This morning there are thirty one rugby players around the country that will be waking up safe in the knowledge that they will be representing their country in a home Rugby World Cup and that must be a pretty phenomenal feeling after weeks of hard work in Camp and years of developing as professional sports men.
It is fair to say that the decisions between that Stuart Lancaster and his team have had to make have divided many, from fans to former internationals everyone has had an opinion. The manner in which Danny Cirprani made his feelings known through social media yesterday I thought was hugely commendable and a sign of just how much he has matured over the past few years. Danny showcased his box of tricks well in the Stade de France and to a slightly lesser extent at Twickenham Stadium and therefore his exclusion has cause a lot of 'noise'.
The difficulty that Stuart articulated is that Danny was competing for 'specialist' positions at Fly Half and Full Back and the underlying question boils down to which player do you drop for him? In the ten shirt would you lose George Ford or Owen Farrell? With respect, I think not. Then at Full Back do you lose Mike Brown or Alex Goode? From England’s Head Coach's perspective both have been on 'exceptional form’ for their clubs and have proven themselves for England.
If we were sat here today with Mike Brown and Danny Cipriani as the two full backs in the squad would there be widespread horror, concern or uproar? Personally I don't think so, in years gone by perhaps however for now, on a pitch at least, Danny Cipriani is trustworthy. Previously we may have wondered what Cips would during a game... would he be on message or would he ‘do a Quade’ as I call it and go totally off piste? This schizophrenia isn't part of Cipriani's on field personality anymore instead he knows how to use his flair in a manner that greatly benefits the team. It is clear that Danny Cipriani is a loss however in our heart of hearts I believe that we all realise that this decision isn’t wholly unexpected.
Naturally the other huge decision is the inclusion of Sam Burgess in the squad over Luther Burrell. The gulf in their formal experience is vast, Sam has played less than ten formal matches in the 12 jersey whilst Luther must have have played at least six times that. This isn’t a decision that England's Head Coach will have taken on a limb, far from it for he has known a coached Luther since the Northampton Saint was a teenager. Without question the conversation between Stuart and Luther would have been excruciatingly painful for both however the fact is that Sam has come in and out muscled his colleague.
A very clear point made on announcement day was that Sam, like every player, has been ‘selected on merit’ and has ‘earned the right to be there’. Against France at Twickenham Stadium we saw his ability to immerse himself in Test rugby and Stuart articulated what he believes to be Sam's points of difference;
“It is about balance. To win at this level, you need physicality, ball-players, finishers, etc. Sam certainly brings the physicality, at 116kgs, and is quicker as any of our centres, except for JJ, and certainly as quick as Luther. He is powerful, understands and read defences very well. He is a very aggressive tackler but one of main attributes that goes un-noticed more than anything else is that he runs effective lines, and even when he doesn’t get the ball. There was a try in Wednesday’s training in which he was a big part and didn’t get the ball, when ran the line he did, three good defenders stopped because they thought he was getting the ball and Alex Goode ran round the back and in for a try. It is that threat at the line, and the ability to change the line, that has put him in the picture.”
Of course the concern is that Sam’s instincts in this code aren’t fully developed yet and that he is still learning the game however we have to trust that after nine months and ten weeks in camp with the best in our country that is simply an unfounded perception. Physicality, presence and match impact are required, as dynamic and exciting as it would be to see two player makers together in the centre it wouldn’t give England the physical point of difference that they need. Back line ball carriers are required and as we all know with Brad Barritt the importance of a defensive rock in that back line is critical. Burgess brings an awful lot to the party, he really does, his work rate is second to none and as Stuart said above he makes teams concerned and focus on him. When Sam plays a part in this tournament, or indeed in the game against Ireland, it will be as much about what he does without the ball in attack as what he does with it.
This tournament has been at the top of Stuart Lancaster and his team’s minds since the day that they were put in place three years ago and for individuals like Sam and indeed Henry Slade to come in at the last minute and force their hands in terms of selection they must have been outstanding. When you are building to the defining moment of your career you don't deviate far from your comfort zone unless it is for a tremendously good reason.
England’s management are ‘trusting their instincts’ and have selected a strong and what they believe he to be correctly balanced 31 man squad. When you read through the list of individuals again and remember some of the performances that this group have put in over the past season the potential to deliver is great. After a thoroughly deserved weekend off the 31 will return to Pennyhill Park and commence the 'business end' of proceedings with the focus on Ireland before the commencing greatest tournament of their lives.
England Rugby 31 Man RWC Squad
Props; Kieran Brookes, Dan Cole, Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola & David Wilson. Hookers; Jamie George, Rob Webber & Tom Youngs. Second rows; George Kruis, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes & Geoff Parling. Back rows; James Haskell, Ben Morgan, Chris Robshaw (CAPT), Billy Vunipola & Tom Wood. Scrum halves; Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth & Ben Youngs. Fly halves; Owen Farrell & George Ford. Centres; Brad Barritt, Sam Burgess, Jonathan Joseph & Henry Slade. Back three; Mike Brown, Alex Goode, Jonny May, Jack Nowell & Anthony Watson
