When Stuart Lancaster announced his first 50 man wider Rugby World Cup Training Squad he openly shared how difficult it was to just include 50 players. At the time there were individuals that had excelled during the Aviva Premiership competition that were left out, Dave Ewers being point and case. The fact is that at that time and now the depth of talent in English rugby is phenomenal and I don’t say that lightly.
True depth of talent isn’t necessarily a phrase that has always been a happy bedfellow with our national side. Right now the cap between those starting and the individuals on the bench is smaller than it has been for years, almost unanimously across the park. Previously, in the last ten years, we’ve had world class individuals starting and in match day squads however they were not always pushed as hard as those with the starting jersey are now. The examples of this are strewn across the park from Lock with Lawes and Launchbury being challenged to the Ford and Farrell face off and then right across the pack. There were times when England wouldn’t have been able to cope with the number of injuries during last year’s QBEs and 6 Nations or the loss of two men like Hartley and Tuilagi however now they have simply opened up opportunities and in the case of the former have allowed England to step change their attacking output.
Yesterday’s cut, like the first, was greeted with a fair amount of discontentment across social media and this surprised me just as much as it did when the same happened with the cut prior to Denver. I understand individual player preference however the fact is that those of us on the outside do not see what is going on every single day in camp. As such this provides a very different and dare I say it less well rounded viewpoint than England's management. Based on the last output on the International stage that we saw, would you have expected Jonny May to have been the ‘stand out’ performer in camp? I believe the answer is not necessarily. For many Elliot Daly was the perfect understudy to Jonathan Joseph however the England management see plenty in Henry Slade to deliver the job. At the end of day selection is subjective however personally I trust the management in post afterall they have a wealth of information available to them and greater knowledge than I do.
Stuart Lancaster and his team have a clear focus and vision for their 31 man squad and what they want to see from the forthcoming warm up fixtures. These hit outs are vital to answer questions about individuals that only test match rugby can answer with some calls, like the third Hooker slot, greatly resting on them. England’s two crunches against France are dress rehearsals, winning is of course the overarching objective, however a RWC doesn’t rest on them therefore mistakes can be made. The Ireland match in early September will be the time for the first choice RWC match day squad to deliver and in effect start their campaign. The reality is that you cannot treat the Fiji game as the start, the wheels must be well and truly in motion by the time Jaco Peyper blows his whistle at 8pm on Friday 14th September.
Naturally everyone, including the players, are fully aware that injuries do occur and to a man those cut must handle their initial disappointment and be ready at a moment's notice in case they are required. For now we turn our heads to the 100th Crunch that will occur next Saturday at Twickenham Stadium and with Stuart Lancaster sharing that ‘the majority of the side that will play in the first game are likely to be involved in the World Cup 31 man squad' the selection announcement on Thursday morning should make for very interesting reading.
