"Drop Farrell & May" - Austin Healey has picked his England backline to beat Scotland

Thursday, 20 January 2022 at 21:19

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byRugby Rucker

Austin Healey has ruthlessly picked his England backline, dropping both Owen Farrell and Jonny May from the starting XV for their Six Nations opener against Scotland.

Writing in the Telegraph, the 51-cap England international believes Eddie Jones has only created doubt, not clarity by selecting his captain in his 2022 Six Nations squad.

"Owen Farrell is a great player, but for all of his quality traits, with Smith and Farrell it feels like England have an either/or scenario, rather than selecting both," wrote Healey.

"By doing so, you are taking a bit of Smith's edge away."

Below is the backline Healey would pick for the tournament opener.

England Six Nations 2022 Fixtures

Saturday 5 February: Scotland v England (16:45)
Sunday 13 February: Italy v England (15:00)
Saturday 26 February: England v Wales (16:45)
Saturday 12 March: England v Ireland (16:45)
Saturday 19 March: France v England (20:00)

Austin Healey's England backline

BACK-THREE:

15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
14. Max Malins (Saracens)
11. Joe Marchant (Harlequins)

Freddie Steward of England goes over for a try during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK

RUCK'S BACK-THREE: 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), 14. Ollie Hassell-Collins (London Irish) & 11. Max Malins (Saracens)

CENTRES:

13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
12. Mark Atkinson (Gloucester)

Healey wrote: "Marchant is going to end up on the pitch somewhere, either on the wing or in midfield, because England still performed well against the Springboks even with Tuilagi off the field, operating almost off a Harlequins axis with Marchant and Smith combining with Slade."

Henry Slade of England kicks the conversion during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Tonga at Twickenham Stoop on 6 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

RUCK'S CENTRES: 12. Luke Northmore (Harlequins) & 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)

HALFBACKS:

10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
9. Ben Young (Leicester Tigers

Healey wrote: "Some people still dispute that George Ford is better than Smith in terms of control, but if you want to play an attacking game, and it's clear from Eddie Jones' squad that he does, then you have to pick Smith at No 10."

Marcus Smith of England scores a penalty during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK

RUCK'S HALFBACKS: 9. Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks) & 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)