England’s Exciting 45 Man pre-World Cup Squad Named

Martin Johnson today named an interesting 45 man squad in preparation for the World Cup in New Zealand later this year. Some young players are deservedly included and there is a clear balance of experience also.

Forwards: Mouritz Botha (Saracens) George Chuter (Leicester) Dan Cole (Leicester) Alex Corbisiero (London Irish) Tom Croft (Leicester) Louis Deacon (Leicester) Paul Doran-Jones (Northampton) Nick Easter (Harlequins) Hendre Fourie (Sale Sharks) Dylan Hartley (Northampton) James Haskell (Unattached) Courtney Lawes (Northampton) Lee Mears (Bath) Lewis Moody (Bath) Tom Palmer (Stade Francais) Tim Payne (London Wasps) Chris Robshaw (Harlequins) Simon Shaw (London Wasps) Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks) Matt Stevens (Saracens) Steve Thompson (London Wasps) Thomas Waldrom (Leicester) David Wilson (Bath) Tom Wood (Northampton) Joe Worsley (London Wasps)

This is a strong selection of forwards. There is an excellent blend of experience with the likes of Nick Easter, Lewis Moody and Simon Shaw along with some young talent in Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes. Luke Narrway and Dave Attwood will be disappointed to miss out due to injuries. Matt Stephens has some serious fitness work to do to give him a chance for a starting jersey in New Zealand. There are less flamboyant players such as Worsley and Hendre Fourie who if selected would be there to do the basics well, to tackle and fight at the breakdown.

Likely to miss out: Chris Robshaw does not have the experience necessary to succeed in New Zealand and England have better options than him in the back-row. David Wilson had an average season at Bath and is not a dynamic scrumagger. There are younger, stronger scrummagers with the aggression needed to win in New Zealand at Martin Johnson’s disposal. Thomas Waldrom should not make the team in my opinion, he has been reliable as a club player, but I think England have such lucrative talent in the back row with the likes of Nick Easter, Joe Worseley and Lewis Moody to call on.

Backs: Delon Armitage (London Irish) Chris Ashton (Northampton) Matt Banahan (Bath) Danny Care (Harlequins) Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks) Toby Flood (Leicester) Riki Flutey (London Wasps) Ben Foden (Northampton )Shontayne Hape (Bath) Charlie Hodgson (Saracens) Ugo Monye (Harlequins) Charlie Sharples (Gloucester) Joe Simpson (London Wasps) James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester) David Strettle (Saracens) Mike Tindall (Gloucester) Manu Tuilagi (Leicester) Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens) Jonny Wilkinson (RC Toulon) Ben Youngs (Leicester)

There are some incredibly talented backs in this group of players. I am impressed with Martin Johnson’s creativity in choosing in form flyers such as Charlie Sharples and David Strettle. Manu Tuilagi as expected is given the call up to the squad. He has served his suspension, but Johnson will keep and eye on his discipline. The experienced players already have seats on the plane as long as they remain injury free. The likes of Jonny Wilkinson and Mike Tindall will be extremely useful senior players to have in the training camp and on the pitch in New Zealand. I am slightly disappointed at Riki Fluetey’s inclusion as I feel he has not hit the same form he had in 2009 with the British Lions Tour. Wasps have had a poor season by their standards and I have not seen any performances that merit the selection. Anthony Allen would have been a better option in my opinion. He was voted players’ player of the year at Leicester and was in terrific form all season. There are some fascinating choices to be made in regards to the wingers to be taken to New Zealand. Chris Ashton has an excellent try scoring record already with England; Mark Cueto is highly experienced, but does not score many tries these days. I would love to see James Simpson-Daniel given a chance, he has been blighted by injury over the years, but week in week out he is one of the most dangerous attacking players in the Aviva Premiership. He can also cover at centre. David Strettle has excelled at Saracens this year and is a great threat with ball in hand with his tremendous foot work and kick chasing. Also, Charlie Sharples has been on great form in the Premiership and with the England Saxons.

