THE INSIDERS
Semesa Rokoduguni
The Bath wing made a strong start to the season with four tries in his first three matches and he combines unpredictability with pace and strength with ball in hand, but given the England management’s emphasis on defence, the Fijian is fortunate his weekend display at Glasgow was not held against him. One for the coaches to look at in training.
Luther Burrell
The Northampton centre plays at 12 for his club, but he has been used at 13 by England, apart from a half at inside-centre when he replaced Kyle Eastmond in the final summer Test against New Zealand. With Manu Tuilagi injured, he will again be at outside-centre for his country with Brad Barritt inside him.
Stephen Myler
He would probably have had more to do in New Zealand had he not missed the first Test because of Northampton’s involvement in the Premiership final. Freddie Burns and Danny Cipriani took advantage of his absence and remained ahead of him for the rest of the tour, but his steady start to the season with Northampton, and his accurate goal-kicking, put him back in favour. A conservative selection and, given Owen Farrell’s recent injury problems, a vote for consistency.
George Kruis
England had a gap in the second row with Geoff Parling and Ed Slater injured and the 24-year-old Saracen is promoted from the Saxons. At 6ft 6in, he has a lineout presence, but also has the mobility of Joe Launchbury and can play in the back row. Chosen ahead of Sale’s Michael Paterson, who is also versatile.
Calum Clark
The Northampton back-row has yet to win a cap, but Stuart Lancaster has long believed he is Test quality. He can play at seven as well as six, as well as the second row, and in the absence of a specialist breakaway in the squad, his ability to force turnovers at the breakdown would have outweighed the ball-carrying threat of Exeter’s Dave Ewers
THE OUTSIDERS
Chris Ashton
A finisher but not a stopper, like Christian Wade, who also missed out. Wade’s try for Wasps against Leinster on Sunday was breathtaking, but his defence is not considered to be anywhere near good enough for international rugby, although he was set to feature in last autumn’s Tests before injury ruled him out. The same goes for Ashton: has a number of gears, but they do not include reverse. And then there is David Strettle, who does tackle effectively
Henry Slade
Lancaster has not been as bold as he was last year, a sign that the start of the World Cup is less than a year away. Slade has been playing well at 13 for Exeter, one of England’s problem positions, but so has Jonathan Joseph for Bath, who is quicker and more experienced. Slade, a fly-half by preference, may have been one for the future, but he was worth a look as much as Rokoduguni and Billy Twelvetrees looks the odd one out in the midfield.
Danny Cipriani
Perhaps something has happened behind the scenes, but in terms of playing form, Cipriani has remained at the level that earned him a place on the tour to New Zealand, even though Sale have made an indifferent start. If Myler seems to be the third outside-half, the choice may have been between Cipriani, Freddie Burns, who has had the misfortune to start his career at Leicester when the club has a long injury list, and Bath’s George Ford, all three playmakers with an eye for a gap. Ford’s performances at home and away have been contrasting.
Kyle Sinckler
The Harlequins tighthead has shown his rawness this season, not least in the home defeat to Saracens, and he needs the temperament to complement his physical and technical attributes. However, in the absence of Dan Cole, England’s back-up tighthead, Kieran Brookes, has spent virtually all the season with Newcastle on the loosehead, with mixed results.
Matt Kvesic
It was little more than a year ago that the Gloucester openside was seen as a real threat to Chris Robshaw, which prompted speculation about the England captaincy. England do not see the need for a specialist breakaway now and all the flankers with Robshaw in the squad, James Haskell, Tom Wood and Clark, have played at seven but it is not their preferred position. Launchbury will remain key at the breakdown, but will one of the props make the impact there of Cole?
