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Eddie Jones rarely fails to deliver compelling narratives and his RWC training squad is another
Whatever you might think of Eddie Jones and his tenure as England head coach, he rarely fails to deliver compelling narratives. Unsurprisingly, his initial Rugby World Cup training squad (35 fit players and three rehabilitating from injury) is full to the brim with them.
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From the maverick that is Danny Cipriani to the bolter potential of Ruaridh McConnochie and Lewis Ludlam, the squad does not lack for intriguing storylines.
Admittedly, those three will be among the favourites to be cut from the squad when it is reduced in size from 38 to 31, but they all have a puncher’s chance at this point in time, not to mention being at the front of the queue should injuries strike.
Cipriani’s non-selection over the past season elicited an array of reaction from fans that ranged from mild disgruntlement to complete incomprehension of Jones’ actions. Thus it’s understandable that his inclusion has largely been celebrated.
There is no doubt that Cipriani is among the most exciting fly-halves to watch and in a system that plays to his strengths, one of the most effective in global rugby.
BREAKING | Your 35-man England @rugbyworldcup training squad ?
? https://t.co/YTNUSNu1Kj#RWC2019 #CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/8oJBmM66ta
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 4, 2019
The debate that has always raged, particularly during Jones’ time with England, is whether or not England are set up to have that same success with him at international level that he has regularly achieved in club rugby.
Owen Farrell is England’s go-to man at 10 and that is understandable as he is one of the most potent operators in both the club and international game, is a leader and captaincy candidate, and has repeatedly performed under immense pressure.
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Jones’ deputy for Farrell, since disposing of the dual fly-half system, has always been George Ford, who had a very good club season, too, despite Leicester Tigers’ struggles overall. He has Jones’ trust and with England likely to only take two fly-halves to Japan, it would seem Cipriani is the man on the outside for now.
The Player of the Season 2018-19 is
Danny Cipriani pic.twitter.com/sQjv7yrIE6
— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) May 4, 2019
He has the training camps and one World Cup warm-up match to change Jones’ mind, something which has proven to be somewhat stubborn previously, although other players have forced his hand in the past. McConnochie’s rise this season and recent dislodging of the equally impressive Ollie Thorley is an example of just that.
The Bath wing, who was a silver medallist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, had a fine debut season in the Gallagher Premiership, as he made the most of injuries to Anthony Watson and Semesa Rokoduguni, as well as the international call-up of Joe Cokanasiga. Now he finds himself in a World Cup training squad alongside two of his Bath back three colleagues.
It is further evidence of the value of sevens as a pathway and development tool for players, one which the RFU and Premiership clubs have been relatively reticent to use, but that conversation is an entire article in itself. Nevertheless, McConnochie has made that leap and is now reaping the rewards.
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Could he genuinely make it to Japan? Chris Ashton withdrew from the squad for personal reasons, Nathan Earle has been ruled out with his ACL injury, Jack Nowell is in a race against time to be fit and now McConnochie has seemingly jumped above Thorley in the pecking order. It’s not the craziest thing to suggest.
Elliot Daly, Jonny May, Watson and Nowell – if fit – are all certainties to be on the plane, while Cokanasiga brings something very different to that quartet. Would five be enough, or could Jones look at taking a sixth option in McConnochie? It could come down to how quickly Nowell’s rehabilitation comes on.
Another bolter candidate is Northampton Saints flanker Ludlam. The 23-year-old has had to bide his time and many would argue he spent too long waiting in the wings at Saints where veteran options were consistently given the nod ahead of him in the back row. There were plenty of calls for Ludlam to leave the club at the end of the 2017/18 season.
Instead, he signed an extension and has been rewarded by the arrival of Chris Boyd as the former Hurricanes head coach trusted in the openside this past season. There was no looking back for Ludlam, who took every opportunity he was given, making himself an integral part of Boyd’s fast-paced and high-tempo Northampton revolution.
Tom Curry – fitness-permitting – is going to Japan and you would arguably say the same of Sam Underhill, despite his injury-impacted season. That makes Ludlam’s inclusion a long shot, but this is still a valuable learning experience and platform for him as he attempts to more regularly crack the England side in the next cycle.
It wasn’t just the inclusions that sparked interest, either. A number of notable absentees also caught the eye. For instance, where is Nathan Hughes?
The RugbyPass XV of England players Eddie Jones didn't want ?https://t.co/2FlLWpdNwC
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 4, 2019
The now Bristol Bears man has been a regular for England since he qualified on residency, either backing up Billy Vunipola from the bench or filling the sizeable boots at No8 when the Saracen was ruled out through injury. Zach Mercer, another omission, has had fleeting moments of opportunity, but ultimately Hughes has been the number two on Jones’ depth chart since the beginning.
Mark Wilson stepped in at No8 when England needed him to in the autumn, something which presumably they would need him to do again should injury strike as there are no other experienced eight options in the squad. Both Ben Morgan and Alex Dombrandt join Mercer and Hughes in missing out.
Speaking of established number two players on the depth chart being left out, Danny Care is in the same boat as Hughes, with his Quins team-mates Chris Robshaw and Mike Brown also picking up an oar each.
England’s strategy at scrum-half over the last four years has been a bit of a head-scratcher, with Jones having invested so much time into Care only to cast him aside for this final season.
Had Ben Spencer been given plenty of playing time this past season at international level you could understand that call. As it is, England head towards the World Cup with Ben Youngs as an established starter and little-to-no international experience for Spencer or Willi Heinz.
Brown is a sacrifice in the back three due to the ability of Daly and Watson to both play 15, while Robshaw is the odd flanker out following Wilson’s breakout Test season and Jones’ admiration for Brad Shields’ skill set. For all three of those Harlequins, it seems the World Cup has come a year too late.
Over and out ?
Thanks for the memories @JoeMarler, here are some of the highlights ? pic.twitter.com/jdmpn8PPka
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) September 28, 2018
That said, there is one Harlequin for whom the tournament’s timing has proven fortuitous and that is Joe Marler. The charismatic loosehead enjoyed a very productive club season, revelling in his international retirement and helping establish Harlequins as one of the Premiership’s most dominant scrums alongside Kyle Sinckler.
With Mako Vunipola not likely to be fit until the beginning of the World Cup, it’s understandable why Jones would want Marler back so eagerly, especially given the opportunity to recreate that partnership with Sinckler at international level.
Between Marler coming out of international retirement, Cipriani’s ever-ongoing redemption saga and the cases of two genuine bolters in McConnochie and Ludlam, there is no lack of compelling narratives in this World Cup training squad. The question now is who will taste action on August 11 against Wales, the day before Jones will name his official 31 for the finals.
WATCH: Part one of the two-part RugbyPass documentary on the many adventures that fans can expect to experience in Japan at this year’s World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
Jake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
35 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
35 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
9 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
35 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
9 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
9 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to comments