LONG READ Mick Cleary: The key selection questions Steve Borthwick has to answer

We are careering towards another blockbuster Autumn Series where England will have to go toe-to-toe with the Southern Hemisphere might of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, with a perilous run-out against Japan also pencilled in and with the Gallagher Premiership finally up and running, Steve Borthwick has a canvas to etch in his England starters. They are myriad selection posers already…

Do England persist with Jamie George as Captain?

Yes. We know that Theo Dan is the coming thing. In fact, George himself will be the first to tell you that Dan has well and truly arrived. How could he not? Dan’s progress through the ranks mirrors that of George who had to pick the splinters from his own backside after so much time on various benches understudying the likes of John Smit, Schalk Brits and Dylan Hartley. There is a time and a place for rightful succession and in England terms it is not yet. If George were crocked, then there would not be a qualm in the land about handing the No 2 shirt to Dan (as, of course, has been the case). But captaincy matters. Mood matters. A sense of team matters. George has brought all that to England, as Hartley did in an entirely different way for Eddie Jones’ England. There have been times (although not of late) when Siya Kolisi has not been the best available flanker for South Africa but any form issues have been hugely outweighed by the benefit the Springbok’s leadership brings. Let’s call it the (Mike) Brearley effect, the ability to draw from others what mere mortals might not be able to manage.

George, in his empathetic, understated way, fulfils that role for this England squad. For the moment. There will be a tipping point when the wind that is blowing in his favour has a shift of direction. Remember, England are far from a proven item. There has been an uptick in fortunes. Or seemingly so. In truth, this improvement amounts in tangible terms to one single victory, the 23-22 win over Six Nations champions, Ireland, at Twickenham. That’s it in a nutshell. Sure, Steve Borthwick’s side ran France close, did credibly in New Zealand (but are the All Blacks what they were? Ans: No) and have a bit more guts and gumption about them but trophies are not handed out for promising style marks. Test rugby is not Strictly Come Dancing. Let’s see how England perform in November. Let’s see then how real and lasting their upturn is. Consider, too, that there has been upheaval behind the scenes with the departures of coaches, Felix Jones and Aled Waters. England need stability. And that’s why they need Jamie George.

Who are the starting half-backs against New Zealand on November 2?

Ben Spencer and George Ford. Or that is how it looks after one round of the Premiership. As markers go, it is not a bad shout. And all the more so if we dismiss the ageist objection. Spencer is 32 while Ford is a year younger. In the eyes of some, they will be old bones by the time the next World Cup rolls around in Australia in 2027. Other, more perceptive eyes, might note that Richie McCaw and Dan Carter were respectively 34 and 33 when the All Blacks lived up to their billing as the most complete side in the world of that generation when lifting the Webb Ellis trophy at Twickenham in 2015. The World Cup is for another day. Spencer and Ford have the early whip hand, notably so in Ford’s case given that he did not go toe-to-toe with the incumbent No 10, Marcus Smith, in Sunday’s grinding 12-11 win over Harlequins, the London club opting for an early use of the new club-country love-in by resting their playmaker.

There will be a lot more of that to come, the new deal being something of a boon for Borthwick and something of a bugbear for ever-loyal, ever put-upon club supporters. In the excitable debate as to which Smith, Marcus or Fin, represents the best bet for England’s future, the claims of Ford are often as well as ignorantly downplayed. It has ever been thus, Ford skirmishing with his schoolboy pal, Owen Farrell, for the right to be England’s starting No 10. Time and again, Ford fought his way into that shirt. Time and again, he delivered. Nothing has changed. The Sale fly-half has to be front and centre of any selection conversation. So too Spencer who once more produced a match-shaping, match-winning performance for his club, Bath, on the opening night of the season. There are only six caps to his name. There ought to be more.

Who is the man to step into Courtney Lawes’ sizeable shoes?

Courtney Lawes maybe. If only. The former Saint has ruled himself out of England contention although, intriguingly, not the Lions. Get him on that plane Faz Snr, as long as his form for Brive stays at the elevated level it has been for the past decade and beyond. Northampton are already missing him and so too will England. There is a notable gap left by his absence, one that is as critical to England’s future well-being as any position on the field. A blindside flanker may not draw the headlines of a wing or fly-half or even a hard-scrummaging tighthead. But you only have to run your eye over a roll-call of front-line No 6s down the years, from a latter-day Michael Jones in All Black colours through to a Serge Betsen or Juan Smith or Jerome Kaino, to realise just how pivotal a role a blindside plays. In many ways, a No 6 is the conscience of a team, a tone-setter – honest, uncompromising, uncomplaining, unfussy, getting on with the job for the sake of the team above all else. Think Richard Hill and you’re there.

It used to be a given that a backrow had to have balance – a flier, a digger and a ball-player. I see nothing wrong with that mantra although teams have every right to shuffle resources according to availability and game-plan. The Tom Curry/Sam Underhill Kamikaze Kids arrangement favoured by Eddie Jones did a job for England in 2019. In theory, it could again, although my own preference would be to see some sort of relaxation/redefinition of France-based players so that Jack Willis could come into the equation. Harlequins’ Chandler Cunningham-South has risen well to the challenge of playing test rugby, a good addition to the ranks. Ethan Roots is also in the mix while there is much to savour in the prospect of Leicester hard-hitters, George Martin and Ollie Chessum, doing a number for England in lock-cum-back-row roles. Lawes is a hard act to follow. England, though, have contenders queueing up.