England have the squad to win this year’s Six Nations title, but the absence of Ben Spencer is puzzling.
Of course, there is more competition at scrum-half these days after Danny Care and Ben Youngs dominated the position for so long, but how can Spencer maintain his best ninth place in the Premiership for several years and start the first two Tests of the autumn? Explain about it. It was impossible for me not to be included in the squad for the Nations Series a few months ago.
He didn’t do much wrong against New Zealand and Australia last November and felt a bit of a scapegoat when he was sent off and then knocked out both times in the final 20 minutes. There is a match between South Africa and Japan scheduled on the 23rd, and I don’t know if there is any reason other than simply rugby.
Steve Borthwick seems to like Harry Randall’s impact off the bench and Jack van Poortvliet is a player he knows very well, so he may not see him as a good option among the replacements, with Alex Mitchell expected to start for sure. The omission is baffling to me.
On a more positive note, two players who were out for a year or so completely but did not play for England in the autumn have been included in the squad and either Ted Hill or Tom Willis should feature as starters. Back row.
I understand why they don’t field both players first, especially for the trip to Ireland. But they have been tearing up the wood in the Premiership and both suit the way England need to play differently.
Willis not only has the most carries, post-contact meters and defenders in England’s top flight this season, but he is also one of the best tacklers. But actually it’s Hill who I’d like to give a starting spot in Dublin.
The Bassman can do it all – carrying, tackling, working the lineout of his own and opposition balls and acting as a threat at the breakdown – and looks very much a Borthwick-type player on the surface, so surprisingly he hasn’t been picked so far.
He is 6ft 5ins tall and has also started for Bath in the second row this season. We know how much Borthwick likes a hybrid lock/flanker option, so we think he’s the perfect player to start on the blindside.
The England manager is likely to start Ollie Chessum with George Martin in the second row, but with both of them injured recently, it would be tempting to give Hill a chance and put one of the Leicester players on the bench. .
Maro Itoje is guaranteed to be another starter after being appointed as the new England captain and I believe the fact that he almost always plays the full 80 minutes was the main reason why we decided to select him ahead of Jamie George.
I still think George is the man to start at hooker, but England were beaten in the final quarter after he was sent off stage left and consistency of leadership throughout the game was a major factor.
I don’t think Itoje is a loud-mouthed, inspirational leader, especially with his Laurence Dallaglio-style inflammatory speeches. But he has been exemplary for Saracens this season and is one of the few candidates guaranteed to start and stick around. all the time.
Injuries to the likes of George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Gabriel Ibitoye and Sam Underhill mean that most of the squad are actually self-selecting starting XVs, with far fewer selection calls being made close to the 36-man. group than it would have been.
I know it’s being talked about, but there’s no way to move Marcus Smith to fullback. Especially since Freddie Steward is in good form and his super strength has made him an even greater asset and will be invaluable under the new laws on escorts. In Dublin.
I’m really pleased with the inclusion of Cadan Murley and would like to start him on the wing with Tommy Freeman in the middle, but I think Henry Slade will get the nod because of his experience and ball-playing ability, especially in Furbank’s absence.
Freeman has made just one start at outside center for the Saints this season, but he spent a significant portion of last season there, so doing it alongside two rookie wingers at international winger rather than holder and joint-favorites would be a bold call. It will. again.
This would have been more likely to have happened had England had a different schedule. However, they actually face opponents in descending order of difficulty, which can be either a blessing or a curse.
I don’t think anyone will win the Grand Slam this year. With Ireland having three away games and France having to travel to Dublin, there’s no reason they can’t win there, but a loss in the opening round would be far from a disaster for England.
Unusually, they have played three home games in a row since then and while the Allianz Stadium may not have been the stronghold it has been recently, it will still give them a good chance of at least being in the title race until the final weekend.
And if no one wins the Grand Slam, bonus points will play a big role in determining the outcome of the tournament. So, hopefully, we continue to see more of England’s attack as defense has been the main talking point since. autumn.
It’s fair to describe England as the dark horse of this year’s Six Nations, given they haven’t finished higher than third since winning the title in 2020, but this team is more than capable of lifting the trophy. As always, players must be given a blueprint and empowered to perform as they do for the club.
My England starting XV plays against Ireland.
15 Freddie Steward
14 Tommy Freeman
13 Olly Lawrence
12 Henry Slade
11 Olly Slateholm
10 Marcus Smith
9 Alex Mitchell
1 Ellis Genji
2 Jamie George
3 Will Stewart
4 Maro Itoje
5 Olly Chess Island
6 Ted Hill
7 Tom Curry
8 Ben Earl
