England need to find two more great players

THERE is a widely accepted premise among international coaches that you need five worldclass players to win the World Cup, with everyone else in the starting 23 ranging from excellent to very good. Earlier in his England tenure it was a view Eddie Jones said he subscribed to, but after he had named his World Cup 31 last week in Bristol he was reluctant to discuss the subject, let alone name names.

He limited his response to: “Have we got enough class to win the World Cup? Yes. World-class means you have got class players… I won’t name them at this moment… I’ll wait and see.”

When Jones was asked how he felt about the performance of Billy Vunipola in the home warm-up Test against Wales, he was a bit more forthcoming about a player who is clearly one of England’s world-class candidates.

The England coach, revealed the statistical nugget that the powerhouse No.8 had set a new personal best. “He ran 300 metres more than he has ever run in a game (before). It was his first game for nine weeks, he carried effectively (42 metres), did his work – and he is only just starting.”

Vunipola’s punishing strength at close quarters, which included wrestling over for the opening try, was an important bulwark in the English win, just as it had been for Saracens in securing last season’s double.

At his best Big Billy is a force of nature, who ticks the boxes of being world-class because he is capable of dominating games with his carrying power and offloading skills. The England No.8 is also increasingly influential at stealing ball at the breakdown, and always being in the contest.

Both of the other current England candidates for world-class status, Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell, are team-mates of Vunipola for club as well as country.

Itoje is versatile enough to play lock or blindside, although Jones says, “we don’t think of him as a six”.

Saracens took a different view, playing him at blindside in their epic final wins over Leinster and Exeter, where his physicality, mobility, and adaptability shone through in both matches.

The implication is that Jones considers Itoje to be too influential at lock to be moved into the back row, especially as Courtney Lawes offers another effective option at blindside.

What elevates Itoje to world-class status is the extraordinary consistency which has seen him produce elite end performances week in, week out for the best part of four seasons.

He is the most consistent player in the northern hemisphere by a distance, and he compares favourably with the best New Zealanders. What is even more impressive is that the bigger the occasion, the more he rises to it.

Farrell’s world-class credentials

stem from his ability to shoulder responsibility without letting it get on top of him. Since the harsh lessons of the 2015 World Cup, he has proved that he is probably the best pressure goalkicker in the game.

Nothing showcased this better than Farrell’s cast-iron composure when aiming at the posts for the long-range penalty three minutes from time which earned the 2017 Lions the third Test draw – and a drawn series – against New Zealand.

He may not be the best percentage goalkicker, but when it counts most, the England fly-half invariably delivers.

Farrell has also shown that priceless ability to keep on learning and improving, despite setbacks such as that against the Scots in the Six Nations when he made a series of uncharacteristic errors to help the visitors to a second-half comeback.

Farrell has worked on lowering the height of his tackles after a couple of controversial high hits last year, and overall the range, wait and accuracy of his passing is outstanding – and testament to his unrelenting work ethic.

That gives England three out of the five world-class players they need, and while there is no-one else who has pushed through the barrier separating the good from the great, there are a number of Red Rose players who looked capable of doing so.

Jamie George is the leader of the chasing pack after finishing last season in rip-roaring style for Saracens. His improved set-piece skills at scrum and line-out have been matched by his footballing nous and his non-stop contribution in the loose.

Mako Vunipola has not hit the heights he did in 2016-17, but England’s first choice loose-head has been hampered by injuries over the last 18 months.

However, when he is fully fit the elder Vunipola has a workrate in defence and attack that is nothing less than supercharged.

The back three quartet of Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Joe Cokanasiga and Jonny May have all shown the X-factor finishing ability to make the breakthrough into world-class territory.

However, it is consistency, whether finishing try-scoring chances or creating them for others, that is the decisive factor.

Last season that script could have been written for May, because, with 14 tries in his last 15 Tests, the rapid Leicester winger has a genuine prospect at the World Cup of confirming himself as a world-class finisher.

It is still too early for Tom Curry to be in such elevated company – and the same is true of Sam Underhill, his Bath openside rival – but both have the potential to make the final push for the summit in the near future.

That still leaves England currently two players short of the world-class tally, but what the long list of players who are coming to the boil suggests is that there is a good chance of finding them during the World Cup – especially if Manu Tuilagi can stay fit after his catalogue of injuries.

“Itoje is the most consistent player in the northern hemisphere by a distance”