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Picking an England-Wales composite XV ahead of Twickenham showdown
Newcastle Falcons fullback Mike Brown has let it be known that no Welshman would get into the current England team. It’s a take that will have left many a Welsh fan reeling but it opened a discussion on who would feature in a combined England-Wales side.
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Below RugbyPass tentatively puts forward some suggestions.
1. Wyn Jones
One of the best scrummagers in the game, Wyn Jones packs a lot of punch. He reached the international arena late in his career and has looked at home ever since, earning a Lions call up for his efforts. There is an argument to be made that Ellis Genge is a more physical presence in the front row but Jones’ all-round game is more balanced.
2. Jamie George
Jamie George has not been a nailed-on starter of late for England but showed his class against Italy, commanding driving mauls whilst also scoring tries out wide like a winger. Luke Cowan-Dickie deserves his plaudits, and so does Welsh hooker Ryan Elias, who put in an admirable player of the match performance against Scotland, however, the Saracen is the most versatile of the three.
3. Kyle Sinckler
Kyle Sinckler has been a perennial England starter for some time now, balancing ferocity in the collision with nimble handling. Tomas Francis comes close to usurping Sinckler, given his set-piece strength, but the Englishman holds firm because of his physicality and superior mobility.
4. Maro Itoje
Maro Itoje is one of the best second rows in the world. Defensively dominant, a leader by example and disruptive in the line-out, Itoje is an international stalwart of the highest calibre. The hulking Will Rowlands brings his own weapons to the ring but he’s outmatched here.
5. Adam Beard
In the absence of Alun Wyn Jones, Adam Beard has stepped up and become a talisman for the Welsh pack. A commanding force in the line-out, Beard disrupted the Scotland set-piece to no end earlier in the month and is a physical ball carrier to boot. Rowlands is a capable sidekick to Beard but is very much the deputy in the pairing.
6. Sam Simmonds
Sam Simmonds is not a flanker by choice but the speed and physicality which the number eight brings to the game makes his place at the side of the scrum feasible. With an impressive try-scoring record and blistering pace, Simmonds is a backrow forward that offers more than just consistent collisions. The explosive Taine Basham is worth a mention for Wales, but the Exeter man edges this one.
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7. Tom Curry
Tom Curry has an engine that never runs dry. England’s young captain appears all over the pitch both as a tackler and a powerful ball carrier, never dropping his intensity levels. With Josh Navidi and Justin Tipuric both out through injury, Curry is a shoo-in in this combined team.
8. Alex Dombrandt
It has taken a while, but it seems like Alex Dombrandt is finally becoming an England starter. The surprisingly fast No.8 has silky hands and a penchant for scoring which rivals England teammate Simmonds. The Harlequins loose forward squeezes out the teak-tough Ross Moriarty.
9. Tomos Williams
In many ways Tomos Williams is the perfect nine. He kicks well, can steer attacking play decisively and defend effectively. In Round Two, Williams made almost double the number of tackles of any other starting nine. Picking Williams over Ben Youngs, the joint highest capped Englishman ever, was a tough call, but Williams’ controlled performance against Scotland gave him the edge.
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10. Marcus Smith
This was a hard one. Marcus Smith’s international career has only just started but he already looks to be one England’s key playmakers. Deadly in attack against Scotland and Italy, Smith has become the first English flyhalf to beat six players in a Six Nations match since 2002. Dan Biggar is an imperious game manager but just lacks the unique edge that Smith offers.
11. Max Malins
A very capable player in the backfield, Max Malins is a safe pair of hands with deceptive pace. He glides across the turf, lulling defenders into a false sense of security. British & Irish Lions wing Josh Adams, had a nightmare in Dublin after being forced to play out of position at 13 and missed round two through injury.
12. Nick Tompkins
Nick Tompkins is like a Swiss army knife. The Saracens centre can do almost anything, offering a strong step and defensive reliability. He is one of the chief marshals in the Welsh defence, raking up a tackle count which supersedes almost everyone. Jonathan Davies may return to the Welsh starting line-up this weekend but his fitness levels are still dubious.
13. Henry Slade
Eddie Jones has tampered a lot with his centre pairing but one man has been a constant through all the iterations – Henry Slade. The Exeter star’s attacking nous and long-range kicking ability has helped him become a key figure in the backline. Joe Marchant is yet to establish himself as a consistent selection for Jones, while Manu Tuilagi’s injury profile and lack of game time rule him out.
14. Louis Rees-Zammit
Welsh speedster Louis Rees-Zammit was a revelation in last year’s Six Nations, scoring tries with ease. In the first two rounds this term, Rees-Zammit has been less prolific but still offers a bit of x-factor which others only dream of.
15. Liam Williams
There was a moment in round two when Williams caught a ball deep in his 22, calmly drifted right and waited until the onrushing defender was within touching distance before releasing a pass behind his back to Dan Biggar, who cleared. Not many fullbacks are as calm in the face of adversity as Williams. England’s Freddie Steward is excellent but still has a way to go before reaching the pedigree of Williams.
Comments on RugbyPass
Lions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
2 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
23 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
2 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
21 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
1 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
2 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
13 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
21 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
13 Go to commentsDoes the AI take into account refs? hahaha Seriously why not have two on field refs to avoid bias?
23 Go to commentsVern challenging this Blues side might be the edge they need to fulfill their potential. Convincing results from strong D and strong carries are hard to argue against.
1 Go to commentsLove seems to add a strong back field defense with speed to close the gap and tackle to his ability to attack, kick and pass (an accurate long pass). This sets him an edge over some of the other names - JRK in particular. Has to be said that Jordan and Stevenson have also been exposed defensively while Love has yet to face test match intensity. Spoilt for choice.
1 Go to commentsHe’s strung together a few strong seasons, I’d like to see him in the ABs and build some depth along with Reiko and ALB. Levi Aumua hasn’t taken the step we hoped to see but time yet.
2 Go to commentsWhere has our good friend Pecos gone!? Similar place to the Crusaders D, the abyss.
4 Go to commentsNice piece Nick. I haven’t seen much of the brumbies this year so will keep my powder dry on charlie, but clearly has the speed and footwork to be damaging in space. Similar to Samu, I’d worry about the size of our pack if the likes of Mcreight and Cale were in the b/row together. Maybe Cale could play a similar finisher role like Samu did for Rennie’s wallabies. Has Cale leapfrogged wilson in your eyes? He obviously has the lineout, but harry probably better (although not great) in the physical stuff and also has great hands in the loose. You’d have to say mcreight and valetini are shoe-ins at 7/8, so the question becomes who matches best with them at 6 and on the bench. I don’t know if he has a high enough ceiling, but id love to see wright given a shot based on how much bad luck he has had with injuries. He may also fit that no-nonsense graft/work rate irish approach…? If schmidt wants size and a 4/6 tweener then I’d probably pick Uru. On the bench I’d have no idea, Wilson if you want to give valetini a rest, and maybe hanigan/wright/uru as 6 replacements.
21 Go to commentsWho the heck is Billy Fulton?
13 Go to commentsCale has all the potential no doubt. So has Harry Wilson except for his dumb arse coach over the last few years who told him just to run at brick walls all the time. Valentini would be devastating at 6. As he was until some idiot thought oh yeah, move our best player to another position. Not mentioning any flightless or thank you names of course. I very much dislike claiming one player is the saviour, because injuries are so prevalent in the game these days as the players are bigger and faster, so the discussion should be who are at least the best two players in one position. For me it’s Harry Wilson and Cale at 8 at the moment with Valentini or Hooper from the Brumbies at 6. Great options. Seru Uru should be in the reserves too. A game changer.
21 Go to comments