Stuart Lancaster has made two changes to the England team to take on Scotland at Twickenham in round four of the Six Nations this weekend.
Courtney Lawes makes his return to the team in the engine room in place of George Kruis, while Mike Brown has recovered from a concussion suffered against Italy to resume his fullback berth in place of Alex Goode. Both Kruis and Goode drop out of the squad altogether.
On the bench there is a return from injury for experienced campaigners Geoff Parling and Tom Wood, while Kieran Brookes also returns after recovering from a hip flexor problem sustained at the beginning of the Championship.
England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “There’s always a lot of competition for places and having experienced players like Courtney, Tom and Geoff available after playing well for their clubs in the last few weeks adds to our options.
“It’s been an intense two weeks of training as everyone wants to be on that field on Saturday to put things right after Dublin and we have had to make some tough selection calls.
“Coming back to Twickenham will be huge for us and we are determined to put in a performance against a strong and motivated Scotland team.”
England team to play Scotland:
15. Mike Brown (Harlequins, 35 caps)
14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 7 caps)
13. Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby, 9 caps)
12. Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints, 10 caps)
11. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 6 caps)
10. George Ford (Bath Rugby, 9 caps)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 45 caps)
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 29 caps)
2. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 64 caps)
3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 48 caps)
4. David Attwood (Bath Rugby, 19 caps)
5. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 36 caps)
6. James Haskell (Wasps, 56 caps)
7. Chris Robshaw (captain, Harlequins, 35 caps)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 15 caps)
Replacements
16. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 20 caps)
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 18 caps)
18. Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons, 8 caps)
19. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers, 21 caps)
20. Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 34 caps)
21. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens, 19 caps)
22. Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)
23. Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby, 19 caps)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
48 replies on “Six Nations 2015: England team named to play Scotland”
No surprises – and pretty much what I’d go for. Would have liked to see Parling and Attwood swap, as well as Easter come in on the bench for Wood.
12T I think is on his last legs. I can see the need for centre cover on the bench, and would have preferred Slade, but I think it makes sense since Slade will know none of the calls.
What calls? Familiarity with them didn’t seem to make a lot of difference against Ireland. If not now for Slade, when?
Slade’s been in camp since round one. If the calls are that complicated it might explain why England’s strategy looks so ineffectual.
He was with the squad pre-round 1, but he hasn’t been back in between the weeks like some have.
Roy, even at the level I play a 10 couldn’t walk in and play our structure either defensively or offensively. So there is absolutely no chance you can do that at this level.
However, making an argument that he should have been involved earlier is pretty valid.
All good points from your original post however I would suggest that the next two matches have to be seen purely as building for the WC and it doesn’t really matter in these games if Slade is less effective because he is not so well integrated. BUT two games under his belt would at least mean he can be in the mix for the WC. As I said if not now, when?. Maybe Bomber is being disingenuous about Slade’s chances for the WC
I’m sorry I just can’t get on board with the idea that not knowing the calls isn’t important. Both offensively and defensively it is so important, or all that would happen is that he’d look out of his depth. That split second he isn’t quite sure what a call means leads to mistakes, the benefit of the experience goes completely out the window and becomes a negative.
However, SL should have had him involved earlier during the 6 nations. However, it’s easy to say that with hindsight and no-one was calling for him to get some squad experience when we won away in Cardiff, or at least I certainly wasn’t.
OK Jacob, I give in, I was a front row and the only call we had was “hit,two,three,four” and it only took me a couple of games to log them into my mind (although I did get the order wrong from time to time).
Haha that does sound like a tough one to master! I reckon Slade might have more to remember though!
Last word on this Jacob, honestly! As I’m sure you guessed I was being more than a bit sardonic. After my playing retirement I coached and managed at county level. As you can imagine getting players together for more than a few training sessions was very difficult and therefore teaching calls and plays was a nightmare. In the end pragmatism took over and we stopped trying to teach the plays that we (the coaches) had devised instead resorting to getting the players themselves to design their own plays and calls. Surprise, surprise it worked much better and far more quickly, in fact it was good enough to get us to Twickenham. If you start with talented people sometimes it’s better to give them their head, perhaps that is one of the criticisms of England, they don’t seem to think on their feet, could they be a tad over-coached?
Are you sure on that Jacob? Fairly sure Slade was in camp ahead of irish fixture. Can’t recall if he was there for the Italian game.
