HALFBACKS
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens)
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
This partnership has not yet been utilised at the Rugby World Cup, and this match against Samoa would be the perfect opportunity to start. England’s progression into the knock-out stages is all but confirmed, with Samoa presenting a tough yet beatable opponent to close out Pool D. The latter stages of the tournament could well present untimely injuries, and force Borthwick’s hand to select inexperienced partnerships such as Alex Mitchell and Owen Farrell.
Also, after sitting out the match against Chile, Mitchell will be eager for a return to the pitch to shake any lingering nerves before the knock-out stages. After serving a four match ban for a high tackle on Wales’ Taine Basham back in the Summer, Farrell picked up from where he left off in the England 10 jersey. Despite the praise for Ford in the Argentina win, Farrell did not miss a beat against the albeit easier South American opponents. Testing the Saracen with a battle against Samoa will measure his game-management skills against the hard-hitting South Sea Islanders, who tend to fly out of their lines.
We share the perspective of Sir Ian McGeechan, who calls for George Ford to be dropped to the bench after Farrell’s stunning return to form. However, we do not see this as the definitive answer for the remainder of the tournament. Farrell remains on starting XV probation, and he needs to be given the chance to in Borthwick’s words ‘boss the game’ against Samoa, to solidify his claim for the starting jersey after Ford’s heroics against Los Pumas.
FRONT ROW
1. Ellis Genge
2. Jamie George
3. Kyle Sinckler
A literal case of ‘start as you mean to go on’. England need to figure out their strongest side for the tournament’s knock-out stages, and this means bring an end to the revolving door in the front row. Granted it’s been exciting to see the likes of Joe Marler, Dan Cole, Bevan Rodd, Will Stuart and Theo Dan test their hand in the starting line-up, but this match against Samoa will paint a picture on who Borthwick should select for the do-or-die knock-out stages.
This is in no way saying don’t facilitate injury risks. Have the reinforcements on the bench and act accordingly, if the physical battle begins to wear down the pack against Samoa. But Borthwick needs to identify who his starting front rowers are, with former captain Ellis Genge, veteran hooker Jamie George and experienced tighthead Kyle Sinckler leading the way for the one, two and three jerseys. The main area of contention is at tighthead, as Will Stuart’s recent impressive performances has put Sinckler under pressure. Keep Stuart on the bench, and use the first hour of this match to evaluate Sinckler performance against the most physical of opposition.