England go into the World cup as one of the favorites even though they have had a relatively inconsistent 2015. The English go in with a massive home field advantage with an excellent home record having beaten all the top sides at Twickenham at some point in the last four years.
Leadership
Captain: Chris Robshaw
Coaching staff: Stuart Lancaster (head coach), Mike Catt (backs), Graham Rowntree (forwards), Andy Farrell (kicking)
Senior Players: Ben Youngs, James Haskell, Mike Brown, Owen Farrell, Dan Cole, Danny Care and Geoff Parling
The Brits will front up with a relatively inexperienced squad with their most capped player being James Haskell with 60 caps and a collective team total of 761 caps, whilst all the other major contenders have well over a total of 1000 caps.
Their coach, Stuart Lancaster was appointed in 2011 on a temporary basis in the aftermath of the Rugby world cup debacle in New Zealand. He then made his position permanent after restoring respectability to the England team in the 2012 Six Nations where England finished second where they have consistently finished since.
Official Squad
Props: Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Joe Marler, David Wilson, Kieran Brookes
Hookers: Tom Youngs, Jamie George, Rob Webber
Locks: Courtney Lawes, George Kruis, Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling
Back Row: Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Billy Vunipola, Tom Wood, Ben Morgan
Half backs: Danny Care, Ben Youngs and Richard Wigglesworth
First fives: Owen Farrell, George Ford
Centers: Brad Barritt, Jonathon Joseph, Henry Slade, Sam Burgess
Outside backs: Mike Brown, Jack Nowell, Jonny May, Anthony Watson, Alex Goode
England will miss a couple of players in their squad who have either missed out due to lack of form or have been sidelined due to injury. Chief among them being the up and coming British Lions front Rower Alex Cobisiero who has been one of the stand out players for England over the last two years. Also missing out is Danny Cipriani who could have been the spark England need to take the title although coach Stuart Lancaster opted for Farrell and Ford to share the number 10 jersey. England will also miss centers Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell. Along with the mercurial Manu Tuilagi who didn’t make the cut.
Key Players
Geoff Parling: Parling is England’s premier lineout jumper. Whilst Courtney Lawes and Launchbury will both play key roles in the lineouts, Parling will be one to watch for as his power in makes him a key player in the driving mauls and scrums. He is also a powerful runner with ball in hand and is a solid defender around the fringes.
Chris Robshaw: Robshaw is perhaps the most important player in the England line up not only because of his role as captain but due to his position on the open-side flank. He is an indomitable force with the ball in hand and will have to lead from the front. Whilst Robshaw’s work rate is right up with the best flankers in world rugby, his ground game may not be his forte but he can hold his own against the best of them.
George Ford: Ford has been tipped to wear the coveted number 10 Jersey over the more senior Owen Farrell and is definitely a key player in the English line-up. He will have to bring his ‘A’ game for England to have any hope of taking the title. Ford is certainly a more creative play-maker than Farrell but is relatively inexperienced under pressure and is not known for his consistency. In order for England to have any hope, Ford will have to control in attack and work on his kicking game.
Brad Barritt: Barritt is the most experienced player in centerfield for England even though he has just the 22 caps it is more than all the other centers combined. Barritt is a powerful runner with ball in hand and will be the go to ball carrier for England in Center field. Barritt will also have to take a leadership role within the inside backs when Owen Farrell is not on the field as he will be surrounded by youngsters.
Mike Brown: Mike Brown has been England’s most consistent performer over the last years. He is a rock at the back under the highball and has time and again caused problems for opponents on the counter attack. His ability to exploit open space means England will capitalize on any miscued kicks from their opponents. He is also spectacular as the last line of defense for England and will close down line breaks in a heartbeat.
Team Strengths
Set pieces: Scrummaging has historically been a strength for English teams over the years. They have always featured burly front-rowers who have out muscled oppositions. This still reigns true amongst the Brits, although they have an inexperienced front row they are technically strong scrummages and can match all oppositions pound for pound. England’s lineouts have also gone from strength to strength over the years with the likes of Parling, Launchbury and Lawes proving to be specialists.
Structured defense: Although England have a young out-fit they have a disciplined defensive line and are very good defending around the fringes. Their only worry would be defending broken play which does not favor them.
Tactical kicking: Ever since Jonny Wilkinson donned the England whites kicking has become a huge part of the English game. Although Ford may not be the most gifted with the boot, whenever Owen Farrell is on the field kicking out of hand will be most definitely a part of England’s arsenal.
Controlled tight offense: England will certainly want to use their big forwards and attack around the fringes for a number of phases. Ball retention is a key part of their game plan which means we will see a lot of rumbling offense from the tight five. This is extremely effective as it will pull in defenders in order for Ford to put the likes of Jonny May and Antony Watson in space out wide.
Fixtures
Sep 18th – England vs Fiji (Twickenham)
Sep 26th – England vs Wales (Twickenham)
Oct 3rd – England vs Australia (Twickenham)
Oct 10th – England vs Uruguay (Manchester)
England will face off in what is the toughest group in World cup history with the advantage of playing all their games on home soil, playing the 3 toughest games of the group in their fortress of Twickenham. The hosts will look to regain the World cup for just the second time since they last won it twelve years ago.
