Part One
Who does John Mitchell choose for Twickenham?
France’s win against italy looks complete enough on paper (21-34), but on the field it was very different. Two late scores distorted the final margin of victory.
Then consider history weighing down on French shoulders, that long series of defeats at English hands. Their last victory was by a point in Grenoble in March 2018.
A Results Comparison
Ireland 15 France 27
Ireland 5 England 49
England 38 Italy 5
Italy 21 France 34
France 38 Scotland 15
England 59 Scotland 7
Wales 12 England 67
France 42 Wales 12
There are few signs here of a French renaissance, but they remain a team capable of sublime rugby.
Brass tacks
Mitchell’s side to face Scotland was part of a strategy to help decide the best combinations for the France match – and for yet more important games to come.
To my mind there are very few players who can be sure of a starting place. They are: Hannah Botterman, Lark Atkin-Davies, Zoe Aldcroft, Abbie Ward, Meg Jones, Abby Dow and Ellie Kildunne.
I’ll give you a moment or two to recover your peace of mind.
In other words, the alternative choices, however brilliant, face stiff competition.
Each in turn:
Botterman. Her competitor is Kelsey Clifford, with Mackenzie Carson now sadly crocked. Botterman’s scrummaging skills have advanced strongly since her first few caps. To them she adds handling and game-awareness of the first order. Take another look at the pass she offered her Sarries’ team-mate, Zoe Harrison, for her try against Ireland.
Atkin-Davies. For many years it was nip and tuck between her and Amy Cokayne, but over the past season or two she has established herself as the most complete No 2 in world rugby. England’s security at the line-out starts with her throw, and she has been scoring packets of tries throughout her career, starting at Worcester.
Aldcroft. The new captain, so John Mitchell has complete faith in her abilities. At present he is employing her at 6, but she may well return to the second row, given the options available in the back row. One of England’s four World Players of the Year.
Ward. The mistress of the line-out. She learned her trade alongside Tamara Taylor, a fine tutor, and soon distinguished herself. On the southern hemisphere tour of 2017 she scored a try against all three opponents. Her handling skills and all-round game awareness are exceptional.
Jones. As co-captain, her return from GB Sevens seemed unlikely, but her performances in Fifteens have displaced Emily Scarratt, England’s greatest ever player. Her leadership skills add to her CV. Opposing her in open play must be a nightmare.
Dow. Competition for the two wing slots has been tense ever since she, Jess Breach and Ellie Kildunne debuted together against Canada in 2017. Since then she has become the unquestioned first choice. Her ability to beat opponents doesn’t depend solely on speed; her hand-off is the deadliest in the team, reminiscent of Kat Merchant’s. Add to that the sharpest brain in the entire squad, plus an innate modesty and humour, and her rivals must yield.
Kildunne. Some still rate Emma Sing as the superior full-back. Unfortunately for them neither Simon Middleton nor Mitchell have shared their opinion. Middleton first spotted Kildunne as a 15- year-old playing in his home county Yorkshire. Her skills are more wide-ranging than many people realise. She might well have become the principal kicker, out of hand and off the tee. She has sharp positional sense, trustworthy hands and a productive left boot like Scarratt.
Then the competition
How do you separate Sarah Bern and Maud Muir? Till Muir gained her first cap as a 20-year-old against the Black Ferns, everyone would have imagined Bern being the automatic choice at tight- head. But now? You could even imagine Mitchell offering them half a game each and letting them toss a coin for first go.
Kelsey Clifford has impressed each time she has appeared and offers the team the huge advantage of playing 1 or 3 in the front row,
Amy Cokayne: I suspect only her other career as an RAF officer is holding her back. She had an astonishing playing record in her schooldays, made her England debut a decade ago and has notched up a remarkable 81 caps by the age of 28.
Rosie Galligan: one of several players to suffer really serious illnesses and injuries. She has fought her way back to prominence, and seems the likeliest partner to Ward, should the selectors wish to keep the captain at No 6.
Morwenna Talling has the advantage of playing in the second or back rows. But extreme versatility can be counter-productive, as Emily Scott, Harriet Millar-Mills and Sarah McKenna found in an earlier generation.
The back row: not for the first time the competition is ridiculously fierce; not even Marlie Packer can be sure of a starting place. She has to fight against Alex Matthews, Sadia Kabeya, Maddie Feaunati, Morwenna Talling, Sarah Beckett, Abi Burton, Georgia Brock and Maisie Allen – I place them very roughly in descending order of probablility, only slightly easier than distinguishing nine grains of sand.
