It is a remarkable fact that England have not named an unchanged team in three successive Six Nations games for 14 years. That long wait is set to end next week when they confirm their starting XV to face Ireland at Twickenham, yet another indicator of the growing stability on and off the field under the head coach, Stuart Lancaster.
The contrast with the perpetual state of flux since Clive Woodward announced the same team for the opening three games of the 2000 season is marked. Five coaching regimes, all of whom had their own ideas about selection, have been involved over that period and only one of the present squad – Dylan Hartley – has won more than 50 caps. Lancaster, however, has not quite finished experimenting and has told his players his preferred 30 for the 2015 Rugby World Cup squad is not yet finalised.
While newcomers such as Jonny May and Jack Nowell, for example, have shown much promise on the wings, the competition is about to ramp up significantly. Marland Yarde and Ben Foden are both due to return from injury next week, while Manu Tuilagi's comeback for Leicester is pencilled in for the beginning of March. With Christian Wade of Wasps also poised to re-enter the equation for this summer's three-Test tour to New Zealand, along with Bath's Anthony Watson and Saracens' Chris Ashton, there are multiple options.
Bath, not to mention England, are also looking forward to their prop David Wilson's scheduled Premiership return this week, while Joel Tomkins will shortly re-emerge for Saracens. Add in the sidelined Tom Croft, Alex Corbisiero and Geoff Parling and the current status quo appears unlikely to last indefinitely. Lancaster has complied "an evolving spreadsheet" of World Cup candidates and already suspects one or two very good players will miss out.
"You soon begin to realise decisions will get very tight," he said. "You know you need three hookers and five props. Four would be a risk, and so it goes on. You'll have five back-three players – two full-backs and three wingers – plus three centres and a fourth who can play on the wing, two fly-halves and three scrum-halves. It will be competitive, no doubt about it." At most a "relatively compact" group of 42 players will be invited to attend summer training next year before the final squad of 30 is finalised.
The survival of the fittest will also be part of the process, but the fly-half contest will be particularly fascinating. Freddie Burns, George Ford and Stephen Myler all remain hopeful of understudying Owen Farrell and one of them will almost certainly start a Test against the All Blacks in June. "I am going to have to create opportunities for them to come into the squad but I don't want to compromise the team's chance of winning," Lancaster said.
The head coach has already discussed the situation with Burns this week, assuring him he is still very much in the management's thoughts despite Gloucester's lowly league position. Ford, though, is pushing hard and, along with Watson, may yet come into the equation for a bench spot in the Six Nations if his form remains strong. "There are certainly some good players who weren't on the bench last time who we need to look at, at some point," said Lancaster. "With three games to go there is still plenty to play for and I don't want to shut the door on anyone. Things can change very quickly."
It all added to the sense of purpose as England's starting XV trained indoors at the national football centre at St George's Park near Burton-up-Trent, prior to a live session against Loughborough University on Thursday. "The other day I looked at the team starting against Scotland and looked at the second team training against them," Lancaster added. "Ben Youngs, George Ford, Kyle Eastmond, Brad Barritt, Chris Ashton, Alex Goode at 15 and Anthony Watson on the other wing … that's a pretty good back-line and it's the same with the forwards."
For now, though, England remain on course to equal the all-time record of four successive unchanged teams, achieved on only three previous occasions, in 1960, 1991 and 1995. It will have an even better chance of happening if they defeat an Irish side which Lancaster believes is "the most complete" in the championship. "It's going to be a great game and a big challenge. They're a very organised and cohesive team. We'll be very respectful of the quality of players they have available and how good their coaching team is."
