One major dilemma left for Eddie - Andy Goode
England begin their run of World Cup warm-up games this weekend but they will have no bearing on squad selection with Eddie Jones left with just one major dilemma.
Most coaches will use the pre-tournament matches at least in part to decide on a few of the final remaining places in their squads but Jones is nothing if not decisive and will base his decision on what he’s seen in the weeks and months leading up to the encounter against Wales on Sunday.
He is set to select his 31-man squad on Monday, just 24 hours after that game at Twickenham, despite it not needing to be confirmed until a few weeks later at the start of September.
That is far from conventional and could be considered a mistake but he’s doing it his way again and has also admitted that “each of the four games will have a purpose which we won’t be divulging”.
That should ensure there is plenty of intrigue for everyone in each game and they will all be vital in terms of England’s preparation but, although he’s partial to springing a major surprise, it looks like there is just one selection decision left really.
There have been 39 players involved in the training camp in Treviso after Alex Dombrandt was called up late to replace Brad Shields and you have to think that if you weren’t in that group working in 90% humidity and losing up to half a stone per session at times, you have no chance of making the cut.
That means that, despite all the column inches and calls for his inclusion as well as all the individual accolades he won last season and the impact he had on the team at Gloucester, the only way Danny Cipriani is playing in the World Cup is if Owen Farrell or George Ford get injured.
Jack Nowell and Shields are both injured at the moment but both will be given every opportunity to make it to Japan. The latter remains a controversial choice for some but he has been involved for most of the past year when fit and offers vital versatility.
And, when you start to whittle the 39 names down to 31, there are some obvious players who jump out at you as likely to be reliant on an injury (which nobody would wish on a fellow professional) to earn a place on the plane.
Lewis Ludlam, Alex Dombrandt, Charlie Ewels, Joe Marchant, Ruaridh McConnochie, Piers Francis and Mike Brown are seven such players and that leaves just one more to leave out.
For me, that final wield of the axe will come in one of the scrum half, hooker or prop departments.
If you look at squads from recent Rugby World Cups, it’s common for countries to go with five rather than six props but that is normally dependent on at least one of them being able to play both loosehead and tighthead and I’m no scrummaging expert but that doesn’t appear to be the case for England.
Naming just two hookers has also happened plenty of times before, notably by Warren Gatland’s Wales in 2015, and that could be an option with the uncapped Jack Singleton missing out.
Or, a scrum half could be left behind with either the uncapped Willi Heinz or Ben Spencer, who has around 20 minutes of Test rugby to his name, being the unlucky one.
Centre is the only other position where another player could be cut if Jones feels the likes of Nowell and Elliot Daly provide enough cover there but going into the tournament with just Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi and one of Jonathan Joseph or Ben Te’o, with only two fly halves as well, would leave England a bit light in that area.
Naming his squad so early could come back to bite Eddie in the backside but the selection debate is almost over already and will be completely by Monday afternoon, leaving him to focus on shaping his team and ultimately winning a World Cup!
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments