A quick look at the provisional EPS backs

SH

Care, Robson, Simpson, Youngs B

One of the biggest causes of bellyaching about the selection to tour Australia was the presence of only two scrum-halves.A great many England fans have run out of patience with the continued flaws in the games of Danny Care and Ben Youngs and consequently were quite disgruntled to see them given the run of the place during the summer. By naming Wasps duo Joe Simpson and Dan Robson to the squad, Eddie Jones is now threatening to end the duopoly that's dominated the England scrum-half shirt for the last six years.

Until we see a match day squad though, it is only a threat. Youngs and Care will look at Simpson and Robson and they will not be terrified. Simpson has always been birds of a feather with Youngs and Care - electrifying break, ramshackle basics. That he has improved recently in the last couple of years is beyond doubt but whether he's now a better choice for England isn't. It is not a coincidence that his upsurge in form has come with Wasps renaissance as a side. Dan Robson too is a beneficiary of this new machine. Everyone thought he had potential at Gloucester but the calls for him to be an international only truly took off at Wasps. He probably has the best combination of passing and kicking out of any English scrum-half in contention but that does not mean he is the complete article. The Saxons' second test in South Africa showed that.

A few political commentators have described their 2015 vote for Corbyn as being "not for the surfer, but the wave". It is an analogy that works well in rugby. The team's form is the wave. The individual player is the surfer. All four scrum-halves have put in some fantastic performances at every level they've played but, as is perhaps traditional for the position, have form for going badly missing when things get a bit messy. They are surfers, utterly dependent on the team to make the wave for them. For a player to beat the Youngs/Care duopoly, they will have to prove they are more. Simpson probably isn't. Robson maybe will be. Until someone improves on them it will be the same old story - England winning most of their matches, the scrum-halves vilified as inadequate. There are worse places to be.

FH

Farrell, Ford

From one big complaint of the summer to another - the lack of Cipriani.

Look, there isn't a lot to be said about Ford and Farrell at this point. We know what we're getting, even if there are disagreements on what exactly that is. There have been some very big criticisms of both players (guilty as charged here) but they are both definitely capable enough. The main question therefore is what happens if one or both were to get injured.

Currently the squad suggests the plan is Henry Slade. His professional rugby experience to date is mostly in the centre. He has done enough at fly-half to suggest he could be a future international there but it would be a very brave man who played someone with his limited experience as their third choice fly-half. This 45 man squad seemingly only has two fly-halves.

So why not Cipriani? If not him, then why not Freddie Burns, who was back to his best for Leicester prior to getting injured. They are both international class fly-halves; its not like they'd be including a no-hoper just to make the numbers up. It seems likely Jones is very deliberately focusing everything on Ford and Farrell, but would having a third fly-half around really be such a distraction? Is having that extra forward around really worth the risk that we'll thrust out an unprepared player should both fly-halves get injured? The chances of that happening are small, but not so small as to be completely ignored.

The decision to omit Cipriani (or like player) is confusing. Hopefully it will not be damaging.

C

Daly, Farrell, Joseph, Marchant, Slade, Te'o, Tuilagi

This is a lot of centres.

The easiest to comment on are the speedsters. Joseph has the shirt, Daly deserves a crack at it, Marchant is a very exciting prospect for the future. The only real note of interest here is that the presence of Marchant would seem to indicate Jones has committed fully to the idea of a speedster at outside-centre.

The question mark is over inside-centre. Farrell has the shirt. There is no pressing "move or lose" reason for him not to have it. Plenty of good reasons, but nothing argument clinching. The presence of Henry Slade says a playmaking centre is more than a convenience. But playmaking is the second last word we'd associate with Tuilagi and Te'o, coming right after small.

Does Jones know how best to use these centres? Was Burrell's first test start a reflection on Jones' desire for physicality or a temporary loss of faith in Ford? Tuilagi didn't make the tour, Te'o missed training days before the first test due to injury. Would things have been different if they'd started that first test? Eight tests in and it feels like England are still somewhat in flux in this position. How does this end?

The most likely answer for now seems to be Farrell at 12 with Te'o or Tuilagi on the bench. Such a move would give England a lot of flexibility and a difficult to cope with Plan B. You could easily reverse that and have the big man start too. But what if Jones continues his love affair with the 6-2 bench? You could cover the whole back-line with only one centre but a back three man seems more likely.

In summation, the selection seems reminiscent of Lancaster's days. An awful lot of possible answers for playing in the centres but very little certainty and very little appetite to test them. Hopefully the situation will start to resolve itself in the autumn. 

WI

May, Nowell, Rokoduguni, Watson, Yarde

Not a good EPS if your name began with C. Ashton has dropped from EPS to Saxons to potentially not involved at all in just a few short months. Its a bit early to say anything definite about whether he's done but it would no longer be a surprise. Similarly, if Wade never gets a chance to show his skills on the biggest stage it will be a crying shame, but no longer a shock.

That cannot be stated with absolute confidence as all the players named have something of the curate's egg to them. The four of them not named Semesa Rokoduguni have all shown top drawer attacking ability and considerable defensive weaknesses. Its always a struggle to defend a wing once the opposition have created space and numbers, but Watson and Nowell made it look particularly hard this summer. May is usually good in those situations but has not always completed his tackles. Marland Yarde possibly combines the worst of both worlds.

Rokoduguni - arguably the most dangerous of the five at Premiership level - has had less chances at international level. One of them in fact. That time he was very solid in defence and forgotten about in attack. He could be the best of them but at the age of 28, Jones is unlikely to be patient with him. It happens very soon or not at all.

Wing is a position waiting for talented players to add that extra 10% and nail down the shirt. Watson has come closest and will almost certainly start this autumn, but an indifferent summer has hauled him back a little. However, while we wait for the perfect player, there is at least plenty of pace and power to be going on with. Cast your mind back to the time of Cueto, and reflect just how much worse it could be.

FB

Brown, Goode, Haley

Last but not least, the full-backs.

A considerable number of England fans would like Mike Brown dropped. The steady flow of small mistakes is eroding trust and concentrating attention on the flaws in his game. His lack of pace and linking play are both held up on these occasions. His strengths - the ability to make ground and contribute to try scoring chances - are often overlooked. 

The problem with replacing Brown is every player must be replaced by someone better and Alex Goode has never shown himself to be that man. Maybe the times have a-changed and... well, maybe not. There's a lot of words on Alex Goode on this blog. More seem unnecessary until such time as Goode is on a pitch in an England shirt.

So if neither are happy* options - which may be an overstatement, particularly concerning Brown - then who? Anthony Watson? There's an interesting case to be made there but Mike Haley might be about to put a spanner in the works there. He backed up a strong season for Sale with an outstanding first test for the Saxons in South Africa before getting injured early in the second. He has shown every desirable trait at least in glimpses - pace, elusiveness, kicking, taking the high ball, linking - and at the age of 22, is still improving. With it possibly preferable to keep Watson's finishing ability out wide and few other young Englishmen getting regular time in the position, there is a window of opportunity opening if Haley is good enough to take advantage of it. We will see how highly Jones rates him but right now, Haley looks like to be one of the most exciting players in the EPS.

*It must be conceded that happy is very rarely a good adjective to use in connection with Mike Brown.