ENGLAND GAMBLE ON THEIR FLYING MACHINES
ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster last night revealed the form of rookie wing Jack Nowell forced him to axe Chris Ashton.
Exeter wing Nowell gets the nod along with Gloucester’s Jonny May for the RBS 6 Nations opener against France in Paris on Saturday — as Sportsmail revealed yesterday.
England World Cup winger Mark Cueto called the selection a ‘massive gamble’, but Lancaster said: ‘We have been pleased with the form of Chris Ashton recently. However, Jack Nowell has made great progress on the right wing and has delivered in big games for Exeter. We feel it is the right time to look at another option in that position.
‘ Chris remains an important member of the squad and I’m sure he’ll be working hard to regain that position during the course of the 6 Nations.’
The new boys have just one cap between them while in midfield Billy Twelvetrees will start alongside another debutant, Luther Burrell. Assessing the bold choice, Cueto, the 34-year- old Sale wing who won 56 England caps, said: ‘It is a risky selection going into the 6 Nations, against France away, but Stuart Lancaster has always stood by selecting people who are playing well for their clubs, however inexperienced they are.
‘He has never been afraid to pick uncapped players, so he is sticking to his principles — and credit to him for that.
‘It is a risk, but Nowell and May are playing well. May has more Premiership experience, he has been around for a few years and he has got exceptional pace. Nowell has come through at Exeter this season and has shown good form. He does the basics well; his defence is solid and he works hard to get his hands on the ball. Those basics are so important at international level.’
Cueto believes, in light of the experimental selection — partly due to a pile of injuries — England will prefer to play a territorial game rather than adopt an adventurous approach.
His view is that the newcomers will be expected to work hard defensively and with their kickchase rather than work wonders with ball in hand.
Cueto also thinks their lack of insight about the magnitude of the occasion might be an asset, while suspecting that France will set out to pressurise them.
‘These guys haven’t really got the worry of expectation or of knowing what is coming,’ said Cueto. ‘Just being picked and getting that shirt will give them confidence to go out and do what they do for their clubs.
‘But, knowing Philippe (SaintAndre; France and ex-Sale coach) as well as I do, I’m sure the back three will be an area he’ll be looking to target.
‘I’m sure he will be talking about the inexperience in the England back line and he’s a crafty operator, so he’ll want to target those new boys early on.’
For much of 2010 and 2011, Cueto was part of an effective England back-three unit with Ben Foden and Ashton — the latter making an explosive early impact at Test level.
He is saddened to see the crosscode wing being demoted after a long struggle to regain top form, but remains convinced he will feature at some stage during the championship.
‘It’s a shame,’ he said. ‘In my time playing with Ashy, he was absolutely electric. He came on the scene and scored almost a try a game for a long time. He had a ridiculous strike rate.
‘But, as has been well publicised, he has been under a lot of pressure for the last 18 months to two years. He is still a huge part of that
England set- up, particularly looking forward to the next World Cup.
‘The coaches will be hoping to see him bounce back. The good thing for Ashy is that Saracens are now playing a positive brand of rugby and scoring tries, and that can only help him, as a winger, to keep showing what he can do.
‘He will get a chance in this 6 Nations. There will be injuries or form changes along the way. I’ve seen guys miss out on the first game of the 6 Nations but end up featuring in all four games after that. That’s what Ashy has to keep in his mind, that another chance will come.
‘He will be disappointed, but this might be a blessing in disguise in the long run. It might be the kick up the backside which helps him to get back to his best.’
Flanker Yannick Nyanga said yesterday France have no more excuses about their poor form after finishing bottom of the table last year.
‘The top level is about winning and that’s what’s missing,’ he said. ‘We can no longer afford to say we played well, that we weren’t far away, we don’t have enough time to prepare. There are no more excuses. We need to play well and win.
‘Even if we beat England it won’t change the fact that 2013 wasn’t a good year, but it doesn’t weigh on us any more than that.’