Fixtures
Fri 18 Sep England v Fiji, Twickenham, 8pm
Sat 26 Sep England v Wales, Twickenham, 8pm
Sat 3 Oct England v Australia, Twickenham, 8pm
Sat 10 Oct England v Uruguay, City of Manchester Stadium, 8pm
Odds to win World Cup
9/2
Coach
Stuart Lancaster
Captain
Chris Robshaw
As rallying cries go, it needs a bit of work: ‘We can win the World Cup but we’ll be better in 2019.’ Welcome to English rugby union, where planning for a rosier future can sometimes obscure far more urgent priorities. With a home World Cup about to commence, this is not the moment to be debating the team’s prospects in Japan four years hence.
The irony, of course, is the horizon-gazers are right: England WILL be stronger in a couple of years’ time as their conveyor belt delivers an increasingly rich supply of talent. As the world under-20 champions in 2013 and 2014, England could just be in danger of finally making their greater playing numbers count where it matters the most. George Ford, Henry Slade, Owen Farrell and Anthony Watson could yet be around for another three World Cups beyond this one.
Having spent three and a half years awaiting the great leap forward under Stuart Lancaster, England supporters are still sitting slightly uneasily in the saloon bars of Twickenham. Four successive second-place finishes in the Six Nations are fine but not quite dandy enough. Lancaster had hoped England would be second in the world rankings by now; before their more encouraging final warm-up win against Ireland they were in sixth position, below their Pool A opponents Wales and Australia.
No one should underestimate the steaming mess Lancaster inherited, the fallout from the 2011 tournament having plumbed new depths even by RFU standards. His efforts to spring-clean the culture of the England squad and reconnect the team with their public have been exemplary and impressive. How much that will pacify people should England fail to make it beyond the pool stages at their own global party remains a moot point.
The good news is England could theoretically make the final without having to meet either New Zealand or South Africa, the only major side they have yet to beat under Lancaster. If they can finish top of their pool – and that “if” is the key to their entire campaign – they will most probably face Scotland and then, potentially, either France or Ireland in the semi-finals.
Given they have not lost to another European nation at Twickenham for three and a half years, they will see no earthly reason why they cannot reach their third final in the past four tournaments.
For that rose-tinted dream to materialise, at least two things must happen. The first is in England’s own hands; players such as Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler, Dan Cole, Billy Vunipola, Ben Youngs, Ford and Watson, all potentially world class in their positions, have to blossom individually and collectively. There has been a tendency for England to play well in patches only to falter against the absolute best. This time round they are physically fit but sustaining their most effective rugby over seven successive weeks is a less-exact science.
There is also no hiding from the metaphorical herd of elephants in the room. Pool A contains not just Wales and Australia but Fiji, too.
Anyone who saw the Fijians give the eventual champions, South Africa, the mightiest of scares in Marseille in 2007 knows not to underestimate the Pacific islanders. The names of Leone Nakarawa and Niko Matawalu may not be entirely familiar to everyone but by half-time at Twickenham on 18 September that will probably have changed.
Next up will be Wales whose coach, Warren Gatland, has a history peppered with instances of his teams rising to the big occasion, particularly under tournament conditions. England know they can beat the Welsh if they play well enough, particularly up front, but the memory of their 30-3 defeat at Cardiff in 2013 has not entirely faded. If Wales get in front, even at Twickenham, that old skeleton will start to rattle.
And then there is Australia. It is interesting to recall how often the Wallabies’ path has crossed England’s at World Cups – and how tight every one of those fixtures has been. This year will surely be no exception: Michael Cheika is another wily coach and the array of backline talent at his disposal is as eye-catching as any in the tournament.
Most ominously of all, the outstanding David Pocock is back to harass England at the breakdown. Along with Michael Hooper he offers precisely the mobile, sniffer-dog threat in the back-row that England, for various reasons, have drifted away from. Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood have different strengths but if the Wallabies scrum pass muster – as they did against New Zealand in August – nothing can be taken for granted. Which is pretty much where we came in. Beware anyone who claims to know exactly how England will fare.
England’s 31-man World Cup squad
Props Kieran Brookes (Northampton), Dan Cole (Leicester), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), David Wilson (Bath).
Hookers Jamie George (Saracens), Rob Webber (Bath), Tom Youngs (Leicester).
Locks George Kruis (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Geoff Parling (Exeter).
Back-rows James Haskell (Wasps), Ben Morgan (Gloucester), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Tom Wood (Northampton).
Scrum-halves Danny Care (Harlequins), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), Ben Youngs (Leicester).
Fly-halves Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath).
Centres Brad Barritt (Saracens), Sam Burgess (Bath), Jonathan Joseph (Bath), Henry Slade (Exeter).
Wings Jonny May (Gloucester), Jack Nowell (Exeter), Anthony Watson (Bath).
Full-backs Mike Brown (Harlequins), Alex Goode (Saracens).
