Stuart Lancaster has named the England team to play Uruguay this weekend, in what is now a dead rubber after Saturday’s catastrophic defeat to Australia.
With nothing to play for, Lancaster has made several changes to the line-up, most notably in the back-line, where George Ford is restored to the number 10 shirt, Owen Farrell shifts to 12 and Henry Slade gets his first run-out at 13.
Jack Nowell also sees his first action on the wing, while Anthony Watson and Alex Goode complete the back three.
In the pack, Mako Vunipola makes his first start after impressing from the bench, while James Haskell and Nick Easter come into the back row for Tom Wood and Ben Morgan respectively.
England Head Coach Lancaster said: “Brad Barritt (arm) and Courtney Lawes (knee) are not available this weekend and Ben Morgan (dead leg) and Ben Youngs (ankle) will not be able to train fully until Thursday.
“This is an opportunity for us to finish the tournament with a strong performance against Uruguay and a chance for the likes of young players such as Jack Nowell and Henry Slade to play in a World Cup.
“We owe it to ourselves and the supporters who have been brilliant throughout. This is an important game for rugby in the north of England and we want to give those people who have been looking forward to this game something to cheer about.”
ENGLAND TEAM TO PLAY URUGUAY
15. Alex Goode (Saracens, 18 caps)
14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 14 caps)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 1 cap)
12. Owen Farrell (Saracens, 34 caps)
11. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps)
10. George Ford (Bath Rugby, 16 caps)
9. Danny Care (Harlequins, 52 caps)
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 26 caps)
2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 27 caps)
3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 55 caps)
4. Joe Launchbury (Wasps, 27 caps)
5. Geoff Parling (Exeter Chiefs, 28 caps)
6. James Haskell (Wasps, 61 caps)
7. Chris Robshaw (captain, Harlequins, 42 caps)
8. Nick Easter (Harlequins, 53 caps)
Replacements
16. Jamie George (Saracens, 2 caps)
17. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 36 caps)
18. David Wilson (Bath Rugby, 43 caps)
19. George Kruis (Saracens, 9 caps)
20. Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 41 caps)
21. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens, 26 caps)
22. Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby, 15 caps)
23. Mike Brown (Harlequins, 42 caps)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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OMG why is Lancaster so effing useless. Sledgehammer and nut approach and poor selections.
After the warm ups he brings in Parling and Wood to address the line out, which depowers the scrum. Now he addresses a lack of decision makers in the backs by picking 4 fly halves, and now the back line lacks any strike runners.
Farrell at 12? Was that needed, with Slade and Goode in the back line a long with Ford? No Joseph, no Burgess?
Youngs, Cole and Parling? What do Brookes/ Wilson, Kruis and George need to do, as the incumbents have been pretty poor.
A nice pacey back row? Still who else was there I suppose.
Skip…
Why not start George and Wilson? It’s not as if we have anything to play for! Can’t understand why he even included George in the squad if he has no faith in him. Farrell at 12? We have a fit inside centre who could do with some more game time. Why play a FH out of position. I’m afraid in SL I no longer have faith.
Ah so Brad is injured, hence the Farrell selection. Assume Brad would have played then. What a joke.
Taxi for the coaching team please!
Whilst I wish you were joking, you’re right aren’t you? Had Barritt been fit, he’d have started, which is why we now have Farrell rather than Burgess
Jesus. Just when you thought it literally could not get any worse
Somebody please tell me Burgess is injured.
If he’s not, I completely give up on the England coaches and their selection process. Why on god’s green earth would you not play him in this match and instead play someone who is only ever going to feature at 12 as a stopgap???
Also, why the hell would you start Cole and T Youngs? Even if Brookes is injured (is he?), why not start Wilson and give Cole a rest. As for poor Jamie George, what did he do to Farrell Senior that has permanently consigned him to a bench spot in lesser games even though we learn nothing new by playing Youngs
I give up
I’m waiting for the usual bullsh*t article from Geech over why Farrell is the perfect selection for this match.
Boy has my respect for him gone down over the course of this world cup.
