Sir Clive Woodward reveals the five England changes he'd make after 'horror show' in Cardiff

With head coach Steve Borthwick having unveiled his 33-man squad for the highly-anticipated event, some prominent players such as Henry Slade and Alex Dombrandt were surprisingly left out.

Kicking off their campaign against Argentina in Marseille on 9 September, Woodward expressed his dissent over certain selection choices while presenting his manifesto in a column for the Mail Online.

RUCK takes a closer look at the plan, offering our evaluation of whether Woodward's insights are on the mark or if he is once again critiquing his successor without valid reasons.

Woodward wrote: "England have to find a way of playing with pace. Borthwick’s side won’t beat the best teams at the World Cup with the same old tactics of kick and chase!"

RUCK verdict: Steve Borthwick seems to have maintained Eddie Jones' gameplay approach, which didn't yield desired results and ultimately led to Eddie's dismissal. While it's true that speeding up the play is necessary, the omission of pacey players like Cadan Murley, Jonny May, and Henry Slade implies that Borthwick might not prioritize this aspect.

England's sprint times were put together by RugbyDump during the initial training camp with Borthwick leaving out his two fastest players.

Caden Murley: 5.74

Jonny May: 5.79

Joe Marchant: 6.06

Guy Porter: 6.19

Henry Slade: 6.69

Jack van Poortvliet: 6:81

Freddie Steward: 6.94

Woodward wrote: "To play with pace for 80 minutes you need the right players on the field. My back-row would be Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Zach Mercer. I’d also have either Alex Mitchell, Raffi Quirke or Ben Spencer as scrum-half options. 

"Unfortunately, Mercer, Mitchell, Quirke and Spencer aren’t in the squad which says a lot! That said, England can speed up the way they play with the players Borthwick has selected."

RUCK verdict: It's probable that Care won't be in the lineup since Borthwick appears to favor Ben Youngs and Jack van Poortvliet as the preferred options. Many of us at RUCK are equally puzzled by Zach Mercer and Alex Mitchell's exclusion from the World Cup squad.

Woodward wrote: "England still have three games before their World Cup opener with Argentina. Borthwick must pick his first choice XV for the rematch with Wales at Twickenham on Saturday and give all England fans a team to get behind. It should be the same for the trip to Ireland."

RUCK verdict: For England to turn things around and build momentum, it's essential for them to secure victories by fielding their strongest starting XV. Putting the best 15 players on the pitch increases their chances of achieving success.

Woodward wrote: "England need to use their remaining warm-up matches to take their game to the level required to win the World Cup."

RUCK verdict: Allow the team to unleash their talent and play more freely. Instead of resorting to constant kicking and chasing, they should be encouraged to showcase their abilities.

Nonetheless, the concerns about the set piece performance against Wales need to be addressed, and one possible solution could be a return to basics.

Woodward wrote: "I would be telling the England players just how big a chance they have at the World Cup. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Some of the players in this squad won’t play in another."

RUCK verdict: For far too long, England has been playing with fear, and now is the time to embrace freedom on the field.