Lancaster Has Picked His Team To Bring The Noise

Luther Burrell and Jonathan Joseph have formed a new look centre partnership and are joined by four British and Irish Lions who have been recalled by England as head coach Stuart Lancaster announced his 23 man squad to face Wales this Friday.

Dan Cole is starting at tighthead prop while his Leicester teammates Tom Youngs and Tom Croft are among the replacements and are joined by Saracens loosehead Mako Vunipola. 

English fans will be very happy to see Lancaster has chosen two outstanding centres while I think injuries to Kyle Eastmond, Brad Barrett and Manu Tuilagi as forced the head coach to pick Burrell and Joseph they’re the right choices to play inside and outside centre.

These two were my picks to start against Wales anyway because if they selected the Bath trio of George Ford, Eastmond and Joseph. Warren Gatland could easy watch Bath matches and give details to Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies to how to stop those three working effectively. 

So going with Burrell and Joseph is the best opinion because Burrell can break the gain line and exploit gaps in the Welsh defense and he was one of the stand out players from last year’s competition. Joseph, meanwhile, is in the best form of his career so far and his starting place was nailed on after his fantastic line break against Toulouse and then made a try saving tackle in the dying minutes against Glasgow. 

Both of those moments are just mere highlights in a so far stellar campaign and if Joseph wasn’t included there would have been questions over Lancaster’s selection and fans faith in him would have dropped and even though this will be the first time playing together and are inexperience against one of the most solid and experienced midfield pairings in International rugby however Gatland has to be worried. 

These two centres will be full out attack and while there are question marks still over there defending if Andy Farrell coaches both players to just attack Roberts and Davies I can’t see the Wales duo able to cope with them.

Elsewhere, you can see injuries have played a major part in this starting 15 as David Wilson would of started if it wasn’t for an injury which has seen Cole recalled after just coming back from injury himself. Lock George Kruis and flanker James Haskell have both come in to replace injured Northampton Saints pair Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood while Billy Vunipola has taken over No.8 duties as Ben Morgan is out with a broken leg.

We also see the return of 36 year old Nick Easter in an England shirt with his last game against France in the World Cup quarter – finals in 2011 his form in a Harlequins shirt this season as placed him among the replacements and is joined by Danny Cipirani as the fly half is seen as an impact player to bring the creative spark if Ford and England are having a bad game.

Now many fans having been wondering why Danny Care isn’t at least among the replacements and the simple reason is his kicking game isn’t good and I know he scores the fluky drop goal here and there, but this season his form hasn’t been great which is why Richard Wigglesworth is in because he’s seen as one of the best kicking scrum halves in the Premiership. 

Personally, I would have gone of Joe Simpson over both Care and Wigglesworth because he is the inform scrum half in the Premiership and though his kicking game is not great but he makes it up for it with his pace and quick thinking and offers the creative spark much like Cipriani.

Finally, I do have one problem with the squad and as you an guest it’s Billy Twelvetrees. I just don’t see him offering anything I know he’s going to be used as an extra kicking opinion in the midfield but I feel Lancaster should of gone for Henry Slade after his stellar performance at fly – half against the Ireland Wolfhounds scoring 13 points and has been in terrific form for Exeter this season and I think would make a lot more impact of the bench.

England Team v Wales

1. Joe Marler (Harlequins)
2. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
3. Dan Coles (Leicester Tigers)
4. David Attwood (Bath Rugby)
5. George Kruis (Saracens)
6. James Haskell (Wasps)
7. Chris Robshaw (c) (Harlequins)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
10. George Ford (Bath Rugby)
11. Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
12. Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
13. Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
15. Mike Brown (Harlequins)

Replacement

16. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
18. Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons)
19. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
20. Nick Easter (Harlequins)
21. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
22. Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks)
23. Billy Twelevetrees (Gloucester Rugby)