes, Danny Care, Ben Te’o, Jonathan Joseph
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
I trust EJs judgement (how can you not?) but I really am struggling to see how Roko never even made the 23.
Also not sure what JJ’s done wrong either? I’m a Bath fan obviously, but these two decisions in particular just seem a bit odd.
JJ has a slight groin problem apparently, but I’m not convinced you can be fit enough for the bench but not fit enough to start.
Apparently Daly has been a bit sharper in training as well. He’s arguably in better form too.
Article in the Times today about Roko and apparently EJ has said that Roko definitely features in his long term plans but wants to manage situtation carefull as he was badly mis-managed previously, wants him to enjoy first cap back and therefore maintain desire to continue playing internationals and EJ doesn’t view the SA game as the one that will acheive, implication being that we might see Roko for the Fiji game…
I really hope that was meant to read Kyle Sinckler!!! Unless the Fonz has a rugby playing son?
For me the only disappointment is the inclusion of Wood in the team. I hope he can play better for England than he has for Saints so far this season. I also hope that as he is not part of the assigned onfield leadership team he can stop himself whinging as he frequently does most weekends.
JJ had been declared fit, so I assume his drop to the bench is just precautionary? But as you say Hutch, if he’s not fit enough to start why have him on the bench?
Haha thanks, amended.
I’m not too worried about Wood. Haven’t seen much of him this season, but I thought he was England’s best player at one stage. I suspect his workrate will be incredible as he tries to prove that Eddie was right to give him another chance.
Plus, if he’s not performing, he’ll be hauled off after 20 mins and we’ll see if Nathan Hughes can do any better!
That’s a fair point, he will definitely have something to prove. As long as Hartley can keep him quiet as his vocals won’t go down too well at this level, whoever the ref is.
You would assume if Hughes does come on for Wood Robshaw moves to 7?
I think they are going to miss Itoje at the breakdown, although Launchbury is good in that area, I don’t think he’s as good as Itoje.
Looking forward to see if Mako can carry his club form of dummying and sidestepping up to the international arena!!
I must disagree, I don’t think Wood has ever been our best player. Often thought he went missing during games, and offers little in attack or at the breakdown. Work-rate can surely only get you so far at that level, and at least Robshaw has good set of hands. I don’t think hes done much at Saints over the past few seasons to merit the call up.
Hoping that Haskell, Clifford etc all return to fitness and Wood can return to not being a part of the England team.
If you’re doing match ratings, you can probably pencil in a 6/10 for Wood now. He’ll do all right, but he’s not a player to take us to the next level.
I’d much rather have seen Hughes at 7 in the “Haskell role”, i.e. go out and smash everything, and if he didn’t come off you could use Wood to shore things up.
I would hope Eddie has the boys fired up and ready to go. This looks a lot like a Lancaster team (and he never beat the Boks), although the 2016 vintage aren’t as strong as the 2012-2015 teams. Should get the win, but nothing’s certain.
HUTCH
agree with you ref Wood. EJ is a man-manager par excellence (no doubt why they hired him in the 1st place!)
If anyone can put a proverbial bomb under an under-performing player to inspire and get the best out of him it is EJ (bit like the military if anyone has experience of it)
I Would (or even Wood…) agree that he hasn’t played well for England or the Saints for an aeon despite being a flanker who has played down under like Haskell. EJ has history of turning players around – Haskell and Robshaw.
If there’s one thing that can be guaranteed with EJ it is that he won’t hold their hand, wrap them up in cotton wool (ref Portugal and hard core leg-breaking training) nor pander to player requirements (ref to english football playerhotel requirements).
Funnily enough he might even have voted Brexit (only joking he won’t have had a passport or maybe not – could have been fast-tracked!) Just a thought……
Yes exactly, I think Wood will have proven himself in training, and will be desperate to show that EJ’s faith is not misplaced. You are right that he has history of getting the most out of the players, and we have to trust his judgement – particularly when he hasn’t lost a game as England coach.
