Creating a midfield from a minefield

I THINK they call it a dearth - the remarkable absence of quality midfield backs at present playing rugby union who happen to be English. The summer tour Down Under did not throw up much in terms of promising new talent, and those who did shine tended to sport single- digit numbers on their backs.

Much has been made of the paucity of English qualified fly-halves in recent years but this shortage now seems to have spread to the men who play alongside them.

Jos Baxendell and Will Greenwood are injured, Phil de Glanville has been dropped, Jeremy Guscott is coasting and Will Carling has retired (it is hard to recall that less than 12 months ago he was playing reasonably regular club rugby). The alternatives look very thin on the ground indeed, and from what I have heard no centres in the England age-group teams have been pulling up any trees either.

It's difficult to pin-point one particular reason for this trend - indeed it may be no more than a cyclical phenomenon which will right itself soon enough. I am sure some commentators will blame the influx of foreign players who are keeping the young guns such as John Pritchard, Joe Ewens and John Tyndall out of first XV rugby. There may well be something in this but it doesn't seem to hold back talented youngsters in other positional areas. On the wing for instance the Premiership is stuffed full of young English qualified players who make the starting line-up on a regular basis - think of Spencer Brown, Brian Johnston, Danny Luger, Leon Lloyd, Ben Cohen, Tom Beim, David Rees etc etc. The list goes on.

With this problem in mind it's worth pointing out that two of the best potential centres in England do not play there for their clubs. I have always been of the opinion that at international level Mike Catt is a centre - strong, direct and aggressive. I can still remember the great season he had at Bath playing outside Stuart Barnes. My view is that Catt should definitely be in the England team somewhere but not at fly-half.

The other "hidden" centre could be Nick Beal at Northampton. I know that Ian McGeechan disagrees, but I am certain that his best position is outside centre where his gliding acceleration can be used to best effect. Over the years this talented player has been a victim of his own versatility and has been shunted about all over the back line. Given a run in the No 13 shirt on a regular basis I have a sneaking feeling he could be a real contender.

The irony is that our nearest neighbours, Wales, have a team full of holes but do possess two quite outstanding centres in Allan Bateman and Scott Gibbs, who between them have the mixture of physical power and footballing skills which is the basic requirement of a modern midfield combination.

In more far-flung areas of the rugby world the sheer physicality of men such as Herbert, Mueller and Tuigamala has brought a new dimension to back-line play. That is why I await the return of Barrie Jon Mather to rugby union with some interest. Many years ago this young man played second row forward for England Schoolboys at Under-18 level; within a year he was playing professional rugby league for Wigan as a centre. Well over 6ft 6in tall and big with it he is not your run-of-the-mill union centre. But anyone who has played Test and Sydney Premiership level at league must have good ball skills and with a background in union he has got to have a fair chance now that he has left the Castleford Tigers for Manchester Sale.

Although the success rate of league converts has been poor to date - who can forget the trials and tribulations of Jason Robinson and Henry Paul at Bath - there will always be the exceptions and I am sure Clive Woodward will be hoping that his coaching compadre John Mitchell has got this one right.

There is one other potential source of creative midfield players which could be useful - but may prove to be a little more contentious. As the Premiership becomes increasingly international in flavour more and more players recruited initially from abroad will become qualified to play for England. From my own club Jeremy Thompson, recently with the Coastal Sharks and one-time Springbok tourist, is available for selection immediately under International Rugby Board regulations. He is quick, skilful, strong and experienced. If the only criterion is playing ability then he will definitely go close to a cap this season. Whether or not this is deemed acceptable by the selection panel in particular, and the rugby public in general is a moot point. But with such a lack of alternatives it will prove very tempting indeed.

Mark Evans is director

of rugby at Saracens