Whenever England rugby go into a campaign, there always seems to be more questions than answers. Whether that be over playing style, notable omissions or Eddie Jones himself, England drum up seemingly unanswerable questions. This summer’s impending tour to Australia seems to be no different. There are notable omissions, older heads coming in from the cold, young bucks ready to make their mark and no publicly announced tour captain, to name a few. Today we’re going to take a deep dive into what we can expect from England this summer, and how successful this tour might be.
Can we take anything from the Barbarians encounter?
The elephant in the room. Eddie Jones was very quick to distance himself and the importance of this 52-21 loss to the invitational side. However, his prickly response to “bad questions” from the media post-match would suggest that maybe this loss meant a bit more to him than he had initially let on. I do not think this game is particularly definitive of how this summer will go for England, but some of the scenes were simply embarrassing for England. George Kruis backheeling conversions on his swansong, in front of his former teammates and head coach at his old, happy hunting ground, was not a good look for England. Jones may have claimed this was not a proper England side (or “England XV”, rather) but the combined England squad had 447 caps. This was not just youngsters thrown in, but there were some very experienced players out there. It is a sobering reality, if you pardon the pun, given the Barbarians very social build up to the match, that England were put to the sword. However, a series win in Australia, and this will all be forgotten about.
Midfield
Let’s get this segment out of the way. Every tournament, tour, campaign or even one-off exhibition match, England’s centre pairing is always one of the first talking points. I did this to death during the Six Nations, and it is impossible not to address the subject without either waxing lyrical about Manu Tuilagi or bemoaning his absence. This summer, we shall bemoan. There is no Tuilagi heading down under, nor Henry Slade. Therefore, the fit again Owen Farrell will presumably slot in at 12, with Marcus Smith looking likely to retain the 10 jersey. Farrell has been in magnificent form recently and, even if he is not captain, he has to start right now. With the inside centre position nailed down, the debate revolves around who will start outside Farrell. For me, Joe Marchant should take the 13 shirt. Marchant has always been a classy player, but in the last two seasons, he has taken his game to a new level. His loan spell in New Zealand with the Blues and stints on the wing for Harlequins have helped him develop into a much more well-rounded player. His defensive reads are great, but he picks some amazing lines in attack, shown by his try against South Africa last November. He has been in and out of England teams, even as recently as the Six Nations in 2022. Marchant was one of the key performers against France in the closing game of the tournament, and his rich vein of form carried over nicely into the closing weeks of the regular Premiership season. It would only be good for the development of Smith to have his club mate Marchant in midfield. Danny Care, Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant bringing that Quins joie de vivre, with Owen Farrell the master tactician keeping things ticking, could be a very exciting 9 to 13 spine.
Naturally, Jones could throw somewhat of a curveball and start Farrell at 10, with Smith on the bench. Further, there could be an injury to Farrell or Smith, meaning that the midfield might need a complete reshuffle. In this event, Marchant would keep his place at 13. In terms of 12, the questions would begin to pile up again. Mark Atkinson played at 12 against the Barbarians, but an intercepted pass and a poor performance later, he is not going to Australia. This leaves rookies Fraser Dingwall and Guy Porter. Both are exciting players, but both uncapped. Jones has spoken positively in the last two weeks about blooding new players, but it seems as though we are back in a classic place with England – yet another unfamiliar midfield partnership. We hope it would not come to this point, but it is important to be wary of potential issues on the horizon for this England side.
In from the cold
I am so happy to see Danny Care back. If they gave out awards for patient men, Danny Care could have won it every year since 2018. Care has not been in an England squad since the infamous Japan game at Twickenham in the Autumn of 2018; a game in which Care was not the only man to be bombed out of the squad, with seemingly no return. Now, Danny Care is back, hot off the back of some of the best domestic form of his career. He has won a Premiership in that time, finished in the top four again and masterminded multiple mesmerising comebacks in the Premiership and Champions Cup. With Ben Youngs left out due to family reasons, England have not been left with only inexperienced scrum halves. Care has 84 England caps and has been everywhere with England, through both high and lows. With England looking to play a quicker tempo, having Danny Care in the squad is a no-brainer. If England want to play not only Smith at 10, but also with rapid ruck speed, then Danny Care should be starting down under.
The other notable returning man is Billy Vunipola. Vunipola’s return to the England squad did not have quite the same clamour as Care, particularly with the strong form of Sam Simmonds and Alex Dombrandt. With both Simmonds and Dombrandt missing from this tour with injury, Vunipola’s inclusion is a welcome one. His form recently has been brilliant, particularly in the Premiership final. On a slight side note, but he should have won player of the match for his performance in the final. Players on a losing side very rarely win the player of the match accolade, regardless of their performance. However, Saracens lost narrowly, and Vunipola was the standout performer at Twickenham that day. Back to England, and I believe they will benefit greatly from Vunipola’s return. His size and power have been missing in my opinion, but his improved footwork means that he will not just be a battering ram. Vunipola can certainly feel fortunate to be in over clubmate Ben Earl, who recently won the (arguably) cursed Premiership player of the year award. England’s back row now has an added complexion, especially with Jack Willis back in. A trio of Jack Willis, Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola would certainly be dynamic.
