Is Eddie’s versatile back row too slow?
WHAT with the coronavirus, the debate as to whether Six Nations games should be on or off and the baffling case of Mako Vunipola’s availability, it’s been a distracting week considering its England v Wales tomorrow — and Eddie Jones’s selection reflects that.
Anthony Watson returns on the wing — always a given if he is fit and healthy — while Mark Wilson returns from injury in the back row. Otherwise it’s as you were. No fireworks, no change of direction or emphasis, no real war of words or chest-beating.
I’m a Wilson fan. He really impressed me when playing blindside flanker against Ireland in Dublin last year. England got the back row balance absolutely right that day, so you won’t be surprised to learn I would prefer to see him starting in the No 6 shirt tomorrow.
However, Jones is not backtracking on his back row experiments and desire to test versatility. I would suggest openside flanker is Wilson’s least effective position in the back row, but let’s see what happens. It could be that he switches to No 8 for defensive scrums with Tom Curry moving over to seven.
Other than the obvious danger of fielding players out of position, I have one big concern over these back row experiments.
As a coach I look at a pacy England back division with strike runners in all sorts of positions. I also note a front five who are unusually mobile, especially if Ellis Genge starts getting the nod over Joe Marler or comes on early in the second half. So that being the case, I would want a back row to match all that pace so that all departments of the team are performing at the same tempo.
The injury to Sam Underhill is unfortunate because he is deceptively quick and Ben Earl has real gas. So does Sam Simmonds, who isn’t even in the squad, while Alex Dombrandt is quick when he makes those devastating breaks for Harlequins. I believe England have the back row personnel to help take the team to another level but for the moment Eddie hasn’t quite fused all the elements together.
Despite that, this should be an effective selection against Wales, who have put together their strongest available pack.
The return of the excellent Josh Navidi is a big plus for them. He and Ross Moriarty are tough, physical specimens who complement the all-round skills of Justin Tipuric and England clearly have to front up and win the forward battle before their back division can look to take the game away from Wales.
Both back threes are star-studded and look equal on paper. Wales are bolstered by the return of Liam Williams but I’m waiting for Leigh Halfpenny and George North to cut loose again as attacking forces. For England I would prefer to see Owen Farrell at No 10, but it’s still a potent back division.
All will be revealed in due course but frankly I’m struggling to get really excited about this game.
There are so many distractions concerning the coronavirus. I’m not sure how wise it is to gather 82,000 people — who will have travelled from all over England and Wales and further afield — in the confined space of Twickenham and the even more confined spaces of the bars and restaurants in Twickenham and Richmond.
I’m expecting a muted atmosphere with some wondering if they should really be there and others pondering if this will prove to be the sides’ last Six Nations game of the season.
Hopefully such a gathering won’t accelerate the progression of the virus but the truth is we just don’t know and, as I’ve outlined before, I’m not convinced that is a risk worth taking.