It’s been an indifferent past few weeks for England as they look to gain momentum ahead of the Rugby World Cup. With a solid and unspectacular performance at Twickenham in the first warm-up, they backed it up with a less than average performance at Stade de France. But now the time has finally come and with the 31-man squad now being confirmed, it’s time for England to step up to the mantle and deliver the kind of rugby that they are capable of. This must begin with Ireland at Twickenham this Saturday.
The team selection speaks volumes about Lancaster’s intent, picking what is arguably England’s strongest line-up with the exception of a couple of positions that are still in doubt. The key is to beat Ireland and do it convincingly so that England establish a solid base on which they can mount a serious challenge for the Rugby World Cup. With the intent clearly evident in the team he’s selected, the players must now go out and perform but these are the areas that Stuart Lancaster will be most concerned with.
Front Row
The state of England’s front row has certainly been their area in need of the most focus and improvement. Lancaster has selected what will be, injuries aside, England’s starting front row during the World Cup and they must put together a strong performance in the scrum, set pieces and breakdowns to silence the growing critics and restore faith back in the English pack, as well as improve on their indiscipline.
Tom Youngs will be working as hard as ever across the field but he must sort his lineout accuracy out, a fundamental skill that was completely missing for him at the Stade de France and really hampered any chance of England getting any possession on the front foot. However, the front row isn’t a forgone conclusion as far as starting positions go and the likes of Mako Vunipola, Kieran Brookes and Jamie George will have to keep that in mind for whatever stage they enter the match. As important it is for the team that they perform, individually they still need to impress and the front row could still chop and change if certain players put in commanding performances.
The Fly-Halves
Danny Cipriani is no longer in the frame for a fly-half position, therefore it has come down to a two-horse race between George Ford and Owen Farrell for the starting 10 jersey. This will be Ford’s second consecutive match starting for England during their warm up matches but he will be looking to improve on his overall performance particularly after his shaky start against France at Stade de France. His goal kicking was exemplary but he appeared to be lacking that attacking confidence he showed during the Six Nations and it’ll be something he will be keen to regain against Ireland this weekend.
Farrell will be waiting in the wings to come on and make his impact on the game and it is something he must do if he wants to take Ford’s standing as England’s starting fly-half. As exciting a battle as this could prove to be, it’s important both players get the fundamentals right.
The Centres
The centre selection was the biggest focal point throughout Lancaster’s squad cuts but the decision has been made and Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt, Sam Burgess and Henry Slade will represent England in the centres at the World Cup. Three of these men have already proved themselves in the warm up matches, but it is now very much up to Brad Barritt to prove himself and justify Lancaster’s decision to choose him over the likes of Luther Burrell.
Barritt will be as solid as ever in defence, but it would be beneficial for him if he demonstrated some versatility in his play particularly in attack, where he has been found wanting on occasions. Joseph will need to continue his hard work on the field with his jinking runs and dazzling footwork and work that little bit harder to get his hands on the ball more frequently because more often than not when he has the ball in his hands, space opens up and chances are created. Sam Burgess will be relishing the chance to make an appearance from the substitute’s bench and he will looking to continue where he left off with his daunting physicality in both attack and defence to further enhance his strong claims to start for England alongside Jonathan Joseph.
It’s a cliché but for England winning is the most important thing. Chris Robshaw spoke of taking positives from the last 10 minutes of England’s final match against France and while there were definitely ones to take, the loss will have hurt them and dented their confidence. They will know as a group that the only way to repair it will be to beat Ireland at Twickenham no matter how ugly a win it could turn out to be.
It is, of course, another opportunity for players to impress Lancaster and he will know that, but above all he will be looking to see how they perform as a team and how they read certain situations. Ireland are coming off a loss at home to Wales and will be entering the match with a very similar mindset so England must start with a high intensity and take the game to England, otherwise it could be a very long afternoon
England Squad to play Ireland
1. Joe Marler
2. Tom Youngs
3. Dan Cole
4: Courtney Lawes
5: Geoff Parling
6. Tom Wood
7. Chris Robshaw
8. Ben Morgan
9. Ben Youngs
10. George Ford
11. Jonny May
12. Brad Barritt
13. Jonathan Joseph
14. Anthony Watson
15. Mike Brown
Replacements: 16. Jamie George 17. Mako Vunipola 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Billy Vunipola 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Owen Farrell 23. Sam Burgess