It’s strange how quickly opinions alter.
In Game One an established star is an automatic starter; by Game Two she is a back number, replaced by the latest favourite of the public and social media.
Here’s what may be close to the strongest starting Fifteen England can put out:
15 KILDUNNE 14 DOW 13 JONES 12 HEARD 11 BREACH 10 AITCHISON 9 HUNT 1 BOTTERMAN 2 ATKIN-DAVIES 3 MUIR 4 ALDCROFT 5 WARD 6 FEAUNATI 7 KABEYA 8 MATTHEWS
That means I’ve omitted two World Players of the Year from my first selection. And it includes players whom certain members of the public have condemned as being poor at tackling, weak in defensive positioning, slower than they used to be, and so on. You can’t please everyone all the time.
Thank goodness there’s a head coach they can throw the blame on.
John Mitchell’s stated policy is to establish two Fifteens. It contrasts with Simon Middleton’s earlier aim of finding at least four “world-class” players for every position. He may well have had his tongue in his cheek as he said it, but we got his meaning.
In line with Mitchell’s thinking, here’s an alternative XV:
15 SING 14 VENNER 13 SCARRATT 12 ROWLAND 11 MACDONALD 10 HARRISON 9 L. PACKER 1 CARSON 2 COKAYNE 3 BERN 4 GALLIGAN 5 TALLING 6 BECKETT 7 M. PACKER 8 P. CLEALL
Since I included other possible No 8s earlier (Aldcroft, Beckett, Packer, Talling, Ward), I can’t use them here; hence the inclusion of Poppy Cleall, who is currently persona non grata, for few reasons that I can understand.
Regrettably there are one or two injury absences.
I recently commented on Canada’s determination to win the World Cup . They are a fine squad, but in one crucial area they fail to match the Red Roses, player depth. Kévin Rouet is widening his pool, but match after match pundits remark on the strength of the English bench.
Down to brass tacks
Sarah Bern or Maud Muir at tight-head? Until the last couple of years Bern was the unquestioned choice. But now Muir is displaying a parallel range of skills, so the selectors have tricky decisions.
Lark Atkin-Davies or Amy Cokayne at No 2? The former gets the nod at present, but in the future? And Connie Powell and May Campbell are biting at their heels.
It’s (nearly) the same with No 10s: Holly Aitchison or Zoe Harrison? I add ‘nearly’, because Mitchell has opted pretty consistently for Aitchison (three starts for Harrison). I agree with his verdict, but there are plenty of critics, not all of them devoted Saracens’ fans, who protest strongly. There’s even more heated debate about No 15. Fans in and beyond Gloucestershire cannot understand why Emma Sing is not the automatic first choice. Remind me who is.
Then the centres: at present Tatyana Heard (12) and Meg Jones (13) are favoured. But what about Emily Scarratt and Helena Rowland? They would walk into most nation’s teams.
There’s even more competition in the back row. My choice above – (6) Feaunati, (7) Kabeya, (8) Matthews – might be most people’s choice, but that leaves (in purely alphabetical order): Abi Burton, Georgia Brock, Maisie Allen, Marlie Packer, Morwenna Talling and Sarah Beckett out in the snow.
Among them is the ex-captain, current vice-captain and owner of 109 caps. Even she, like Scarratt, has to fight for a place.
The Boss’s Policy
John Mitchell had his plan of campaign sorted before the start of the current Six Nations. It was likely to be altered only by injury, cards or an unexpected loss of form. He told his squad of his choices for the first two matches, then would do the same for the next two.
As we move through the week off, he has three matches left, against Ireland (12 April away), Scotland (19 April home) and France (26 April home).
It will be quite fascinating to see how he regulates his remaining picks. He could continue experimenting, looking for promising combinations, or focus increasingly on his chosen team. The latter is the likely one, as he doesn’t want to suffer an embarrassing loss to Les Bleues.
A side issue here: what will the attendance be at the Allianz? England’s last three matches there have seen the total decrease each time, an unexpected trend. The organisers and promoters are pulling out all the stops, but we can only hope for a larger gate again. It might help if France win their remaining games by large margins. They may, but I’m promising nothing. Gaëlle Mignot was in her best hectoring form before the Scotland match. I wonder how the players really react to this approach.
Latest news: Assia Khalfaoui, Romane Ménager and Joanna Grisez have all returned to the squad after injuries.
A Summer Break
For England an intriguing unknown persists: we haven’t heard of additional warm-up games through the summer. It’s a tidy gap between 26 April (end of the 6N) and 22 August (start of the RWC).
One difficulty is finding sensible opposition. In recent years the answer has been France, but that policy helped build up the Red Roses’ colossal pile of wins against them. The only other top- ranking nation within reasonable reach is Canada, but they have booked their tour to South Africa. If Ireland were to beat England in Cork next week, that could alter minds dramatically!
Extra matches would give more players the chance to shine, keep the engine running smoothly and vary the diet of training sessions, but will Mitchell keep the door wide open till he makes his final choice? Recent experience says he will.
