Time for Stuart Lancaster to twist for the Six Nations rather than stick
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Version 0 of 1. Sometimes we do not trust the evidence of our own eyes. Such and such a player has a particular reputation. Or he does not fit the system. Never mind he has been playing superbly for weeks in all conditions or outplaying his supposed betters. Picking him might rock the boat – not an ideal prospect for international coaches in a World Cup year. Which makes it particularly awkward, on the eve of a major squad announcement, when the recent evidence is simply too compelling to ignore, when certain English-qualified players are playing so outstandingly well that good judges from across Europe cannot believe they are not certainties to start for their country. Welcome to the tricky situation facing Stuart Lancaster as he prepares to unveil his England squad for the 2015 Six Nations. Take Jonathan Joseph. England are supposedly short of decent attacking centres. Joseph, who is 23, did not even make the summer squad to tour New Zealand last year and has not played for his country since 2013. Yet on Sunday in Toulouse, in the colours of Bath, he performed like a modern-day Jeremy Guscott. French reporters were stunned to be told afterwards he is highly unlikely to start for England against Wales next month. “He is the best centre in England, surely?” one of them said with a shrug. A member of the Bath coaching staff, taking refuge outside the away dressing room as the celebratory music pumped up inside, later confided that the club have been collating Joseph’s defensive stats, well aware it is a part of his game some perceive as a weakness. They reckon he has missed three tackles all season, fewer than most of his rivals. At international level there have been suggestions the affable centre might not be “a Test-match animal”. It looked a debatable assumption as Bath, against the odds on French soil in a pressure game, cut a previously unbeaten, star-studded Toulouse side to shreds. Of course there is a bigger picture. Test selection is clearly about combinations as much as individuals. Yet alongside Joseph both Kyle Eastmond and George Ford were similarly impressive, their three-way chemistry a joy to behold. The respected coach and former Wales fly-half Paul Turner took to Twitter to suggest that playing the trio together for England “was a no-brainer”. One could see his point. The tempo at which Bath played, allied to their decoy running and smart passing, created such aerobic difficulties for the big home forwards that Toulouse’s set piece ultimately crumbled, too. There is also the ongoing case of Steffon Armitage. He will not be included in the Six Nations squad on Wednesday because he is playing his club rugby outside England, for Toulon. If ever there was cause to invoke the Rugby Football Union’s “exceptional circumstances” clause, however, surely this is it? Last season’s European player of the year gave yet another masterclass in dynamic back-row play at the weekend, albeit against an under-strength Ulster. He looked sharp, focused and predatory, scored three tries himself and made consistent yards around the fringes and out wide. The French rugby newspaper Midi-Olympique was swift to include him and Joseph in its team of the week, which incidentally featured only a solitary member of France’s current national squad. If Lancaster does not pick Armitage for the Six Nations, citing a shortage of training time in which to reintegrate him back into the squad, that is entirely his prerogative. It seems he is planning to wait until the wider pre-World Cup squad camp in June to do so. But why not invite the player to attend a few days of Six Nations training to accelerate that longer-term reintegration process and reassure him he is seen as a positive asset rather than a toxic outsider? Encouraging English players to stay based at home is important but so is winning the World Cup. Assembling the best-available squad should not be seen as a patriotic crime.What, for example, would opponents make of an English back row comprising Armitage, Billy Vunipola (so forceful against Munster) and James Haskell, who gave another outstanding display against Harlequins? There is nothing against Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood or Calum Clark, all of whom will be named in the squad this week, but Haskell and Armitage are unquestionably among the current form flankers in Europe. With Courtney Lawes and Ben Morgan out with injuries, England are also short of strong ball-carriers up front. The solution is in front of people’s noses. It is the same in midfield. A desire to stop Wales’s big men is entirely natural but, in Manu Tuilagi’s absence, are Brad Barritt and Luther Burrell really the collective answer as a pairing to secure England a grand slam? Good players both, they have never started together whereas Ford, Eastmond and Joseph have been playing together regularly with startling results. Which combination would Wales less prefer to face? So, no pressure on England’s coaches, then. It should, in theory, be great news. Strength in depth and competition for places is always a plus. But the word is that England are leaning towards a more traditional, physical, prescriptive give-em-nowt game plan. Where does that leave Joseph and co? Defence remains critical in terms of winning championships and World Cups but fielding one’s best, most in-form players also helps. England may well select a XV to play Wales that does not feature Joseph, Eastmond, Armitage or Haskell. If that happens, there will be quizzical looks on both sides of the Channel. Changing times? Few contributed more to the growth of the old Heineken Cup than the Irish provinces. Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht have all had their share of splendid days, which makes it all the more striking when they struggle to make the quarter-final cut. If Leinster lose without a bonus point against Wasps in Coventry it threatens to be the first time since 1998 that no Irish team has made the last eight. Given Ireland are the reigning Six Nations champions, it suggests the strain of juggling more stringent Pro12 qualification requirements with a more demanding European tournament is making a difference. The injury toll across the Irish Sea also points to a similar conclusion. Unless, of course, Leinster are slyly saving their best until last. One to watch Clermont Auvergne v Saracens. Sarries have already beaten Clermont once this season, having smashed them by 40 points in last year’s European semi-final. Winning in France, though, will require something extra special. Sunday’s game should tell Stuart Lancaster everything he needs to know about Sarries’ assorted England candidates. |