SAM STEPS UP
Simmonds to start at No 8 in Rome as Jones plays guessing game
JUST A YEAR ago, Sam Simmonds was still awaiting his Premiership debut for Exeter after returning from a loan spell at Cornish Pirates.
The day after tomorrow, he will make his first start for England in the NatWest 6 Nations.
Exeter’s No 8 will be named this morning at the base of the scrum for England’s championship opener against Italy in Rome. Having earned his first Test start in an experimental line-up against Samoa in the autumn, the 23-year-old will retain his place in the enforced absence of Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes.
Simmonds will seek to fill the void in his own way. He cannot provide the imposing physicality of those two powerful ballcarriers, but instead he will aim to galvanise the England pack with his explosive pace and deft ball skills.
His inclusion in the starting XV became a near-formality once Bath rookie Zach Mercer had been ruled out of the equation owing to illness.
Simmonds has been in outstanding form for the Premiership champions and did enough in November to make a positive impression on England head coach Eddie Jones. He has also heeded the Australian’s orders to bulk up in order to withstand the demands of international rugby.
Jones and his assistants were finalising their selections last night amid extreme secrecy. The England hierarchy are determined to keep opponents guessing about their selection plans and even their own players are often left in a state of confusion about the coaches’ intentions.
Either Maro Itoje or Courtney Lawes is expected to operate at blindside flanker at the Olympic Stadium, with the other forming a second-row alliance with Joe Launchbury.
Further forward, Dylan Hartley will again lead the team from hooker and despite Mako Vunipola taking a reduced part in training in the build-up to this fixture, he and Dan Cole are likely to complete the front row unit.
The identity of the other backrower in the starting XV was unclear last night, as Chris Robshaw is another whose training load has been managed. Bath openside Sam Underhill could wear the No 7 shirt but some sources suggested the veteran Robshaw would be preferred.
Behind the pack, there is a possibility that Danny Care will earn a rare start at scrum-half, although Ben Youngs remains the front-runner to form the halfback pairing with George Ford. Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph are expected to continue their midfield double act.
Mike Brown recovered from concussion to force his way back into Jones’ plans at full back, with Jack Nowell — also back from injury — and Anthony Watson the men most likely to fill the wing places. Among the replacements will be two Exeter props aiming to shake up the established order, uncapped loosehead Alec Hepburn and Harry Williams, who has five caps on the tighthead side. Australiaborn Hepburn has won favour since being called up in the absence of Joe Marler, Ellis Genge, Matt Mullan and Beno Obano.
Scrum coach Neal Hatley said yesterday: ‘He has worked hard and we are looking forward to seeing how he goes. He has shown all the right signs and he has played some big games this season — Leinster twice and Montpellier — and come out on top in a lot of those.’