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One new cap named to start in England team showing 10 changes
By Liam Heagney
Steve Borthwick has confirmed his England team to face Wales this Saturday, a Summer Nations Series selection that shows 10 changes to the starting XV that lost to Ireland in their most recent outing and includes a debut for back-rower Tom Pearson.
That 16-29 defeat 20 weeks ago in Dublin brought the curtain down on the new Test-level head coach’s first campaign in charge and with 41 players in camp (plus two more with them in injury rehab) ahead of next Monday’s announcement of the official 33 for the Rugby World Cup in France, Borthwick has opted to examine his squad’s depth ahead of that final cut after a summer where 61 players auditioned for inclusion.
Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge, David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Dombrandt are the five repeat picks from Dublin. Meanwhile, along with starting newcomer Pearson, hooker Theo Dan and back-rower Tom Willis are in line for Test debuts from the bench.
Skipper Genge will pack down in a front row with Jamie Blamire and Will Stuart, with Ribbans partnering George Martin at second row. Pearson makes the back row along with Ludlam and Dombrandt, who will have Harlequins half-backs supporting him in the guise of Danny Care and Marcus Smith.
Guy Porter and Joe Marchant are the midfield, with full-back Steward joined in the back three by wingers Joe Cokanasiga and Malins. Aside from rookies Dan and Willis, the bench also includes Bevan Rodd, Kyle Sinckler, Jonny Hill, Jack van Poortvliet, George Ford and Henry Slade.
Borthwick said: “England versus Wales in Cardiff is always an exciting and keenly contested fixture. I’m sure this Saturday will be no different as a tremendous first Test match of the Summer Nations Series.
“We have been impressed with how the whole squad has applied itself both on and off the field over this training camp. We are now looking forward to returning to Test match rugby as we continue our preparations for the Rugby World Cup in France.”
England (vs Wales, Saturday – 5:30pm)
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 22 caps)
14. Max Malins (Bristol Bears, 18 caps)
13. Joe Marchant (Stade Francais, 15 caps)
12. Guy Porter (Leicester Tigers, 4 caps)
11. Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby, 14 caps)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 21 caps)
9. Danny Care (Harlequins, 87 caps)
1. Ellis Genge © (Bristol Bears, 48 caps)
2. Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons, 6 caps)
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 25 caps)
4. David Ribbans (Toulon, 5 caps)
5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 1 cap)
6. Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 19 caps)
7. Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
8. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 14 caps)
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan (Saracens, uncapped)
17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)
18. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 61 caps)
19. Jonny Hill (Sale Sharks, 19 caps)
20. Tom Willis (Saracens, uncapped)
21. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 12 caps)
22. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 81 caps)
23. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 56 caps)
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Latest Comments
Like I've said before about your idea (actually it might have been something to do with mine, I can't remember), I like that teams will a small sustainable league focus can gain the reward of more consistent CC involvement. I'd really like the most consistent option available.
Thing is, I think rugby can do better than footballs version. I think for instance I wanted everyone in it to think they can win it, where you're talking about the worst teams not giving up because they are so far off the pace we get really bad scoreline when that and giving up to concentrate on the league is happening together.
So I really like that you could have a way to remedy that, but personally I would want my model to not need that crutch. Some of this is the same problem that football has. I really like the landscape in both the URC and Prem, but Ireland with Leinster specifically, and France, are a problem IMO. In football this has turned CL pool stages in to simply cash cow fixtures for the also ran countries teams who just want to have a Real Madrid or ManC to lose to in their pool for that bumper revenue hit. It's always been a comp that had suffered for real interest until the knockouts as well (they might have changed it in recent years?).
You've got some great principles but I'm not sure it's going to deliver on that hard hitting impact right from the start without the best teams playing in it. I think you might need to think about the most minimal requirement/way/performance, a team needs to execute to stay in the Champions Cup as I was having some thougt about that earlier and had some theory I can't remember. First they could get entry by being a losing quarter finalist in the challenge, then putting all their eggs in the Champions pool play bucket in order to never finish last in their pool, all the while showing the same indifference to their league some show to EPCR rugby now, just to remain in champions. You extrapolate that out and is there ever likely to be more change to the champions cup that the bottom four sides rotate out each year for the 4 challenge teams? Are the leagues ever likely to have the sort of 'flux' required to see some variation? Even a good one like Englands.
I'd love to have a table at hand were you can see all the outcomes, and know how likely any of your top 12 teams are going break into Champions rubyg on th back it it are?
Go to commentsYou always get idiots who go overboard. What else is new? I ignore them. Why bother?
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