Young guns
The squad which Jones announced features eight uncapped players, including the incredibly exciting Henry Arundell. Being cynical, Arundell’s inclusion may not be purely performance-based. Arundell is qualified to play for not only England, but also Scotland. In my eyes, this call up could be a way of keeping the Scottish hounds at bay. However, this trick has not worked for Jones before. He called up Cameron Redpath for England for their tour to Argentina in 2017 but, after not capping him, Redpath came back to haunt Jones, putting in a man of the match performance for Scotland at Twickenham in the 2021 Six Nations. Arundell is clearly a talent, so it will be interesting to see if Jones bloods him proper, or if he is there to learn. Outside Arundell, Jonathan Joseph’s younger brother Will Joseph also features as an uncapped back. Jones heralded him as the best player in training before the Tigers and Saracens players returned, so we could see him take his place on the bench this summer. Joseph is an outside centre by trade, so could be an outside shout for the 13 jersey. Jack van Poortvliet joins the long line of scrum halves called up by Eddie Jones, leaving Alex Mitchell presumably feeling bereft after a stellar season for Northampton Saints. Whether van Poortvliet gets any minutes is unlikely, but this should be good learning experience for him. It has felt as though Joe Cokanasiga has been around forever, but he only has 11 caps to his name. He was another positive performer against the BaaBaas, so I would not be surprised to see him start in at least one of the Tests. His size, power and speed make him a real point of difference, and one Jones will look to exploit.
In the forwards, Ollie Chessum comes off the back of a Premiership win back into the England squad, looking to add to his two caps. There is fierce competition in the second row, with Maro Itoje, Jonny Hill, Charlie Ewels, Nick Isiewke and Courtney Lawes (albeit, seemingly a blindside flanker for England these days) all going. His performances this season have been very strong, so I would not be shocked to see Chessum on the bench at some point this tour.
How many captains?
Jones last week said that he would not be announcing a tour captain, as during the Six Nations England went through three captains due to injury. Therefore, the head coach will be naming his captain when announcing his teams for his Test. One would imagine that Owen Farrell would retain the captaincy. He is incredibly experienced, maintains the standards and clearly plays a role in devising attacking patterns, while being a mean defender. However, Courtney Lawes led England well in the Six Nations, while Tom Curry has enjoyed some strong performances as skipper and has a penchant for talking to referees. As a more left-field candidate, Ellis Genge has just captained a youthful Leicester Tigers side to the Premiership title. He has led with maturity and intensity, but a calm demeanour too. There are options there, but I predict Farrell to keep his place as captain. Or Eddie Jones will go completely Eddie Jones and name a different captain for each Test. You never truly know with Jones.
A new style
Eddie Jones has spoken recently about England adopting a different approach, largely centred around a quicker game. The Barbarians game offered some clues of this, especially when Care was introduced. Care has been one of the key performers in Europe when it comes to speed of ball from rucks, so for England to employ this new strategy, he will be vital. There have also maybe been small clues in the way some players have played recently. Owen Farrell’s offloading game has improved greatly since his injury, while Billy Vunipola’s footwork may have been something which Eddie Jones has asked him to work on as a way of breaking back into the squad.
Selection points towards this faster gameplan. Care, Smith and Marchant are quick tempo machines at Quins. In fact, all three scrum 9s are quick ball players. Even some of the rookies, including Arundell, Tommy Freeman and Fraser Dingwall, enjoy their running rugby.
It will certainly be interesting to see what tactics England employ in Australia. Despite all the talk of fast and sexy rugby, it would surprise no one to see England kick the leather off the ball and break down Australia in an affair of attrition. Jones will be up to his mischievous best back in his home country, so upsetting his countrymen with “boring” rugby would be a wonderful way of winding up their media.
Australia
So, what about England’s opponents, the old enemy, Australia? A lot has been made of a recent Australian resurgence, but they had a torrid autumn, losing to Scotland, Wales and England. The side have not met since, but their players domestic form could be a cause for optimism or concern, depending on which hemisphere you hail from. The Brumbies went well in Super Rugby, making it to the semi-finals, and boast the largest club representation in the squad. There is a mixture of youth and experience, with old heads Quade Cooper, James O’Connor, James Slipper and the irrepressible Michael Hooper looking to guide their young counterparts to victory. Australian rugby often struggles for attention against Australian rules football, rugby league and cricket, but a series victory over England could go some way in building up hype. Australia is hosting both the Men’s and Women’s World Cups in 2027 and 2029 respectively. They welcome the British and Irish Lions for their tour in the summer of 2025. Australian rugby needs somewhat of a rocket; putting England and Eddie Jones away could be a way of doing this.
There we have it. England are in a strange place right now. Many fans do not feel overly confident in the team or Jones, which is understandable. However, if there is one place which Eddie Jones could go to and pull of a stunning victory to shut up all the critics, it’s Australia. England are on an eight-game winning streak over the Aussies and seem to have a psychological edge. It will be a fascinating encounter down under, with plenty of drama and debate still to come. See you back at Off the Presses post-tour. Thank you for reading.
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