A speculative answer to your question, but maybe it’s now that this XV is with a consideration to development only. If Burgess goes back to Bath he’s going to play in the back row and can only be considered in future as a 6 or he’s going to rugby league in which case there’s definitely no point!
That wouldn’t explain Nick Easter’s inclusion though. But with Morgan and Billy Vunipola broken, I suppose we’re out of “future Number 8s”?
Well there’s no point calling another one up!
I really hope that this whole experience hasn’t persuaded Burgess to go back to league. He still has the chance to be a superb union player.
He’s barely had a season in union and not much of that at centre and yet he played well enough against two very good centres in Roberts and Williams that when he left the field England were 10 points to the good.
His progress has been nigh on incredible considering that he’s been pulled between centre and flanker whilst trying to learn the basics of the game
Give him a season playing 6 and he’ll be putting the likes of Haskell and Wood to shame
Love your comment. There’s been so much negativity regarding Burgess, but when you look at the facts, he’s added to the team when he’s been on the pitch. Solid in defence, he’s drawn defenders in when he’s had the ball in his hands.
I just hope he builds on playing 6 at Bath, he has incredible physicality and would smash the ball up the field on the attack,and chop attackers down in defence all day long.
I would love to see him usurp Tom Wood, who simply cannot do either of those two things.
And the awful gets worse.
Why not give Kruis, Brookes and George all a start?
Why not start the Burgess and Slade combo that worked so well against France? Or even Slade at 12 and JJ outside him would surely give a more balanced look?
Lost for words. He has to go.
Why not indeed… It’s very hard to compute isn’t it. It’s like (as with a few other cases) Lancaster and team watched Burgess and Slade perform very well, both individually and as a pair, then decided “OK, well that worked, now let’s never pick them together again”.
Among my first posts on this excellent blog, I really think Lancaster/Farrell/Ritchie/whoever has completely and utterly lost the plot, complete meltdown, almost if they have given up! This game required a post world cup perspective with an afterthought to selecting an exciting young team who will give a northern crowd a chance of enjoyment for their hard earned money – Entirely possible even with the misshapen squad selected. Any shred of commitment to this coaching team remaining in power after this game has to be lost now. At the very least they could have laid something for the incumbent who has a huge task ahead of them but with a reasonable core of quality players to build something around. It is the first England game, I may purposely avoid watching (if I can). Selection comments below:
15. Alex Goode – Shouldn’t play again – only plus was all that “1st receiver” crap contradicted by the fact we have 4 “1st receivers” across the whole backline
14. Anthony Watson – Fine but why not play him in his best position (full back) considering Brown will not make next WC
13. Henry Slade – Finally but does this combo work considering Farrell is inside
12. Owen Farrell – solid but makes little sense – see above comment
11. Jack Nowell – fine
10. George Ford – fine
9. Danny Care – Should have been on the bench / pushing youngs in the 1st place
1. Mako Vunipola – fine
2. Tom Youngs – George has to start here – The scrum has been exposed, youngs is superb off the bench but no more
3. Dan Cole – Wilson / Brookes (preferably) have to start here – why pick 3 tightheads in the squad in the 1st place?
4. Joe Launchbury – Fine, one of the few quality players
5. Geoff Parling – Has to be final game – Kruis has to start here
6. James Haskell – played his best rugby of his career at wasps last year at 7 / See Wood comment below
7. Chris Robshaw – Should bow out after this or be part of the 6 selection order (it may be more beneficial to not select him and remove
8. Nick Easter – Ridiculous selection
16. Jamie George – has to start due to lack of alternatives in squad
17. Joe Marler – Could be a decent bench man moving forward
18. David Wilson – Maybe Brookes has an injury?
19. George Kruis – See George comment
20. Tom Wood – Performed reasonably this WC, but I don’t see him as an impact man and must be exhausted after recent – It is Uruguay why not start Burgess at 6 to see whether he can cut it in the forwards as he will not play Centre again in Union (Or union at all by the Leeds Rhino rumours) – At the very least a full blooded Burgess would give the Northern crowd something to cheer!
