Topsy Ojo column: England back-row battle looms at World Cup as Ben Earl excels
en Earl’s stunning form will set up a huge back-row tussle for England in the next few weeks.
Billy Vunipola is moving back to sharpness after first injury then suspension, and England will want to get the big No 8 in the best shape possible.
But Earl has excelled across England’s opening two wins at the World Cup, and is a genuine candidate to start a potential knockout match at either openside or No 8.
Considering how he wasn’t really involved in the Six Nations, it is all the more impressive that he has so quickly become a crucial cog in the team.
And he has absolutely shown that he can fill the power-running role that comes so naturally to his Saracens team-mate Vunipola.
England’s first-choice match squad of 23 is starting to settle down, even though this weekend against Chile the lineup is much-changed.
A number of fringe players will have their chance to impress in Lille on Saturday, and they will be desperate to make their mark.
Excellent Earl: The Saracens back-rower has been arguably England’s best player in France
/ Getty ImagesBut the message from England’s coaches this weekend will be, ‘Don’t think you need to do anything more, do the job we’ve asked of you, showcase who you are, do what’s best for the team and make it a selection call’.
If you are the guy that maybe looks a bit greedy or is not giving that pass, it will show. And that will then be highlighted in the post-match review.
So it will be business as usual for England. It might take time to break Chile down, new combinations might need to time to bed in.
They will be physical, aggressive and they will come for England early on. Do not expect England to play any differently in this match either, just because they are facing the team ranked at No22 in the world.
One of the ways in which England will show Chile the utmost respect, that they absolutely deserve, will be through adopting the same gameplan as against Argentina and Japan.
Teams at this level never want to fall into the trap of going away from what makes them successful. And for England now that does indeed revolve around the kicking game.
The booing in the 34-12 win over Japan on Sunday clearly comes from frustrated fans who wanted to be entertained, and want to see tries. But England’s primary job is to win.
Don’t expect England to play any differently against Chile… their primary job is to win
There is method to what might be perceived as madness, but watch all the top teams, they are all kicking for territory just as much as England.
They are trying to build pressure through their kicking game, just like Ireland, France, South Africa or New Zealand.
It’s a tactic that works. It can be risk-averse, but it is about wanting to play in the right areas of the pitch.
I think the frustration probably came where they probably had five or six genuine try-scoring chances in the first half against Japan. So then the kicking overshadows that.
If Freddie Steward had scored an early chance, the kicking might have become less of an issue. If England had scored when the ball hit Jamie George in the face, again the kicking game might have been less scrutinised.
England will know they need to start taking more of the chances they create, however. Marcus Smith has performed fantastically well to learn a new position in full-back and find a way to make it his own.
Steward has commanded the full-back shirt and I would still expect him to remain England’s main choice there moving forward.
But Smith has carved out a new niche for himself as a genuine cameo option, to come off the bench and change the game.
What an exciting selection this is from England to throw him in from the off at 15 against Chile. Smith is a brilliant player who sees space, and boasts great footwork and acceleration.
Perhaps coming into the fray when the game needs breaking up is perfect for him in the biggest of matches.
He is proving a real handful for tired defences, and is a fantastic player potentially to come on and try to change a tight game.
Against Chile he has the chance to show his full skill set from the off at full-back, and that is certainly something the supporters can get their teeth into.
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