The state of the England squad: Can Eddie Jones rest his Lions players after Dylan Hartley’s injury?
The concussion-enforced absence of Hartley for this summer’s tour of South Africa could force Jones to select the players he wanted to leave at home this summer
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Your support makes all the difference.There’s no getting away from it: England are on the verge of a crisis. It may not be the most obvious of ones, and Eddie Jones would snarl in response to such a claim, but they are preparing to head to South Africa without their captain, without at least four other senior players and risking a six-match losing streak.
And all the while the Rugby World Cup is just 17 months away.
The problems that existed a month ago at the end of England’s worst Six Nations in 31 years have been magnified by the loss of their captain, Dylan Hartley, which not only throws his international future into doubt but also the state of the squad that will head to South Africa for the three-Test series against the Springboks.
Why does it matter so much? With Jones originally considering resting a number of the British and Irish Lions representatives among his squad following one of the longest and most gruelling seasons in recent memory, the head coach now faces a big decision: does he risk going on tour without his most experienced players?
Owen Farrell would have been among those players being considered for a rest – Jamie George too. But with Hartley unavailable due to a season-ending concussion – his second such injury in the space of two years – can Jones really risk taking on a South Africa side looking to build under the former Munster head coach Rassie Erasmus. For George, this tour will also represent a chance to finally oust Hartley as the first-choice prop, and given that form in the Premiership has suggested that much throughout Hartley’s reign as captain, it’s more a matter of when rather than if that happens.
But it’s here that the problems start to grow. If Jones decides that he needs the Saracens pair out in South Africa, with Farrell the logical choice to fill in for Hartley as skipper given his current role as vice-captain, who can the Australian leave out? Mako Vunipola would certainly be up for consideration, with the loosehead prop not quite at the levels of impact that we’ve seen from him even if his workload has increased.
Dan Cole meanwhile has started 25 of the 26 Tests that he has been available for during Jones’ time in charge, with his period of unavailability only coming because he was on the Lions tour. The Leicester Tigers tighthead may come under-fire for his performance, but he cannot be faulted for his durability and is more than deserving of a break this summer. That would come with its benefits, as both Kyle Sinckler and Harry Williams, his two understudies, are relative novices on the international stage.
But further through the squad, injury problems mean that resting players, if any, is going to be difficult. The likes of Maro Itoje and Farrell would benefit from a full summer off, while Elliot Daly needs to be wrapped in cotton wool to prevent him from suffering any more injuries like the ones that have plagued his season.
The one factor that could lead to those players being left out against the Springboks though is the return of two crucial players from long-term injury. Billy Vunipola is expected to feature among the Saracens replacements at least for this weekend’s trip to London Irish, filling the large gap left by Nathan Hughes’ absence, while Ben Youngs is back in action at Leicester. The pair are coming off three- and two-month lay-offs respectively, and boast a collective 112 international caps between them – exactly what is needed if Hartley and Farrell are left at home.
The centre pairing looks an issue for England given Jonathan Joseph is already out of the tour and Manu Tuilagi yet to prove that he is fit enough to play club rugby, yet alone international Test rugby, while Farrell’s future may lie at fly-half unless Ford can rediscover his form. But with Henry Slade fit again, Henry Trinder staking his claim at Gloucester, Alex Lozowski proving himself very capable of playing alongside Farrell at Saracens and Ben Te’o very much in-favour with Jones, there are options available that could give Jones food for thought.
Daly can also be given the summer off even though Anthony Watson is already an absentee, just as long as Jones taps into the exciting reserves that England hold out wide. Jack Nowell is back and firing on all cylinders with Exeter, while Jonny May has been around long enough to be relied upon. With Denny Solomona yet to make his mark on international rugby, Christian Wade and Marland Yarde in red-hot form in the Premiership and Joe Cokanasiga proving a one-man wrecking ball at Irish, England have great depth out wide – and that’s ignoring the record-breaking Chris Ashton out in Toulon.
The problem is Jones has exiled Wade and Yarde and is yet to look convinced by Solomona, while the less said about the head coach and his relationship with Ashton the better. But the options are there, and it might just be in Jones’ interest to use them.
England's current reserves
Loosehead props: Mako Vunipola, Joe Marler, Ellis Genge, Beno Obano, Alec Hepburn, Matt Mullan
Hookers: Dylan Hartley (injured), Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Dunn, Tommy Taylor
Tighthead props: Dan Cole, Kyle Sinckler, Harry Williams, Henry Thomas, Kieran Brookes
Locks: Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes (injured), George Kruis, Dave Attwood (Toulon), Nick Isiekwe, Charlie Ewels
Flankers: Chris Robshaw, Sam Underhill, James Haskell, Don Armand, Gary Graham, Tom Curry, Teimana Harrison, Calum Clark, Jack Clifford (injured) Brad Shields
No 8s: Billy Vunipola, Nathan Hughes (injured), Sam Simmonds, Zach Mercer, Jackson Wray, Ben Morgan
Scrum-halves: Ben Youngs, Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth, Dan Robson, Ben Vellacott
Fly-halves: George Ford, Owen Farrell, Alex Lozowski, Marcus Smith, Piers Francis, Harry Mallinder, Danny Cipriani
Centres: Ben Te’o, Jonathan Joseph (injured), Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi (injured), Henry Trinder, Luther Burrell, Billy Twelvetrees
Wings: Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson (injured), Jack Nowell, Jonny May, Denny Solomona, Nathan Earle, Christian Wade, Marland Yarde, Joe Cokanasiga, Semesa Rokoduguni (injured), Chris Ashton (Toulon)
Full-backs: Mike Brown, Alex Goode
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