An alternative England XV: We pick a team from players unlucky to miss out...

Tuesday, 31 October 2017 at 14:54

bySteven Smith

Here is our alternative England XV made up of players who were unlucky to miss out on Eddie Jones' squad for the Autumn Internationals.

The England chief has confirmed the 36 players to train with him as they prepare to take on Argentina in their opening game at Twickenham

There were always going to be some tough calls and with competition for places fiercer than ever before, a number of classy players have been left disappointed

We pick a team out of those players unlucky to miss out...

Fullback: Jason Woodward - Gloucester

Despite being one of the hottest talents in the Premiership last season, it remains to be seen whether Jones has identified the speedster as a possible starter for his England team. Despite scoring the winning try on debut for Gloucester, Woodward has had a mixed start to life at Kingsholm, however, with limited specialist full-backs, it would have been interesting to see him given a chance.

Winger: Christian Wade - Wasps

The international wilderness is the most frustrating limbo in sport and this speedster has been trapped in there for far too long. Wade scored 18 tries in 25 appearances for Wasps last season and has already run five tries this campaign. Very rarely is a player that did nothing wrong in their first game and has shown consistent form at club level ignored, but Wade is definitely one.

Centre: Chris Harris - Newcastle Falcons

It was really disappointing to see that the Falcons centre has accepted a call-up to the Scotland squad. The 26-year-old has become a lynchpin of Dean Richard's team and would have brought something different to the England squad with his elusive running and ability to offload in the tackle.

Centre: Harry Mallinder - Northampton Saints

Mallinder's rise through the Saints ranks has been highly impressive. His versatility has been crucial to Saints good start to the season and I think it would have been beneficial to both him and England if he was among the group as an apprentice at the very least.

Wing: Olly Woodburn - Exeter Chiefs

In-form Exeter wing Woodburn has been snubbed by England once again. Despite notching tries for fun last season, he was overlooked for the tour to Argentina and remains outside of Jones' plans.

Fly-half: Freddie Burns - Bath

We'd usually lump Danny Cipriani in here and talk about him being a mercurial talent, but a) he's injured and b) Burns deserves some recognition. The number 10 ended last season as Tigers best player and despite not having the best start to life at Bath it'd be interesting to see whether he could make the step up to international rugby.

Scrum-half: Dan Robson - Waps

Similar to Wade, it's tough to understand why this Wasps star hasn't been given international recognition. Robson, despite playing a starring role in Wasps road to the Premiership final, was overlooked for England's tour of Argentina in the summer, being ignored in favour of 20-year-old Jack Maunder. It's hard to see why, but Jones' just doesn't fancy him.

Prop: Jamal Ford-Robinson - Northampton Saints

The powerhouse prop demonstrated his skill in the scrum during England's tour to Argentina and has had a positive start to life at Northampton after making the move from Bristol. The exciting young prop, who is a terrific ball carrier, would have let nobody down if he was in the squad.

Hooker: Tom Youngs - Leicester Tigers

The Leicester hooker has been in the international wilderness since the 2015 Rugby World Cup but has been in terrific form for the Tigers so far this season. With a number of up and coming young hookers available, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jamie George and Tommy Taylor to name a few, it's unlikely he'll be able to get back in.

Prop: Kieran Brookes - Northampton Saints

The tighthead started off as a regular under Eddie Jones but slowly saw himself slip down the pecking order as a mix of injury and ill-discipline saw him nowhere near his best last season. Thankfully, Brookes seems to be back playing close to his best and I think was a little unlucky to miss out.

Lock: Callum Green - Newcastle Falcons

A regular in our Team of the Week, Green has been a standout player for Newcastle with his carries and his impressive defence. He's won 37 lineouts this season and is, without a doubt deserving of a call-up to allow him to take his game to the next level. Nevertheless, England are blessed with a plator of fantastic second-rows, making this incredibly difficult.

Lock: Jamie Gibson - Northampton Saints

Gibson has been thriving of late with Saints, proving himself to be an efficient lineout operator and warrior at the breakdown. However, like Green, will struggle to displace any of the England regulars.

Flanker: - Mark Wilson - Newcastle Falcons

Flanker was one of the most eagerly-contested positions prior to England's summer tour to Argentina. Although Sam Underhill and Tom Curry both impressed, it was Wilson who particularly stood out with two barnstorming displays. Jones put his none-selection down to form, but that's hard to buy when you look at how the Falcons have performed this season so far. His advancing years probably don't help him.

Flanker: Don Armand - Exeter Chiefs

Scoring two tries in Exeter's memorable away win against Montpellier, it was a bit of a surprise that he wasn't included in Eddie Jones squad. Armand, 29, made his England debut in June, but like Wilson, seems to have been overlooked in favour of younger players.

We could have easily selected James Haskell here, but we agree with Jones that the flanker is out of form. Still, with the experience of back-to-back Six Nations titles under his belt, his experience would have been useful.

Number 8: Lewis Ludlow - Gloucester

The Cherry and Whites back-rower has made the most tackles in the Premiership, landing 114 hits already this season. He's probably been unlucky that Exeter's Sam Simmonds has been so outstanding so far this season.

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