England play Wales tomorrow in the first of their World Cup warm-up games. This is the first chance to see how the players are gelling after weeks of hard work at Pennyhill Park. Martin Johnson has opted for a very balanced team with some highly experienced players and some exciting young talent, players in both categories have to make the most of their chance. A further selection of players will be dropped, so the warm-up games are vital for World Cup selection.
82 time capped Jonny Wilkinson starts at fly-half at Twickenham tomorrow and he will be keen to reassert his bid for the no.10 shirt. Wilkinson will be a vital squad player in New Zealand. As long as he can stay fit he should be on the plane. His leadership and direction will be essential especially with young Manu Tuilagi playing outside him. His kicking statistics speak for themselves and he offers a different style of attacking threat to Toby Flood. Flood was disappointing in the defeat to Ireland at the end of this year’s Six Nations and I think both players will have to fight for the starting no.10 jersey.
The centre partnership is an interesting prospect. Martin Johnson has opted for a severe change from the heavy Hape and Tindall pairing for more skill and pace; however, Tuilagi’s strength should not be underestimated. He will have a tough day keeping Lion Jamie Roberts in-check. In previous posts I have criticised Riki Flutey, he has not been on form this season, but I am hoping he will show his exceptional passing and game management. He is a more dynamic player than Shontayne Hape and if he puts in a good performance he could make an impression on Martin Johnson.
Elsewhere in the backs, Delon Armitage, Matt Banahan and Mark Cueto make up the three-quarters. Armitage is back after his embarrassing ban for verbal abuse of a drugs testing official. He was the number one choice a few seasons ago and he will hope he will be able to hit the same form. Armitage can kick goals if necessary and he can score tries, he has a tough task to beat Ben Foden to the starting full-back shirt. Banahan will rely on his considerable size and pace. Hopefully his handling will not let him down. He is a dangerous player and he will distract the Welsh defence, which will create gaps for him and his colleagues to exploit. I am disappointed in Mark Cueto’s inclusion. Sale had a poor season at best and he has not been in try scoring form for England. As it is a warm up game it would have been better to see young Charlie Sharples given a chance to show his worth. Hopefully Sharples will get on and have the chance to show his explosive pace. The starting back three have a lot of pace and power between them and they will challenge the Welsh line.
The selected pack is impressive. The back-row is incredibly strong. For a player of Joe Worsley’s calibre to have been dropped from the squad shows the quality available in the back row positions. Tom Croft is an agile line-out jumper and works incredibly hard all over the pitch. Lewis Moody returns as Captain and it will be great to see ‘Mad dog’ let loose against the Welsh. His tackle-count and work rate will make it difficult for Wales to secure quick ball. The imposing presence of James Haskell at no.8 is an interesting choice. I see him as more of a 6 than an 8, but his size and speed will mean he can make the hard yards off the back of scrums and rucks. I think Nick Easter is the strongest candidate for the no. 8 shirt, but Haskell will provide stern competition.
The Second-Row combination of Simon Shaw and Tom Palmer is not the most dynamic duo, but they will do their jobs well. Shaw is one of the most experienced members of the team and the oldest in the match day squad and will provide leadership in the pack. Palmer plays the set piece strongly, but needs to improve his work in the loose. It would be fantastic to see Shaw and Palmer trying to take on the Welsh pack with some pick and go’s from rucks to establish some quick ball.
The front row contains the returning Matt Stevens, who has turned his career back around after his cocaine scandal. It is great to see a player who made mistakes given another chance and he is taking it well. He was a useful player for Saracens last season, guiding them to the Aviva Premiership Title. Dylan Hartley has matured as a player over the last season. He ably-led Northampton to the Heineken Cup Final and the Aviva Premiership Semi-Final. His physicality will be crucial to the success of the English pack. His throwing into the line out can be put under pressure. As long as he secures England good set piece possession he should be a certain name on the plane to New Zealand and a likely 1st choice hooker. Finally, Alex Corbisiero has been given a chance to show what he can do. He came onto the international stage this season and has not yet shown the full extent of what he can do. He is highly rated at London Irish and will be keen to put himself above Paul Doran-Jones in the pecking order.
Match Prediction: England by 12 with three tries being scored. The 1st half will be very physical and combative but I can see England opening the game up in the 2nd half. Sharples to score as a replacement will be my bet this weekend!
England team to play Wales: D Armitage (London Irish); M Banahan (Bath Rugby), M Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), R Flutey (London Wasps), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); J Wilkinson (Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); A Corbisiero (London Irish), D Hartley (Northampton Saints), M Stevens (Saracens), S Shaw (Unattached), T Palmer (Stade Francais), T Croft (Leicester Tigers), L Moody (Bath Rugby, Capt.), J Haskell (Ricoh Black Rams).
Replacements: L Mears (Bath Rugby), D Wilson (Bath Rugby), M Botha (Saracens), T Wood (Northampton Saints), R Wigglesworth (Saracens), C Hodgson (Saracens), C Sharples (Gloucester Rugby)
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