England’s back-row form guide

David Skippers

With the Premiership restarting last weekend after an enforced five-month break, James While looks at the options England have in the back-row.

If we roll back the clock four years, England’s back row riches were at straining level. Gone was the production line of excellence that had seen players like Roger Uttley, Peter Winterbottom, Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard Hill and Lewis Moody fill the England breakaway units with world-class excellence in successive generations.

But now, the back-row stocks are piled as high as beer barrels at Weatherspoons. The Premiership at the weekend saw blistering performances from a number of contenders and, looking back at the World Cup, the notion of the ‘Kamikaze Twins’, Sam Underhill and Tom Curry, with Billy Vunipola at eight, was both a huge strength and weakness of the English team. There is a need to rebalance: a lineout force or two, a powerful but quick eight, and a need to react to the stricter ruck interpretation that will favour athletes. Planet Rugby took this opportunity to examine the formbook and look at the stars in possession and the starlets set to challenge.

The current pack

Tom Curry: No question here, Tom Curry is one of the best two or three flankers in the world. His workrate and power are exceptional, his rugby intellect outstanding and his ability to play across the back-row means whatever the game, he starts. The ruck interpretations will see him thrive, whilst his carrying improvement and decision-making means his experiment at number eight might yet become a full-time reality. PR Prediction: Nailed on starter, but what position is anyone’s guess.

Sam Underhill: A machine at tackle and breakdown, gifted with bravery and pace, Underhill comes into the equation purely as a seven. He is first and foremost a destroyer, although he must be the only man to have crossed the tryline four times for his country and yet to be awarded a try! His biggest issue is that he and Curry together are slightly imbalanced, especially if Billy Vunipola continues at eight. PR Prediction: A definite in a match-day 23 but his biggest rival is his partner in crime, Curry.

Courtney Lawes: The biggest question here is longevity. Lawes has specialised his training to predominantly become a flanker as opposed to a lock and he’s been absolutely superb for the last three seasons, whether as a Lion, Saint or a Rose. His workrate and tackle count are outstanding, he offers lineout balance but there’s question marks over his support play, evidenced by only eight tries in his entire professional career. Eddie Jones needs to decide if age is on Lawes’ side. PR Prediction: Lawes will be in the mix and will, on a personal level, be seeking his second Lions tour. He is the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of England’s back five but we do believe there may be better options emerging.

Billy Vunipola: The simple truth is, play Vunipola and you commit yourself to slow contact rugby with a compromised lineout. The Saracens number eight has been a shadow of his former self on the pitch for some time now. His fragility is worrying, but most concerning were his ill-timed comments about ‘having his head in the clouds’ at the World Cup. Come on, Billy, you’ve got 60 caps, you’re not a kid, and if you can’t get ‘on point’ for the biggest tournament in the world, then you’re letting yourself, your teammates and your nation down. Frankly, those words may well cost him his England place as Eddie is not one to suffer fools and that, bluntly, was bloody foolish. PR Prediction: England need to move on from the Billy-Ball fascination. His positives are outweighed by the negatives and, if he’s to be included at all, it’s off the bench as a portable wrecking ball. For that to happen, he needs also to stop talking rubbish and making excuses for his recent mediocrity.

Mark Wilson: Brilliantly versatile, a proper lineout option, powerful carrier and a specialist in the big turnover under pressure, Wilson has put in ream after ream of international quality performances without ever nailing down the start. He is the Chris Woakes of rugby; so nice and so versatile he’ll ft into the team need without hesitation or complaint. PR Prediction: A Lions tour would be a perfect swansong for this craftsman of a player. Desperately unlucky not to have started the World Cup final, the craggy Cumbrian has it all but age is not on his side.

Lewis Ludlam: Although physical and combative, Ludlam doesn’t possess the all-court game of other contenders and lacks any clear definition of the brand of rugby he plays. He leapfrogged a few to get to Japan, but has been pretty mediocre since he’s returned. Yes, he’s a decent lineout option but his lack of personal rugby brand may see him drop out of the reckoning as the competition hots up. PR Prediction: A casualty of the increased competition for selection, it’s unlikely Ludlam will pressure the incumbents or outplay the new kids on the block. Dropped.

