GUIDE TO ENGLAND

15 GEORGE FURBANK

NICKNAMED FB (for FurBank) or ‘academy Player a’ as James Haskell referred to him when he asked to name some of his new Northampton team-mates. Within a year, he’s gone from academy Player a to england international. Well done Virgil (he studied Roman poetry). Great hair, great moustache, silky player. Warning for him though: eddie will have him on the George Ford biceps programme soon enough as his arms are noodle-like.

14 JONNY MAY

THE Goose. everything in Jonny’s life is done to make him faster. i’ve never played with a player more consumed by the betterment of himself — and i played with Jonny Wilkinson. consummate pro with a great personality to match. Often found stretching or in Fordy’s shadow.

13 MANU TUILAGI

THE big chief. Softly spoken and unassuming, until he hustles you for £20 on the snooker table. Not a man you want to be in debt too but you want him in your midfield. Genuine game changer, certainly not unassuming on the pitch.

12 OWEN FARRELL

ENGLAND’S talisman. i don’t care where he plays, he is a man who talks the talk and certainly walks it. a huge physical and verbal presence who demands more out of everyone. lots of teams devise strategies to protect or hide their fly halves at set piece, but that’s certainly not an issue for england because he loves defending.

11 ELLIOT DALY

HIS left boot will be a weapon. Opposition are always conscious of discipline and penalty count — but when there’s a guy who can hit three points from his own half that awareness only goes up. Hope he survived warm-weather training in Portugal … litres of suncream and after-sun will have been applied, very kindly, by bessie mate Jamie George.

10 GEORGE FORD

INTEGRAL to how the team prepares and plays. One of england’s genuine leaders as he coaches the attack daily. When he’s not doing analysis or preparing meetings, eddie has him in the gym doing extra biceps curls so he can fill his shirt better. also allergic to sunshine, so i hope the Red Rat didn’t get too burnt in Portugal.

9 BEN YOUNGS

ANOTHER vocal leader whose work in the week better prepares the team. People need to appreciate that coaches are there to facilitate and work with the players, but the players then ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY

drive the training and standards and, ultimately, the games. Ben does it incredibly well. Invaluable in terms of his experience on and off the field; something a team will always need.

1 JOE MARLER

EXPERIENCED head who gives the team a confrontational hard edge. defensively huge with a personality to match. Never taking himself or the environment too seriously, which is needed in a day and age of high performance. You be you, Joe.

2 JAMIE GEORGE

THE challenge now for Jinx is to hold down that No 2 shirt. Luke Cowan-dickie will be pushing hard and will only be better for becoming a dad. dad strength is a real thing. Jamie’s got enough experience to be an old head (he has a massive swede) within the pack and his role within the integral set piece will be huge. His friendship with daly is uncomfortably close, so let’s hope Sarries can keep them together.

3 KYLE SINCKLER

EXCITING times for the big boy from Tooting. He will be wanting to make his mark back in the white shirt after his early exit in the World Cup final — and show Bristol why they broke the bank (and not the cap) to secure his signature. Integral to England’s gainline in both attack and defence.

4 MARO ITOJE

A Good physical and verbal presence. Constantly harassing opposition lineouts, mauls and scrum halves. Incredible workrate for a big man. A true 80-minute competitor.

5 CHARLIE EWELS

TALL and clever with a sprinkle of confidence. If he wasn’t running a lineout I can imagine accountancy or law would excite him. Captaining Bath has really promoted his leadership credentials — which have always been there. Extremely physical in the tackle and capable of some nice touches on the ball.

6 COURTNEY LAWES

THE big easy. The most laid back man in the world. I didn’t think anything bothered or really phased Courtney until I understood his passion for politics. Now one of the most experienced players, I’m hoping the big fella continues the fine form he’s managed to maintain these last few seasons. Can he add to that YouTube big hits reel too, please? We love it.

7 SAM UNDERHILL

IF he wasn’t whacking people on a rugby field he’d be on a gap year somewhere dressed in fair-trade hemp clothing. It sometimes looks like Chuck Norris has round-housed him through a charity shop, but if you look closely he’s probably got a lovely rolex or Bremont watch on his wrist! Slightly contradictory. Hard-working, hard-nosed, uncompromising and has lovely manners. Exactly what you want from your flanker.

8 TOM CURRY

KEY to England’s gainline defensively and a world-class operator at the breakdown. The kid plays with no fear and has a naughty haircut — I like him. Being one of the team’s standout players, regardless of age, he will put on his big boy pants and lead in how he plays.

COACH: EDDIE JONES

THE master. Unrelenting in his pursuit of excellence. Every day, meeting, training, recovery session or game is an opportunity to improve. This tournament is no different — a chance for England to not only go out and win it, but develop their game and be better than they were at the World Cup. ‘If you’re not moving forward, you’re either standing still or going backwards and letting others catch up’. A great chance for him to continue working with a stable group of players — and add some youth/inexperience to the setup with an eye to future.