Continuing my brief examination of the England World Cup training squad prior to the final squad selection, with a look at the second row.
It is fair to say that injuries aside Courtney Lawes and Tom Palmer are the starting 4 and 5 locks.
Both are probably better rugby players than they are locks which, depending on the opposition, is either a huge bonus or a huge problem.
Lawes could potentially be the next Simon Shaw. He is taller (if only marginally) than most other 4 locks playing Test rugby and has a huge wingspan.
He is fit, aggressive, mobile, has good hands, and plays like an enthusiastic teenager rather than a ruck donkey.
The main difference between them is that Lawes is far more physically callow than Shaw was at the same age, and subsequently he has taken some huge hits in certain Tests. Shaw was also far more adept in the tight.
Regardless, Lawes seeks confrontation in every match he plays, much more than Shaw ever did.
It was informative to see him search out Bakkies Botha during the November Test versus the Springboks. Despite the Springbok forward dominance that day Botha looked noticeably reluctant to engage.
Problematically, in a pack that doesn’t have any really punishing carriers, Lawes is another weak carrier, but he has started to use lateral movement rather than trying to truck over the top of opponents. This is a positive, and he is very quick to look for the pass.
Lawes does tend to give away more penalties than Palmer or Shaw, but I think that is more to do with his huge work rate rather than any underlying cynical motives. He simply covers a huge amount of ground, and is involved in multiple phases of play.
His type of aggression has been missing in the England pack for too long now, perhaps since Johnson and Grewcock laced their boots in anger.
Lawes’ partner Tom Palmer was considered the next big thing a good few years ago, but his career never kicked off. The friend of Richie McCaw won the Heineken Cup with Wasps, but he never really developed as a 5 lock there.
He played well, but Wasps have a history of not remedying the technical shortcomings of their forwards.
Having been catapulted into the side versus France in the 2010 Six Nations due to injury, Palmer staked his claim, and is now arguably one of the best 5 locks in Europe.
He is not a natural middle jumper, and has struggled running the lineout, specifically against the Springboks in November 2010. However, his general play is superb.
Palmer has the softest hands, but also has the capacity to make a crushing tackle out of nowhere, much like Lawes. On form he really has been quite excellent for England recently.
The main problem with playing Lawes and Palmer, however, is that they are both comparatively slight.
The English rolling maul has generally been very, very poor under John Wells, and neither Lawes or Palmer are natural maulers so that area of English forward play is still a concern. I wonder if their size affects the scrummage too?
Conversely, the athleticism of Lawes and Palmer allow the English pack to play a specific style of rugby, and with Sheridan, Cole and Nick Easter, England have three players able to undertake extra tight work at the breakdown so a balance is struck.
Lawes and Palmer complement each other, but sometimes their similarities are a negative.
Simon Shaw has generally performed very, very well under Martin Johnson, either when starting or coming off of the bench. He will never repeat his Lions heroics at this stage in his career, but as a substitute Shaw has made some serious impact without grabbing many headlines.
As a man of extreme experience he knows the shortest ways to most rucks, is an excellent defender of the maul, and has great defensive anticipation. Shaw is also adept at sucking in defenders as a carrier. He has this method of sticking out his right arm, collecting defenders, thereby allowing a mismatch wider out.
Apparently though, Shaw is struggling physically, and due to various shoulder injuries can only lock on one side of the scrum.
I am a huge fan of his, especially with all the experience he could bring off the bench, but goodness knows what sort of condition he is in. I’ve even read that he might not be able to make the World Cup squad.
In Shaw’s absence, Louis Deacon would likely travel to New Zealand. I have always perceived Deacon as being of typical English yeoman stock from a few decades ago. One of those forwards who will lead with his head, but doesn’t know what to do with his hands if given the ball.
He is reliable, and a solid tight forward, hitting his rucks, doing his core duties at the lineout and restart area, but without making any noticeable physical impression.
Significantly, Deacon isn’t particularly big nor that athletic in comparison to other 4 locks i.e. Botha, Nallet, Davies etc.
Basically Deacon is the lock version of Tim Payne. He will only start due to injury, and he will not let you down, but neither will he shake the world.
Although England won the most recent Six Nations, they did not do so in the same style they attempted to exercise in the Autumn. I think that’s because they missed Lawes (and also Tom Croft) in the pack.
Deacon just does not have the same athleticism as Lawes, and so when he started in the Six Nations England had one less ball player and support player in the pack which looked inward rather than outward to the wider channels.
Deacon is also comparatively injury prone.
Mouritz Botha was a surprise call-up, especially ahead of Dave Attwood, but to be fair to him he played well for Saracens, and when given an opportunity for the Saxons he took it.
Interestingly, Botha was dismissed in South African as being too skinny. He does put himself about with vigour, but if you look at him physically he does have that skinny (ish) frame of slim forearms and legs.
Botha is mobile and aggressive, like most South African locks, and is competent without being a threat in the air. His work ethic around the pitch is impressive, and he really hits his rucks hard and would form an awesome defensive locking partnership with Lawes.
I think he has a great attitude, and the sort of bite that you need in your tight five. I’d wager that Johnson will stick with Deacon on the basis of his experience and connection with the other Leicester forwards, but I think it would be worth taking a risk and bringing Botha depending on how he performs in the warm-up games.
In conclusion, England has Lawes, Shaw, Deacon and Botha competing for the 4 spot, and only Palmer the genuine 5 lock.
England do have an absence of top-line 5s, which means that they tend to rely a little heavily on Palmer and Croft in certain facets of play.
I suppose given how England struggled at the breakdown against South Africa and Ireland, Johnson might be considering playing two 4 locks in certain Tests against forward orientated sides like Georgia or Argentina.
I would start with Lawes and Palmer, as I feel they bring a different dimension to the way England play, with Shaw, if fit, coming off the bench. Not only does Shaw offer considerable size, but also experience and he can play a much tighter game than any of the other locks can.
England may well bring rely on Tom Croft to cover that 4th lock position like Sir Clive Woodward did with Martin Corry, but given Shaw’s physical ailments I’d bring Botha along. England are in a physical pool with some granite packs, and to that extent a player like Botha with everything to prove could be a real fillip.
World Cup Squad tight five:
Sheridan, Cole, Wilson, Stevens
Thompson, Hartley, Mears
Lawes, Palmer, Shaw, Botha
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