Three players who should be DROPPED from Eddie Jones squad - and who should replace them

Friday, 18 February 2022 at 07:12

byRugby Rucker

Below, we take a look at three players who we believe didn’t do enough to cement their place in Eddie Jones England squad moving forward.

#1. George Ford (Leicester Tigers)

Ford's place in the squad has to be questioned with the 2022 Six Nations so far being a complete waste of the talented playmakers time. Surely, he'd rather be playing for Leicester right now?

His two unimpressive cameo appearances against Scotland and Italy would have been better served giving a player with significant potential, somebody like Orlando Bailey, Fin Smith or Jacob Umaga, an opportunity to gain valuable experience at the highest level.

It's time for Jones to move on from his Ford and Owen Farrell obsessions and back England's next generation of stars heading into the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Worcester playmaker Fin is what his name suggests; an exciting teenage blend of Finn Russell and Marcus Smith with a temperament far beyond his tender years

Replacement: Finn Smith (Worcester Warriors)

Leicester Tigers player George Ford (c) during the Gallagher Premiership rugby game between Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Nov 5th - PHOTO: Steve Bond/PPAUK

#2. Joe Marchant (Harlequins)

Jones is a big fan of Marchant, and as well as he played against South Africa in the Autumn, his appearances have not been good enough in the opening two rounds. When you think about it, if you can't impress against Italy in a 33-0 win, your place must be questioned, shouldn't it?

Harlequins teammate, Luke Northmore, has been constantly the far better player for the club this season and has an almost telepathic working relationship with fly-half Marcus Smith. It seems Jones seems set on bringing Manu Tuilagi straight back into the fold without giving Northmore or Mark Atkinson an opportunity. Very poor.

Replacement: Luke Northmore (Harlequins)

Joe Cokanasiga of England talks with Joe Marchant of England after the Summer International match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on the 24th August 2019. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK.

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#3. Elliot Daly (Saracens)

It would be unfair to say he wasn't pretty decent against Italy, but his performance against Scotland was pretty disastrous. Lots of fans believe he's only in the squad because he can smash over a penalty from halfway, and although that may seem slightly harsh, there is probably something in that.

It feels as if speedsters Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins have been called up just to hold the tackle bags when fans want to see these exciting speedsters given the opportunity to rip it up out wide at Twickenham.

Replacement: Ollie Hassell-Collins (London irish)