Mike Brown selects his England XV for 2023 Rugby World Cup
Rugby NewsTuesday, 21 September 2021 at 15:26
Former England fullback Mike Brown has attempted to predict the XV that will take to the field in the first game of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Tom de Glanville (Bath RFC)
- 14. Anthony Watson (England)
- 13. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
BROWN SAID: "De Glanville has all the skills. Get him in now to see if he can make the step up."
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RUCK'S PICKS: 15. Josh Hodge (Exeter Chiefs), 14. Joe Cokanasiga (Bath RFC), 11. Ollie Thorley (Gloucester)
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CENTRES:
- 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
- 12. Owen Farrell (Saracens)
BROWN SAID: "Slade has got the natural ability that we associate with All Blacks. Farrell showed against Wales what he can do as second receiver, bringing outside backs into the game and off-loading when taking the line on himself."
RUCK'S PICKS: 13. Joe Marchant (Harlequins), 12. Owen Farrell (Saracens)
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
- 9. Dan Robson (Wasps)
BROWN SAID: "Smith will provide a genuine, high-level kick, pass and run threat. Ben Youngs isn’t getting any younger and his understudy Robson could add spark to the attack."
RUCK'S PICKS: 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins), 9. Stuart Townsend (Exeter Chiefs)
FRONT-ROW:
- 1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
- 2. Jamie George (Saracens)
- 3, Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears)
BROWN SAID: "Ellis Genge hasn’t quite done enough in his limited opportunities to move ahead."
RUCK'S PICKS: 1. Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), 2. Jamie George (Saracens), 3. Kylse Sinckler (Bristol Bears)
SECOND-ROW:
- 4. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs)
- 5. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
BROWN SAID: Itoje would make a World XV without debate
RUCK'S PICKS: 4. Maro Itoje (England), 5. Nick Isiekwe (Northampton Saints)
BACK-ROW:
- 6. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
- 7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
- 8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
BROWN SAID: The Tom Curry-Sam Underhill combination is too defensive for me. Dombrandt brings an X-factor in attack and his defence has improved.
RUCK'S PICKS: 6. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), 7. Sam Underhill (Bath RFC), Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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