Stick or twist? England selection decisions!

It’s a rest week in the Six Nations but that doesn’t mean there are not big selection decisions on the Horizon for Wales, Italy, Ireland, France, Scotland and England.

For Steve Borthwick he welcomes Manu Tuilagi, Luke Cowan-Dickie and George Martin back into training. So will any one of them get into the matchday 23 for the Scotland game?

Stick or twist what are some of the big selection decisions facing Steve borwick as England moved forward into the rest of the Six Nations three tough games coming up after two wins where they’ve won maybe haven’t set the place a light in the way many people would have hoped

For and some big name players coming back into contention for selection so welcome back to the channel that’s what I’m chatting about in this video leave a comment what do you make of this England team at the moment in terms of what you’ve seen so far and where do you

Think Steve borwick needs to go in terms of selection and in particular to the names I’m going to talk about in this video about the players that are back in training with the squad after brushing off some of their injuries make sure you like the video make sure you’re

Subscribed to the channel as well but as I say welcome back also apologies for the last couple of days with not having uploaded onto the channel uh I think the last video I did would have been following Ireland Italy on Sunday the reason for that is I’m in Australia

Visiting family so a couple of days rest well basically a day traveling a day’s rest and we’re back into it and I will do my best to keep the content coming throughout the Six Nations CU even though on the other side of the world the news cycle all that around the Six

Nations does not stop one bit so as I say welcome back and as I said some big names coming back for England some very very interesting ones so Luke kand dicki is back in Jamie BL is out Manu Tu langi is back in still no Ole Lawrence he is

With the squad but he’s going through rehab and George Martin is in Tom Pearson is out and Marcus Smith is also same as OE Lawrence still with the squad but kind of rehabbing the injury you wouldn’t imagine in contention for selection at the moment those are the

Bulk of things that I’m talking around in in this video and I want to start with Manu Tu langi does tu langi come straight back in and I don’t mean this in the way that English rugby for years has had this thing of having to get Manu into the

Team trying to fit him in in any way they possibly can I don’t think Manu Tang’s form has been as good as we’ve seen it previously he’s obviously had a lot of injur issues with injury but I think the way in which England have played to start this Six

Nations as encouraging it has been from a defensive point of view and an attacking point of view in regards to what they’re trying to do and where they’re trying to get to I think that Midfield with George Ford Fraser Dingell Henry Slade which they were kind of

Forced into really with tu langi and actually more than Tu langi Ole Lawrence who has been in such good form for B being injured they were forced into a smaller Midfield and on the whole actually I think generally they’ve done pretty well I do think it is an area

Particularly the Italy game and the Wales game those two matches we’ve seen so far that opposition attacks have looked to exploit and I think have had some success in that in getting themselves on the front foot against this England defensive system because quite simply Fraser Dingell and George

Ford in particular if you’re looking at the 1012 Channel and some of the bodies in forwards or or inside centers that teams are sending down that channel they’re just not the biggest men in the world so there’s going to be times where if it’s just those two in the tackle

Teams are able to get on the front foot against England and I think we’ve seen that a couple of times I think we would see it in even more when we’re looking ahead to the next games Scotland away Ireland at home France away some of the inside centers they have some of the

Players they have in that pack that will be an area that will get targeted which is a long-winded way of me saying do you bring Manu Tangi back in because it changes the complexion of that team in particular from that defensive point of view it’s a tough one as I’ve said

Already it has been something that has held English rugby back in some ways the Reliance on Manu Tangi for such a long time but I do think it’s quite lightweight that Midfield with how it is at the moment bringing to aangi back in solves some of those issues I suppose on

The flip side of that the way in which England have attacked how much much of that has been down to the fact that they haven’t had an Ole Lawrence or a Manny toang the way in which they’ve moved it more they’ve looked to spread the ball wider earlier and more consistently than

We’ve seen them do at the World Cup or previously over the last year with Steve borwick as the head coach if man tang is back in would we see the attacking shape maybe alter as well it’s really really interesting I would be inclined towards bringing Manu back in

Because of that thing I’ve mentioned of it being a lightweight Midfield and having three really tough games coming up I would rather it is olle Lawrence because his form for bar has just been exceptional one of the form centers in the Premiership but as it’s to langi as

The option I can understand why he is the guy that you would bring back in but let me know what you make of that in the comments elsewhere Luke C and dicki um it’s an interesting one Luke C and dicki so he is first of all he’s a good

