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Borthwick explains prop changes; picking Ludlam ahead of Vunipola
Steve Borthwick has explained the logic behind the three changes he has made to his starting England team for this Sunday’s Rugby World Cup Pool D fixture with Japan in Nice.
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The head coach saw his side get off to a brilliant start with their 27-1o win over Argentina last weekend in Marseille despite losing Tom Curry to a third-minute red card.
Curry has since been suspended and his place in the back row has been taken by Lewis Ludlam. There had been expectation that specialist No8 Billy Vunipola, who is available following his suspension for last month’s red card versus Ireland in Dublin, would come straight back into the starting XV.
However, that didn’t happen as Borthwick felt it best to promote Ludlam from the replacements to start for the first time at No8 at Test level following his 11 tackles in 14 minutes off the bench against the Pumas. That means Vunipola will only feature off the bench in his comeback match.
“We are in a great position to be in to have such quality players in the back row that somebody like Lewis can come in,” said Borthwick on Friday evening shortly after England arrived at their accommodation near Antibes following their flight south to Nice from their Le Touquet-Paris-Plage base camp.
“I thought he did really well off the bench last week. I thought he was one of the best performers we had in the Six Nations, so to have the ability to start him and then bring Billy Vunipola off the bench later in the game, that’s a really strong position for us. Billy Vunipola is fully match fit.
“Lewis is a tremendous player. His ability to play six, seven and eight is incredibly valuable. You often talk about Lewis and the brilliant team man and leader he is, but I think people just don’t know how good a player he is, how talented a player he is.
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“He carries in the middle, he carries on the edge. As Courtney (Lawes) said, he made 12 tackles in 10 minutes last week. He jackals. He’s a tremendous player.”
Borthwick’s other two starting XV alterations were in the front row with Joe Marler promoted to start in place of the benched Ellie Genge and the fit-again Kyle Sinckler taking over from Dan Cole at tighthead.
“We have brought in Joe Marler and Kyle Sinckler to start, so what a great position we are in. I thought Ellis was excellent last week. I thought Joe came off the bench and was fantastic.
“Now there is a different role in terms of starting and finishing, but what a position to be in to have players like that, and Kyle back fully fit.
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“I said he was just about fit last week but he has had a great week’s training, over 60 caps, World Cup experience – again another player who performs on the big occasion. These players are eager to go against Sunday night. I expect them to go and perform again on another big occasion.
“Whenever you are selecting you are looking at what you want to do in the game, your game plan. You have also got to look at the opposition and we are playing against a very strong Japanese side that plays in a very different manner to other teams, a very skilled team and a very fast team, What we try to do is ensure we have the right team to get the result we want.
“As with every selection I make what I think is the right selection for us to get the result that we want and you will see that across the team with a couple of changes I made I think this is the right team.
“I said last week that I expected the players to perform and they did. These are big players and they perform on the big occasions and I expect that they will go out in another big game on Sunday night here in Nice and put in another big performance.”
Comments on RugbyPass
well the favourites dont always win and let scott robertson chose his number 8
3 Go to commentsthats great for cam miller and the highlanders the crusaders have got problems within there systems that were proberly covered up astheywere winning when scott robertson was in charge
2 Go to commentsThe last time Plumtree coached the sharks they sucked the same when with the hurricanes now back with the shark Springboro. They still have no game plan
1 Go to commentsan impressive nail biting win for the Blues...but for mine the losing of the game sits with Isaia Walker-Leawere who fumbled balls from kick offs, broken play and then stripped of the ball by Sam Nock in the final minute…
3 Go to commentsAll of the Moderna law changes have been to slow the game down, playing into the hands of SA and the north. Incentivising boring, negative rugby. Brilliant changes. Speed up the game.
