England are poised to restore Northampton’s Tom Wood to their back row against South Africa but have dropped Alex Goode and Semesa Rokoduguni from the squad to face the Springboks. The uncapped Nathan Hughes, Ben Te’o, Kyle Sinckler and Josh Beaumont have made the cut, with at least three set to be on the replacements’ bench at Twickenham on Saturday.
The 30-year-old Wood has not played for England since the World Cup but has been prominent in training alongside Chris Robshaw and Billy Vunipola.
Eddie Jones is determined to ensure England do not take a backward step against South Africa, who have not lost to their opponents since 2006. With Maro Itoje and George Kruis out of contention through injury there is also room for extra lineout options, good news for Wood who has yet to feature during Jones’s tenure. The last time he, Robshaw and Vunipola started together was in the fateful World Cup pool game against Wales, which England were leading by seven points with 11 minutes left only to lose 28-25. Wood and Robshaw have done well to rebound from England’s premature exit from the tournament and now find themselves with the opportunity to help England extend their 10-game unbeaten record.
More surprising are the omissions of Goode and Rokoduguni, in excellent form for Saracens and Bath respectively and desperately unlucky not to be involved. Jones clearly has a specific tactical plan and continues to prefer the bristling competitiveness of Mike Brown at full-back.
The fit-again Jonny May and Marland Yarde are set to start on the wings with both Te’o, who has represented Samoa at rugby league, and Elliot Daly lurking in reserve.
Jones, alternatively, could still opt for a 6:2 split and pack his bench with additional forward muscle. In that event both Beaumont, the captain of Sale and the son of the former England captain Bill, and Hughes, Fiji-born but qualified via residency, could appear in the matchday squad for the first time.
Whatever happens the mobile Sinckler, who was first introduced to the game at Battersea Ironsides, will definitely win his first cap, while Wasps’s Tommy Taylor has also been retained among three hookers in the 25-man squad. The England management insist neither of the two other hookers, Dylan Hartley and Jamie George, are injury doubts. Under the new eight-year deal with the clubs, they are permitted to retain 25 players in a Test week.
George Ford has reiterated he has no intention of playing his club rugby abroad in the immediate future, dismissing speculation linking him with a move from Bath to Toulon, now coached by his father Mike and owned by the ambitious Mourad Boudjellal.
“My dad’s there but I want to play for England,” Ford said. “I’ve not met Mourad but he’s very ambitious. You hear names every week who Toulon are trying to sign. They haven’t got a bad squad as it is. I don’t know why they need to sign anyone else but hopefully they’ll sign a few for my dad’s sake.”
Asked if that meant he would be staying at Bath next season he said: “Yes, as far as I’m aware – unless anyone else knows different. We’ve started the season well and I’m happy with how we’re doing.”
Only later in his career does he foresee himself playing abroad. “I think it would be a great life experience playing somewhere like France. It is a different way of playing and living and you’d probably see the sun and the beach more. I’ll see where I am in a few years’ time.”
England squad v South Africa: Backs Mike Brown (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester), Marland Yarde (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Ben Te’o (Worcester), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Danny Care (Harlequins), Ben Youngs (Leicester). Forwards Jamie George (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton), Tommy Taylor (Wasps), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Dan Cole (Leicester), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Dave Attwood (Bath), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Josh Beaumont (Sale), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Tom Wood (Northampton), Billy Vunipola (Saracens).
