All the six staffs have three goals in mind as they approach a new Six Nations: the first round, the campaign as a whole and the World Cup beyond.
Let’s say John Mitchell has his eye firmly on that last one.
Nobody could have guessed the 23 he has selected for the Italy game. The good news is that he has thrown off any concerns about possible losses – remember them? – and given a host of new players and previous one-cap wonders their chance to show their worth.
The team
15 Sing, 14 Venner, 13 Scarratt, 12 Aitchison, 11 Macdonald 10 Rowland, 9 M. Packer, 1 Clifford, 2 Cokayne, 3 Muir, 4 Galligan, 5 Ives Campion, 6 Aldcroft (captain), 7 M. Packer, 8 Feaunati
16 Campbell, 17 Botterman, 18 Bern, 19 Ward, 20 Kabeya 21 F. Robinson, 22 Shekells, 23 Kildunne
If you predicted that choice, you go straight to the top of the class.
Mitchell gives the backs another twirl, moving Aitchison to 12 and giving Rowland another outing at 10.
Up front Kelsey Clifford shows her value to the squad by switching across to the loose-head, no easy business. It will be interesting to see how dominant the new second-row pairing can be. Fortunately 4 and 5 haven’t been the strongest suit for the Azzurre.
Maddie Feaunati is given another chance to show her suitability for the No 8 role, allowing the new captain a bit more open air at 6 to see what is really going on beyond the pack.
I was concerned that a XV of this type might appear discourteous to the opposition, but the time for such niceties is well past.
So the policy is to take the long-term view, to keep some of the powder dry for later in the series. Players who don’t appear at all in the 23 include Mo Hunt, Abby Dow, Meg Jones and Zoe Harrison. their turn will come. As usual the bench looks formidable.
England’s performances against the Azzurre have grown stronger and stronger. I don’t like one-sided matches. With this starting Fifteen, it may take a while for the white machine to start whirring smoothly, but the second half should prove decisive.