Must admit there is doubt in my mind now – but yeh I am pretty sure. The 10s in the squad were Ford, Myler and Cips – the was the 4th 10 originally but hasn’t been about since the Saxons game.
Agreed calls really aren’t that hard to pick up / understand for a professional player. However with Ford at 10 I would rather have a bigger unit at 12 than Slade from a defense perspective. Would make that channel too easy to target with your bigger units
You clearly haven’t seen Slade’s defence. It’s very strong. Size isn’t everything. Jonny was a minnow by today’s standards but was never deemed a defensive weakness!
Leon, you’re talking about a channel which has been defended by Burrell and 12T, and although both are big guys, neither are the best defensively. Slade may not be thier size, but he is a very good tackler, and probably more solid in defence than either Burrell or 12T.
He’s also 6’2″ and packing it on all the time. Not a midget or a weakling by any means!
still a stone lighter than Burrell, Barritt or even Twelvetrees
Still a better defender than Burrell and 12T though so I’m not sure your point stands.
However, having a big ball carrier in the centre is pretty important when it comes to first phase ball – and that’s why I’m not sure about a Ford/Slade/JJ midfield
Not sure they “need” a big ball carrier in the centres. However they do “need” a big ball carrier somewhere in the backs. It is just usually found in the Centre.
The “need” is for the variety. If we had Rokoduguni and Banahan on the wings, the size of the centres don’t matter. Thats why it works for Bath.
It also worked rather well for Englands WC winners. Catt often replaced Tindall, to give them a lightweight centre pairing, but they had Ben Cohen on the wing.
Feel completely non plussed by this selection and the rest of the tournament tbh.
I think Scotland at home would’ve been the perfect place for Slade’s debut, at least off the bench.
Burrell has looked pretty ordinary since he burst on the scene a year ago. Poor in the summer and mediocre in the first 3 rounds. So what if he has a great game against a winless Scotland. What will it prove? Personally I would have been tempted to start with 12t and JJ as I think it harsh to bin 12t on the basis of recent substitute appearances.
I also feel that Kruis has been really badly treated. I think he’s played well in the most part and deserved at least a bench spot. Parling either starts or is not in the squad IMO, ditto Wigglesworth.
Fundamentally I still feel this 6n is done. Another mediocre but respectable runner up spot for England, but another massive opportunity missed and failure really.
Must admit I’ve never read an England fan as consistently miserable as you seem to be on here Benjit!
I don’t know how you can argue that 12T’s being dropped would be harsh and then call for Burrell to go. I’m really not a Burrell fan but he seems to have a far positive effect on matches than 12T’s does.
Slade definitely couldn’t come in this week. He’s been with the squad since Sunday, there’s no chance he can play with that amount of time. However, SL could have had him with the squad in the weeks between games meaning that issue would have been solved.
Also disagree on Parling. Most athletic lock we have, carries really well, really good hands. I don’t see what Kruis would bring off the bench that he wouldn’t?
Wrigglesworth for this game I would have dropped for Simpson. Care I’m not a fan of, he just doesn’t do the basics right consistently enough. Unfortunately (outside of Youngs who I’m a big fan of) scrum half is not a position with a lot of strong options.
All in all – this 6 nations has been more positive than I’d expected. I hoped for 3 wins, and expected to see us lose both our tough away fixtures.
I guess I’m not as forgiving of failure as you are. We were told at the start of the season that lessons had been learnt and now was the time for winning. It didn’t happen in the AIs and we’ve fallen short yet again. England should be aiming higher than 3 home wins. It’s not so much the loss against the irish that hurts but the manner of it. We were taught a lesson and to make matters worse it was our most experienced players that went AWOL, so can’t blame the injuries.
I just don’t see things changing. The coaches are too callow and seem intent on making the same mistakes over and over. That it’s been 12 years since the last slam and that in that time we have only had 2 opportunities to get a slam going into the last weekend is an utter disgrace. During that time our youth sides have won slams, and world cups yet the seniors continue to fail. How can you not be miserable with that record!
Bang on Benjit. Too many England “fans” seem quite content with mediocrity. Realism is not pessimism. Lancaster’s tenure continues to be one of not quite’s and nearly’s,followed by stage managed sound bite journo-speak.
This meek acceptance of low standards just compounds the problem and leaves Mr L feeling ever more bomb proof.I honestly expected some sharp criticism of his methods after the Ireland game.Not just for that one match but because of the obvious pattern of coming up short in big or high pressure games.You are right. it’s not good enough,although apparently for a lot of people it is!
