Picking England’s rugby team is never an exact science and, latterly, Eddie Jones’s alchemist’s touch has deserted him. Too often he has either opted to stick with out-of-form regulars for slightly too long or not picked younger players when the opportunity has arisen. Giving a start to Max Malins at full-back should have happened at least a month ago, if not longer.
With the championship already beyond their grasp it could be argued a lack of selectorial nettle-grasping, as much as anything, has been at the root of England’s winter problems. Nothing against Elliot Daly, who has enjoyed some great moments with both England and the British & Irish Lions, but why Malins did not wear the 15 jersey against Italy last month remains one of life’s minor mysteries.
At least now, belatedly, there are signs of the spring clean that England’s starting XV has been needing for a while. Assuming, that is, that the 24-year-old Malins is given more chance to establish himself than was granted to Worcester’s Ollie Lawrence, unceremoniously dropped after barely touching the ball against Scotland and only now back involved among the replacements.
Based on the form he has shown on loan at Bristol this season and the glimpses of potential off the bench, English supporters should be genuinely excited about the “Max factor” that could conceivably lend some gloss to the home backline against France. For some reason Jones took against Alex Goode when the latter was playing as well as any other full-back in the country; now he has a younger model with a similar vision for the game who has already been compared by Saracens’ director of rugby in stylistic terms to Beauden Barrett.
Given Malins has grown up in the Sarries system he is also familiar with the importance of a decent kicking game and his national skipper Owen Farrell has seen enough to suspect the younger man has what it takes to prosper at the highest level: “Max is a dangerous full-back. He makes things happen, he beats people. He’s quick and strong and he’s also got a great instinct about the game which is a brilliant quality to have.”
The only snag, as Northampton’s George Furbank can testify, is that making an instant impact at full-back against this fast-improving French side remains easier said than done. England did show a touch more attacking rhythm against Wales in Cardiff but so far in this tournament their pack has found it difficult to establish a consistent platform. Jamie George and Jonny Hill have paid the price on this occasion, with Luke Cowan-Dickie and Charlie Ewels promoted to add front-row energy and lineout savvy respectively.
Cowan-Dickie is about to win his 30th cap for England but will be making just his fifth start; try persuading the Exeter hooker there is not much difference between wearing the No 2 or No 16 jerseys. A big day also looms for Ewels’s Bath teammate Anthony
Watson who has overcome more than his fair share of dark injury days to reach his 50th cap. “I’ve never seen a player work so hard,” noted Jones approvingly. “I think his 50th game will be his best game.”
It may have to be given some of the undoubted quality returning to France’s backline. An unbeaten Les Bleus side welcome back one of the world’s best centres in Virimi Vakatawa, with Toulouse’s Romain Ntamack also back from injury on the bench and the 30-year-old Toulon lock Romain Taofifenua deputising for the unavailable Bernard Le Roux. A 6:2 bench split would suggest a desire to prevent a physical drop-off in the final quarter and memories of their unfortunate extra-time defeat in December’s Autumn Nations Cup final have not yet entirely faded.
There is also the possibility of a first grand slam in 11 years if France can conquer Twickenham in the Six Nations for the first time since 2005 before their concluding home games against Wales and Scotland. Tournament officials say the France v Scotland fixture, postponed from the championship’s middle weekend after a Covid outbreak in the French camp, will definitely be played on the evening of Friday 26 March but an official announcement has yet to be made.
