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Who were the England 'winners' on Eddie Jones' watchlist this weekend?

By Alex Shaw
Eddie Jones and Cameron Redpath (Getty Images)

With the remaining Six Nations fixtures looming for England, not to mention the autumn’s ‘Eight Nations’ tournament, Eddie Jones is a busy man assessing exactly where his players are following the Coronavirus lockdown.

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The Australian has been in attendance at multiple games since the Gallagher Premiership’s restart and though the overall quality of the rugby, somewhat understandably, has left plenty to be desired, there have been some notable performances from individuals which will have given Jones pause for thought.

Round 15 brought a marked improvement in the quality of rugby across the tournament from the opening weekend, despite the fact many Directors of Rugby opted to heavily rotate their squads ahead of the beginning of midweek matches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bristol Bears and Wasps maintained their strong form, whilst big spenders Sale Sharks are yet to click as they fell to a home defeat to title favourites Exeter Chiefs.

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We have taken a look at who some of the big individual winners were over the course of the weekend, as they attempt to force their way into or consolidate their places within Jones’ plans, as well as those who put down a marker for future involvement in the coming seasons.

Jack Maunder, Exeter Chiefs
Maunder showed in the opening game of the weekend that he is not to be forgotten in the race for the England nine jersey, now that Nic White has returned to Australia. The scrum-half burst on to the scene, winning his first England cap back in 2017 whilst he was still U20 eligible, but the strangleholds that White and Ben Youngs have had on the two jerseys in his sight have yet to see him add to that solitary cap he won against Argentina.

Ben Spencer is the front-runner to usurp Youngs, though Maunder was impressive against Sale, mixing up his passing game and showing good control as a box-kicker, something which is as pivotal for England as it is for Exeter. A few more showings like this, potentially including a Premiership semi-final and final, and Maunder could be right in the mix come November.

Max Malins and Ben Earl, Bristol Bears
The pair looked extremely comfortable as Bristol went through the gears and reaffirmed at Kingsholm that they are a threat to go all the way to Twickenham this year. Two of the more gifted attacking players to come through Saracens’ academy in recent years, they have taken to Pat Lam’s high-tempo Bears side likes ducks to water.

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As impressive as Jack Willis has been for Wasps, it still feels externally as though Earl is the man that Jones would break up his vaunted Sam Underhill and Tom Curry partnership for, something which could be to do with the carrying impact the versatile loose forward brings, with turnovers having not been in short supply for England’s incumbent pack in recent seasons. As for Malins, his task was not helped by an impressive outing from George Furbank for Northampton Saints, with the new England full-back indicating that he is here to stay.

Alfie Barbeary, Wasps
It was a try-scoring cameo for Barbeary and though Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tom Dunn aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, it was an indication of what’s to come for the highly-touted youngster. He has previously excelled with his physicality, his motion into contact and his ball-handling at the age-grade levels and, though Friday night was just a small glimpse into his career as a senior player, those traits all look as though they have translated from the junior game.

Nick Isiekwe and Lewis Ludlam, Northampton Saints
If there were any questions over Isiekwe’s ability – a beneficiary of the Saracens system or a foundation of it – they were put to bed on Saturday, as he turned in by and far the most impressive defensive performance at the Stoop. From sacking mauls and stealing lineouts to putting in momentum-shifting tackles in defence, the lock was full value for his man of the match award. If Chris Boyd can get Isiekwe’s refined ball-handling skills on show consistently, too, he will be hard to keep out of an England 23.

If that attacking outpouring was not quite present with Isiekwe on Saturday, it certainly was with Ludlam, as the England flanker once again displayed his violent edge as a ball-carrier. Like Earl, his case to be involved at the senior international level will revolve around his ability to add an attacking dimension to the England back row, in what is arguably the most fiercely contested competition for starting spots in living memory.

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Ben Loader and Ollie Hassell-Collins, London Irish
It was a day to forget for London Irish as they struggled to make things happen in the first half, before Northampton began to find their rhythm after the interval. For all their struggles, however, both Loader and Hassell-Collins looked threatening on the wings and almost created something from nothing on multiple occasions. Even on the back foot, the pair were a handful for Saints and they have bedded themselves into the lengthy hierarchy of English wings looking for caps.

Cameron Redpath, Bath
A wonderfully balanced game from Redpath for Bath, as Leicester had to account for his threat as a runner as much as they had to be wary of his ability to put the likes of Jonathan Joseph, Semesa Rokoduguni and Ruaridh McConnochie through holes. With the Bath pack on the front-foot throughout against Leicester, Redpath was able to dissect the youthful Tigers defence and put down a marker about how potent his midfield combination with Joseph could become.

A lack of games at Sale has perhaps seen Redpath fall off the radar a little following his injury-enforced absence on the South Africa tour at just 18 years of age, but with Bath trending the right way, his opportunities with England could soon be rekindled. If Jones wants a balanced centre rather than a sledgehammer outside of Farrell at 10, or a player capable of spelling Farrell at 12, Redpath will throw his hat into the mix with a few more performances like this one.

England Eddie Jones
Despite losing heavily to Bath, George Martin was very impressive for Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

George Martin, Leicester Tigers
Similar to Barbeary, Martin is not in the England frame right now, though his display this weekend is a tantalising glimpse into what he will bring over the coming years. A powerful lock in the U18s, Martin made his senior bow on the blindside and displayed all of the physicality and mobility that had singled him out at the previous level. If he can keep improving and rounding out the technical side of his game to match the innate physical ability, Tigers could have found a cornerstone of their pack moving forward.

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Adrian 1 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

11 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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