The Fresh Faces
- Paul Hill - having played for England U20's for two seasons, winning the Junior World Championship on one occasion in 2014, Hill has been the name on many pundits' lips as one to watch in the future. Northampton Saints recognised his potential, and snapped him up from Yorkshire Carnegie after he impressed on the international stage. A tighthead, Saints' scrums have benefited from his immeasurable talent when the rest of their game seems to have lost momentum this season. With Kieran Brookes suffering injury in the latter stages of December, Hill had a lot of pressure on him to fill the boots of a player already capped by England at senior level. He more than carried the weight, and Saints' forward pack benefited from the possession that dominance at the scrum awarded them. You should even watch out for his running skills, they might surprise you. A deserved England cap awaits him, most likely tomorrow from the bench, and at the age of 20 this is a huge achievement of real significance for his future. Brookes and Cole should expect some fierce competition for the number 3 shirt.
- Jack Clifford - another player who made a name for himself at U20 level, Clifford also won the Junior World Championship, as well as the Six Nations, in 2013 as captain of the squad. He is probably best described as a utility back rower, and has been capped by Harlequins in the 6, 7 and 8 shirt. After standout performances on the international stage, Clifford was earmarked as one for the future, leading to extended game time for Harlequins in the past couple of seasons. As a result, he threw his hat into the ring as a genuine contender for an England cap in the back row, something he is most likely to gain tomorrow, again from the bench. Although an exceptional talent, where his best position lies is still up for debate. Jones appears to see Clifford's long-term future in the number 8 position, if recent comments are anything to go by, however having to compete with the likes of Billy Vunipola is a tough ask, especially when coupled with the likelihood of Nathan Hughes representing England in the near future. In the short-term, he is likely to play at openside and hopefully he can impress enough to stay in this position, otherwise his future playing for England is uncertain if he continues to be viewed by the head coach as an 8.
- Ollie Devoto - yet again, we have a player who impressed at U20 level for England, also winning the Six Nations in the same year as Jack Clifford. He carried his form through to the following season in the LV= Cup for Bath, where he was voted Breakthrough Player of the Year for 2014. Described as a utility back, Bath mainly play him in the 12 shirt, but he has made appearances in the 10, 13 and 15 shirts. Notably, he played for England U20 as a fullback. Whilst his inclusion in the squad is predominantly down to Tuilagi's injury, Devoto is definitely another one to watch and has been for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, he has not had many opportunities to shine at Bath, in fact he has now signed for Exeter, but Jones clearly recognises talent when he sees it, and Devoto is now likely to receive his first England cap tomorrow (yes, from the bench), at the tender age of 22. The head coach has made no comments regarding where he sees Devoto playing long-term, but his ability to play in more than one position very well may help him stay in the England squad. However, with Jones' comments regarding players only having one particular position rather than moving around, Devoto's future in an England shirt is unknown.
Devoto being selected on the bench brings up the debate of whether Owen Farrell should be starting in the 12 shirt. He has played in this position before, however his talents are certainly best served in the fly-half position. Having excelled for Saracens in the 10 shirt this season, he looked to be odds on favourite to start there for England. There are no denying the talents of George Ford, but he has really struggled for consistency, and so it would have made more sense to bench him and start Farrell at 10 with Devoto at 12. Jones endorses Farrell at 12, believing him to have a strong defence as well as good distribution skills, but he can still utilise these as a fly-half. However, this selection does not really come as a surprise, particularly with Eddie wanting a young squad - Ford definitely fits that description, and does have international experience, albeit not as much as Farrell. It remains to be seen how Ford will go tomorrow, but if his performance is below par, which occasionally it can be, we very well may see him benched in favour of Farrell back in as fly-half.
Probably one of the bigger debates surrounding the squad comes with the selection of James Haskell at 7, particularity when Jones was very vocal about selecting a 'genuine' blind and openside. Everyone knows Haskell is a 6, but with Chris Robshaw taking that shirt, Eddie seems to have gone against his own wishes to ensure Haskell is on the field against Scotland. Considering that Matt Kvesic, who actually is a genuine openside, missed out in favour of Haskell despite having a very strong season, it is difficult to see where the head coach is coming from with this combination in the back row. Whilst Haskell has played in the 7 shirt before, most notably in New Zealand with the Highlanders for a season, he has never consistently demonstrated all of the qualities required for an openside flanker to be successful. Jones will be hoping Haskell's Wasps teammate, George Smith, has taught him a thing or two about turning the ball over at the breakdown in what will no doubt be a huge battle against the Scottish back row.
Now on to the most contentious selection in Jones' squad - Dylan Hartley as captain. We all know his disciplinary record by now, after all Sky News must have gone through it at least a thousand times on the day of the announcement, and so that will not be repeated here. What should be highlighted is his obvious skills in the line-out and scrums, as well as his natural ability to lead. After being named captain for Northampton Saints, the team went on to record achievements they never have done in their history, and hopefully he can bring this to England. He brings the feistiness and edge that England sorely need after a disappointing World Cup. Whilst Robshaw is a great player, his ability to captain England was bought into question more than once during his tenure, mainly because he was too much of a 'gentleman'. As a captain you need someone who can fire up the players and lead by example - Robshaw was not very vocal, and so did not always manage to pull this off. You also need someone who can make good decisions at crucial moments, and Robshaw failed to do this on at least one big occassion against Wales in the World Cup. Dylan Hartley is a controversial choice, but when taking into consideration what Jones has said he wants, he fits the mold perfectly.
Before signing off, just a quick reminder that the match kicks off at 16:50 on BBC One (you probably all knew this, but a little bit of housekeeping is always essential for these kinds of things). The squad, in case you do not know (and if you don't, where have you been?), can be found here - http://www.englandrugby.com/news/rbs-nations-england-team-face-scotland/.
Whatever the outcome tomorrow, it is sure to be a great match to kick off what is hopefully a successful Six Nations campaign for England.
Thanks for reading ruckers,
Thanks for reading ruckers,
Jess and Aaron.
Twitter: @JessKebbell @RuckMeGently
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