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Coming off the back of three-straight losses in the Six Nations, England’s squad announcement earlier today for their tour of South Africa was one of the most eagerly anticipated of Eddie Jones’ tenure as head coach.
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Would the losses force Jones into giving untested players opportunities? Or would it push him towards giving the incumbents a chance for redemption?
There were also player burnout issues to consider, with many of England’s regulars having spent last summer in New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions and preparing to spend the next one in camp getting ready for the Rugby World Cup.
Time is running out before England jet off to Japan and try to banish the demons of their home RWC three years ago, so the composition of the squad to tour South Africa is not only telling on where England are right now, it could also have a significant impact on the squad Jones ultimately opts for next year.
Your England squad for next month's three-Test tour to South Africa ?
Full story ? https://t.co/guOlP28hAb pic.twitter.com/jOxKFX7Tgw
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 10, 2018
We have picked out five key talking points from the squad announcement and delve into what they could mean for England out in South Africa and heading into 2019.
Prodigal son returns
If we thought Chris Robshaw’s return to grace following Jones’ comments about him during the last RWC was an impressive journey, the scale may need to be re-evaluated now that Danny Cipriani has worked his way back into the squad.
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His last appearance for England came in the RWC warm-up games in 2015 against France and since then he has been in the international wilderness, with Jones having previously stipulated that Cipriani is either a first-choice fly-half or not in the squad.
That choice of words has certainly created a rod for Jones’ back.
Either Jones stays true to his word and envisions Cipriani as the starting fly-half out in South Africa with, presumably, Owen Farrell, who was named as captain, outside him at 12, or he backs down from his earlier comments. It would not be the first time that Jones has said something with the express purpose of eliciting a certain reaction from his players.
"Once more it's Cipriani, the chief engineer."
"He is too good!"
Danny Cipriani take a bow, that is just class ? pic.twitter.com/I15Lg5yFOs
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) May 5, 2018
Instead of putting too much weight into that comment one way or the other, it certainly looks as though Farrell will be at 12, given that he has been named captain and Jones has opted for two specialist 10s in Cipriani and George Ford.
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That itself is an appetising position battle to watch.
Ford could well have first crack at keeping the jersey, with Leicester’s lack of Aviva Premiership playoff rugby ensuring he’s set to go against the Barbarians on May 27th, but if Wasps fail to upset the odds and see off Saracens in the semi-finals, it’s a fixture that Cipriani could also be available for.
England move swiftly to avoid second Bannockburn
If there was anyone particularly disappointed with the England squad today, it could well have been Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, with highly talented youngster Redpath taking another step towards tying himself to England at international level.
The son of former Scotland international Bryan Redpath, Cam was raised and schooled in England, has signed professional terms with Sale Sharks and has recently represented England at both U18 and U20 level, but his future at the senior level remains open.
RugbyPass understands that Townsend had been keen to cap Redpath in the near future and envisioned the young centre being a part of his RWC squad next year. Even as someone who may well relate to being English more so than being Scottish, that is quite the enticing offer for an 18-year-old rugby player and it seems as if Jones has taken proactive steps to ward off Scotland’s interest.
Could a debut cap come in South Africa?
It’s a big, big ask.
In terms of touring destinations, it’s a rigorous test of a player’s abilities and the Springboks, despite their recent dips in form, will ask plenty of physical questions of England and that could be demanding for an inexperienced player.
He has ability, he is physically-gifted for his age and seems to have a composure and maturity which bely that age, so don’t rule a debut out, but there’s also a chance this tour is an apprenticeship for Redpath, with opportunities against the Barbarians beforehand and the visit of Japan in the autumn deemed more manageable first steps in international rugby.
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How do you solve a problem like England’s scrum-half depth?
The loss of Ben Youngs to injury early in the Six Nations this season highlighted just how dependent on him England have become. Without him, the team looked directionless at times and Danny Care struggled to fill his role as the starter and Richard Wigglesworth, likewise, struggled to bring the impact off the bench that Care usually delivers.
It has prompted Jones to take both Dan Robson and Ben Spencer with him to South Africa and though Youngs will likely start against the Boks, it does give Jones a prolonged look at both players.
England have a good impact scrum-half in Care, but should Youngs go down with injury again, it would be beneficial for Jones to have alternative options he can turn to in the nine jersey and given the durability and consistency of Youngs and Care for most of his tenure so far, that is not something he has had much chance to experiment with.
Between the Barbarians game and the three-test series in South Africa, hopefully Jones can get 60-80 minutes of rugby out of at least one of Robson or Spencer and have a better idea of their suitability moving forward.
That feeling when your overworked tighthead gets a summer off…
Cole has got through a mountain of rugby in the last 24 months, going on the Lions tour of New Zealand, being an ever-present for England and staying fit and healthy and representing Leicester Tigers frequently throughout the seasons.
England’s stocks at tighthead are not in bad shape, with Kyle Sinckler also touring with the Lions and Harry Williams having shown he is capable of stepping up to international rugby this season, but there is certainly not the abundance of alternatives that there are at many other positions. Cole is also still the most consistent option among those players.
If he were to be injured, it would be a loss to England that would come close in severity to the ones they suffered when Billy Vunipola and Youngs both went down this season.
Allowing him the summer off to refresh and rest ahead of a season culminating in a RWC is a good move and also allows Jones an extended look at Sinckler and Williams and an opportunity to see if either is ready to challenge Cole for the three jersey next season.
Let’s get ready to ruuuuummmmble
Putting aside Vunipola for the moment, England’s back-row competition feels as wide open as it has been at any time under Jones’ stewardship. It’s a free-for-all.
The big No 8, when fit, picks himself in that back-row, such is his ability with ball-in-hand, at the breakdown and in the defensive line, but beyond him, positions feel up for grabs.
Chris Robshaw has been extremely consistent for England under Jones but with the arrival Brad Shields, the continued emergence of Tom Curry and Nick Isiekwe proving his worth on the flank with Saracens, competition is intense for the spot, as well as the quiet grafting of Mark Wilson threatening to beat Robshaw at his own game.
Likewise, the seven jersey is – and has been for a while – open. Curry is also a potential option there, as is breakout star Jack Willis, who has shone brightly for Wasps. Ben Earl, who has excelled at U20 level and is beginning to force his way into Saracens’ regular matchday 23, is also included and, honestly, is ready for an opportunity like this, even if his Premiership experience is still minimal.
"He's improving with every game he plays"
"Now we've unleashed him"
Dai Young was full of praise for Jack Willis in his post-match interview… and ruined Martin in the process ? pic.twitter.com/bBa8E3bFI8
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) February 11, 2018
Throw into the mix players not included but who are on the periphery of the squad and/or injured, such as Don Armand, Sam Underhill, Jack Clifford and James Haskell, and you have two positions in the squad that you could not currently accurately predict ahead of the RWC.
If you stand up in South Africa, playing against a physical Bok pack, then that is going to stand you in great stead moving forward into next season.
Jones is no cavalier coach, but he is running out of time to identify his preferred back-row and it would not be surprising to see a changing cast of players either side of Vunipola next month.
Comments on RugbyPass
Jake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
11 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
11 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.
11 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 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.
39 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 comments