Freeman can take charge of defence

TOMMY Freeman is one of those players who, when he gets the ball and sees an opportunity, he goes for it.

He likes the challenge of trying to use his athleticism, size and skills to beat an opponent, and it's why I would like to see him at outside centre for England during this Autumn Series.

Freeman looks like an established international already, and has played enough at outside centre for Northampton for him to make the transition from wing at Test level. He's hungry, and his physical presence at almost 6ft 3ins and over 16st (103kg) gives England a different dimension- although I'd let him settle and use his whole skill set, rather than just use him as a battering ram.

The balance of Freeman combining with Ollie Lawrence inside him at 12, and then linking outside with wings like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Roebuck is pretty exciting. We know that Feyi-Waboso punches way beyond his weight, and is so difficult for defenders to get a handle on, while Roebuck (6ft 2ins, 15st/96kg) is a similar player with similar impact to Freeman.

I'd give Roebuck a run, because he's keen and is scoring tries for Sale, and if those two went well against New Zealand you might discover a combination you don't want to change - it would be a bit of a dream ticket if it worked.

At full-back there is no need to change anything given George Furbank's contribution in flicking England's switch in attack this year.

So, having said last week that I would go with Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith as my 9-10 combination against New Zealand, my backline from 11 to 15 is Roebuck, Lawrence, Freeman, Feyi-Waboso and Furbank.

The only other scenario that might delay Freeman moving to 13 is if Henry Slade makes a late return to the England midfield by recovering from a shoulder injury in the next three weeks to squeeze in a couple of Premiership games for Exeter.