England will have too much for Samoa today but I have some concerns over the side they are sending out if it is the one they are planning on using in the knockout stages. They have done well to qualify from their pool with a game in hand and that gives them the right to try what they like in what is essentially a free hit in Lille.
But if the assumption is that this is the backline Steve Borthwick intends to run in the quarter-final, it looks out of kilter to me. You have a No 10 in Owen Farrell playing at No 12, a No 12 in Manu Tuilagi playing at No 13 and a No 13 in Joe Marchant on the wing.
That doesn’t sit right. George Ford has earned the right to the starting 10 shirt through his performances at this World Cup, notably Argentina where he was brilliant, but having to fit the captain in there somehow creates an issue. Just because Farrell is England’s skipper does not mean he should automatically start.
His personality is so influential around the squad and his leadership is so important, but Farrell would always want what is best for the team. I think that should mean the bench today – that way the rest of the backline can play in their best positions.
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You need round pegs in round holes in international rugby – if you throw in square ones top-level opposition will just pick you off. I’ve never really been convinced by the Ford/Farrell double playmaker set-up and I definitely think Tuilagi is a more natural inside centre than a No 13. He isn’t a natural distributor and 12 is a better position for him to use his power.
My worry with him in a wider channel with his injury record is that the extra demands out there, cover-wise, may put him at greater risk of picking up another tweak which is exactly what England don’t need ahead of the quarterfinals. I hope I’m wrong on that obviously but Tuilagi is still such an asset to England that they can ill afford to lose him.