21. Richard Wigglesworth – Perhaps the worst 9 to have on the bench ever –last appearance.
22. Jonathan Joseph – How is our best centre on the bench?
23. Mike Brown – Fine – I don’t think there is anyone else left!
Jay. Welcome. Now I’m not disagreeing with you about Lancaster – see my comments above, but I will play devil’s advocate in relation to your selection comments.
Goode – glad to see him get a start even if I never thought he should have been in the squad in the first place.
Watson – I like on the wing. Agree would like to see him at FB at some stage, but let it be a sterner test. We wouldn’t learn anything in this game.
Brooke’s was picked as cover for both loose and tight.
Parling – I actually like him playing. I may be in a minority!
Easter – I think the only fit 8 we have left and I don’t want to see Wood there again………!
Burgess – want to see him play 12, but not cover a position he hasn’t played at this level. I see where you’re coming from, but maybe in the future.
Wiggles worth – not my favourite player, but not the worst either.
Also debating whether to watch the game, but think that I will probably end up watching it, out of curiosity if nothing else. Had more interest in the warm up friendlies as at least there was something to glean from them. This is such a dead rubber (for England – I hope the Uruguayans enjoy it) that it may as well be 6′ under.
Just seen the press conference. Stu genuinely thinks this is a side to get the fans excited. Might I suggest, than when going into traditional League heat lands for a dead rubber against a semi pro side, having a league legend somewhere in the 23 might have been a good way to get the fans and crowd going?
WTF!!!!
After re-affirming that you are hold the final decision on selection and it isn’t delegated to AF you put this combination of poor performers and mis-matched combinations out there.
Must all be part of the cunning plan of allowing the successor to talk for the next 4 years about the mess he inherited!
What a shocker
Yet again Stu’s unfathomable selection policy comes home to haunt the O2 sponsored World Cup Pygmies. This has been the problem for far far too long.
2003 is now officially English Rugby’s 1966. It is your version of what was once our 1970s. But then there was no RWC in the 1970s and we did dominate for over decade and not 1 season.
I shall ever so mockingly support England on Saturday night in a valley pub as I am with my Wiltshireman friend of almost 30 years.
I have learned the words to Moody Blues ‘Go now’ as the curtain falls on England triumphant ‘World beaters’ RWC of 2015.
House of Lancaster-how one man rebuilt English Rugby published Aug 2015…I’ll offer 50p a copy.
I’ll even buy a RWC 2015 edition England jersey in a few months when Sportsdirect give ‘em away for £1 each. .
I have to say Enoch that I generally find you unfathomable, but 2003 may indeed turn into our 1966 millstone.
However at least we had 2003, and I am old enough to remember the joy it brought, unlike 1966!
Come on…… We dominated for 2 seasons!
Don’t worry, I’ve worked out the backline selection. Ford, Farrell, Slade and Goode will form a perfect diamond shape and just pass to each other in a kind of revolving circle thing, whilst actually just going sideways off the pitch. It will be beautiful and Ben Kay will pee his pants with excitement in the commentary box.
Actually, I like Ben Kay, so forget the last bit.
This backline could look balanced, if Burgess was at 12 but maybe he’s been left out of the firing line and they see no future for him at 12 post WC (with Bath determined he will play 6).
As for the forwards, I echo others in disbelief that George, Brookes and Kruis aren’t getting a start.
Reasons to be positive:
– At last Slade, Nowell and George get a game these guys are going to be a big part of the future for England
– We should have enough to win this whoever Farrel snr selects
– Backline shows a lot of attacking intent with skillful distributors who can read the game and communicate well
Reasons to be negative:
– Yet again there is no balance to the selection. I mean 4 flyhalves is a bit much isn’t it.
– We are gonna have to use forwards as strike runners again to get over the gain line which means we will be under powered at the breakdown again.
– Some of these players likely won’t be around for the next world cup (Goode, Easter, Haskell, Wilson, Parling, Wiggles, Wilson, Brown). We should be building for the furutre, so regardless of how good they are most of these are wasted caps.
