Tuesday 14 April 2020 09:21, UK
We assess the selection dilemmas facing Eddie Jones ahead of the autumn internationals against South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia.
Front row
England's front row for the autumn internationals look to be pretty set in stone. With Dylan Hartley continuing as captain, his place in the hooker role is as close to assured as possible, with Jamie George likely to continue as his deputy.
Either side of him will be prop duo Dan Cole and Mako Vunipola. While Cole continues to be the cornerstone of the England pack, the Fiji game could give Jones an opportunity to hand a long-awaited debut to Harlequins' Kyle Sinckler, who many champion as Cole's successor.
On the loosehead side, Vunipola has been impressing at Saracens, where his often under-fire scrummaging game has shown improvements, while his work around the park has not let up. Looking to unseat him will be the returning Joe Marler, providing England with a healthy battle for jerseys.
Second row
Jones's hand has been somewhat forced in this area with injuries ruling out Saracens duo George Kruis and Maro Itoje.
The men most likely to fill their places are Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes, no strangers to starting for their country.
Question marks remain over who will fill the space on the bench. Will England opt for the experienced head of Dave Attwood to come on if needed, or will Jones use this opportunity to blood young gun Charlie Ewels who has shone for Bath this season?
Back row
The biggest decision for Jones lies in the makeup of his back row. An area depleted by injuries to James Haskell, Jack Clifford, Sam Jones, Mike Williams and Maro Itoje, the big question of who will wear the No 7 shirt remains.
Chris Robshaw appears to be Jones's choice at number six but has refused to rule out the possibility of the former captain filling in on the openside.
Should Tom Wood find himself called upon, the Northampton man will be keen to prove a point, having had his work rate previously questioned by Jones, who described him as "distinctly average".
At No 8, England have Billy Vunipola, Ben Morgan and Nathan Hughes all battling it out for a spot, however, Jones has not ruled out the possibility of flexibility in his back row.
Speaking at the squad announcement, Jones said: "Billy's not a six, he's an eight. I don't think we've got a jumper big enough at 6 to fit him!"
"Ben Morgan and Nathan can definitely play six for us. So, as you can see we've got great competition with those three guys at eight. We're talking about an injury crisis but we've got those three guys at eight.
"At six we've got Chris Robshaw, Nathan Hughes, Ben Morgan and Tom Wood. At seven we've got Teimana Harrison, Tom Wood and possibly Nathan Hughes. Out of every situation comes a lot of positivity."
Half backs and centres
Like the front row, this is an area where it is unlikely many changes will be made. Ben Youngs and Danny Care will battle it out for the starting scrum-half berth, while Jonathan Joseph appears to have cemented himself as England's go-to outside centre.
Despite his eye-catching form at fly-half for his club, Farrell looks set to take on the duties at inside centre in a familiar pairing with George Ford, providing Eddie Jones with the best of both attack and defence in his midfield.
Also named in the squad is Luther Burrell. The Northampton centre will be keen to eradicate his shaky performance in the first Test in Australia, which led to him being withdrawn after just 29 minutes.
Another option for Jones is to throw a new name into the mix, with the relatively inexperienced trio of Ben Te'o, Elliot Daly and Henry Slade also named, however, unless injuries or poor form hit the most likely option is that the current axis will remain.
Outside Backs
Injuries to Jack Nowell and Anthony Watson have opened the door for the returning Jonny May and Marland Yarde on the England wing, with Jones singling out the 24-year-old Harlequin before England's series in Australia.
"Marland is close to our quickest wing," said Jones. "Maybe Anthony Watson shades him, but he has got power and he is raw.
"He hasn't had a lot of experience, he hasn't had a lot of coaching, and he's very coachable.
"He is a bit of a character. He has probably blown a bit of his career by being too big for his boots. He's back down to earth now and has the potential to be a really special player for us."
At full-back, Mike Brown is expected to continue but he has come under pressure for the No 15 jersey from 2015/2016 Premiership player of the season Alex Goode, who has continued to shine at the back for Saracens. Brown has started in all nine of the Tests in which Jones has been in charge, and it is expected this will continue going into the autumn.