Experienced option for England because hook has been an issue for a while Jamie George obviously now as the captain will always be starting but he would have been starting anyway he had to get through a lot of minutes at the World Cup Theo down was the guy coming off the

Bench but the disparity in experience just meant that Jamie George has been relied upon for doing a lot of the bulk work and I really like what Theo Dan has done and the player that he could turn into I think there are still areas of

His game that need to develop so do you bring Luke K Andi back in again going back to the fact of the three tough games you’ve got coming up to have someone with I think it’s over 40 caps for C and dicki coming back into the team as a

Replacement what a great option to have coming off the bench away at Scotland at murrayfield or do you stick with Theo Dan I’d be tempted actually on this occasion to stick with Theo Dan more because C and dicki has had such a Tor time with injuries and serious injuries

In terms of that neck area hasn’t played a huge amount of rugby that I would be tempted to stick with Theo Dan it’s actually a really good example of over all I think it’s a good thing that the Premiership doesn’t happen now when the Six Nations is on because a lot of

People stop paying attention the Six Nations just dwarfs it and the competition is weaker when you don’t have all the Internationals luk and dicki is a really good example of how we could do with more competitive domestic rugby happening at this time for someone that is returning from injury in this

Way but for the time being personally I’d stick with Theo Dan but let me know if you disagree the last one is a fascinating one because George Martin is back we know Steve borwick loves him we know that in that World Cup semi-final when he came in he was absolutely

Outstanding and I think because of those things he does come back into this team but the question is going to be where and really it’s he can play in the second row or he can play in the back row at six and actually despite the absence of Courtney laws quite quickly

You look at The Blindside options for England Ethan Roots has been really good so far coming in Man of the match or player of the match against Italy Chan lunning himself has looked excellent coming off the bench and there’s lots of people that look at him and think he’s

The long-term successor to Courtney laws is actually starting at six for England and now you’ve got George Martin so what do you do do you say bring George Martin into the team as a kind of number six in which case he either starts and that maybe pushes Ethan roots

To the bench or Trav Cunningham South drops out or do you start him on the bench so Ethan Root’s the one that starts or CH Cunningham South starts but George Martin has that bench spot or do you incorporate him into your selection for second rows Mar to and OE chessum

The second row so far Alex Cole’s coming off the bench to me my gut instinct is that seems more likely that George Martin maybe comes onto the bench for Kohl’s and he’s then that second row option who can obviously play six as well and because Ethan roots and

Cunningham South have been going so well in the early days of their International career you stick with them and you keep letting them gain that experience that would be my gut Instinct for how Steve borwick tries to work these players in so I’m saying Luke C and dicki for the

Time being you let him continue his recovery maybe trading with the team I think Tangi comes back in because of what he brings to that Midfield in particular in the defensive set in terms of where some of the frailties I think might be at the moment and I think

George Martin maybe comes onto the bench as a second row option rather than a six but who knows that’s just my gut instinct let me know what you make of it as I said at the start of the video as well Marcus Smith and olle Lawrence continue their rehabbing Lawrence is

Just a massive Miss for England because of the form he’s in and what he would bring to that Midfield so hopefully he’s back soon Marcus Smith is less of a loss I think purely because of the options at fly half in George Ford and SMI Finn

Smith but I think to me it looks like George Ford’s going to be the guy isn’t he I think George Ford starts at fly half if he fit every game of this Six Nations now for England and Finn Smith gets the experience coming off the bench which is the pragma Matic sensible

Approach I can completely understand why they’re going with it before the tournament I said that I’d like to see Finn Smith start but I’ll be honest I can understand why borwick is going in that direction it does make a huge amount of sense so what did England do

Do they stick or twist an unchanged team for the game against Wales the first time that was the case since the 2019 World Cup final I think we will see changes for the Scotland game going away to murrayfield somewhere that England have not had a good set of results over

The last years a rivalry that has flipped 180 from the days of England dominating it to now Finn Russell Gregor town and this group of Scotland players who are not intimidated by England one bit they have had the upper hand in the Kolkata cup over the last few years I

Think with some of those players that are now available to bothwick we will see changes in this team I look forward to reading your comments make sure you like the video and make sure you’re subscribed to the channel as well to not miss anything I’ll see you in the next one