Rarely has the first team selection of a new coach attracted so much excitement since, well since the last new coach I suppose. At last, England have a man who will broke no nonsense, accept no excuses and have no favourites. Even though he will not be in New Zealand for the summer tour, the great man’s giant paws (and having shook his hand once I can tell you they ARE giant) will be all over this first squad, so who will make it on the plane? It should be very illuminating. This is who I would take:
Props-
Sheridan
Stevens
Payne
Wood
French
Hookers-
Mears
Chuter
Hartley
Locks-
Grewcock
Shaw
Borthwick
Kennedy
Back Row-
Easter
Croft
Haskell
Lipman
Rees
Scrummie-
Care
Wigglesworth
Flyhalf-
Cipriani
Lamb
Centres-
Barkley
Tindall
Flood
Geraghty
Tait
Back Three-
Sackey (if fit) else Ojo
Strettle
James Simpson Daniel
Lewsey
Brown
Abendanon
Players we cannot afford to miss are Stevens and Haskell. We need to see how guys like Kennedy and Geraghty cope under pressure.
My starting XV then would be:
Sheridan, Mears, Stevens, Grewcock, Shaw, Haskell, Lipman, Easter, Care, Cipriani, Sackey (if not fit then Strettle), Barkley, Tindall, Simpson-Daniel, Brown.
With Payne, Hartley, Borthwick, Croft, Wigglesworth, Geraghty and Tait on the bench. Would maybe mix it up for the second test.
But this is fantasy, let’s see what the big man does…… Can’t wait!
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