To make matters worse it’s not as if we’re playing great rugby either!
Ireland was hugely disappointing definitely, and I didn’t expect to be so comfortably beaten.
However, we were smashed at the breakdown and starved of good quality ball. Not really sure how I can bring myself to pin that on SL? For most of his tenure we have more than competed and often it has been a really strong area for us.
That last 12 years obviously have been horrible for England fans. However, you’d have to go back to the Woodward era to find a coach that so consistently at the level we have been. 4 wins from 5 in every 6 nations he has managed is impressive consistency.
SL isn’t perfect, far from it (his love of Barritt still annoys the hell out of me), but for the most part I agree with his selection. For the most part over the past two years (outside of 2014 AI’s) he has been trying to get us playing some rugby.
I’d love to see England be the best team in the world, but right now NZ are miles ahead of us and everyone else. Outside of that sit SA, Ireland, Wales, Australia and ourselves – of which any one of them could beat the other on any occasion.
‘However, we were smashed at the breakdown and starved of good quality ball. Not really sure how I can bring myself to pin that on SL? For most of his tenure we have more than competed and often it has been a really strong area for us’
I would say the breakdown is the one area that is a really glaring weakness: Ireland & South Africa bullied us out of the game at the breakdown this season, much like Wales did in 2013. And yet, the make-up and personnel of the back row is rarely called into question: this week Burrell was in line to make way for perpetual favourite Barritt, rather than our obvious weaknesses actually addressed. What makes it all the more frustrating is that Lancaster himself was a back rower, surely it should be his area of expertise!
Can’t say I agree with that. England were phenomenal at the breakdown just a few weeks before against Wales. Ireland and SA are the two examples we’ve been clearly beaten – but you can site the two most recent Australia and Wales as tests where we dominated.
We certainly competed against NZ for the first two test matches last summer – so I really don’t see it as a problem area.
I’m not sure there are any players better at the breakdown that we are currently selecting? I think England miss Launchbury in that area recently though. Calum Clarke is probably one that could add real breakdown expertise but he is a difficult one to root for.
I really though the breakdown was the key area of the Ireland game. Yes the aerial battle was lost too, but partly this was due to ensuing pressure.
I think it’s back round to the old debate again that we’ve done to death on these boards. Is having two action man 6 and a halves going to cut it against all opposition? The answer is probably not, but Lancaster is short of options in this area given that Steffon Armitage is unavailable and no other flanker is really screaming ‘pick me’.
I think you’re spot on Benjit. We’ve had guys that have won World Cup’s at U20’s level, and are playing club rugby at the highest level. Yet they don’t get into the senior squad because some other player has been playing in and out of form for the last three years, but has the experience. These young players like Ford, Slade, Nowell should have been in the squad earlier. Case in point is Pollard in SA. Runners up in the U20’s WC, and gets promoted straight into the senior squad, and plays a couple of games in their next tour.
Now we have someone like Itoje, who is getting regular starts at Premiership level for Sarries, and being tipped as a future England captain, but how long will he have to wait?
I definitely think we have an issue in England with promoting young talent – but I do think it is improving.
Nowell played early on, as did Watson, as did Launchbury, Thomas etc. Ford played in the 6 nations in the same year as his Bath move – how much earlier could he?
Itoje is being managed quite carefully, but he was picked for the Saxons with much Premiership game time, and he’s likely to be in the wider WC squad this summer. I expect him to be a prominent player post WC.
Slade is the one I think we’ve been too slow with, he needed to be involved earlier this year. But outside of that there aren’t many more I can think of.
On Pollard, he is a rare example, it is not as though SA have thrown a load of that successful U20 side in – he’s just clearly an exceptional talent.
Wade also only having one cap is a travesty, in my opinion, although injury has played a part in that.
It is improving, but I wonder how many players who could have been great have missed their chance because of selection policies. So many of these young players have only been included because of an injury to another player rather than their form.
I know a lot of time it’s about World rankings etc, but on tour, we should take a lot more of the younger players and give them a chance.
I don’t understand why we aren’t using the last 2 games to test back up players in competitive fixtures, if people like Cips don’t get a chance how does SL know they are viable options should injuries come – unless they are just there as injury cover now?
