New faces ready to help push toward World Cup 2023
Coach challenges his side to keep on improving this autumn Willis, Lawrence, Stuart and Malins give England fresh look
It is just over a year since England failed at the final hurdle in their attempt to become world champions and, as Eddie Jones’s side open their Autumn Nations Cup campaign against Georgia at Twickenham today, there is a strong sense that the first steps are being taken towards rebuilding the squad for France 2023.
Buoyed by his side’s Six Nations triumph two weeks ago, Jones has opted for a fresh-faced squad, with Jack Willis making his debut, Ollie Lawrence and Will Stuart their first starts and Max Malins poised to be handed his bow off the bench.
All four delivered eye-catching performances in the second half of the Premiership campaign, and have the potential to become central to England’s World Cup ambitions in three years.
Jones has not wasted the opportunity to experiment, with Maro Itoje starting on the blindside flank alongside Willis and Billy Vunipola in a frighteningly powerful back row, and Charlie Ewels and Joe Launchbury lining up in the second row.
Jonathan Joseph, meanwhile, has been given the role as a “floating centre” on the right wing.
“Eddie has told me that I have free rein to go where I want,” Joseph said. “I won’t be picking and going like Jack Nowell does, but I’ll look to get into second and third receiver positions where possible, so that I can get my hands on the ball a bit earlier. I want to execute for the boys outside me. I’m looking forward to it because I’ve got a free licence to do what I want, so hopefully I’ll get some good opportunities out there to add to the team.”
It is a sign of the remarkable depth in this England squad that the changes do nothing to dilute the physicality and power game at Jones’s disposal, yet it is up to the players to press forward with the evolution of the squad.
Success by the end of this fourweek campaign will not be based solely on winning the tournament, but whether those new faces are able to prove they can translate their Premiership form on to the international stage.
If the likes of Willis, Stuart and Lawrence step up, England will go into the next Six Nations armed with an emerging generation of powerhouse talent.
“What we have spoken about since the World Cup is that Eddie has set the bar high and talked about wanting to be the best team that has ever played the game and to be remembered as the best ever,” said Jonny May, who is now just three tries short of becoming England’s second-highest try-scorer of all time.
“He has challenged us to go from an 80 per cent team to a 90 per cent one, so we have a big task on our hands and that is what we want to achieve. We want to win every game and get better on the way.
“But in games like this it really is a case of having the mindset to compete with ourselves and work on our own game and focus on ourselves. Our prep this week has very much been about how can we develop our game, all of the strands of our game that makes us England rugby, in our DNA, how we can keep pushing those things further on. How can we keep challenging ourselves to be better at all the parts of our game that we pride ourselves on?”
Conditions are likely to dictate how innovative England can be today, against a Georgia side who might lack experience and game time but should provide a fierce competitive edge to the collisions up front.
Their game will be founded around their spine, their tighthead Beka Gigashvili, No 8 Beka Gorgadze and half-backs Gela Aprasidze and Tedo Abzhandadze.
Jones, however, has picked a monstrous forward pack who will be able to roll up their sleeves
should the contest be limited to a slug fest.
“England are s t acked with dynamic ball-carriers and fabulous athletes. They are frightening,” admitted David Humphreys, the former Gloucester director of rugby who has been brought in as a highperformance consultant to assist Levan Maisashvili, the Georgia head coach, this autumn.
“In the England squad there are no weaknesses anymore. The [world] rankings are what they are, but in my view England on form are the best team in the world when they get the front-foot ball and physical dominance with the athletes that they have.
“Georgia will bring passion and a physical edge to every game they play and they will be competitive, but Test match rugby is beyond that. Every team brings that now. Your game has to be more than that.”
England know that as well, and this autumn can be a catalyst for change.
They should win this game comfortably, but Jones is eager for a commanding performance at the start of a campaign that could set the tone for the next two years and beyond.
“This is a squad 23 we’ve picked for a particular purpose,” Jones said. “One of the reasons is to increase our depth in selection, to give us a clear picture of where players are in terms of ongoing responsibility.”