Two Saints line up to face Wales
By Saint Ted
August 9 2019
Piers Francis will start the game with Lewis Ludlam on the bench, Courtney Lawes won't be making an appearence this week
Eddie jones has also chosen to give Gloucester scrum-half Willi Heinz and Bath wing Ruaridh McConnochie their first starts in the England shirt, with Heinz being vice captain along with George Ford.
Harlequins centre Joe Marchant and Saracens hooker Jack Singleton also look to be making first appearences from the bench alongside Ludlam
England starting XV
15 Elliot Daly (Saracens, 30 caps)
14 Ruaridh McConnochie (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
13 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 22 caps)
12 Piers Francis (Northampton Saints, 4 caps)
11 Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 33 caps)
10 George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 55 caps) C
9 Willi Heinz (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped) VC
1 Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 9 caps)
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 11 caps)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 85 caps)
4 Joe Launchbury (Wasps, 58 caps)
5 Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 10 caps)
6 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)
7 Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 9 caps) VC
8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 41 caps)
Finishers
16 Jack Singleton (Saracens, uncapped)
17 Joe Marler (Harlequins, 59 caps)
18 Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs, 17 caps)
19 George Kruis (Saracens, 32 caps)
20 Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
21 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 85 caps)
22 Joe Marchant (Harlequins, uncapped)
23 Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby, 4 caps)
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Hope the Saints lads go well but otherwise I'd have hoped these last few games would be about honing rather than some completely new options - I suppose the flip side to that is potential injuries...…
I wonder how the 'Pooper' experiment will go playing Underhill and Curry together?
If you swapped in: Ashton, Te'o & Care to the starting line-up, & Robshaw & Cipriani to the bench, this would feel like an experienced England 2nd team, with experienced players who have been properly tested at international level.
The idea of having a bolter or two is great, but this squad is going to have too many in that category (potentially, McConnochie, Cokanasiga, Marchant, Francis, Heinz, Ludlam, Singleton) - all with less than 5 caps.
Quote:Londonsaint
Issue isn't the team selection (we were always going to rotate across these 4 warm up games), it's the squad selection.
If you swapped in: Ashton, Te'o & Care to the starting line-up, & Robshaw & Cipriani to the bench, this would feel like an experienced England 2nd team, with experienced players who have been properly tested at international level.
The idea of having a bolter or two is great, but this squad is going to have too many in that category (potentially, McConnochie, Cokanasiga, Marchant, Francis, Heinz, Ludlam, Singleton) - all with less than 5 caps.
Ashton ruled himself out, Te'o not good enough, Care & Robshaw past it, Cips ?
Quote:Londonsaint
Issue isn't the team selection (we were always going to rotate across these 4 warm up games), it's the squad selection.
If you swapped in: Ashton, Te'o & Care to the starting line-up, & Robshaw & Cipriani to the bench, this would feel like an experienced England 2nd team, with experienced players who have been properly tested at international level.
The idea of having a bolter or two is great, but this squad is going to have too many in that category (potentially, McConnochie, Cokanasiga, Marchant, Francis, Heinz, Ludlam, Singleton) - all with less than 5 caps.
I'll be shouting England on but sadly I completely agree.
Jones has messed up. Either Brown, Care and Robshaw were inadequate in the first place and should have been dropped years ago or they are adequate and he is choosing to give away 318 caps worth of experience (including Dylan's caps) knowing teams low on experience don't tend to do well at World Cups. I could understand it more if the preferred players were Lions quality players but players like Heinz simply aren't.
A few injuries and we'll have novices starting in knock out World Cup matches.
A few injuries and we'll have novices starting in knock out World Cup matches.[/quote]
What you mean a bit like Saints did last season which turn out to be quite successful.