Ben Earl: In the England sprint tests, only Jonny May is quicker over 60 and 100m than Earl. Short for his favoured position of eight, his dynamism and game-changing qualities may yet see a prolonged run. His nose for the tryline is a gift indeed and he is the ultimate option for England off the bench, but Curry and Underhill are both ahead of him as sevens right now. PR Prediction: If he can cope with his lack of inches and size, we will see his star shining brightly for England and he’ll get every opportunity. The big question is: which is his optimum position?

The challengers

Jack Willis: Had he not stuffed his knee before the South Africa tour in 2018, he’d already have a host of caps. Not one single flanker gets the press box and pundits rattling quite like the Premiership’s turnover king and his all-round ability, complete game and nose for scoring tries in any condition puts him right at the front of the queue. If picked at six, he rebalances a lot of the imbalance we alluded to. PR Prediction: Magnificent in every aspect of his play, a total nuisance at breakdown and full of rugby nous, we may just finally have found the heir to Richard Hill’s crown at blindside and is also a strong option at seven. The key word is balance and, if fit, he’s in.

Alex Dombrandt: Nobody polarises opinion on social media quite like ‘The Dom’. Nobody doubts his intellect, his finishing or his running lines. They’re currently the best in the game and he hurts good sides. But his defence, workrate and fitness have a lot of work to do to match the best around. PR Prediction: When you see a talent like this, you have to give him a shot. Get him into the environment, see if he can answer the criticisms and respond to the challenges Eddie will give him.

Ted Hill: Big Ted is a machine. A massive 6’5” mobile force of nature, his workrate, leadership and intellect has attracted praise from every side. With him responding well to the captaincy role at Warriors, he adds another style of option at six, with the ability to also play at lock or eight. PR Prediction: Versatile, intelligent and huge. What’s not to like? He’s right in the mix of the contenders, but he’s got stiff completion from the incumbents and Willis.

Zach Mercer: Like Dombrandt, Mercer polarises opinion. His footwork, pace and mobility are not in question, but there are doubts over his workrate and power in the tight exchanges found at international level. It’s said he’s gained 4kgs of muscle over lockdown and he was exceptional at Bath on Saturday. It’s time to give him his head; talent like this comes around rarely and we need to be considering the things he does that no-one else can do, rather than the things he doesn’t do well. PR Prediction: If Mercer nails the tight game and defence down, he’s right in the mix. It’s crossroads now and it’ll be between him and Dombrandt for the back-up eight shirt.

Brad Shields: While some may shake their heads at the inclusion of the former Hurricane, there’s elements of his game that are absolutely best in class. His self-recycle time, craftsmanship in the tight and lineout, combined with a serious leadership style and deep understanding of the game, means he’s always going to be a robust option. He’s only 29 now and he looks absolutely at his best when at eight. Another couple of performances like he produced on Sunday may still see him in contention.PR Prediction: He may not quite have enough X-factor for international rugby, but few are more reliable and even fewer have such a deep CV of leadership. Jones is said to like Shields greatly; he won’t be in the initial plans, but it’s great to know he’s around if needed.

Nathan Hughes: On his day, he is a force of nature like no other. The only problem is, we never quite know when that day is or how often it occurs. Able to play at eight or at lock, if we could take his best and rely upon him delivering then there would be no debate as no other option offers the complete package Hughes does. PR Prediction: Sort his fitness, consistency and desire out, and he’s there. He’s at a crossroads now in his career and the route his takes is his decision – nobody doubts the talent.

Sam Simmonds: Electric pace, quick feet and a nose to score sums up the diminutive Exeter number eight. His try-scoring record speaks for itself and at club level, he’s a serious threat. But does he truly have the all-round back-row skill set needed for international rugby? The jury is very much out, especially when balance is the key word for England’s blueprint for success. PR Prediction: There’s a lot of competition at eight and there’s also many reasons not to pick Simmonds over the new emerging stars of Mercer, Earl and Dombrandt. This comes down to form. If he delivers, he’ll be there, but right now he’s behind those mentioned.

Our England back-row: If we roll forward to October, assuming all are fit, we believe Jones will start with a combination of Willis, Curry (8) and Underhill, with Earl and possibly Vunipola off the bench and Mark Wilson retained to cover everyone and everything. However, by the end of the year, options and combinations will be tried and as things develop, the balanced line-up we’d like to see is: 6. Ted Hill. 7. Jack Willis 8. Tom Curry, with Underhill and Mercer off the bench.

By James While

 

England