How did the Telegraph Team do in their Latest Examination?
The four experts, Fiona Tomas, Jake Goodwill, Charlie Morgan and Kate Rowan, predicted the Red Roses team to face France. How successful were they?
First Fiona Tomas
1 Vickii Cornborough
2 Lark Davies
3 Sarah Bern
4 Zoe Aldcroft
5 Abbie Ward
6 Alex Matthews
7 Marlie Packer
8 Poppy Cleall
9 Natasha Hunt
10 Zoe Harrison
11 Sarah McKenna
12 Helena Rowland
13 Emily Scarratt
14 Lydia Thompson
15 Ellie Kildunne
Well done! Fi gets her pack spot on; 8/8. That may prove to be the easy half of the exam.
But she scores less well in the backs, just 3/7. No credit, I’m afraid, for the right name in the wrong position.
She explains her thinking on two points:
‘Natasha Hunt will bring a calm head to the big occasion and edges it over Leanne Infante for the scrum-half shirt.’ And:
‘Helena Rowland should be allowed to thrive at 12, rather than full-back, where Ellie Kildunne will prove more of a threat.’
This is a common thread for all four examinees, Rowland at 12, Kildunne at 15. I’ll explain my thinking at the end.
Total 11/15
Next it’s Jake Goodwill’s turn to read Simon Middleton’s mind:
1 Hannah Botterman
2 Amy Cokayne
3 Sarah Bern
4 Zoe Aldcroft
5 Abbie Ward
6 Alex Matthews
7 Marlie Packer
8 Poppy Cleall
9 Leanne Infante
10 Zoe Harrison
11 Jess Breach
12 Helena Rowland
13 Emily Scarratt
14 Lydia Thompson
15 Ellie Kildunne
A decent effort, but he scores only 6/8 up front and 5/7 behind, with no credit for that positional change (Rowland), I’m afraid. Selection at the elite level is tough.
He argues the front-row problem like this:
‘England’s pack needs to be at its physically-imposing best to beat France which means Hannah Botterman and Amy Cokayne both start, despite lack of recent game time.’
And places Rowland at 12 to allow both her and Kildunne to show their paces after both performed well at Leicester.
Total 11/15
Third comes Charlie Morgan:
1 Vickii Cornborough
2 Amy Cokayne
3 Sarah Bern
4 Zoe Aldcroft
5 Abbie Ward
6 Alex Matthews
7 Marlie Packer
8 Poppy Cleall
9 Natasha Hunt
10 Zoe Harrison
11 Jess Breach
12 Helena Rowland
13 Emily Scarratt
14 Lydia Thompson
15 Ellie Kildunne
Charlie slips up like Jake over the No 2 shirt, otherwise his pack choice is the national favourite; 7/8. Out behind he scores 4/7, showing similar preferences to his colleagues. He argues:
‘The biggest calls come at inside centre, scrum-half and hooker. Helena Rowland deserves a shot in midfield, while the experience and technical prowess of Natasha Hunt and Amy Cokayne winning out in two more pivotal positions.’
Middleton disagrees on all three calls. It’s a tough life.
Total 11/15
Finally Kate Rowan, with her Irish impartiality:
1 Vickii Cornborough
2 Amy Cokayne
3 Sarah Bern
4 Zoe Aldcroft
5 Abbie Ward
6 Alex Matthews
7 Marlie Packer
8 Poppy Cleall
9 Leanne Infante
10 Zoe Harrison
11 Jess Breach
12 Helena Rowland
13 Emily Scarratt
14 Lydia Thompson
15 Ellie Kildunne
There’s a certain déjå vu about this final selection. Kate scores 7/8 up front; 5/8 in the backs. She explains her choice of hooker: ‘Despite limited participation thus far, Amy Cokayne starts at hooker with the excellent Lark Davis on the bench.’
Total 12/15
So Kate is the winner! Does that qualify her for the post of Senior Rugby correspondent for the Telegraph? It would be nice to think so.
My Thoughts, for what they are worth
They lack the bravery of appearing on thousands of breakfast tables:
Up Front
This series Middleton has consistently preferred Davies to Cokayne as hooker. Much depends here on how much time Cokayne has been able to spend in preparation at Bisham. She does have other duties. There is little to separate them otherwise.
As for Jake’s choice of Botterman at loose-head, I opted many weeks ago for Cornborough as my choice for the No 1 shirt for a World Cup final XV. Experience over youthful endeavour. But it was by the narrowest of margins, as it was this time too, no doubt.
This will be the first proper test for the pack in the tight since Louis Deacon came in as Forwards Coach.
No 8
In the known absence of the skipper there was universal harmony for the rest of the pack. But I had opted for Cleall at No 8 even in my RWC final, believing that the management would prefer her to the skipper when the crunch came to the crunchiest of crunches.
I used the choice of Cornborough over Rocky Clark in the 2017 final as past evidence of our head coach’s lack of emotion, when it came to a similar decision over an even more heavily capped player.
No 9
Middleton calls Infante the best scrum-half in the world, and I agree, though Laure Sansus is rivalling her now. That will be a key match-up in Bayonne. Hunt’s qualities are perfect as a finisher, upping a pace that has been too hot for a score of opposing sides.
Out behind
In the backs, there was exclusive preference for Kildunne at No 15, leaving Rowland at 12. I would have left those two positions as the selectors did – what, no evidence?! There is…
Middleton has been a long-term advocate of Kildunne since she was 15, when he first saw playing for Yorkshire at full-back.
But the selectors are probably concerned about one or two details in her play, under the heading ‘retention of possession’. All too often when she runs into contact, the ball is either lost or repossession is delayed. Her jinking runs tend to leave her too vertical as she meets the first tackle. Even her Try of Round Four showed problems: should she not have fed her winger?
Her all-round game-skills are so good that there can be few other reasons for keeping her on the bench for the last three matches.
Middleton’s choices allow him to employ Holly Aitchison as a midfield link. She is absent from the four lists above, but in his view and mine she has qualities that make her selection invaluable.
The management like to test out alternatives for each position. Over three matches (Wales, Ireland, France) Abby Dow (once) and Helena Rowland (twice) have worn No 15 in Kildunne’s place. If Dow hadn’t suffered her injury, who can guess how this final line-up would have looked?