11 Go to commentsImagine you kick to the lineout, they give away a free kick, you have a great chance at a scrum, sorry sir you have to tap and go. Ridiculous
11 Go to commentsWhile I believe that the Crusaders do not deserve a spot in the playoffs, every single team would be worried to play them no matter where on the table they are. For example, they have the potential to knock out the Blues at Eden Park. They are the Springboks in Super Rugby in that they know exactly how to play knockout footy and have the pedigree and experience to do it. Something is just not quite right with that team this year. Fakatava is prone to to the odd brain explosion and can kick away good ball in bad positions. His work around the ruck and breakdown is a standout. Is he better than Finlay Christie? I’m not sure. TJ Perenara and Cortez Ratima should get two of the spots in the ABs squad. Aumua has so much potential but the midfield is quite well stocked with Jordie, ALB, Tupaea, and Ioane as well as Billy Proctor who is in top form. Aumua would be battling a spot with Tupaea and Proctor.
2 Go to commentsWhy do some Bok fans get so defensive when people have opinions on how the game should be played? Is it really necessary to take it as a personal attack on SA every time?
11 Go to commentsMost crazy rule is when attacking player has to release but defender does not. Stop the defender doing that by saying hands off. That way fender would not kill the ball. Madness and crazy
80 Go to commentsMinicamp rules include no-pads and no tackling.
1 Go to commentsToulouse has enough quality players so no headaches 😁 Choco is rarely a starting centre. Throughout this championship there have been far worse actions that were never called… too many rules, too many rule changes, too many inconsistencies, too many angry fans. I'm not surprised rugby does not attract new spectators, how could they understand 🤣
6 Go to commentsAh yes Andy with his “Goode” views. Oke might as well come out and say it, “I like seeing South African scrums depowered in order to give the rest of the world a chance”. Somehow he thinks World Rugby always knew about calling scrums from marks and it just so happened to coincide with Damien Willemse’s call that they decided to change the rules. Ah come on, if he can't see it then he needs prescription glasses. No ways, they are doing this for the betterment of Rugby. They want to clamp down on Rassie’s innovative skills than encouraging coaches to think outside of the box to try new things. What they can't count on is what Rassie will plan next. I almost get the impression that once Rassie retires World Rugby is going to be scrabbling around trying to find their identity. Currently set at ARP (Anti-Rassie Party). Although I don't really care in that regard because they always a RWC step behind.
11 Go to commentsWow ten years since they had a backing and more from the paying public I’d also mention that as a blues man and in walking distance to the garden I’d say that this team and Vern Cotter have got us dreaming beautiful thoughts and the merit is there from numbers 1 to 23 but we would like to think this is the new dna for the ABs and a pack weighing 940kg dry y not I hasten to add it seems patty has to stay fit cause he is the driver the main driver and they follow plus the pipe man H Plummer is conducting his own orchestra ….. Beethoven anybody
1 Go to commentsJuicy stuff well covered I’d go as far as to say that the referee was a key component in keeping it a tasty spectacle
3 Go to commentsCotter has added that steel that has been missing. Let's see if it will carry until the Finals… Come on the Blues ….
2 Go to commentsAndy Goode just loves to be controversial. Its boring. Let’s all stop reading.
11 Go to commentsYou have got to consider that if the situation was flipped and the French were held to a salary cap with no English equivalent, the English would laugh in their faces and tell them to get over it. As for Leinster (as a fan), the central contract system is a dream but is guilty of cutting out the other 3 provinces. At the end of the day, it comes across outside of the English border that the Premiership is drowning and trying to take everyone else with it rather than adapt. The English lose, the English want new rules. We've seen this repeat (and once it even led to the current Champions Cup) You make many good and informed points, but if the flip was on the other flop, it wouldn't be Rugby’s problem I suspect - it would be a French one.
18 Go to commentsSeems to have been a bright start but it tailed off. To win the big matches you have to get used to putting your foot on the throttle and your opponent’s necks in an 80 minutes performance which is what the All Blacks were renowned for. An example in the Women’s game is England v Ireland in the 6N match played at Twickenham in April. Watch on YouTube.
1 Go to commentsBobby has been a first grade bonehead since high school. Like a true Cape Tonian, his own reflection is more important than anything else.
1 Go to commentsNo comment on the textbook red card for Ramm that was just ignored? Amazing that
4 Go to comments