RUGBY:WHEN ENGLAND fly to New Zealand at the end of this month they will be leaving some seriously deflated players back at home.
The cursed black spot has been delivered to Joe Worsley, David Strettle, James Simpson-Daniel, George Chuter and Thomas Waldrom, but a further 10 names remain to be culled before Martin Johnson unveils his 30-strong World Cup squad on August 22nd.
While all five of the unlucky quintet could have offered something valuable to England’s campaign, Johnson is having to show his ruthless side.
Worsley, Strettle, Waldrom and Simpson-Daniel have been restricted by injury or illness at some stage this summer and the management believe Bath’s Lee Mears has usurped the 35-year-old Chuter in the hooker rankings.
It leaves 40 players still standing, all desperate to bolster their claims in the forthcoming two warm-up games against Wales.
This is how Johnson wants it. He says he knows his preferred starting XV for his side’s opening pool game against Argentina in Dunedin but the more competition the fringe candidates can give their peers the better.
Those who have caught the management’s eye include Leicester’s Manu Tuilagi, the Gloucester winger Charlie Sharples and Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw.
It would be no surprise if all three are involved at some point against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
Tuilagi had a particularly strong game when the squad played a full-contact trial match at The Stoop last week and Johnson sounds as if he has already seen enough to sense a potential answer to his midfield woes.
“I have been impressed,” said the former England captain. “You saw the quality of Manu last season in the Premiership and I think he’s improved just being in this environment. He’s just got better and better . . . he is an incredibly impressive physical specimen.”
Johnson also revealed England’s defence coach Mike Ford has been doing extra work on the 20-year-old’s positional skills, a tell-tale sign Tuilagi has been earmarked for a seat on the plane to New Zealand.
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