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Six Nations 2020: How will breakdown changes influence England's back-row selection?

back-rowers - Getty Images
back-rowers - Getty Images

There was always going to be at least one high-profile casualty when it came to England’s back-row selection for these five autumn Tests.

Without wishing to rake up Monday’s debate, Eddie Jones obviously does not feel as though Sam Simmonds can adapt from the role he plays so well for all-conquering Exeter Chiefs.

Mark Wilson and Alex Dombrandt, both of whom attended England’s post-season training camps, fell by the wayside as well. The former, excellent in just about every one of his 19 caps so far, is apparently injured. Despite fantastic form for Harlequins, the latter appears not to have made the cut.

Courtney Lawes, effective at blindside flanker during victories over Ireland and Wales in March, is another absentee. And so, there are seven – Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Ted Hill, Lewis Ludlam, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola and Jack Willis – vying for four or perhaps five spots in the match-day 23 to face Italy.

“Flexibility” and “variety” were words uttered by England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot on Tuesday when pondering the plentiful options available. Jones lives by another one when it comes to picking his packs: balance.

PA - PA
PA - PA

In the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2019 and out in Japan, England were able to field Underhill and Curry in tandem because the young Sale Shark developed as a lineout jumper to help out his locks. Maro Itoje’s set-piece management in the semi-final win over New Zealand was phenomenal.

Proudfoot, Jones and defence coach John Mitchell – a designated mentor and strategist for the England back-rowers – will consider how a combinations of individual players will be able to cover requisite bases.

Here is a subjective, and primitive, way of assessing and depicting their respective strengths in three important areas of the game and how individuals might dovetail together:

Rugby
Rugby

Clearly, this does not tell the whole story. For simplicity, ‘disruptive defence’ is used in this instance as a catch-all category to include breakdown poaching – more on that later – and clattering tackles that force spills. Willis is more of a classic fetcher. Underhill is less adept in that facet but leads the line and often torpedoes carriers that come his way, causing knock-ons.

Billy Vunipola is not a one-trick pony, either, as the Venn diagram might imply. He will force turnovers every now and then. Although very rarely a target for throws, and therefore not classified as a jumper for this chart, he is a fine lineout forward; a mobile and strong lifter who also distributes crisply from the tail of mauls to launch strike-moves.

There are other nuances. Take carrying, for example. Curry and Earl are lively and dynamic in wide channels. Heavier men such as Hill are better suited to punching holes closer to breakdowns. You need a blend.

Positional fluidity is a hallmark of Jones’ squad, but the England coaching team will be bearing something like this in mind, too. Curry’s versatility shines through here, with Willis and Ludlam similarly resourceful:

positions
positions

Charlie Ewels came off the bench against Ireland to join the back row. Jones usually deploys two locks – Ewels and Joe Launchbury in England’s two Tests – rather than a pair of flankers when choosing a six-two split of forwards among the replacements.

Then again, he has previously earmarked Earl as an emergency wing. That theory will only really be verified with a spate of backline injury, but maybe it changes things. Either way, England’s head coach must be eager to evaluate Willis, a man he wanted to bring to South Africa in 2018. The 23-year-old is arguably in better form than he was back then, and the chief asset of his game is right in fashion.

As part of an interesting interview with the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast this week, Jones explained that team selection must respond to rugby union’s shifting tactical trends. At the moment, thanks to referees’ renewed focus on applying existing laws at the breakdown, jackalling has become a more valuable skill.

Jones even aimed a subtle dig in case Pascal Gaüzère, Nigel Owens or Romain Poite – the referees in charge of England’s next few outings – were listening. He suggested that, following a severe crackdown on standards immediately after lockdown, officials had started “allowing people to flop on the ball again” while in possession. England are preparing to compete ferociously at defensive breakdowns, it would seem.

Matt Cockbain - Reuters
Matt Cockbain - Reuters

Matt Cockbain, a rangy lock-cum-flanker who won his 63rd and last cap as a replacement in the final of Rugby World Cup 2003, was the man offered up as a comparison to Willis. In another media appointment, Jones stressed that the Wasps scavenging specialist would need more than his talents at the tackle-area. Jones has mechanisms for managing hype. Willis is a rounded player, as are his squad mates.

Tweaking line-ups and tailoring them to opponents is one of Jones’ hallmarks, and this gifted group of back-rowers lends itself to that habit. Italy struggled badly with ball retention against Ireland on Saturday. Where better than Rome to unleash Willis, if he is fit?

One last soundbite from Jones in his chat with BBC duo Ugo Monye and Chris Jones was this: “I’m hoping that tomorrow I find someone better than we’ve got now”. Such a meritocratic mindset, he said, keeps current players on their toes and ensures England stay in touch with tactical developments. Nowhere is competition fiercer than across the back row, and not for years has there been such an obvious sea change when it comes to how the game is officiated.

Because of the vast pool of players in the Premiership, Jones will never satisfy everybody. But he has done a reasonable job of introducing new faces and providing them with opportunities to upset the established order. It is up to those men to take any chance that emerges.