Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Post-Six Nations - which 31-players make England's plane to Japan and the Rugby World Cup?

Owen Farrell looks up into the sky as his team huddles during the Guinness Six Nations match between England and Scotland (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

On balance, it was a productive Guinness Six Nations for England.

ADVERTISEMENT

The second halves against both Wales and Scotland will be a concern, but overall England logged 320 impressive minutes of rugby across the course of the championship and head coach Eddie Jones will be even closer to finalising his squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Just four games remain for England now, before they face Tonga in their tournament opener in Sapporo in September. Those games will see them taken on Wales home and away, before hosting Ireland at Twickenham, and then finally welcoming Italy to Newcastle to round out their Rugby World Cup preparation.

We have taken a look at the potential 31-man squad that Jones could take to Japan below.

Back threeJoe Cokanasiga, Elliot Daly, Jonny May, Jack Nowell and Anthony Watson

Daly and May pick themselves at this point, given their incumbent status in Jones’ regular matchday XV, whilst Nowell has been consistently involved as either a starter or a replacement, and also boasts the versatility to cover at outside centre if needed.

Watson, if fit, would likely travel, with the Bath flier capable of playing on either wing or at full-back to a high standard. We have Cokanasiga joining him given the unique physical ability he brings to the mix and the standards he has shown so far in international rugby. Chris Ashton could crash the party, too, and although we have gone with a 18-13 split in favour of the forwards, if Jones opts for a 17-14 split, Ashton would be a strong candidate for the extra spot. Don’t rule out a Mike Brown recall, either.

ADVERTISEMENT

CentresJonathan Joseph, Henry Slade, Ben Te’o and Manu Tuilagi

Slade and Tuilagi seem like certainties after the Six Nations and Te’o has always been a favourite of Jones, consistently selected whenever fit. Te’o’s inclusion also allows for England to go the power game that worked so well against Italy and is something they may well deploy against both Tonga and the United States.

We have gone for Joseph to accompany that trio because he offers something different to the power of Tuilagi and Te’o and the ball-handling of Slade, not to mention the fact he was involved in the larger England squad early in the Six Nations, despite still having very little rugby under his belt following his injury last year. Ollie Devoto, Piers Francis and Alex Lozowski are the others to keep an eye on, although none boast too much international experience or recent involvement in an England 23.

Half-backsOwen Farrell, George Ford, Dan Robson and Ben Youngs

ADVERTISEMENT

In all honesty, this is a guess on Robson’s inclusion. The Wasps scrum-half started the Six Nations as Youngs’ deputy, but his opportunities were few and far between and now another international window has passed with England knowing very little about their options behind Youngs.

Farrell, Ford and Youngs are all inked in and Slade is capable of covering at fly-half if required, allowing England a little more flexibility elsewhere in the squad. Danny Care could come out of the international wilderness to offer an option instead of Robson, whilst Ben Spencer is the other nine floating around the England squad. It seems as if Danny Cipriani‘s chances are getting slimmer by the week, too.

Front rowDan Cole, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dylan Hartley, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola and Harry Williams

The starting front row of Vunipola, George and Sinckler from the Six Nations are all certainties, whilst history shows that Jones has always taken three hookers to Rugby World Cups, paving the way for captain Hartley, if fit, and Cowan-Dickie to join that starting trio.

We have England taking three tightheads, with Cole and Williams coming into the mix, and just the two looseheads, thanks to Cowan-Dickie’s previous time at the position and ability to cover in training should a player pick up a minor knock. Genge gets the nod over Ben Moon in this scenario based on a fit Vunipola being able to start, but Jones could easily flip it and take three looseheads and just two tightheads, with Sinckler having proven particularly durable.

Second rowMaro Itoje, George Kruis, Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes

A nice and simple one, with these four locks having established themselves as England’s go-to options in the second row over the last three years. It’s hard to see any one of them not travelling for any reason other than injury, which could potentially prompt a call to Charlie Ewels or Nick Isiekwe.

