An alternative England XV: We pick a team from players unlucky to miss out…
Rugby NewsMonday, 14 May 2018 at 12:01
Here is our alternative England XV made up of players who were unlucky to miss out on Eddie Jones’ squad for the summer tour to South Africa.
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)
A revelation for Gloucester this season, Jason Woodward has combined fast feet with a cool playmaking head to give defenders nightmares week-in-week-out. The former Hurricanes star has been tearing up the Premiership this season and has been treating the Kingsholm faithful to some pretty sensational trickery from fullback. It is a real shock to see the 27-year-old left out, given the inclusion of others.
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 scored another 14 this term so far. 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: BILLY TWELVETREES (Gloucester)
The Cherry and Whites centre played an influential role in helping his side reach the Challenge Cup final. It's surprising his name hasn't at leasy been mentioned more in regards to an international recall.
Centre: PIERS FRANCIS (Northampton Saints)
He's not had a great season, but when you consider he did a very good job in Argentina last summer it's a little bit of a surprise that he has not been selecte for the tour. He will attend the training camp in Brighton nevertheless and could face the Barbarians.
Winger: 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 once again this time around.
Fly-half: MARCUS SMITH (Harlequins)
Smith has been in the last two squads as an apprentice and with the below-par performances of George Ford, it seemed that June may finally be the time to blood the 19-year-old playmaker. He is an excellent attacking fly-half and has all the potential to be among the world’s best. It’s just a shame England fans will not get to see him play in South Africa.
Scrum-half: BEN VELLACOTT (Gloucester)
The scrum-half was included in England’s elite player squad earlier this year but has represented Scotland at Under-20s level and their national head coach Gregor Townsend wanted him to be part of their senior squad. The 23-year-old is still in his first season as a full-time professional player and would of probably made the squad if not for the sublime form of Dan Robson.
Prop: ROSS HARRISON (Sale Sharks)
Nearly 300 tackles with a 95 per-cent completion rate gives him the third most tackles in the league, and he is top for a prop. Five more starts at loosehead than his nearest competitor. Omnipresent with a low number on your back is Herculean. Unlucky not to be considered.
Hooker: TOM CRUSE (Wasps)
Cruse has become Wasps' first-choice hooker in the absence of Tommy Taylor through injury for the majority of the season and Ashley Johnson's injury knocks and recent suspension. The former London Irish player has scored five tries in his last 10 games and clearly did enough to impress his Wasps teammates to win their players' player of the season award.
Prop: BENO OBANO (Bath Rugby)
The tighthead has been invited to train with England at a camp in Brighton next week, however, and could be in with a chance of playing in the uncapped match against Barbarians on May 27 at Twickenham. After a good campaign, he should have been given a chance in the full squad.
Lock: CALUM GREEN (Newcastle Falcons)
Green has the second-most line-out wins in the Premiership. He only missed one game, and has put in more than 1,500 minutes on the park. And when he starts he plays the whole game. A rock for Dean Richards, he also hits things hard and has made 250 tackles. A very underrated player.
Lock: DON ARMAND (Exeter Chiefs)
Due to a lack of locks and an abundance of back-row options we've taken advantage of the Chiefs powerhouses' versatility. Nominated for Premiership Player of the Year, he is the helmsman of the Exeter driving maul, and he is a great rugby player. He should be in the squad.
Flanker: JAMIE GIBSON (Northampton Saints)
Also nominated for Premiership players of the year, Gibson has been thriving of late with Saints, proving himself to be an efficient lineout operator and warrior at the breakdown. However, like Armand and Green, he has again struggled to catch the eye of Eddie Jones, somehow.
Flanker: GARY GRAHAM (Newcastle Falcons)
Another man that has been selected in previous England squads, Graham has been a standout performer during Newcastle Falcons’ successful campaign this term. Of most interest, Graham is fantastic at the breakdown; an area England were brutally exposed at during the horror Six Nations. This makes his exclusion even more surprising and difficult to comprehend.
Number Eight: JONO ROSS (Sale Sharks)
He is a sensationally-tough ball carrier with real variety, he can win you an inch in the dogfight or play out wide in the 15-metre channels. He has great hands, is a top line-out athlete and tackles anything, topping the tackle count in the league with 108.
TRENDING
LATEST NEWS
LATEST COMMENTS
- 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
Loading