Seven weeks into the season, and already we have see some incredible fixtures, heated emotion and so much discussion and competition surrounding Stuart Lancaster's England selection. Players have been sadly dropping like flies, but others have been shining so brightly, it's hard to ignore them. The background drama of the transfer rumours and stadium movements have threatened to overshadow the beautiful rugby we've had recently, but the mutterings of the assorted pub masses are reached a fevered pitch.
So who deserves the place? We'll go numerically, purely for my own sanity. So the loose heads, and with no new injuries, the top three will remain the same as the last post. Joe Marler, Matt Mullan and Alex Waller, though after the Bath game against Wasps, Mullan may find himself below Waller for the reserve shirt. This weekend of European rugby will surely show the three players who the better is.
Over to the hookers, and again, no injury changes here. Dylan Hartley, Rob Webber and Jack Yeandle continue to make considerable ticks for their names in the Premiership, despite Hartley being benched against Sale.Yeandle was named in the Opta stats team of the week, and for that, and all his performances this year, he deserves the call, particularly over David Paice , who took a yellow card for refusing to retreat before tackling a player. The two went head to head at Sandy Park, and Yeandle has come out the better.
Tight heads are still an issue, and not something I will dwell on. Dave Wilson, Henry Thomas, and Kieran Brooks have been quietly going about their business as usual, though Wilson will be expecting a dressing down, if he's not had one already, for his tripping offence last weekend against Wasps. Kieran Longbottom is still in for contention, but he needs to do something special to dislodge the two Bath men.
To the second rows, and Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury and Dave Attwood are the top three, with a contentious issue as to who gets the fourth slot. Graham Kitchener and James Gaskell will be in the crosshairs with Geoff Parling out injured. Kitchener and Gaskell both toured with England and having Gaskell in the squad does give an extra flanker option, so he may get the nod over the Tiger.
Speaking of flankers, the back row is an absolute minefield of talent. But before I get on to who I'd pick, I should address the Armitage elephant in the room. The rumoured switch to Bath came crashing to a halt after the financial side could not be agreed. Apparently, Bath asked the RFU for help for funding, and were rather frankly told no. And that is as it should be. No player is worth jeopardising the integrity of the Premiership. Armitage was apparently told by Toulon management that he would only be released if he was guaranteed England selection. Now either they knew it would never happen, or they really are as mad as they seem. I've enjoyed Armitage's play but I don't think he is worthy of the recall, especially since we have such strength here. My view is, if Armitage wanted to play in the World Cup, he should have signed to an English club instead of a contract extension. Sorry, but he knew the rules before he left.
Anyway, who to select? Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Ben Morgan and Billy Vunipola are bound to get selected, so who else is there room for? Jon Fisher, Jamie Gibson, Luke Wallace, Callum Clark, Thomas Waldrom, and Dave Ewers have bashed their way through the opening matches and I wouldn't like to call who should be selected. But that's the point of all this, so for my money, Fisher, Waldrom and Ewers are ahead of everyone else. Is this because of who they are playing for? Well it's easier to be picked if you're playing for a winning team. A point Clive Woodward made over Danny Cipriani.
Before I get ahead of myself, let's select the scrum halves. Danny Care, Lee Dickson and Ben Youngs, in that order. Care has just become a father for the first time, and congratulations to him and his partner. His form for Harlequins has been one of the brightest sparks the Quins have had in recent weeks, and his tournament opening try was a typical scrum half try, pouncing the loose ball after a pair of Nick Evans's kicks. Dickson has started brilliantly in this season, using his partnership with Stephen Myler and the Northampton pack, as well as the pressure from Khan Fotuali'i, to make a proper start of the season. Conversely, Youngs has been struggling as stand in captain for Leicester, generally being caught going backwards. He still has moments of skill, but my worry is the length of time he tends to hold the ball before passing. He gets his fly half in trouble doing that at Premiership level. Against the All Blacks or the Springbocks, there will be no chance.