I certainly believe SL should have had Slade in camp for last few weeks, I can’t see that he isn’t a real option for RWC and therefore should be tested to see how he reacts. We all know 12T is not cutting it and, IMO, a change should be made now to test his potential successor.
I really hope SL doesn’t revert to Wood again, nothing against him but I don’t want to lose the extra carrier in back row – I think it looks more balanced with Haskell.
To a certain extent I agree with that, but then again, it isn’t as though Ford has tonnes of experience either, so he needs all the game time that he can get. Same goes for the likes of Burrell, Watson, Nowell too.
A lock on the bench finally. Haskell will need a big game to stop Woods from entering starting line up. Not sure of the combo of Lawes and Attwood does not really work well as Kruis. But Attwood needs a big game.
Don’t care about 12t on the bench 90% of everyone was pants. Burrell is just keeping the shirt warm for Tuilagi or Farrell. Joseph has showed some promise but against Ireland has brought him down to realistic expectation, some of his great attacking came from poor defence. Not sure if the 13 shirt will be his after the 6 nations.
As a Scotsman, I’m bricking it for this game. The English are going to have us on toast, especially if out selectors get up to all sorts of antics and keep more than half of last round’s forwards. Sigh, the best I can hope for is another spirited loss. Oh the joys of being a Scotland fan.
Final score if VS Italy Scotland show up: 38-10
If autumn tests Scotland show up: 26-17
But if the “Ireland” England show up it could be very hairy for us sassies! I think the scots lads will be bang up for this game.No professional sportsman wants to be seen as a loser or poor at his job.
Scots pride could play a massive role in this game.
I really don’t understand SL’s thinking.It seems is very short term game by game instead of preparing the team for RWC.Eg surely Slade has got to be a better bet than 12T.Who covers Ford?Perhaps SL sees this cover as Farrell and Cips is only there for worst case scenario.I can see no strategy.He just does’nt know his best team and stick with them.
As others have said this is not good enough given budget, access to players and playing base.His win ratio on a par with Jonno.That says it all.Another 3 years of mediocraty
Come on chaps, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath-water. There’s still a reasonable chance of us winning the tournament and so we must field our strongest side rather than experiment! Let’s see how the Ireland/Wales result goes and then SL’s selection for the final game eh?
I can understand that SJB, winning the tournament would be great, but winning the 6N at cost of preparing for RWC seems silly. SL needs to know who he can count on in pressure games and, barring Ireland, he knows 90% of those already. He should use these last competitive fixtures to confirm those players that can make a difference to his WC squad are capable of handling the pressure of top level rugby.
This is all pretty pessimistic this morning. As much as England lost against Ireland, lets give Ireland great credit for beating England. England don’t have a right to win every game, and sometimes the other team will be better.
The tired old “biggest player base” issue is complete twaddle, as there are still only 15 allowed on the pitch. In fact, it may well have the opposite effect in that there are too many top players to choose from.
I think back to the start of the careers of players like Healy, Best, Toner, Murray, Sexton, Zebo for Ireland. Webb, A Jones, Lydiate, Biggar, AW Jones, Jenkins and probably others i don’t recall, for Wales.
Many of these were quite average players when they started out, but they got better and better as they became fixtures in the national squads. Now they are (mostly) all top quality internationals.
In many cases there was little competition, and as such little “interchanging” of the players during games, and this has enabled them to flourish and fulfill their potential.
I don’t recall precisely, but as an example, when AW Jones started out, did he have the amount of competition that Kruis has?
Healy was dreadful at times when he started out, but he was stuck with, and he is now a fine international. If he was English, and the English “pick him, drop him” pressure had come on, who knows where he would stand amongst Vunipola, Mullan, Corbisiero and Marler.
So you may argue that heavy competition breeds a higher quality, and that may be true but if players are in and out, and in and out of the team, is this really improving them as players?
Good point Blub – As an addendum may I add that in Ireland”s case this lack of competition has worked both ways. Often we have been guilty of holding on to players for too long – the Claw comes to mind.
DDD
correction;
little “interchanging” of the players BETWEEN games,
Majorly harsh on Kruis, who’s been the more consistent between him & Attwood so far in the tournament. Being a similar-ish player to Launchbury a Kruis/Lawes partnership could work really well, with Attwood reverting to the bench impact role he filled so well in last year’s 6N. Still not really happy with the wings either: like both Nowell & Watson as players but there has to be room for, say, Wade, surely?
12T really!!!! Never rated him as test level he is only good enough for premiership nothing more.
