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First off, so you know where I am coming from, I am English and therefore as biased and one-eyed as any other partisan.
I want to see England rugby back to its best and was as embarrassed as anyone by their abject performance in the World Cup. We were thoroughly schooled by Australia.
I am equally clear, at least in my own mind, that margins are smaller than many commentators think. I am not sure how confident the average Australian supporter would have been after the 2014 autumn tour but the world doesn’t stand still and a year later the Australian team had improved massively.
Cheika and his team of coaches did a tremendous job.
England are in transition now and seem to be moving in the right direction but the question remains whether they will be ready to challenge the Wallabies in June.
A lot of commentators seem to think England will be a pushover simply because Australia beat them last year or because they believe that a Six Nations grand slam is somehow easy.
It is not – for all sorts of reasons. England have talented players coming through and although they may lose the series – someone has to – it is likely to be much more competitive than some commentators on The Roar seem to think.
Just compare the England teams from the World Cup debacle against Australia with the one that took the pitch against France last week and my ideal selection versus Australia to see the direction of travel.
| Fullbacks and wings | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 15 | Mike Brown | Mike Brown | Jack Nowell |
| 14 | Anthony Watson | Anthony Watson | Anthony Watson |
| 11 | Jonny May | Jack Nowell | Jonny May or Chris Ashton |
The back line is pacy, good defensively and outstanding under both attacking and defensive highball. My one issue is Mike Brown who seems to have had a failure of vision this season and has butchered several try-scoring opportunities.
I would switch Jack Nowell to his favourite position of fullback allowing Jonny May or Chris Ashton to be brought back in. Preferably May but he might not be back from injury in time.
| Centres | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 13 | Jonathan Joseph | Jonathan Joseph | Manu Tuilagi |
| 12 | Brad Barritt | Owen Farrell | Henry Slade |
England’s World Cup selection was utter madness compounded by bizarre substitutions – the Sam Burgess experiment says it all and we deserved to lose for this reason alone. Sorting this out is a priority and this season Eddie Jones has shown admirable pragmatism, but he (and everyone else) knows that his selection has been determined by injury and is not his best pairing.
Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade should both be available and are my favourite option. I like Jonathan Joseph but he needs a bit more maturity so should be rested.
| Half-backs | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 10 | Owen Farrell | George Ford | Owen Farrell |
| 9 | Ben Youngs | Danny Care | Danny Care |
I think we have two excellent options in both positions. It is hard on George Ford but he makes the subs bench. I Iike the way Jones has used Ben Youngs and Danny Care to keep the opposition on the back foot this season too.
| Replacement backs | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 9 | Richard Wigglesworth | Ben Youngs | Ben Youngs |
| Other | Sam Burgess | Manu Tuilagi Youngs | Elliot Daly |
| Other | George Ford | Elliot Daly Farrell | George Ford |
I feel sorry for Burgess to an extent and hope he is recovering from his latest injury but he should never have gone to the World Cup. The bench is important to England and shows genuine strength in depth.
Ford may be unlucky to be benched but gives some interesting tactical options and I would like to see much more of Daly. He has real pace and his long distance place-kicking is a real game changer.
| Front Row | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 1 | Joe Marler | Mako Vunipola | Joe Marler |
| 2 | Tom Youngs | Dylan Hartley | Dylan Hartley |
| 3 | Dan Cole | Dan Cole | Dan Cole |
Another bizarre selection decision for the World Cup where Dylan Hartley was dropped from the squad because of a suspension that meant he would have only missed the first game against Fiji.
This unit is looking solid this season and Joe Marler, while continuing to attract controversy, only looks like he is not scrummaging straight when the opposite tighthead is boring in on the hooker. This is harder to do with Hartley and George in place of Tom Youngs and Marler has benefited.
Dan Cole has recovered his mojo and is very effective at the breakdown. Hartley has been a revelation at captain. Our replacements do not weaken the team and actually are a key reason behind England’s improvement.
| Second Row | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 4 | Joe Launchbury | Maro Itoje | Maro Itoje |
| 5 | Geoff Parling | George Kruis | George Kruis |
Spoilt for choice here. This unit has been a revelation. Imperious at the lineout and Maro Itoje is playing like a back row in the loose. I feel for Joe Launchbury (who at least makes the bench) and Courtney Laws who might not even travel.
| Front Row | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 6 | Tom Wood | Chris Robshaw | Chris Robshaw |
| 7 | Chris Robshaw | James Haskell | Jack Clifford |
| 8 | Ben Morgan | Billy Vunipola | Billy Vunipola |
This has been and still is a problem for England who have had no recognised openside since – well, forever – and played Chris Robshaw out of position as a result. I would be amazed if Jones didn’t use the tour to properly blood Jack Clifford.
Itoje and Cole have helped England at the breakdown and moving Robshaw to his proper position has helped the player and the team. Billy Vunipola is looking extremely tasty (he was injured for the World Cup game) – he just needs to offload as well as his brother.
By the way, I know that both Clifford and Vunipola were born in Australia. Clifford has an English mother and both have lived in the UK since childhood.
| Replacements forwards | World Cup | Grand Slam | Oz Tour |
| 1 | Mako Vunipola | Joe Marler | Mako Vunipola |
| 2 | Rob Webber | Luke Cowan-Dickie | Jamie George |
| 3 | Kieran Brookes | Kieran Brookes | Kieran Brookes |
| 4, 5 | George Kruis | Joe Launchbury | Joe Launchbury |
| 6, 7, 8 | Nick Easter | Jack Clifford | James Haskell |
As I said previously, the bench is a real strength and Jones is much more thoughtful than his predecessor about how he uses it.
Jones is clearly making incremental improvements and in my opinion will take a strong side to Australia. Provided he doesn’t lose too many players between now and the end of the season we should be in for a treat.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.