Likely to miss out: Unfortunately Martin Johnson may feel Charlie Sharples may not quite be ready for the World Cup in New Zealand, but he is definitely one for the future. Richard Wigglesworth is behind Ben Youngs, Danny Care and Joe Simpson in the pecking order; however he should be considered in the near future. Riki Flutey may not make the final 30, but Johnson may wish to have a different kind of centre at his disposal to the physical presence of Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape.

My Starting XV for England in New Zealand This Autumn

1. Andrew Sheridan

2. Dylan Hartley

3. Paul Doran-Jones

4. Courtney Lawes

5. Simon Shaw

6. James Haskell

7. Lewis Moody (captain)

8. Nick Easter

9. Ben Youngs

10. Toby Flood

11. James Simpson-Daniel

12. Shontayne Hape

13. Mike Tindall

14. Chris Ashton

15. Ben Foden

‘Marquee’ signings in the Aviva Premiership- Fantasy Shopping List XV

A recent ruling from the RFU declared that from the start of the 2012-13 season Aviva Premiership teams will be allowed one ‘marquee ‘signing whose salary is exempt from the salary-cap. This deal was forced by the owners of the high profit-making teams who are in a distinct minority. Only Leicester, Saracens, Northampton and Bath with their new owner Bruce Craig will be able to take full advantage of the new protocol.

Some suggest this will allow the English teams to compete on a more level playing field with French teams in the Heineken Cup. However, Northampton made the final and the Saints were in the lead after a strong first 40 minutes. They were capable of beating Leinster. Leicester made the quarter-finals and has a squad that is capable of progressing further in the competition. They could have pushed eventual winners Leinster closer had Alesana Tuilagi’s try attempt been given. Saracens, the recently crowned Aviva Premiership Champions had a terrible Heineken Cup campaign. They won only one match in the group stage away to Racing Metro. Admittedly they had a tough group, but they have a squad capable of performing to a higher standard.

Some star-studded teams simply do not function well together. Throwing together a mix of the best players in the World does nothing for team chemistry. Look at French big-spenders Toulon. This Season they had the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Carl Hayman, George Smith and Joe van Niekerk to call on. They had an extensive budget at their disposal and even mid-season resorted to gambling with Gavin Henson. Henson only played two matches for les Toulonais. Toulon finished 8^th in the Top-14, missing out on Heineken Cup rugby next season. In this Season’s Heineken Cup they progressed to the Quarter-Finals where they lost 25-29 to Perpignan. The simple truth is that money does not necessarily buy a trophy-winning team.

If an Aviva Premiership side were to sign a player such as Dan Carter or Richie McCaw there would be increased interest in the league. Attendances and viewing figures would probably increase. This would be beneficial to the clubs involved; however some clubs will reap no benefits at all. Loyalty becomes an issue particularly for southern-hemisphere teams. Super 15 teams who can boast some of the best players in the world have to write in sabbaticals into players’ contracts. This makes is hard for teams to plan for each season as their star players can decide to take a break from Super 15 rugby and head to the northern-hemisphere. Players will rightly be questioned for their loyalty. Many will seek a big pay-day in France or England. The players are professionals and have relatively short careers so I will not blame them for looking to advance their financial interests before they retire.

The worry is however, that bringing in a ‘marquee’ signing will disrupt team-spirit. Some players will feel less valued members of the club and will look elsewhere for game time. Also, will coaches be obliged to field their expensive signing in every game even if other players are in better form? Sadly I can not see a team paying several million pounds for a star player not trying to get their moneys worth.

The future of the Aviva Premiership is about to change significantly. Teams with lower budgets will slip further away from the bigger clubs. The gap between the top six and the bottom six will grow. Teams at the bottom-end of the table will never be given the chance to develop and they will be left behind by the league’s giants.

These issues aside, we are faced with the possibility of an exciting flood of International players that could be introduced into the Aviva Premiership

My International Superstar XV ‘Shopping List’

1.       Tendai Mtawarira (RSA) or ‘the beast’ as he is affectionately known. This monstrous prop forward tore apart the British Lions’ scrum in 2009. He would be a great asset to any team in the premiership who pride themselves on dominance at scrum time.

