My team to take back the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield
1 Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Joe has been in wondrous form. A set-piece titan. Handling much improved. One thing though, I get the feeling that he is involved in an increased amount of shenanigans off the ball. When you are as good as him, I do not think it adds value. Really tough on Ellis Genge and Bevan Rodd.
2 Luke Cowan-dickie (Exeter) Outstanding all-round game. Energy and a competitive edge right on the limit. Cracking chop tackler, goes so low sometimes the worms are diving for cover. Great arrows. So much to like about him as a player. Could add offloading and game awareness to his repertoire. Would be world beating if he added 1½st.
3 Kyle Sinckler (Bristol)
Has had his ups and downs. His fire is still present, but he seems much calmer around big moments. Disappointments are part of life, and he seems far more sanguine about things. By some distance, our best front-line distributor of all the tightheads and when England play at pace, he can make sure the ball sees the light rather than heading back under bodies.
4 Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Leads in so many ways. Tip of the spear so often, dragging England through quiet moments. Bringing the heat. Defensive superpower at mauls, line-outs, breakdowns. He really is a force of nature. I do not believe he lacks discipline – he does not start games intending to give away penalties. Is on top of the action incessantly, so may well find himself on the wrong side of a couple of decisions. Huge player for England in the next 18 months.
5 Jonny Hill (Exeter)
Starting to dent like a good old-fashioned five and can shift around the park. Also, he can clearly play with ball in hand – anyone who can boot a 60-yard spiral kick off his left foot is a baller. Exeter double act of Hill and Cowan-dickie reassure me that, when the big arrows need throwing, the timing, the connection and the calls are built on hundreds of hours of working together from a young age.
6 Courtney Lawes (Northampton)
Getting better with age.
Does not dip below an eight out of 10. The moniker of enforcer does not do his rugby justice. He is an all-court, ball-handling six. Back-door offloads come easy now. And when he hunts you down, he rarely misses. Cracking at breakdowns. Been a joy watching him get better and better with age.
7 Tom Curry (Sale)
An absolute nuisance – the
ultimate compliment for any openside. Fearless but with technique that keeps him relatively safe and away from the treatment table. With that level of commitment, his work ethic away from the pitch to get himself in good nick must be relentless. So compact and powerful over the ball at the breakdown. Makes things happen when his team have it.
8 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins) Super-tight selection. There is just something about how Dombrandt plays that should be let loose at Test level. He should be given some freedom to roam. His telepathy with Marcus Smith, his ability to run the inside ball could be lethal for England and his decoy runs will be beneficial for the wider backs. I back this lad to get on the end of things no matter the opponent.
9 Ben Youngs (Leicester)
The tyros are hot on his heels but will have to wait. Youngs has to start. Accuracy of his kicking game is a major contributor. Not just the box kicks, but the sliding-roundthe-corner nudges in behind and the outside-of-the-boot midfield dinks. Has a supremely effective team chasing his kicks. Looks sharp again around the fringes. Away from home in the opening two, it will be great to have his nous there.
10 Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Put him on the front foot with high-tempo breakdown ball and he will rip you apart. But there is a lot of pressure on the lad and opponents will be finding a variety of ways to give him less time. There will undoubtedly be errors during the tournament. Harlequins are happy to play those odds. His big learning will be working out when to stick and when to twist. George Ford straight back on to the bench.
11 Max Malins (Bristol)
You have to start with one of Jack Nowell or Ollie Hassell-collins, or there is a very real argument that gain lines will not easily be won. I hope Hassell-collins gets game time in the tournament. But Malins starts for me. He is a very similar player to Elliot Daly. Huge versatility. Cracking second receiver. Great kicking game. Top high-ball work and the ability to find space in congested contests.
12 Henry Slade (Exeter)
Get him closer to the ball and get his hands on it more. Utilise his left peg next to Smith’s right foot. Let him attack lines and fizz passes or get nose to nose and pull the ball back to give Smith the time to float round the back. Not a brick wall, but I am not going to worry about what he may not do when I know how much he will do.
13 Joe Marchant (Harlequins)
To see Slade and Marchant work so well against South Africa was a joy. Pace, ball movement, the works. Marchant is a cracking defender, as long as he keeps his spacings. Needs to remind himself what shirt number he is wearing – wing and centre defend very differently.
14 Jack Nowell (Exeter)
If I could not find space for Hassell-collins, I needed a back who was happy working around the forwards, taking on players off line-out peels and providing power runs off the scrum-half. England’s back line is full of ballers. There must be balance and alternative strike options. Nowell offers that and looks back to his best.
15 Freddie Steward (Leicester)
A slam dunk. Total control of the skies creates calm and sends key message to team. Allows players to focus on their own jobs, stay in shape. Not worried about what might happen. No need for daft blocking lines that concede pens as Steward does not need that sort of help; his leap and co-ordination are so clean. A real attacking threat.
Replacements
1 Jamie George (Saracens), 2 Ellis Genge (Leicester), 3 Joe Heyes (Leicester), 4 Ollie Chessum (Leicester), 5 Sam Simmonds (Exeter), 6 Raffi Quirke (Sale), 7 George Ford (Leicester),
8 Luke Northmore (Harlequins).