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England spring Furbank, Sinckler surprises as five changes made

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Eddie Jones has made five changes to his England team to take on France this Saturday night in Paris following last weekend’s 15-32 Guinness Six Nations round four loss to Ireland at Twickenham. The English coach had been set to make three changes following injury to the hamstrung Tom Curry, the suspension of the red-carded Charlie Ewels and the dropping of starting winger Max Malins.

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Sam Underhill, Nick Isiekwe and George Furbank are the three players called up to fill those vacancies, Furbank surprisingly slotting in at full-back for the first time since October 2020 with Freddie Steward – the starting No15 in the past nine matches – switching to the right wing for the first time to take over Malins’ role. It’s a tactic designed to combat France’s kicking game, pitting the 6ft 5in Steward directly against the 5ft 11in Gabin Villiere.

Jones has also opted for two further changes to his XV, recalling Ben Youngs for Harry Randall at scrum-half in the hope of using Randall’s pace later in the match and starting Will Stuart at tighthead in place of Kyle Sinckler, who has been short on training time due to a back injury last week and a concussion at the weekend.

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It will be just the fourth start of Stuart’s England career but Sinckler failed his HIA during the game with Ireland and Jones felt it best to keep him in reserve on this occasion rather than start him or omit him altogether from the matchday squad.

This decision to pick Sinckler on the bench will attract attention. If he is fit for Saturday, then why isn’t he starting rather than Stuart, who has only started on three previous occasions in his 19-cap career? The alternative perspective is if Sinckler isn’t right at the moment, then why has he been chosen as a replacement when backup prop Joe Heyes is fully fit and available for a sub role?

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Nic Dolly and Ollie Chessum, meanwhile, could get the chance to add to their first England caps after being named on the replacements bench. England travelled over to Paris on Tuesday after Jones cut his original squad of 34 to 28. Malins, hooker Jamie Blamire (who was a sub versus Ireland), back-rower Jack Willis, scrum-half Alex Mitchell, out-half Orlando Bailey and winger Ollie Hassell-Collins were the six players omitted at that juncture.

The five players now with the squad in Paris who have not made the matchday 23 are back-rower Alfie Barbeary, tighthead Heyes, lock Joe Launchbury, and Harlequins backs Louis Lynagh and Luke Northmore. This non-selection of the uncapped Lynagh means that he still hasn’t been captured by England and is theoretically still eligible for Australia or Italy if he so desires.

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Jones said: “This is our strongest 23 for the game against France. We are disappointed not to be in contention for the trophy but last week’s effort against Ireland was full of pride, energy and tactical discipline. We have focused on refreshing the team this week and we are ready to empty the tank on Saturday.”

ENGLAND (vs France, Saturday)
15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
14. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 9 caps)
13. Joe Marchant (Harlequins, 11 caps)
12. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 47 caps)
11. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 38 caps)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 9 caps)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 116 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps)
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 65 caps)
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 19 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 55 caps)
5. Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, 6 caps)
6. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 92 caps)
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 27 caps)
8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps)

Replacements:
16. Nic Dolly (Leicester Tigers, 1 cap)
17. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 78 caps)
18. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 51 caps)
19. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 1 cap)
20. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 8 caps)
21. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 5 caps)
22. George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 80 caps)
23. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 56 caps)

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
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