2.       John Smit (RSA) the influential leader in South Africa’s 2007 World Cup Victory in France. Smit can also play at prop. His flexibility would be useful if teams were suffering injuries in the front-row. Smit is one of many powerful South African forwards who would be targeted by premiership sides and is excellent throwing in to the line-out.

3.       Tony Woodcock (NZL) Woodcock is the most capped player in the current All-black side. He will be a force to reckon with in the World Cup this autumn on home turf. His set-piece work is second to none and he would be a terrific mentor for any teams with young, ambitious props.

4.       Victor Matfield (RSA) one of the most highly respected rugby players following his outstanding performances in the 2007 World Cup. Matfield is an agile line-out jumper and would be any hooker’s go to man at must-win line-outs.

5.       Nathan Sharpe (AUS) Sharpe is highly experienced with 64 caps for Australia. Perhaps not the most obvious choice but I believe his expertise with the basics and International for Australia would make him a key member of anyone’s front five.

6.       George Smith (AUS) currently at Toulon but for the right pay he may be tempted for a year-long stint in the premiership. The international community of back-rows is a rich pool of talent. However Smith, the most highly-capped Wallaby is sill performing wonders at the breakdown. His turnover ball is vital for Toulon and his tackling is exceptional.

7.       Richie McCaw (NZL) McCaw is the first player down on the fantasy selection sheet for me ahead of Dan Carter. His 94 caps for New Zealand and continued dominance at the breakdown make him any club owner’s dream signing. He has an ability to play referees well and plays exactly on the borderline of the law, every open-side’s job.

8.       Sergio Parisse (ITA) the Italian captain is a favourite of many members of the media. His leadership, strength and soft hands make him an ideal addition to any squad. He would get any team over the gain line. His sheer size and strength would make him ideally suited to the wet weather matches which are commonplace in England.

9.       Ruan Pienaar (RSA) the scrum-half position again has many potential candidates. Morgan Parra was one I considered for the role; however Ruan Pienaar has been in tremendous form for Ulster this season in the Magners League. He helped guide them to 3rd place in the league.

10.   Dan Carter (NZL) Bath reportedly tried to sign the Crusader along with half of the players in the Super 15. Carter oozes class and any team would love to have him as their star fly-half for a season. His kicking percentage is high, he likes to run with the ball, he throws beautiful long passes and he can tackle well. I think Carter will be one of the first ‘marquee’ signings in the Aviva Premiership. Bath have recently signed Stephen Donald so Carter may not be on their radar just now, but I would not be surprised if one of the other top Aviva Premiership teams tried to lure him to England.

11.   Sitiveni Sivivatu (NZL) one of the most exciting wingers to watch in World Rugby. His try-scoring record for the All-Blacks is impressive with 27 tries in 43 matches.  Sivivatu is 29 now and could look end his career with a different challenge abroad.

12.   Matt Giteau (AUS) recently transferred to Toulon. Giteau is an excellent utility back capable at fly-half, centre and full-back. Giteau has racked up 89 caps since 2002 and has scored 671 points for Australia. He signed a two-year deal with Toulon, but would be a terrific signing for a premiership club if he could be tempted to switch to English club rugby.

13.   Ma’a Nonu (NZL) the powerful Kiwi centre is also comfortable on the wing. He is famous for his hard-hitting tackling and using his explosive power past the gain line. Nonu could do very well in England and would be an exciting partner for Manu Tuilagi in the centre at Leicester.

14.   Bryan Habana (RSA) scored 8 tries in the 2007 World Cup, equalling Jonah Lomu’s record. Since 2004 he has totalled 68 caps for South Africa, scoring 38 tries. Habana’s speed and deceptive strength make him a potential target for many high-profile clubs.

15.   François Steyn (RSA) is currently at Racing Metro in France, but his contract ends at the end of next season. He would be an exciting premiership signing. He would not be able to attempt drop goals from in his own half without playing at altitude, but he can place kick and is a powerful defensive and attacking force.

Who would be your dream ‘marquee’ signing for your club? Please comment below