England:the Journey continues!

[jgriffin]

Agree about Slade, but I suspect that is the price of including Burgess. About Cipriani, nothing more can be said if he is discarded

[Steven]

After much thought this is the squad I would pick and the one I think England should pick (but not the one I think they will pick).

Corbisiero - if fit he has to go because he is a far better loose head than Marler (providing he's fit of course). Less concerns at tight head with Cole and Wilson so Brookes on standby.
Marler
M Vunipola

T Youngs
Webber
George - much better option than the promising but raw Cowan-Dickie; once the first match has been completed I'd have him behind Hartley as standby, don't see anything wrong with that.

Cole
Wilson

Lawes
Launchbury
Parling
Attwood or Kruis - the only place in the squad I'm unsure about; do you go with Attwood's extra ballast or the impressive Kruis' athleticism and work rate? Thoughts? I think England will go with Attwood due to the other locks picked already offering the work rate attribute.

Wood
Haskell
Robshaw

B Vunipola
Easter - has to go really as his handling and experience will be big assets. I'm a massive fan of Morgan but surely 40 minutes action in however many months is not the basis for player to be picked for a World Cup; obviously would be on standby along with Croft (not Clark).

B Youngs
Care
Wigglesworth

Ford
Farrell
Cipriani - has to go as an X factor fly half and a second full back. I think Goode is a good player and would be unlucky to miss out but surely you would want the option of Cips on the bench as a game changer rather than Goode. Worth the small gamble at full back I think especially with Watson also in the squad.

Barritt
Burgess - if you select Slade for his play making ability and it is out of Burgess or Burrell for their ability to offer the physical side of the game then surely it's a no brainer. Who would Roberts be more concerned about running into and who would worry Nonu or SBW more should we get that far. Has to be Burgess over Burrell.
Joseph
Slade

May
Nowell
Watson

Brown

[G.K]

That was dire.
We have no back row.
Good though Ford is, he can't play behind a beaten pack.
I don't know whether it is Tom Youngs fault, but the line out was awful. Incidentally, we never challenged theirs at all.
Vunipola, today, was very poor.
Launchberry is not fit.
What on earth has been going on in that camp for the last 2 months!!!!!!!!!
We have no back row.

I agree - if that is what all that time together with the England coaching team produces then heaven help us.

And let's not get carried away by the last 10 minutes, France clearly took their foot off the pedal when they'd made their point.

[G.K]

Perhaps Burrell didn't get slated because the expectations of him were so low that he couldn't fail or he was so anonymous?

He is not an international class centre and offers less than 12T or Farrell.