Former England captain Chris Robshaw says that Steve Borthwick does not know what team he wants to play at the Rugby World Cup.
Borthwick’s side tackle Argentina in their Pool D opener on Saturday, and Robshaw is concerned that the starting lineup is not nailed down.
Selection headaches
England are without captain Owen Farrell and number eight Billy Vunipola for the first game, but other positions throughout the starting XV have not been cemented.
“It’s not ideal, to be honest, is it,” Robshaw said on Planet Rugby’s Captain’s Call podcast, brought to you by eToro.
“Like you want to go to that first training session, knowing that you can pick your squad, and most coaches go into it like that, and they’ll know their team, and they know exactly who they want to play.
“There might be one guy who is a little bit tired, but he’ll be fine come the game with all that stuff. Whereas with England, I feel they still don’t know what side they want to play, which I think is going to give them a (selection) headache.
“They are going to play without Owen (Farrell); now, are they going to play George Ford or Marcus Smith?
“On the wing, is Elliott Daly fit? So can you bring him in? All of a sudden, you’ve got a guy who can kick the ball from 55 metres. So that gives you a different dimension to get out of trouble. Also, he gives you a bit more speed and a bit more experience in that backfield, obviously, with Anthony Watson not there.
“There’s a couple of different permutations and obviously Billy Vunipola’s suspension.
“When we spoke about the back row, earlier and Tom Curry hasn’t had a run out yet.
“Curry has been England’s most consistent player for the last four years, maybe longer. All of a sudden, he’s not had a good hit out; he would probably like to play Japan or Chile to get a bit of game time. Those are tough games, but they should win.
“Now he has not played for three or four months and could now be going up against one of the top sides in the world.”
Listen to the full podcast:
The Captain’s Call podcast is brought to you by eToro, the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby.
eToro recognises that great trading requires great tools. That’s why they help you stay ahead of the curve by combining the power of TradingView charts and a full economic calendar, to help you stay prepared for market events, earnings reports and more.
Tackle investing the smart way and join millions of UK investors on eToro today.
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
READ MORE: Captain’s Call: Chris Robshaw and Sergio Parisse dissect Rugby World Cup Pool A
The article ‘England still don’t know what side they want to play’ – Chris Robshaw appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
Article courtesy of
Source link
