Eddie Jones has named the team to take on France in this weekend’s must-win fixture.
Injury has ruled out captain Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) so Jamie George (Saracens) will replace him at hooker in what is an otherwise unchanged starting forward pack to the one that faced Scotland last month.
Owen Farrell (Saracens) will captain the team with Mako Vunipola (Saracens) named as vice captain.
Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors) will start at outside centre with Elliot Daly (Wasps) returning to the starting XV at left wing. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby) moves from right wing to fullback with Jonny May (Leicester Tigers) switching wings.
There are six changes among the eight finishers including Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Mike Brown (Harlequins), James Haskell (Wasps), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs) and Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins).
Head coach Eddie Jones said: “This game is about the opportunity for the team to move forward and we want a response from the players this week.
“Against France we want to be brutal and aggressive on the gain line and to play with a great tactical discipline.”
On Farrell captaining the side Jones said: “Owen will be very proud to be captain but at the same time he is disappointed for Dylan to miss out through injury and he knows the position of captain carries a lot of responsibility.”
Jones added on the vice captaincy going to Vunipola: “We need to make sure we have one strong voice among the forward leaders and Mako has been doing some great work behind the scenes and will step up and take that on officially against France.”
Starting 15
15 Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby 31 caps)
14 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers 32 caps)
13 Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors 11 caps)
12 Owen Farrell (Saracens 56 caps) C
11 Elliot Daly (Wasps 16 caps)
10 George Ford (Leicester Tigers 43 caps)
9 Danny Care (Harlequins 79 caps)
1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens 47 caps) VC
2 Jamie George (Saracens 23 caps)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers 80 caps)
4 Joe Launchbury (Wasps 50 caps)
5 Maro Itoje (Saracens 17 caps)
6 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints 64 caps)
7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins 62 caps)
8 Nathan Hughes (Wasps 13 caps)
Finishers
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs 4 caps)
17 Joe Marler (Harlequins 54 caps)
18 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins 8 caps)
19 James Haskell (Wasps 75 caps)
20 Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs 5 caps)
21 Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens 29 caps)
22 Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby 38 caps)
23 Mike Brown (Harlequins 67 caps)
Make multiple changes to the side, bring in a few new players, refresh the bench and yet leave the main area of the team crying out for change unaffected.
yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
is it part of a masterplan i’m missing?
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That’s a positive change in the back 3 and looks world class!
However, Mathieu Bastareaud is licking his lips and eating Ford for breakfast! Should be Faz at 10, teo 12 and JJ 13…
If Wigglesworth is in the squad he has to start, he’s not an impact player…
Same back row after the calcutta car crash? surely Simmonds should be starting at 7?
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Yes, I am a little underwhelmed – even though lots of people are saying how bold it is. Mike Brown and JJ dropped, Hartley not selected only because he’s injured, and otherwise pretty much the same.
Brown on the bench undermines the ‘Finishers’ concept a little, and that back row will have to be significantly better this week.
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My guess is given it’s Paris and a big arm wrestle up front Simmons is too lightweight and inexperienced compared to Lawes.Also heavy rain predicted.
Given all the changes in the backs dropping Ford is a step too far but glad he’s dropped jk.
It’s going to be very tight in every sense but a huge game in terms of consequences
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You do realise Simmonds & Robshaw are the same weight exactly!? only one is very fast, finds the try line with ease, is part of the team that tops the prem… the other one is Robshaw… haha! We need to stop this myth that Sam is lightweight, he breaks too many tackles to dubbed as such… Faz has missed the most tackles in the 6N, simply because he’s tackling for two with Ford there…. finish with Ford when Baster gets tired…
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The last stats I saw gave Robshaw as 17stone + and Simmons 15 1/2 stone.I believe EJ is expecting an arm wrestle in the wet and we need experience and brawn.I agree however that Simmons may be a better bet v Ireland.Horses for courses.And Eddies Win ratio indicates his selection is pretty good.He is a world class pro we are mere amateurs
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I also thought this to be the case, pretty sure it was shown during one of the pre-match buildups on TV. Simmonds is closer in stature to a centre rather than a back-rower.
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It’s nonsense to state that Farrell is tackling for two players.
For the most part Farrell’s missed tackles are caused by the aggressive, outside defensive system that England have been using.
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Lawes is a lock and Robshaw no 7. We were murdered at the breakdown against Scotland and will be again with that back row.
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My guess is the heavy rain means EJ is predicting a it to be a kicking game, with plenty of knock ons. If that is so, three second rows will be useful for line outs and scrums. If it isn’t, we might get a repeat of the Scotland match. Hopefully in the case of the latter, EJ won’t be adverse to making an early sub for Simmonds or Hask.