Why hasn’t Jones picked Rokodoguni though? The man is INSANE!
The balance of the back row bothers me. As noted by others, Wood is going to have to play out of his skin as both fetcher and carrier to balance the burden on CR and Big Billy. I don’t think he ‘s up to it.
Don’t be fooled by all the “‘ Boks are there for the taking” guff either. When has an SA team ever come to HQ to lie down and roll over? England can expect a very large and heavy kitchen sink being flung at them for the first twenty at least,hence my comment on Wood. If the boys can ride the initial storm then I think they will win but not by as many as people are being encouraged to believe.
The selection of Daly suggests EJ is going for the rapier rather than the bludgeon with the bench providing heft if that goes mammaries skyward.
Lots to ponder,not least to see if EJ can inspire England to even greater heights than we saw in the autumn.
Disagree re fetcher comments.
The Jones era hasn’t seen a fetcher yet as Jones has said England currently don’t have that type of 7 at international standard (yes yes Kvesic etc but this is Jones’ view).
He has instead opted for a bulldozing, physically disruptive 7 a la Haskell but I don’t think Wood will have that sort of impact. Maybe he has asked him to play a different role.
Agree with you here. I think there are probably enough players in the squad to cover the fetcher. This squad is full of fetchers, not just in the pack either. Farrell can often be found with his hands in the ruck winning ball.
Wood is nowhere near the level Haskell has been for England under Eddie, but I hope to be proved wrong.
I still think they will miss Itoje at the breakdown though. Not just as a fetcher but as a spoiler. I don’t think anyone uses their lanky legs to better effect at ruck time.
Don’t really see why the make-up of the back row is such an issue – the one time Eddie started a fetcher in the nine games he’s been in charge so far he hauled him off after 30 minutes anyway. I wouldn’t have picked Wood – makes no sense to me to pick a short-term solution in a position where his first choice is probably a short term solution anyway – but with such an unprecedented injury crisis in one particular position I can understand it.
Even though I’m not sure about Te’o, that is a pretty strong bench!
For autumn read summer! You know what I meant.
I think you re all missing the point about fetching and carrying. Ironically that is symptomatic of the knicker twist English rugby has got itself into re genuine open sides, six and a halves, etc.
I’m not advocating Harrison or any other particular player. I’m talking about balance. Wood is neither dynamic or physical enough to take the burden off the other two. As for “the team is full of fetchers” sorry but to me that’s just dumb. Yes Farrell likes to mix it but do you really want him stuck at the bottom of a ruck with thirty stone of saffers on him when he should be taking up a position to receive the ball,should it be won?
The best teams put square pegs in square holes and do the basics well. SA have picked a huge pack,all the more reason to have the backs free to try and move them around and tire them out rather than get drawn into an arm wrestle that plays to the strength of the opposition.
Thankfully none of we armchair pundits are responsible for picking the team and getting the right result!
I don’t think Dazza was suggesting Farrell get stuck into every ruck – but the pack can take that burden. England beat Australia 3-0 away from home against two of the best fetchers in world rugby without one “fetcher” in the team. It is possible.
The brilliant thing EJ has done is not try and make anyone a fetcher. It always felt as though SL spent too much time trying to make Robshaw something he’s not, trying to make players like their Kiwi opposite numbers.
EJ has stopped all that. Haskell has been told to do what he is good at – smash things. Hit rucks and people as hard as you can. Don’t try and steal the ball each time, just stick to what you’re good at. Robshaw seems to have been told the same thing. I’m sure he will ask Wood to do something similar within what he feels are his best skills.
TEECEE
I would agree with that 100%
It will be stalemate at best up front for England. SAs pack is enormous and with mobility in its flankers.
The way foerward is therefore ‘run them ragged’ and go around them!
EJ’s plan i would suggest judging by his back-line choice!
Also with a heavy forward pack and back three out of form there may be a decent mount of chip and chase from England