Let's just get straight into it and see who you have chosen!
Loose-head Prop: Alex Corbisiero
Corbs leads the way in this category by a relatively big margin. He is a great loose-head prop, probably the best in the country when he is not injured, and there is no denying that - but I feel that his limited game time after coming back from injury will serve to get him a place on the bench, rather than in the starting 15. Personally I went for Joe Marler, who came second in this category. He is on superb form for Harlequins this season, despite the fact that the team is perhaps not having their best season so far. His 26 caps for England cement his place in the squad, and it will be hard for Lancaster to look past him for the starting position. There were a few votes for Alex Waller, which shows that people do consider him to be good enough to try and push for the shirt, and I agree - he was on fire last season for Saints, and he has carried this on in the current season. It would be great to see him get on the bench for a couple of the Six Nations matches, and show Lancaster what he is made of.
Hooker: Dylan Hartley
Say what you like about Hartley and his disciplinary problems, but he topped this category by an exceptionally large margin. It just goes to show you that, despite what he has done, people still consider him to be the best hooker in the country, and England would sorely miss him if he was not to make it into the setup. Everything about Hartley's game is solid - his line-out successes are always amongst the best around, and he is a vital part of what makes the Saints' scrum incredibly dominant. This shows itself in his 61 caps for England, the most in the current squad. There is talk that Lancaster should leave him out of the squad as a way of punishment but, judging by this poll, that is only a minority view. There were some votes for Rob Webber and Tom Youngs, and I personally would like to see Webber get the replacement spot. Bath are clearly on great form this season, and Webber is no exception - he should easily be able to push for that bench spot ahead of Youngs.
Tight-head Prop; David Wilson
Wilson is an excellent choice for tight-head prop, and his win margin was an accurate reflection of this. He is on fine form for Bath, and would be my choice in the England starting 15. His 41 caps for England are testament to how well he has played over recent years, and he should be Lancaster's favourite for this position. There were quite a few votes for Cole, which is perfectly understandable - he is consistently good for Leicester, however he maybe has not had enough game time since coming back from his long injury to overtake Wilson. Kieran Brookes also got a few votes and, whilst he probably won't be at the forefront of Lancaster's mind right now, he certainly will be within the next couple of years. He is playing very very well for Newcastle this season, and this clearly shows itself via the interest from other clubs, such as Northampton, who wish to make him a part of their squad, and also through the fact that Newcastle this season are playing some of their best rugby in a long time.
Locks: Courtney Lawes and Dave Attwood
The amount of votes for these two was humongous, and it's not at all surprising. Lawes has, as usual, been amazing this season and is, in my opinion, the best lock in the country right now, and by a fair distance I might add. Attwood has been superb for Bath in the last couple of seasons, and this has carried on into his England performances, in particular the Autumn Internationals of last year. There were also a fair amount of votes for Launchbury and, injury permitting, he could easily make into the starting 15, most likely in the place of Attwood, leaving him at 4 and Lawes at 5. We all know that Lawes and Launchbury make an impeccable pairing in the England setup, but I personally would love to see what Lawes and Attwood can do in the Six Nations.
Blind-side Flanker; Tom Wood
It is not at all surprising that Wood hands down topped this category. He is a supreme player in all facets of his game right now, and there is no conceivable way that I can see Lancaster picking anybody else in the starting 15. There were a good amount of votes for Calum Clark, however I'm not sure if I can see him making it into the starting 15. This is not because I don't think he is good enough because, trust me, he is. The reason for this is that, as captain, Robshaw will always be the first choice 7, leaving Wood as number 6. Wood is too good to not get that starting shirt at 6, and so Clark will most likely only ever be able to get the bench spot. I don't think that this is a fair reflection of how well he has been playing, but that is how it must happen with Robshaw as captain.
Open-side Flanker: Chris Robshaw
Obviously Robshaw won this category being England captain, however he did not win by that big a margin. Personally, this does not surprise me. I may ruffle some feathers by saying this, but - Robshaw is not in the best form and, if he was not captain, I would not have him in this position. Do not get me wrong, he plays very well for England and he is a great captain most of the time, but I would love to see James Haskell starting ahead of Robshaw. I'm not the only one that thinks this because Haskell came in a very very close second in this questionnaire, and is on the form of his life for Wasps right now. The problem is that there is no way that Lancaster will not pick Robshaw, and so I only see Haskell getting the replacement jersey rather than that starting number 7.
