Dan gets a chance to be big in Japan
DAN ROBSON will make his England debut against Ireland on February 2 after leapfrogging the country’s most-capped scrum-half Danny Care in the race to make the World Cup.
The 26-year-old Wasp, who was a tackle-bag holder on last summer’s South Africa tour, was named yesterday alongside Ben Youngs as one of only two scrum-halves in the squad for England’s Six Nations opener in Dublin.
The axed Care is joined on the outside by Chris Robshaw and Dylan Hartley, whose recent injury troubles have persuaded Eddie Jones to look elsewhere.
The England coach insists the door is not shut on any of them and that he expects to see Robshaw and Hartley back as the Six Nations evolves, just as long as the co-captain’s creaking knee does not require an operation.
But their absence opens doors for others to state compelling cases. Robson is first amongst them with Jones revealing yesterday he would have handed him a chance in November but for injury.
“Danny has been playing well for his club but we have always wanted to have a look at Robson,” said Jones.
“We want that fast half-back at the end of the game that can shift the ball quickly, make breaks when the defences are sometimes fatigued. So now is his opportunity.
“It is a World Cup year, so that is always at the back of your mind. But clearly our focus is on beating Ireland.
“It is the first game of the tournament, it is the most prestigious tournament in the northern hemisphere. We want to make sure we put our best foot forward and the squad we have got is a very strong squad, and very capable of beating Ireland.”
Jones would be bullish if he took up a post as an umbrella salesman in the Sahara, but the squad he was able to name demanded it. The return of the Vunipola brothers and Joe Launchbury offers a natural lift after they missed what was in any case a highly respectable autumn campaign and make a repeat of last season’s dismal fifth-place finish highly unlikely.
With their addition up front and the punch of Manu Tuilagi, Ben Te’o and Joe Cokanasiga, who is expected to recover from a knee problem in time for the championship kick-off, behind the scrum, England have some heavyduty weaponry available to deploy. “It won’t change our game but will change our ability to dent the line,” said Jones. “Everyone is defending with 13 or 14 in the line and the spaces between defenders are smaller because of that. Therefore your ability to work those spaces is more difficult.
“If you can have runners that dent the line like the Vunipolas or Launchburys then it allows you to gain momentum, and then you are able to play off the back of that.” Dan Cole is also back for the first time since last year’s Six Nations, as is Mike Brown, who was overlooked in the autumn.
The returnees also include two forgotten faces in Harlequins back-row Jack Clifford and Exeter centre Ollie Devoto, as well as four uncapped players. Saracens flanker Ben Earl was a spare-part tourist in the summer, while Worcester hooker Jack Singleton twice sat on the bench but not used in Argentina in 2017. The total newbie is Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley, 22, on whom Jones is rolling the dice with Japan in his thoughts.
“He doesn’t know much about rugby but he runs hard and he’s fearless,” said Jones. “He could be that bit of an X-factor player who comes through at the last moment.” Owen Farrell will lead the side for at least the first two matches and with George Ford his back-up at No10, there is no place for Danny Cipriani.