Tom-orrow's world

Smith: Taking a chance with his squad selection

Instead of turning to familiar faces the England boss has decided he has to bring the future into the present, selecting raw prospects Kyle Eastmond, Richie Myler and Sam Tomkins

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It is perhaps no surprise that Tony Smith should look to turn over a new leaf during the autumn months as he gambles on some fresh faces to re-ignite England's fortunes.

After a dismal World Cup campaign last year that yielded one win from four games, the Gillette Four Nations has been viewed as a chance to start afresh.

Perhaps still smarting from those performances Down Under (none worse than the 52-4 loss at the hands of Australia), Smith has decided to move out the old and welcome in the new.

By rewarding form and potential over long-standing reputation, the Australian now naturalised on these shores has taken a major gamble with his squad.

The odds - despite having home advantage - seemed stacked against him. Apart from their Melbourne mauling, England also lost back-to-back clashes with eventual winners New Zealand in their World Cup debacle.

Compete

Although they do have a fine record against tournament newcomers France, a heavy win over Bobbie Goulding's side in the opening fixture will soon be forgotten if they fail to compete with the southern hemisphere sides.

So with the pressure on, Smith's squad list is perhaps a risky play, a chancing of the arm. Perhaps, though, he realises that there is nothing to lose, and that it is better to go for broke rather than fold without much of a fight.

As Kenny Rogers once famously sang: "Now every gambler knows that the secret to surviving, is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep'.

Those that have been discarded include Leeds scrum-half Rob Burrow and St Helens stand-off Leon Pryce, two men who were the fulcrum of the side for the World Cup 12 months ago. The pair of half-backs may not have hit top form during the Super League campaign but their omissions were still a shock.

So too was the absence of Jamie Jones-Buchanan from the 24-man party, though competition for places in the pack is at an all-time high.

Up front England can certainly compete with any nation, experienced old heads like captain Jamie Peacock and Adrian Morley being joined by James Graham and Sam Burgess, who is NRL-bound for next year.

Gareth Ellis has just completed his first year playing in Australia, being named Wests Tigers' player of the season, and it will be fascinating to see how his game has developed since he left Leeds, who have just five players (six if you count the departing Lee Smith) in the squad despite securing a hat-trick of titles at Old Trafford recently. In the end only nine who appeared in the Grand Final made Smith's final cut.

Instead of turning to familiar faces the England boss has decided he has to bring the future into the present, selecting raw prospects Kyle Eastmond, Richie Myler and Sam Tomkins.

He will hope that in the space of a warm-up win over an under-strength Wales team and a few training sessions he can find an ace up his sleeve.

Smith should know plenty about Myler having signed the scrum-half from Salford for a hefty transfer fee. Eastmond has risen to prominence playing in a number of roles for St Helens, and he may be most effective off the bench.

Trump card

Tomkins, on the other hand, could be Smith's trump card. Thrust into Wigan's team midway through the season, the half-back went on to be crowned Super League's young player of the year while also being named in the prestigious Dream Team for '09.

Considering he is only 20 it is asking a lot for Tomkins to make England a winner instantaneously, yet it is hard not to be enthused by his obivous talent.

He showcased his skills with a hat-trick against the Welsh in Bridgend, including one solo try that saw him produce a stunning step off his left foot to cut through the first line of defence before racing around the full-back.

If Tomkins (or Eastmond or Myler, for that matter) can produce something similar against the Kangaroos or the Kiwis, then Smith will be vindicated in his selection policy. Perhaps he knows that while he may not cash-in this time around, there will be further chances to win it all at the top table in the long run.