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We’ll never know, but maybe the team may have looked different if Underhill and Nowell were fit.
Haskell and Simmonds on the bench makes me think EJ may take one of the locks off early if he doesn’t see a significant improvement on last week.
Without Nowell, I think Brown on the bench makes sense. Daly hasn’t played much so may not last the 80. The alternative is to bring an untested player into the squad. Plus it might be nice to see a really riled up Brown come on for the last few mins, if that’s your thing.
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Love this: “it might be nice to see a really riled up Brown come on for the last few mins, if that’s your thing.”
And yes it is my thing, looking forward immensely to Mr Angry going mental for the last 15 or whatever minutes.
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Simmonds & Robshaw are the same weight exactly!? only one is very fast, finds the try line with ease, is part of the team that tops the prem… the other one is Robshaw… haha! We need to stop this myth that Sam is lightweight, he breaks too many tackles to dubbed as such… Faz has missed the most tackles in the 6N, simply because he’s tackling for two with Ford there…. finish with Ford when Baster gets tired…
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Seems very Eddie to keep the area of the team that was exposed the most the same, although with Underhill and Mercer being unavailable for this game and Simmonds only just returning from injury there’s a limit to how much he could do in truth, especially if he definitely feels Haskell at 7 would be a backwards step (and I agree on that). Getting to see Watson start at 15 in a genuine pressure game is good – sometimes you have to take the punt to see whether your worst fears are confirmed or allayed, either way you learn something. Bench looks much better in the forwards, less convinced about the backs. Brown and Joseph are probably there as insurance policies rather than game changers and Wigglesworth just doesn’t make sense as a replacement (with Youngs’ injury now being reported to be less serious than first feared – there’s talk he could be back as early as next month – it feels like such a wasted opportunity, but oh well.) Up to George and Cowan-Dickie to make sure Hartley’s enforced absence becomes a permanent one.
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Judging by comments by EJ this is a horses for courses selection taking into account the opposition and the expected weather and pitch conditions.I think we have to suspend judgement on the back row selection-with the injuries toUnderhill and Mercer and the fact that Simmons has onlyjust returned to playing and Hughes still regaining match fitness ,this selection was pretty much enforced-exprerimentation can wait for South Africa.
On the plus side Im glad to see LCD getting a go- he was tremendous last week and in my opinion a better loose player than George.
From what Ive seen so far it is essential that some players should take a rest this summer bearing in mind the work load from September.
In particular Mako,Maro and Courtney could do with a rest-We arenot exactly short of good quality frontand second rows.
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Happy to see Te’o start, and I like the look of the back three. Can’t help but feel underwhelmed again with the back row. Balance is just all wrong, especially with two players more suited to the 7 shirt than Robshaw sat on the bench.
If he likes Lawes at 6 so much, I honestly would drop Robshaw. We are calling out for more pace and breakdown work in the pack, Simmonds or Underhill need to be in.
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I’m not sure your last comment makes much sense. He may like Lawes but other than MV, Robshaw was about the only forward who could hold his head up after the Scotland debacle. Simmonds and perhaps Underhill may give you more speed – but work at the breakdown? Not in a month of Sundays
It’s not Robshaw’s breakdown work that needs sorting out – it’s the rest of the pack
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I realise we will never agree on Robshaw as i think you’re opinion of him is higher than his own family’s… however…
He is a 6. Only a 6, and forever a 6. When choosing someone to play 6 for England, I’d always go for Robshaw as I like his workmanlike abilities. It is workmanlike though, and I think Underhill and Simmonds offer more power both in the tackle and the breakdown.
In Jones, as it seems, wants a third lineout option at 6 and therefore wants Lawes there, then the answer has to mean Robshaw isn’t in the side. As I said, I’d play him and not consider Lawes as a flanker but Jones has different ideas.
Interestingly, I remember a Martin Johnson interview along with same ilk. Basically he said he only considered him as a 6, and at the time wanted a lineout option at 6 and therefore Croft was that selection.
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Love your comment Jacob, i suspect Pablito is Robshaw himself in disguise? quite how Robshaw can hold his head high after the calcutta car crash i do not know… ?
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Robshaw can hold his head high as he was one of the few England players to keep his standard high through the whole game.
Don’t be fooled by those who think that if a team is outplayed at the breakdown, then it is the fault of the player with 7 on his back. Professional rugby is not that simplistic.
The same back row nullified the Wales back row who had themselves thrashed Scotland at the breakdown.
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60 odd caps later I reckon that Robshaw is a more developed international than when Martin Johnson was in charge.
For a line-out 6 though, I suspect that poor Tom Croft would trump anyone.
To be clear, I would rather he played 6, but I do think there is a lot of unfair criticism of him.