Back rowTom Curry, Nathan Hughes, Brad Shields, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola and Mark Wilson

The Six Nations starting trio of Wilson, Curry and Vunipola all feel firmly entrenched and as if their tickets have already been booked, whilst Hughes and Shields have consistently been around the England squad over the last year. Underhill has had his injury problems but when fit has starred for Jones’ side.

The back row selection could go a number of ways, though. The ability of Itoje and Lawes to be options on the blindside could see England opt to cut a back rower and pick an extra prop or wing, whilst Chris Robshaw brings experience and leadership to a team that many said were struggling for the latter in the Six Nations. Ben Earl has been on the bubble of the squad this season, too, and is one of the few players to be a genuine option at six, seven or eight, something which is valuable in the short turnarounds and limited squad sizes of the Rugby World Cup.

Watch: Jack Nowell reflects on England’s second-half meltdown against Scotland

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT

USA vs Japan | Full Match Replay

Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

O2 Inside Line: All In | Episode 5 | Making Waves

Confidence knocks and finding your people | Flo Williams | Rugby Rising Locker Room

Tackling reasons for drop-out in sport | Zainab Alema | Rugby Rising Locker Room

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JW 4 hours ago
How 'misunderstood' Rassie Erasmus is rolling back the clock

The All Blacks have definitely exchanged physicality for their running rugby, tiring teams out in the last 10 minutes type approach, over the last decade.


Hell they were the ones getting tired in South Africa last year.


Previously, we had always had to get ourselves pumped up to match the SB. Our forwards would need to punch above their weight. There’s been no such feeling or talk like that for a decade. We’re happy that we can go toe to toe all day everyday now. I suggest Ireland still need to do that though.


Yes I’m not familiar with those games, or the way you’d played them, you and Graham were discussing, but I’d say the players I’ve seen recently certainly do have those capabilities (to outplay/skill NZ or France). Really though I think we both acknowledging the same thing, the capaticity to play multiple ways, because you have the most well rounded player types.


So I fully endorse unlocking that further. Ireland became a tricky bunch for sure. You may not have heard me champion their play when it first started coming out, by I credited them/Lancaster, as encompasing a lot of the great backline/phase play trickery I’d become accustomed to naturally seeing, through evolution, from all ages in New Zealand. He put a plan together about how/when to cut/when to loop/when to skip. Players I grew up with, well even myself of course, we just did those things based on what we see, and Lancaster put that together as a package for people who don’t.. have such DNA, or ‘IP’. I’ve not seen any other team do it with such precision, or make it look so natural as they did. They’ve lost it now of course (as had NZ already), but my point would be that you can also do you’re own thing. For instance you could go to grubbers instead of territory kicks, low fast guys, even the tall lanky Fassi’ are supreme at reading and catching a bouncing ball. Simply by not going to your lineout strength, you can put immense attacking pressure through space and speed for example. Brown got the use of those athletes going in the wide channels, while still looking for say someone who was as good as Kieran Read to really unlock that threat. But anyway, maybe I misconstrued what you wanted the team to do, but I just think there are, as youve said about the past, ways SA can play. I wouldn’t be worried about anything too fancy, but yes, they say defence wins match’s but really that’s just because attack is the hardest thing to get right. So if you can get it right, yes, you do almost become unbeatable. Like I said I couldn’t see going as far as to play like a “Brazil” being a “trick” to get over the mental barrier of expectation, not with SA’s psyche. In tsaying that though I’m thinking to myself, in terms of clamming up in big games, Irelands playbook approach would be better than instinct. That’s because you need that ‘brazilian’ to play on instinct, and I think the game means too much to us for that, and maybe that’s how Ireland was able to keep up it’s threat in those big games, all everyone simply had to do with stick the playbook.


Even without winning WCs NZ has been able to feel like it was still on top, and playing with some audacious flair, as in just backing yourself to beat these two players in front of me that results in a breakdown field which wins you the game, requires that sort of knowledge that you are the best, that level of confidence. That’s an advantage NZ has had to keep that style going over the decades. The acid test has come on, there is a desire their from from Razor to regain it, now to be able to play that way when doubts set in.

297 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ James O'Connor, the Lions and the great club v country conundrum James O'Connor, the Lions and the great club v country conundrum
Search