By Plympton Chief
June 7 2023

The Telegraph is been running a series on England’s potential squad for the up-coming World Cup. I thought it was worth reproducing here for those who don’t subscribe to the Tele. There will, no doubt, be some differing opinions offered here.

Locks

Ollie Chessum
Maro Itoje
George Martin
David Ribbans
Joe Launchbury
Jonny Hill
Nick Isiekwe
Hugh Tizard
Dave Attwood

If we are to follow the precedent of Eddie Jones’s squad in 2019, Borthwick will take four locks to France this autumn – and, owing to the value he places on a line-out jumping blindside, the head coach will want the luxury of a couple who can play No 6. Since that 2019 tournament, too, Courtney Lawes has made a near-permanent switch to the blindside.

To that end, Maro Itoje is a shoo-in and, owing to his late call-up in the Six Nations and his close relationship with Borthwick, George Martin is not far off. The Leicester lock played a central role in the Tigers’ late charge for the play-offs, and seems to have added ball-carrying to his list of high-class skills. He was already the most destructive of tacklers.

Ollie Chessum was one of England’s standouts in the Six Nations until his serious ankle injury. Should he recover in time to reach full fitness, then you would expect him to be included – but given he missed all of Leicester’s run-in, that is a big caveat.

That leaves one space remaining. We know that Joe Launchbury – currently plying his trade at Toyota Verblitz after Wasps’ administration – is in Borthwick’s thoughts but David Ribbans, who will move to Toulon this summer, must be in the driving seat having featured heavily for England in the 2022/23 season. 

The Saracens duo of Nick Isiekwe and Hugh Tizard – especially given the former’s versatility – will push all the way for a spot but Borthwick is limited by numbers. Similar can be said of Jonny Hill, the British and Irish Lion who was Jones’s first-choice but has not yet featured under Borthwick. The trio gave respectable showings in the Premiership final but none offered anything that would have made the England coach stand up and take note.

Next, the back row.

England's potential WC Squad, locks

Discussion started by thechiefstribe.com (IP Logged), 07/06/2023 16:58

thechiefstribe.com
07/06/2023 16:58

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tigerburnie
07/06/2023 17:53

As you say Chessum not match fit so a doubt, I'd prefer to see Martin at 6 and Attwood, Hill and Launchbury are unlikely in my mind

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ouch!_that_hurts
08/06/2023 12:51

Hasn't Dave Attwood just retired?

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