Like a lot of people my first reaction to Manu Tuilagi’s selection on the wing against Australia was one of surprise. It is easy for me to say because it’s not my job on the line, I didn’t have a deep-dive review into my performance just six months ago, but my question was, is this really going to be the backline for the first match of the 2023 World Cup? My answer would be no, so, in many ways, what is the point? Why not expose Adam Radwan against high-quality opposition?
Having said that, I’m not going to try to make sense of Eddie Jones’s team selection – a lot of people have been doing that since 2016 and tied themselves in knots – but I can try to assess how the players he has chosen will try to go about things and the more I have thought about it, the more it has grown on me.
First, I can only see a backline that is set up for unstructured rugby. Tuilagi is not going to play the traditional role of winger – I’d be disappointed if he forever stays out on the touchline – and I want to see him popping up as first receiver, carrying off the first phase and making dents. With Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and Henry Slade there’s so much ball-playing ability and when you consider you have Jonny May and Freddie Steward playing on the edges, I can picture what Eddie is potentially trying to do.
I think it’s also a nod to the fact Eddie loves having size and power in his side and if he can’t have it in his centres then he’ll look for it on the wing. Perhaps Eddie is thinking about the last time Australia were at Twickenham, too, in 2018, because Joe Cokanasiga was playing only his second Test for England but he excelled in a comprehensive win, one of the best in recent years.
And the thing with Tuilagi is, he’s in fantastic shape. Having spoken to a few of the players about him, I know that he has dropped weight but he hasn’t lost any power because of it. He feels fitter, he looks lean, he looks durable based on minutes played and the output he’s producing regularly and in terms of repeated efforts I think he’s really in peak condition at the moment.
Tuilagi brings that X factor, but with the three players inside him, England have an array of options meaning they should be able to really mix up their styles depending on how they want to play at any particular time during the match. Looking specifically at the 10-12 axis, I expect Smith to bide his time and wait for the unstructured opportunities to strike.
Farrell is such a good pattern player at fly-half, so I can envisage him adopting the role for set-piece moves and for the first three or four phases. If England have managed to disrupt Australia’s defensive shape, Smith can then wreak havoc.
Smith is just so instinctive and when the game breaks up, we know how good he is individually. We know how aggressive he is at attacking the line, putting defences on the back foot, applying pressure and putting teammates into space. We saw it against Tonga – this is admittedly a better calibre of opposition – but I’m relishing seeing Smith and Farrell dovetail together.
Defensive questions have been asked of Smith in the past – perhaps it’s a good thing that Samu Kerevi is not playing for Australia in that sense – but I would not be surprised if Farrell defends at No 10, with Tuilagi and Slade in the centres and Smith on the wing. Against Canada over the summer Smith was defending on the wing and it may well be a ploy Eddie adopts again.
He defends at 10 for Harlequins, but I do recall a time a couple of seasons ago at Northampton when Saints were five metres out and he went on to the flank and Harlequins sent Will Evans to 10. It made sense with Taqele Naiyaravoro threatening and it paid off. It actually spooked Northampton because it was a picture they hadn’t seen before and they dropped the ball.
Ultimately I want this England backline to be a bit more unconventional than we are used to seeing. I don’t want to see them sticking to their numbers, I want to see them using their individual abilities in whatever shape or form that is and, in Tuilagi’s case, that does not just mean monitoring those 15-metre channels. He has to involve himself in the thick of the action and judging by his form I have every confidence he will.
It’s strange because Eddie has talked a lot about this being New England, and my sense from inside the camp is that is how it feels, but personnel-wise, particularly the backs, this team selection does not necessarily reflect that.
If the messaging is constant and consistent, though, you start to believe it. I do think it’s a smart move because for the new players coming in it needs to feel fresh, and the same for those who have the scars from the 2019 World Cup final. It helps them to draw a line under it and detach from the past and have this single, shared mindset.
As much as I’m excited about the playing side, I’m also excited about the personality. There are some great personalities who can be themselves. The composition of that excites me more than anything about this current squad.
