I have never been a great believer in the concept, and believe you should not select a utility over a best-in-position player.
The best centre combination available to England at this World Cup is Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence, with Owen Farrell starting at fly-half. So, why would you dilute that strength by picking George Ford at 10 and moving Farrell to 12, which is not his best position?
You would be losing power and direction with Farrell at inside- centre, which is ideally where you want a powerful, direct carrier like Tuilagi to get you over the advantage line as quickly as possible. This is crucial against the top teams, and having Freddie Steward at full-back gives you another player who has the size and strength to complement Tuilagi and Lawrence. This is crucial to England at a time when the pack is not great, or stacked with strong ball-carriers.
Some would argue that what you lose at 12 with Farrell in pace, dynamism, and direction, you gain in distribution and tactical kicking – but on balance I believe that you lose a great deal of effectiveness.
There have been pros and cons for Borthwick in selecting his first World Cup squad. The big plus is that, with England reduced to being a mediocre team playing mediocre rugby, he could get away with almost anything in selection without there being too much of an outcry. The big minus is that the inconsistent form of most of the players means that he has had to make a lot of marginal calls.
For instance, the most controversial calls, which are those surrounding Henry Slade and Alex Dombradt being left out, were not really that surprising.
Denne historien er fra August 13, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra August 13, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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