Mitchell is no great respecter of age in rugby players, hence my doubts about the prospects for Packer, Hunt and Scarratt.
Matthews is my first choice at 8; I suspect she is Mitchell’s too, but he admires Feaunati’s youthful promise. Packer’s place is jeopardised by the presence of Kabeya, who has thrived despite playing for two clubs that disappeared from the big time, Richmond then Wasps. She benefited from playing alongside Sarah Hunter at Loughborough.
Mitchell can mix and match, but my current back-row pick would be 6 Feaunati, 7 Kabeya, 8 Matthews.
No 9: this is a more open house. Mo Hunt is the national favourite, but she is the grandma of the squad at 36, and I’ve expressed my concerns about her pass on a good few occasions. My sole reservation about Lucy Packer is her stature. She is as brave as they come, but cannot be expected to stop a powerful loose forward inches from the line the way Leanne Infante could. Her play has developed wonderfully over the past few years, enough for her to be my first choice.
The other options, Ella Wyrwas and Flo Robinson, remain outside bets. It’s not as if the Red Roses possess an obvious first choice of the quality of a Pauline Bourdon Sansus or Kendra Cocksedge. I sense that is one area of relative weakness. At least Claudia Macdonald has experience there.
No 10: the trickiest decision of the lot. Zoe Harrison has played outstandingly well in the white shirt, as cool a customer as you could wish in that pivotal position. Her kicking has always been top-drawer.
The competition came with the RFU’s withdrawal of Sevens contracts. Holly Aitchison had established herself as a key playmaker in England’s 7s squad. She switched to 15s, but at Sarries was second choice to Harrison. Hence her move to Bristol to challenge for the 10 shirt.
England really are spoilt for choice; both have such admirable talents. But for me it’s Aitchison’s breadth of skills, derived partly from her 7s days, that give her the nod. I suspect her all-round game suits Mitchell’s wishes more closely.
We can now see the care with which he set about deciding the issue. He played Helena Rowland at 10 in the first round, Harrison in the next two and Aitchison in R4. The players were told his choices early on. As with Bern and Muir, he might as well offer the pair 40 minutes each.
Centres: Jones is a home banker at 13, and for me Tatyana Heard is the ideal 12. She plays a vital role in the English back-line, willing to drive hard at the opposition and gain ground. Her passing reaches the heights of a Rachael Burford, helping to ensure the wide backs don’t starve. She links wonderfully with Aitchison to upset defence lines.
Mitchell has twice employed Jade Shekells there, aware of the need for a strong back-up. She has done very well. Her problem, as with so many others, is the limit of 30 invitations to the grand ball. Mitchell mentioned a forwards/backs split of 18/14, as if his mind is made up. Like Middleton eight years ago (Poppy Cleall replaced the injured Emily Scott), he might have second thoughts and add another forward. Either way, places among the backs will be few and hard won.
Versatility is the other key. That is why Helena Rowland’s place in the RWC squad should be secure, but it’s a different matter offering her a start each time.
It’s evident with the wingers too: apart from Macdonald’s experience at No 9, both Dow and Jess Breach have played many games at 15, though only Dow for England. Fans can be hypercritical of individuals when there is such a variety of choice. Breach is now under the cosh for her alleged weakness in defence. For me her abilities ball in hand far outweigh any perceived frailties elsewhere. Her footwork is pure delight.
Claudia Macdonald is another to make a wonderful comeback from debilitating injury. She is now the favourite to take the 11 shirt; happy the team that has such richness of choice.
There is a hallowed tradition of a left-field option making an RWC squad. With the Red Roses that seems perfectly possible. Every member of the current 6N squad and the 32 contracted players could make a positive contribution to the cause. Injuries are always an unwelcome guest; loss of form much less likely. It’s the balance of the 30 players that will help decide the final selection.
For the France game I place my head on the chopping-block with this 23:
1 Botterman 2 Atkin-Davies 3 Muir 4 Aldcroft 5 Ward 6 Feaunati 7 Kabeya 8 Matthews 9 L. Packer 10 Aitchison 11 Macdonald 12 Heard 13 Jones 14 Dow 15 Kildunne
16 Cokayne 17 Clifford 18 Bern 19 Galligan 20 Talling 21 Hunt 22 Harrison 23 Rowland
