Monday 24 August 2015 13:03, UK
The World Cup got a lot more interesting Saturday night. Wales, Fiji, Australia (maybe not Uruguay) and Ireland would have watched two close to full strength England and France teams battling it out in front of a cracking crowd in Paris.
No talk of who's going to beat who and where the draw is heading. Regulars will know I have vowed to give up making World Cup predictions and thrown my cut price crystal ball out the window.
I am staying clear of predictions. England should name their squad this week. I am not going to second guess Stuart Lancaster's squad but here's my own with a few comments.
Inspired or slightly mad after a busy working weekend (my story and I am sticking with it folks). You decide?
The Props
Joe Marler – Poor Saturday night and looking short of a game but will improve with match time.
Mako Vunipola – Always able to add something different from the bench, could be a key player.
Alex Corbisiero – Generally discounted but can England afford not to take a gamble with a prop who can be world class when fit? In four weeks he may not be but in seven he could be a star.
Dan Cole – Struggled in Paris, especially at the breakdown where the penalties conceded did not tally with his reputation in this facet of play.
David Wilson – Blowing hard but a proven competitor when fit which edges the contest with Kieran Brookes.
Hookers
Jamie George – Missed one line out but immaculate compared to the rest. Ran some clever lines and appears to have the temperament for the big day.
Tom Youngs – Tackles like a tank but those who think he does not have a line out throwing problem are deluding themselves.
Rob Webber – Unconvincing at Twickenham but did you see how poor old Luke Cowan-Dickie went?
Locks
Courtney Lawes – Stop being a quasi centre, Courtney, and go back to being the hit man. That is where Lawes excels. Expectations remain high.
Joe Launchbury – The Wasp was as ineffective as I can remember him in a Test match. He did nothing in the breakdown and little in the loose. But, a class act who has played little rugby in months.
Dave Attwood – Big and nasty where the others have been lacking in bite. England needs a few hard carrying enforcers for the balance of the squad.
Nick Easter – He'll do a great job in the back row and survive the second row. In a team short on independent thinkers his presence in the squad would be invaluable.
Back Row
Chris Robshaw – I am dubious about his decision making and convinced he is not world class at his specialist skill but he's been captain too long to make changes and is usually consistent around the park.
James Haskell – The only Englishmen to rock a Frenchman in the first half. He is not giving so many penalties away and has a running game England are light on elsewhere up front.
Billy Vunipola – Definitely needed the game and will improve if he rebalances his game, running over more men and passing to release others less often.
Ben Morgan – Nowhere near fit but if England can get him up to steam for the last 20 minutes every game he would be a priceless impact player.
Tom Wood – Lucky that Calum Clark did not play better at Twickenham. Off form and lacking an edge for a while but experience and line out skills count in his favour.
Scrum-halves
Ben Youngs – Brilliant at the tail end of last season and deserves to remain first choice off the back of that campaign.
Richard Wigglesworth – He provides the variety at scrum-half with his sharp reading of a game and his exquisite left foot.
Danny Care – Much improved in Paris on his disappointing effort at Twickenham a week earlier. Erratic but capable of the splendid.
Fly-Halves
George Ford – Ditto Ben Youngs comments.
Owen Farrell – Solid at Twickenham with a good temperament if not great vision; could play 12 and could be used to close games out.
Danny Cipriani – Yep, Danny; magical Saturday and where did he play? I will tell you, 10, 12 13, 15, just about anywhere. Impact!
Centres
Brad Barritt – The glue that holds the defence together, every side needs an unfussy one.
Jonathan Joseph – No more than glimpses in Paris but with a better platform this man could be one of the most exciting centres in the World Cup.
Henry Slade – If Joseph gets injured England need a gifted 13 or their attacking structure collapses. He is that man who might also do one heck of a job at 12.
Wingers
Anthony Watson – Just watch the two finishes at Twickenham, again and again and again, just for the pleasure really.
Johnny May – Yoann Huget brought the Gloucester flyer to earth with a bump but the Frenchman is some player. But May's pace and determination is more than a flash in the pan.
Jack Nowell – The grafter of the trio. His finishing might not be at quite the same level as the other wingers but he runs with fierce determination and can slip into 13 at a push.
Full-Backs
Mike Brown – He responded well to the pressure Alex Goode has been exerting. His mark to save a certain try in the first half was typical Brown as were his siege lifting counter attacks in the second.
Alex Goode – He played with real class at Twickenham and has booked his place as an alternative to Brown and a third choice fly-half (in Lancaster's eyes, not mine. I have Cipriani). England is well blessed at the rear.
Dear fans, what do YOU think?
Stuart.
