 |
| (C) Paler Images |
England's new head coach is not your shy and retiring type, far from it, instead he is a charismatic and forthright Australian that knows what he wants. He has made it very clear that this will be his International side, one that beats to the sound of his drum and today he made his first significant step towards that by announcing the 33 individuals in the RBS 6 Nations and Elite Player Squad.
Eddie isn’t one to give too much away therefore going into today’s announcement few could have predicted, with 100% certainty, his exact 33-man squad. Of course we all expected some form of shake up, after all England’s new head coach had been very clear that this is a new age in which old records count for nothing, and we are again at the beginning of another four-year cycle that will culminate in a Rugby World Cup.
Of all of the individuals that miss out the one that most will have not seen coming was the exclusion of Tom Youngs. Tom has been on fine form for his Aviva Premiership Club and although Dylan Hartley was rumoured to be in mind for the captaincy the general belief was that there would be room in the squad for Tom. Instead Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George are deemed to be above Tom in the pecking order, the former of which I find quite surprising.
Another surprise inclusion is the reintroduction of Marland Yarde out wide. His last full test for England was against Australia in 2014 and although he has stepped up his game this season I thought that the strike rate of others in the Aviva Premiership would have give them the edge above the Harlequin. Once again Danny Cipriani misses out, as does an individual that I've consistently been impressed by, Joe Simpson. Without question both would have grasped an England opportunity with both hands and added greatly however there simply wasn't room for them. Eddie was clear that he 'wants to get the front-row right' and as a result that means being a 'little bit lighter' in other areas therefore only selecting two 9s and two 10s.
Of course it would be remiss of me not to mention the 7 uncapped individuals that are part of the 33-man squad; Josh Beaumont, Jack Clifford, Elliot Daly, Ollie Devoto, Sam Hill, Paul Hill, and Maro Itoje. Most have been on our radars for a while and the task for Eddie and his team will be to nurture them in the right way. It isn't likely that we will see all 7 as part of the match day 23 to face Scotland however if I was a betting lady Elliot Daly and Jack Clifford would have strong odds to be included.
The squad will meet together for the first time on the 24th January and just 13 days later will run out at Murrayfield to take on a much more settled Scotland side. Should we be worried? The answer is no, for this England squad will have an immense desire to deliver that will fuel a performance. There are those that took part in the Rugby World Cup and that will wish to show the world that they are much better than their group stage exit indicated. These players are then combined with fresh faces that have been itching to prove themselves on the International stage.
The squad will meet together for the first time on the 24th January and just 13 days later will run out at Murrayfield to take on a much more settled Scotland side. Should we be worried? The answer is no, for this England squad will have an immense desire to deliver that will fuel a performance. There are those that took part in the Rugby World Cup and that will wish to show the world that they are much better than their group stage exit indicated. These players are then combined with fresh faces that have been itching to prove themselves on the International stage.
In terms of the style of rugby that we should expect Eddie has been clear that the philosophy will stem from the players selected. Now we have the names in front of us it is clear that looking at the type of forward, and indeed back, that he has selected this side will look to play with pace, physicality, tempo and width.
These are exciting times for both fans and players, Eddie Jones has made it clear that he wants this squad to 'change history'. Since 2003 England are ranked fourth in the RBS 6 Nations performance tally and as he rightly says that isn't a reflection of the talent in this country.
Look out for plenty more to come tomorrow at Out On The Full regarding Eddie's thoughts on this side's potential, mindsets and more.
England Senior squad for RBS 6 Nations and Elite Player Squad
Forwards: Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks) Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers) Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs) Jack Clifford (Harlequins) Jamie George (Saracens) Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) James Haskell (Wasps) Paul Hill (Northampton Saints) Maro Itoje (Saracens) George Kruis (Saracens) Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby) *injury replacement for Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs) Joe Launchbury (Wasps) Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) Joe Marler (Harlequins) Matt Mullan (Wasps) Chris Robshaw (Harlequins) Henry Thomas (Bath Rugby) *injury replacement for Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints) Billy Vunipola (Saracens) Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Backs: Chris Ashton (Saracens) Mike Brown (Harlequins) Danny Care (Harlequins) Elliot Daly (Wasps) Ollie Devoto (Bath Rugby) *injury replacement for Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers) Owen Farrell (Saracens) George Ford (Bath Rugby) Alex Goode (Saracens) Sam Hill (Exeter Chiefs) *injury replacement for Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby) Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby) Marland Yarde (Harlequins) Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