Back to the fly halves, George Ford and Myler have been leading the way. Leicester's injuries and rapidly reversing pack have put pressure on Freddie Burns, and the contest for the kicking tee with Owen Williams will have dented his confidence. Anyone remember Myler and Ryan Lamb contesting at Northampton? Danny Cipriani had a really good chance to stamp his name onto the shirt over Myler in round 6, but he was beaten at every opportunity. Myler has bested both of his other contenders at the Gardens, and deserves a chance in the white. I have a feeling Owen Farrell will still be picked, but he hasn't shown his form just yet. He's recovering from a series of injuries picked up early on, and Charlie Hodgeson has pinched his domestic shirt. Should he be considered as well? Possibly, he has outplayed the current England ten all season so far, but to me, and actually, a fair few commentators, Myler has been the best fly half in England.
Now I'll skip my rule of going by numbers and go to the centres. There have been so many names branded about for a call up, and the shining feet and beautiful partnership of Kyle Eastmond and Jonathon Joseph have seen the fans at the Rec salavating, and the England coaches wriggling with delight. The ready made partnership could be partnered with Ford to see how they go, but I would like to see Joseph paired with Luther Burrell. The defensive errors Eastmond made in New Zealand vanished when Burrell came onto the field, plugging the holes. He hasnt exactly been quiet in the Premiership either, partnering up with George Pisi fantastically. Burrell is a more complete centre for Lancaster's mold, and with Billy Twelvetrees performing inconsistently, and Manu Tuilagi recovering from a groin injury, Burrell should take the 12 shirt. Unless, of course, Henry Slade or Sam Hill have something to say about it. The two Exeter centres have been glorious, and at least one of them should be promoted from the Saxons. I reckon it will be Hill. Playing out of position at 13 instead of his preferred fly half role gives him some versatility not shown by any of the aforementioned. He could be played at 12, 10 or 13, and Lancaster would have their second playmaker, as has clearly helped Exeter during the Premiership. Following the suspected injury to Eastmond this weekend though, it may open the door back for Twelvetrees.
Now to the wingers, and unsurprisingly, David Strettle is being talked up as the in form winger. Mark McCall has been celebrating his wingers for their try scoring abilities, but for me, neither Strettle nor Chris Ashton deserves the slot. Ashton has too many defensive weaknesses and Strettle tends to score on the end of a backs movement where most wingers worth the shirt should score. But by far, the best winger in the Premiership right now is Semesa Rokoduguni, the Bath Action man on release from the army and rightfully should get the 14 shirt in the autumn. Opposite him, a contest is more fierce. Christian Wade (a wonderful chap), Jonny May and Marland Yarde are all the main competition, and I think Wade and Yarde have made a better start to the season. All three have had some defensive issues this year, but Wade has magical feet and Yarde has a decent size to counter the fast runners and power players of the southern hemisphere.
Finally, the fullbacks. Ben Foden has, without a doubt, been the best fullback in the Premiership, but this weekend shot himself in the foot with a poor decision to clear his lines and getting charged down for a late try. Mike Brown is the other contender, but he hasn't had the form he did last season. He's had flashes of brilliance but his hip injury has hampered him and kept him from his best. Alex Goode is thought to be as another option but he hasn't been test quality recently.
So my match day 23 then, after long considerations and the many many fixtures of the weekend, I have my starting line up for Twickenham on November 8th. Feel free to comment and tweet if you disagree. I open this to debate, and it will carry on until the squad is selected on Wednesday. For those who are curious, I will leave my supporting 10 to flesh out the squad.
1. Marler
2. Hartley
3. Wilson
4. Lawes
5. Launchbury
6. Wood (c)
7. Haskell
8. Waldrom
9. Care
10. Myler
11. Yarde
12. Burrell
13. Joseph
14. Rokoduguni
15. Foden
16. Webber
17. Waller
18. Thomas
19. Attwood
20. Robshaw
21. Dickson
22. Ford
23. Brown
Squad support
Forwards: Mullan, Yeandle, Brookes, Gaskell, Vunipola, Morgan
Backs: Youngs, Farrell, Slade, May.
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