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I don’t think it is about criticising Robshaw. I think he’s a very very good international player, but he isn’t a 7.
Also I don’t see anyone here laying all the blame at the breakdown on the 7 shirt. It is however if we have a backrow made of up three players considering slower across the ground than their counterparts.
My point was simply that Robshaw should only be considered at 6, and some coaches like a real lineout option at 6. Clearly Robshaw is a different player now than under Martin Johnson, but he hasn’t suddenly become a lineout ruling flanker.
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Jacob, there is no doubt in my mind that in their traditional roles, Robshaw is a better 6 than 7.
There is certainly an inference though, that Robshaw (at 7), should bear responsibility for Englands breakdown woes against Scotland (though not against Wales of course!).
Just in this articles comments;
“quite how Robshaw can hold his head high after the calcutta car crash i do not know”
“..I honestly would drop Robshaw. We are calling out for more pace and breakdown work in the pack, Simmonds or Underhill need to be in.”
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Actually Jacob, I get a fiver every time I big up Robshaw on here. So I’m on a winner.
His best position is 6, absolutely no argument there, but to say he’s ‘only and forever’ a 6 is demonstrably false.
62 caps for England, 62 starts, very rarely subbed. Win percentage 70% (82% in the 6 Nations). 43 caps as captain. Wins over every other Tier 1 country. Wins against some of the modern era’s greatest open-side flankers.
And 90% if not more, of the above acheived whilst playing with 7 on his back.
Your suggestion that if Lawes plays, Robshaw definitely shouldn’t is just strange. You don’t fix your breakdown problems by removing your best breakdown operator.
The problem against Scotland was not speed to the breakdown, it was engagement at the breakdown. Far too many rucks, both offensive and defensive, were lost whilst England forwards stood around watching, rather than attacking Scottish ball or defending English ball. Changing Robshaw to one of Underhill/Simmonds does not in any way fix that problem.
Interesting that you should mention Martin Johnson. England under him had much the same problems at the breakdown – which weren’t helped by playing Tom Croft, who whilst fantastic in the lineout and flashy on the wing, made England weaker in the tight.
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I’ve worked Jones’ dastardly plan out. As they say, ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’ and Eddie has been waiting since 2003 to get his.
Build our dreams and hopes up by creating an England team that can compete at the highest level. Take them to the brink of records.
But as everyone celebrates, start making strange decisions that would cause any other coach to be shellacked. Such as consistently playing a lock in the backrow against all evidence to the contrary or only ever choosing two scrum-halves…
Weaknesses that can then be taken advantage of by other teams like, say Australia in a World Cup….coached by none other than Eddie Jones himself!!!
Cue maniacal laughter! Cut to shot of Eddie grinning monstrously!
It all fell into place when I saw he’s being rumoured to take over from Cheika…
The game’s up Eddie!
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he had his 2003 revenge in 2007 with South Africa… clearly! He was technical advisor of the South African team
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So the main change here (not injury forced) is Brown and JJ out? Well Brown has been blowing a bit hot and cold so fair enough, JJ has not been himself but I still think T’eo is better at 12. T’eo and JJ should be given the chance to play together with Faz at 10. Maybe this weekend we will see that happen?
The continuation of playing Lawes at 6 is annoying but, against France maybe it won’t be quite such a catastrophe, especially if the weather is going to be that bad.
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Eddie has called for a brutal approach-remember how nz played in Dublin following their loss in Chicago.Hence the reason he has retained Lawes.
Farrell is the ideal man to set the example of the required aggression and I am hopeful he will be more effective leader than Hartley.It could be bye bye time to Dylan .
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FFS. The breakdown in test rugby, especially with England’s two sided attacking shape (2-4-2 for those in the know), means that it is a whole team responsibility.
The back row balance is off – except that it isn’t. England place a significant premium on their Line out as their primary attack opportunity that I understand Lawes continued selction – even if I don’t advocate it.
My dream world cup pack is: Mako, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Launchbury, Hughes at 6, Underhill at 7, Billy V at 8 – all because of the relentless ball carrying and linking capacity and they are all excellent at primary roles.
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Sorry Geraint , i see what you are saying but we had backs competing against forwards under Lancaster and it didn’t work then so why should it be different now? England’s back row is slow to arrive and strangely lacking in physicality when it does finally hove into view. Against the Scots, three forwards tried to get stuck in and secure ball : Launchbury, Robshaw and Itoje. The rest of them are quite happy to stand five yards off and react rather than pro act.
Either the game plan is wrong or the players are just becoming flat track bullies.
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Eddie had better have called this correctly or some serious questions will be asked. Another performance like the one v Scotland would throw all the hard work and achievements of the last year and a bit in the bin.
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