England Rugby: Lancaster’s Revolution?

On 22^nd November 2003 England re-wrote the history books and became the first Northern Hemisphere side to win the World Cup, beating Australia 20-17 in their own back yard. Fast forward 9 years and the story is very different. A new coaching team headed by Stuart Lancaster is currently undergoing a transitional period in an attempt to recapture England’s past glories.

In any transitional period, there are going to be ups and downs and this has certainly been the case for Stuart Lancaster’s men. Convincing victories over the French and Irish in the 6 Nations was enough for Stuart Lancaster to be appointed Elite Rugby Director on 29^th March 2012.  His mantra... ‘The challenge now is to take this squad and the players we will see emerge forward to 2015, It is one that I can't wait to get stuck into". With the help of Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree and Mike Catt he has assembled a squad which he feels is capable of being world beaters. With this in mind I have decided to assess the merits of the England squad and analyse exactly whether or not they are on the right path for World Cup Glory in 2015.

Based on the 54-12 victory over Fiji and the 20-14 loss to Australia over the past two weeks, England have shown in glimpses that they are on the right track but with critics calling for ‘quicker ball’, ‘better skills’ and a ‘fly half with vision’ it looks like there’ll be more changes afoot. It’s very easy to sit in a pub with a pint discussing the finer points of rugby with your mates, but I honestly feel that at the moment the best players are not starting for England. I think that if we are building for 2015 we need to get rid of the ‘dead wood’ and look to blood our younger players who will be competing for starting spots come 2015. Yes Lancaster is including the likes of Launchbury and Vunipola in his match day 23, but these players need to start some of the big games to get more international experience rather than a 25 minute cameo role at the end.

It was clear on Saturday that Joe Marler and to an extent Dan Cole were struggling in the scrum. Marler offered a lot round the park but the introduction of Vunipola was vital in disrupting the Australian scrum and putting them on the back foot. Launchbury also added some much needed impetus with his performance and should provide Lancaster with a selection headache next week. I understand that a complete overhaul of the team is a very negative move and is unlikely to happen but I feel that some key positions need amending.

Props: We are lucky to have strength in depth in the front row department although I don’t think David Wilson is international class. Marler, Cole and Vunipola are excellent and with Dan Coles’ increased work rate round the field he provides an extra back row element at the breakdown. Marler and Vunipola’s strong running in the loose provides much needed go forward and with a fit Alex Corbisiero we have 4 props who can compete with the best in the world.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Marler, Cole, Vunipola, Corbisiero         Stand By: Mullan, Doran Jones

Hooker: Dylan Hartley has this position nailed down and is surely on the plane down under in June providing he can prove his fitness. Tom Youngs has proved his doubters wrong and is now a very suitable replacement in Hartley’s absence. One player I would love to be in the mix is Tom Lindsey of Wasps. He is still very raw as a player but with continued nurturing I feel he could be a great addition in the England set up. 

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Hartley, Youngs, Lindsey        Stand By: Webber, Gray

Second Row: With injury ruling out Courtney Lawes, Tom Palmer and Geoff Parling have been the second row axis for England. Joe Launchbury has been on the bench with Mouritz Botha released back to Saracens. I like Palmer and Parling but when paired together we lack an enforcer. Lawes would be my first pick at 4 and I would currently pair him with Geoff Parling for his line out awareness. Moving forward and with the tutelage of Dai Young, it won’t be long before Launchbury is a nailed on starter at 5.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Launchbury, Lawes, Parling, Palmer     Stand By: Kitchener, Botha

Back Row: The back row is on of the most contentious issues and despite the negativity surrounding a complete overhaul, I’m afraid I’m going to have to do it. Robshaw, Johnson and Waldrom were second best all afternoon against Australia and I feel there are better players who are eligible to play for England. At 6 I would play Tom Wood. He’s coming back into his best form and looked industrious when he came off the bench on Saturday. At 7 I would play Steffon Armitage. We need an out and out 7 and he is currently the best England has to offer. His performances for Toulon have been breathtaking and he is the only player capable of competing against the Pocock’s, Hooper’s, Louw’s and McCaw’s of the world. At 8 I’m going for Ben Morgan. He’s a more dynamic ball carrier than Waldrom and offers a blistering turn of pace for a back rower.  Obviously from a positive point of view there is a plentiful supply of back rowers available to England and add the likes of Billy Vunipola and Matt Kvesic to the mix and competition for places will be fierce.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Armitage, Wood, Robshaw, Croft, Johnson, Morgan, Vunipola  

Stand By: Kvesic, Saull, Clark

Scrum Half: Danny Care and Ben Youngs have this position sewn up to be honest but we must start with Danny Care. Youngs infuriates me by taking too many steps before he passes and he has lost some of his best form. Care provides the quick ball needed for momentum and has that sniping ability which keeps defences guessing. Outside of these two players, Joe Simpson has impressed me in the past and young Ben Spencer’s rise at Saracens is worth keeping an eye on.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Care, Youngs, Spencer      Stand By: Simpson, Dickson

Fly Half: Another difficult decision and one which some may disagree with! In an ideal world I would play George Ford at 10. I would also have Freddie Burns in the mix but only based on his current form. Previously I have been unimpressed with him but this season he has really paved the way for Gloucester’s success. To have Farrell in the team, we must play him as a centre. I don’t feel he offers enough attacking ability to create opportunities for the rest of the backline. Watching Carter play against Scotland, he was everywhere, playing flat and pulling the strings. He creates tries for others and takes players on himself. He really is the complete package. I feel that if we blood Ford early enough like the All Black’s did for carter, we could unearth a real gem.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Ford, Flood      Stand By: Burns, Twelvetrees

Centres: Despite my love of Brad Barritt, I’m afraid he drops out of my centre partnership. I feel that he and Manu Tuilagi offer a very similar style of play and we need someone more creative in the 13 shirt. For me Jonathon Joseph offered some promising glimpses in the test series in South Africa and gets the nod. I would also include Farrell in the squad as his kicking and defensive qualities would be good off the bench. Looking towards 2015, Elliot Daly has looked strong for Wasps and if Dominic Waldouck can find his old form at Northampton, he could be in contention too.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Tuilagi, Joseph, Farrell       Stand By: Barritt, Lowe, Turner-Hall, Waldouck, Daly

Wings: I feel this is another area of strength and would keep Chris Ashton and Charlie Sharples. I would drop Ugo Monye and start to work on Christian Wade’s defensive ability. His pace is staggering and he has the potential to be one of the world’s best finishers. I would also look at Jonny May from Gloucester who has played consistently well for a couple of seasons. In another controversial move I would also look at Tom Biggs from Bath. I have been really impressed with him this season and feel that he offers a huge amount in attack and defence.

World Cup 2015 Squad:  Ashton, Wade, Sharples,     Stand By: Biggs, May, Benjamin