– Bench lacks balance again. If Farrell or Ford get injured how do you shuffle the backline
– If May and Barritt are injured why didn’t we use it as an opportunity to bring in a couple more players who will form the heart of the future England team. maybe Wade and Daly or even Ewers or Itoje
– Why aren’t Kruis, Brookes and George starting?
Would agree with almost all you’ve said, but regarding your bench scenario, if one of Ford/Farrell goes off, then that almost actually makes the most sense, i.e. whichever one of them is left is 10, move Slade into 12 and JJ on at 13?
Slade tends to play 10 or 13 but yeah I suppose that would work
Well I’m assuming that Burgess is injured? I’m also assuming that Jamie George has pissed on Lancaster’s boots or done something else to upset the powers that be? Tom Youngs must be knackered after all the ball carrying and tackling he’s done (because the back row didn’t do it). If he’s not that knackered why not play him at 12? At least we’d have someone to bust some holes in the defence!
Now I said a while ago, that we should see more of the Ford/Farrell axis that worked so wel when they were in the U20’s, but not with another 10/centre outside them! JJ should be at 13 with Slade on the bench, or Burgess and Slade starting together with JJ on the bench.
Cole has been pretty poor for the whole tournament so why continue to start him when we have Wilson and Brookes there?!
Parling and Launchbury is ok, but would’ve like Kruis to get a start.
Back row looks ok, as at least with Haskell and Easter we might get some more ball carries. Thought Robshaw and Haskell might be better the other way round though?
Nice to see Care, Goode, Nowell and Slade get a game, but now wonder if they’re going to be match fit?
If England do have injuries why not bring in Simpson or Ewers or Daly to at least give us something to look fwd to.
Ford, Slade, Joseph was the obvious choice. Don’t understand the the Farrell selection at all.
Side defies logic so won’t even attempt to analyse.
so pleased I will be bladdered by the time this ‘game’ is on, am watching a passionate game live at St James’ park followed by the wales game at the fanzone, no idea who to support as every time I have gone to watch England at Murreyfield the Jocks are aweful & the Welsh were not much better at RWC. Last internationals I have been lucky enough to watch where the away fans were fantastic were the French (6N 2015) and Aussies (RWC 2015) both times in the middle of their corner
Come on Les Blues ??
Probably kiss of death for their QF chances
Nothing to be learned by this game, doesn’t matter who plays & in what position, let’s face it, they are playing Uruguay ! a Uruguay who are playing Fiji tonight so will have a 4 day turnaround ! obviously this rubber is not what the WC fixture planners had in mind eh ? what goes around comes around ….
Here is the team I want to see starting the next England fixture, purely as an experiment but who knows?
1. M.Vunipola, 2. George, 3. Brookes, 4. Launchbury, 5. Itoje (c) 6. Burgess, 7. Kvesic. 8. B. Vunipola, 9. Simpson, 10. Ford, 11. Nowell. 12. Burrell, 13. Slade, 14. Nowell, 15. Watson.
Sorry 11 should have been May.
I’s have Slade at 12, and either Joseph or Manu at 13. Burrell is not test class IMO.
Make them GIANTS!!!
The O2 GIANTS!!!
The O2 GIANT flops!!!
Anyone got a spare ticket of two for this key pool match.
I have about a 73p in loose change, otherwise I’ll have to watch it down the pub at 8:00pm instead.
Key game all the same. Prime time viewing slot but its not the anointing it was supposed to be.
Here we go again..Don’t be surprised that SL thinks he’s picked another ‘winning’ side.Consider his shock and disbelief at losing to Australia.He truly hadn’t seen it coming,the man needs to be sectioned.Farrel has stood to SL’s defence because he no doubt believes in this gutless,rudderless and blinkered selection too.The arrogance of it. There,needed that.
I think this could be the first time I have seen a unanimous reaction to a Lancaster selection.
I have felt like Cassandra on these blogs for the past 4 years, and now, sadly, my dire prophecies have come true. I feel no better for it.
I think Stu is a broken man.His thinking was never very straight but now he is so stressed he is confused and muddled.I am serious when I say I think he has some sort of mental condition and should be relieved of his duties and allowed to recuperate