Eddie must be bold and fight fire with fire

ENGLAND must make some big decisions about the back row for Cardiff on Saturday.

Maro Itoje, Nathan Hughes and Tom Wood were comprehensively outplayed in the win over France and injuries are now further complicating the picture.

From the start of his reign Eddie Jones has said England must be ready to lose the odd battle if they are to win the war (the 2019 World Cup). This could be one of those moments and he needs to select boldly.

Let’s face it. Against France last Saturday England’s back row looked unbalanced and were second best to the French trio. As a unit they were just too slow and now England head for Cardiff where Wales are effectively playing two No 7s in Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric.

Wales will look to play the game with as much tempo as possible so England must try to meet fire with fire. Hence, it seems, the selection of Jack Clifford at openside.

Clearly James Haskell is still considered too short of full match fitness to start and will again come off the bench so Eddie actually has a limited choice here.

We haven’t seen a huge amount of Clifford in an England shirt — he has been another of the walking wounded — although he has plenty of potential. Saturday afternoon in Cardiff though will be a defining moment. By the end of the game Eddie will have a very clear idea of his true internatinal potential.

I didn’t think England got the best from Itoje at No 6 against France and I wrote earlier this week that perhaps they should consider returning him to lock.

He is a quick learner, however, with the potential to make a massive impact at six so perhaps Eddie will continue the experiment.

Finally, a thought for Tom Wood. At Test level he is simply not a No 7. He doesn’t have the pace and instincts and the higher you go up the ladder the more difficult it is to disguise that.

But he is a fine international blindside flanker and that is where he should be considered for starting duties in the future.