An alternative England XV: We pick a team from players unlucky to miss out… - Page 3 of 3 - Ruck

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

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.