Three major talking points about the England team to play Wales
Twenty weeks on from the last time he selected an England match day 23, Steve Borthwick has shaken things up with his choices to face Wales this Saturday in a Summer Nations Series clash.
Naming a squad that includes three new caps and 11 players in total who have yet to play under the new head coach has provided plenty of food for thought ahead of next Monday’s official confirmation of the squad of 33 that will go to France for the Rugby World Cup. Here, RugbyPass sifts through some of those talking points.
What does Tom Pearson’s debut mean for Ben Earl?
It’s always great for fans to see new players get Test level selection and there will be much focus in Cardiff on how rookie Tom Pearson fares at openside. The competition for World Cup back row places is cut-throat, with the mid-July exclusion of Sam Underhill, a star at the 2019 finals, the prime evidence so far.
The big question now is whether the uncapped Pearson, a product of London Irish who has signed for Northampton following the June collapse of the Exiles, can force his way into the selection reckoning at the Saturday night coaches meeting that will determine exactly who will be travelling to France.
Austin Healey, who knows the pain of World Cup squad rejection all too well after his experience in 2003, told RugbyPass this week that a big-name player will miss out on finals selection and his fear was that it would be Ben Earl despite his stellar form for the title-winning Saracens.
Austin Healey, with Liam Heagney ??at the TNT Sports launch, on the big name he fears will lose out when Steve Borthwick reveals the England Rugby World Cup squad next Monday. #EnglandRugby #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/FwBn50xJEn
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 2, 2023
Two appearances as a sub – 51 minutes in total – was the sum of the exposure that Borthwick gave Earl during the Guinness Six Nations and what his non-selection for Cardiff means is intriguing, particularly as new clubmate Tom Willis, another uncapped player, has been named as the back row replacement this weekend.
Does this mean the door is ajar for Earl to dramatically lose out, or is Borthwick already satisfied with what he has seen at training to pencil in Earl’s name on the manifest for France? The jury is out given Earl’s selection fortunes so far under the new head coach.
Care-ing pick for Smith to go and impress
The va va voom that the title-winning Harlequins lit up the Premiership with in 2021 hasn’t transitioned to Test level where Marcus Smith has had his issues.
Having been dropped following the French humiliation last March at Twickenham, the playmaker’s musical chairs experience under Borthwick now continues with his recall to the starting line-up for the Principality and the hope will be that a spine combination that massively impresses at club level will do the business internationally.
Smith has, of course, played a number of Test matches with Alex Dombrandt, but this duo hasn’t played together alongside Danny Care in an eight, nine, 10 combination.
The promise this trio has is exciting. England’s attack largely failed to fire during Borthwick’s first campaign, but this Harlequins faction now has the baton and hopefully the permission to go and expressively play.
Joe Cokanasiga will especially want them to create. The winger was viewed as an exciting up-and-coming talent in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, but injuries haven’t been kind to him since then so this is a rare chance to issue a Test reminder that he is the real deal at this level when his body holds up.
Cokanasiga is one of Saturday’s half-dozen starters who haven’t been capped before by Borthwick – Guy Porter, Care, Jamie Blamire, George Martin and the uncapped Pearson are the other five.
Add in the five players on the bench who also haven’t played for England under the new coach – Bevan Rodd, Jonny Hill, George Ford and rookie pair Theo Dan and Willis – and you can see why this match day squad will ignite multiple debates with RWC selection in mind.
The perfect-timed Theo Dan bolter run?
The unavailability of the injured Luke Cowan-Dickie this year has highlighted a lack of depth at hooker to challenge Jamie George, who started all five recent Six Nations matches and played all but seven minutes.
Jack Walker, who has spent the England pre-season campaign in the injury rehab group since a week one calf issue, was George’s championship back-up but his current troubles now provide an opportunity for Blamire and the uncapped Dan to alter the pecking order.
Being limited to a squad of 33 means players who can multi-task in different positions are invaluable. Look at how Schalk Brits combined his regular hooking duties with a start at No8 at the 2019 World Cup for the Springboks.
Walker did play as an emergency back-rower during the closing stages of last March’s loss to France, but Blamire is more used to this versatility as Newcastle selected him there on a number of occasions when he was behind George McGuigan at hooker at club level.
That said, Blamire’s focus this Saturday is to show people that he has what it takes as a Test-level hooker, especially now that Dan has burst onto the scene and into the imagination with his cracking appearance off the bench in Saracens’ title win in May.
That all-action performance suggested the 22-year-old has plenty to offer and how he goes in Cardiff could now see him become a headline-grabbing World Cup bolter.
Comments on RugbyPass
“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments