Sam Burgess and Henry Slade complicate England selection for Stuart Lancaster
Monday 17 August 2015 14:14, UK
Stuart Lancaster says promising England debuts for Henry Slade and Sam Burgess have complicated his World Cup thinking.
The uncapped pair started in midfield as England began the final countdown to their home tournament with victory over France at Twickenham on Saturday.
And Lancaster - likely to cut two centres when he names his final World Cup squad on August 31 - was impressed with both newcomers' contributions.
Jonathan Joseph and Brad Barritt are currently favourites to fill the centre spots in England's big Pool A games, leaving Lancaster to choose between Slade, Burgess, Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell for the final two spots.
"Both did really well," England's head coach told Sky Sports News. "Sam offered physicality in defence - he had five dominant hits and 15 tackles overall. He carried well, and made some good decisions over whether to pass or carry.
"Henry Slade added a lot of support for Owen (Farrell). Having him in the equation with Alex Goode was a real positive for our attacking game, and he's a good defender as well.
"I'm delighted that both of them replicated what we'd seen in training because it was a pressure game. Both delivered and it's made my life more complicated."
England go to Paris for a return match this Saturday, when Burrell is likely to be given his latest World Cup audition.
"Luther would be a good guy to get a chance and it'll be a big game for him," Lancaster said. "The pressure and microscope will fall on him this weekend."
Lancaster is due to name his team for Paris on Tuesday, and he confirmed Kieran Brookes will be available despite having his hand stamped on at Twickenham.
Live International Rugby Union
Watch France v England live from Paris on Sky Sports 1 this Saturday. Coverage begins at 7.30pm.