Best chance is to blood Slade from the bench and give Cip the chance to run the show other than those two back line stays the same.
Kruis I thought has had a dam fine run and should keep his place along side Lawes and Attwood goes to the bench, as with the backs the pack should remain the same.
Gutted for Easter been a massive fan of his for years and like Oconnell for Ireland gets better and better the older he gets.
What is England’s objective now? To (attempt to) win the 6N from here (‘taking it 1 game @ a time’)? Or to win the WC? Does it have to be an exclusive decision? Or, as they could do, look to win both?
The question ought to be ‘how’, in either case. The player shuffling preferences here seem to be distractions to a degree. Having said that, I cannot for the life of me see why Cip HASN’T played.
Lancaster’s record isn’t up to expectation after 3.5 yrs (similar to Johnno’s). Why? Is it the players’ lack of skill, ability to deal with test pressure, speed of thought, option taking, understanding of the rules?
Or is it down to the coaching, tactics & strategy, style, belief on how the game is played, ability to change a game during its course if things aren’t working (e.g., breakdown, fielding the high ball)?
England have plenty players (would they rather has less?) to pick from. If they ‘believe’ in their coaches’ tactics & strat, then bringing ‘newer’ players on for injuries, or as replacements (provided they feel included & educated regds basic calls – keep ’em simple) then they ought to reap consistently better results.
A few players will be more influential than their team mates, but most need repetitive schooling in basics, but also in how to, within agreed systems, structures (whatever you want to call them), use their initiative. To think what to do when, for instance they have the ball. 3 options. Run, pass, kick. Which to choose? Yesterday?
TBC. Time out.
So we seem to be saying that we don’t follow SL’s methodology but overall it’s getting better? Bloody hell,does’nt that sum up exactly what is wrong with “England Rugby”right now?
1) the breakdown is not one of our strong points ,in fact it’s pathetic compared to just about every other major nation. Either backs contesting it on their own or too few players full stop.
2)This horrible schizophrenia that has developed. One reasonably good performance followed by timidity and error strewn rubbish.A recurring pattern under Stu.Sorry but that can only be a coaching issue.
3) The willingness of England fans and players to accept such mediocre rugby as though that is all we are capable of. Even seasoned ex pros seem reluctant to tell it like it is. Would Johnno or Dallaglio have been willing to accept consistently sub standard displays?I think not. Look at 2007. Ashton’s side were going nowhere fast until senior players had a word about the playing style.What happened? They made the W Cup final and lost narrowly to the same team that hammered them in the group stage. I cannot imagine any of the current bunch saying “hey stuart can we have a word”? They all just seem grateful to be involved at all.
I could go on but it just gets depressing.
I take England to win by ten.For what it is worth.
Teecee
I totally agree.I think your summary is accurate and realistic.Anything more optimistic is not accepting the fact our win ratio is no better now than any other period since 2003.It’s not just the coaches who have’nt delivered but equally the ceos and the rest of the board.
Ctd… bit late I know, but I started so I’ll finish.
Might have been better to have originally begun by stating that this England team is picked largely as expected. However, for me it’s not so much which 15 is picked that is the main issue for England, but the above & aforementioned.
Also, players need to know what to do when playing out of their normal positions (for instance when ‘fatties’ find themselves in ‘unfamiliar’ back line positions – on attack or ‘D’), or are ‘isolated’ (e.g. Alex Goode, when he veered in a pointless meandering arc to wards the l.h. touch line, going nowhere in particular & with no one picking a straight line in/outside him, he died with the ball. And this after his ‘twinkle toes’ magic previously!).
So, it’s these ‘brain freeze’ situations that have to be foreseen & remedied by the coaches so players practise & drilled until the ‘unfamiliar’ becomes (more) ‘familiar’. Takes pressure off, maintains thinking, creates ‘more time’, generates less errors & penalty counts.
This would surely stand England in better stead for not only their next match, but also for their future in the WC.
That’s my take on the team… & what they have to do v Scotland & then whoever in future.
Along with being on their home ground with the probable accompanying penalty count in their favour, England will likely have more time, ball, v Scotland & so ought to utilise these advantages on today & also use them for future utilisation in the sterner tests to come.
Having stated all that, Danny Cip should still @ least get some rotation time anyway (in a game England will expect to win). Ford was no superstar last time out. Looked as lost as anyone. IMO England need Cip now… & for the future.