The Rugby World Cup is the tournament that we have spoken about for hours on end, it is the pinnacle of the sport and being located on home soil adds not only to the pressure but to the excitement of the occasion. On Wednesday 20th May, exactly 121 before the tournament starts, Stuart Lancaster and his coaching team took the first formal step towards the competition as they announced their 50 man ‘Wider Training Squad’. It is from this squad, injuries permitting, that the final 31 players will stem from and it is the first purposeful step towards the most talked about and anticipated event of the year.
Since the ending of the RBS 6 Nations on the 21st March the full debate has unfolded regarding the selection or not of players based outside of England and the ‘exceptional circumstances’ clause. Stuart’s decision on this area was something that he addressed openly and very honestly with us during the live press conference and in the briefing afterwards;
‘There's been a lot of commentary on it recently, so I want to give our position on it. It is an important issue and something we've discussed for a long time. The reason the policy was put in place in 2011 was to protect the short, medium and long term health of the English game. Not just the health of the English club game, but also the national team. It's something that I've completely supported and it's supported by clubs, Premier Rugby, RPA etc. The bottom line is we want to see all of our players play for English clubs against each other and this weekend is case and point. When the policy came out there was a committed from a group of players to the England team and for the last three years we’ve committed together and they’ve dedicated their time to the shirt.. We believe that dedication and commitment would be eroded were we to change the policy at this point in time. It has been a difficult decision but we believe that it is the right decision, for the short, medium and long term.’
Now that has been cleared up I think it is important to put it to bed, the discussions have been copious in number and lengthy in their manner but I would implore everyone to accept the decision and move forwards wholeheartedly with England and this squad.
Focusing on the squad itself it is fair to say that Stuart has covered all bases and rightly so for it is important to give players an opportunity to present themselves and showcase their talents. We all know that injuries are part of the course when it comes to World Cups, look at Aaron Cruden most recently and Dan Carter in the 2011 World Cup. I’m certainly not wishing any injuries from England because personally I’d like to see a match day twenty three very similar to the one that finished the RBS 6 Nations starting against Fiji, however it is a harsh reality that this may not be possible.
The ‘new’ faces that have arrived in the squad; Itoje, Ashton, Strettle Slade and Daly are all there on merit. Interestingly Stuart put it on the table that Maro could be ‘the bolter’ of the squad, obviously he isn’t guaranteeing anything but he, like the rest of us, is extremely impressed with the character and output of the man. The individuals selected out wide are proven finishers and one man that some may feel is an hard done-by is Christian Wade however in my eyes Stuart’s justification is fair and correct;
'The wing position was particularly competitive there are a lot of similar players so Christian is one, Roko at Bath is another one who is probably unlucky as well. What we always say in terms of selection, is for an International player who is not just going to survive but thrive and make a difference then you have got to be excellent in every area of your game and also have a point of difference in two. Clearly Christian has a point of difference, there is no doubt about that, but we think and certainly his club agree that there are definitely some areas of the game that he needs to keep working on and when it came down to it that was the call we made.’
A man, other than Steffon Armitage that has hit the headlines continually since he arrived in October is Sam Burgess. The pertinent question is regarding his position in the squad; is he a forward? Is he a back? The answer remains fluid and the phrase ‘open minded’ was the buzz word for the announcement and rightly so. His situation is unique, his experience is limited but if you ask any of the team that work with him day in, day out at Bath, their coaches and the other players in his side they'll tell you exactly how much he brings to the party on and off the field. Stuart rightly is looking forward to working with him again, as he is with all of the squad for an extended period of training time with players in today's hectic calendar is a luxury and one that the England Coaching Team cannot wait to commence.
The fact of the matter is that this squad is a tremendously exciting one and one that one hundred percent highlights the depth in our game right now. If you cast your mind back to when Stuart Lancaster stepped into the role I don’t think that any of us would have dreamt that we would approach the 2015 home Rugby World Cup with such a wealth of talent and talent that knows what it is like to play at the highest level. This is the first formal step towards the Rugby World Cup for England Rugby and it is a strong and purposeful one.