No. 8: Ben Morgan
Whenever Morgan plays for Gloucester or England he is excellent, and he did win this category by a fair amount of votes. Lancaster should have Morgan in his mind right now as a potential starting no. 8, and I would not be surprised if he did make it in. However, there were some votes for two other players in particular - Thomas Waldrom and Steffon Armitage. Waldrom would not be a bad choice - he has been playing out of his skin for Exeter this season, and I am expecting to see him at least on the bench at one time or another in the Six Nations. But now we come on to the big debate - does Lancaster use Armitage? I personally did vote for Armitage in this category - I cannot see how anyone can look past his talent when making their squad selection. I must say that I do understand where people are coming from when they say that he shouldn't play for England as he doesn't live over here. But I just think that it is such a waste of Armitage's amazing talent. So yes, I do think that Lancaster should use the exceptional circumstances clause and have Armitage in the Six Nations - although it is completely unlikely that he will do so. All I can hope for is that Armitage signs for an English club for next season, and that he can then play his way into the England World Cup squad.
Scrum-half: Danny Care
Care was the clear favourite for this position, and I too voted for him in this category. He always brings his best when he is in that England shirt, and I am sure that Lancaster has him in mind for that starting 9 spot. Whilst his Premiership form has arguably not been up to his usual standard, he has not dropped enough in my opinion to not be Lancaster's first choice. Lee Dickson did get a couple of votes, however he is not on his best form right now, and so cannot really push for any more than that bench spot.
Fly-half: George Ford
This category was one of the closest out of them all, which makes sense seen as there is an on-going debate as to who should get that England shirt. Ford won by only one vote, with Myler right behind him, and I must admit that, when I came to vote in this category, I was really unsure as to who to go for. They are both worthy of that starting position for different reasons. Ford is clearly the up-and-coming talent in the Premiership right now, and he does have a hell of a boot on him. Lancaster clearly thinks of him as the 'future', and it is understandable that he would be chosen as the 10 for England in order to allow him to keep growing. However, Myler is probably the best 10 in the country right now. His kicking and game management are second to none, and that is why he just pips Ford in my opinion. The Saints play much much better when he is on the pitch, and they would not get as many wins without him - this is why I remain confused as to why Lancaster does not select him, at least in order to put him on the bench. Hopefully Lancaster will see the error of his ways and, who knows, we may see Myler in an England shirt in the Six Nations.
Left-wing; Jonny May
May was the clear favourite in this category, winning by a tremendous amount of votes. He has played exceptionally well for England, particularly in the Autumn Internationals, and that must keep him as the first choice for Lancaster. There may be some questions over his defence capabilities, but you cannot deny that his attacking prowess is amazing. There were some votes for Strettle, who came in second, and he has been on good form this season. But May's performances for England must mean that, if he is picked, he will be getting the starting jersey with Strettle potentially getting a bench spot.
Inside Centre: Luther Burrell
Burrell dominated this category, adding significant weight to the debate that he should be the first choice for that 12 shirt. However, this position seems to be where Lancaster appears to lose the plot - how he could select Farrell above Burrell astounds me. Luther is better in every facet of the game than any 12 in the Premiership right now, and there is no way that he should be missing from that squad come the Six Nations. I mean, what else does the guy have to do?! There were a couple of votes for the likes of Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond, with me personally wanting to see Eastmond get that bench spot and the chance to show everybody what he can do. But if Lancaster doesn't pick Burrell I may just sit in a corner and cry for the whole Six Nations screaming WHY at the top of my lungs.
Outside Centre: Manu Tuilagi
This was another extremely close category, with Tuilagi just coming out on top. He is definitely one of the best players in this position, and England should be including him in the setup. He is a great attacking force, and is not that bad in defence! The player that got close to Manu in the vote was Henry Slade. Slade has been amazing this season, and it would be great to include him in the England squad. People do believe that he would be better at 10, however because we already have Ford as the likely player in at 10, having Slade in at 13 could be a really good option.
Right-wing: Christian Wade
This was yet another close call for this position, with Wade only just being the most popular choice. I myself would pick Wade, purely because his attacking form when he has the ball in hand is phenomenal. Yes, his defence may be sketchy at best, but it is hard to ignore someone as good as him when it comes to breaking the line and scoring tries. A couple of people suggested maybe having Jack Nowell on the wing, as well as Semesa Rokoduguni, however Wade is class on the field, and hopefully he is up there as first choice. In terms of the bench, Roko would be my choice, and I would love to see him try and better his one and only performance that he has already had for England.
Fullback: Mike Brown
It was tight between Brown and Foden, with Brown winning by one solitary vote. I myself went for Foden because, looking at recent form, he is playing better than Brown. However, Brown has of course been the first choice number 15 for a while now, and so it is hard to overlook him. But I believe that the tides are turning, and that it is now Foden's chance to show Lancaster what he can do in that 15 jersey. Brown is a great player and, whilst he has not been on his best for for Quins lately, he does bring it when he plays for England so I am expecting Lancaster to choose Brown as his first choice, and that Foden will hopefully get that bench spot.
Thank you to everyone that voted, and I hope you all enjoy watching the Six Nations in just under a month's time!
Keep calm and ruck on!
Jess.
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