15 Ben Foden

Once a familiar presence in England's back three, he will have turned 30 by the time next year's Rugby World Cup kicks off. Mike Brown, Alex Goode and Anthony Watson have pushed him down the pecking order and injuries have not helped either. Needs an eye-catching domestic run-in with table-topping Northampton to re-enter the Test equation.

14 Chris Ashton

As recently as last autumn, Ashton was still an England regular. Confidence and tries, unfortunately, have been increasingly elusive at the highest level. When Marland Yarde and Christian Wade are both available, along with Jack Nowell, Jonny May and Watson, retaining a place in next season's senior EPS squad will be a struggle unless his form for Saracens is spectacular.

13 Manu Tuilagi

When a force of nature such as Tuilagi is not sure of his starting place in midfield it shows the depth England are starting to develop. He has not featured in a Test for England for a year and the current combination of Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees has been showing promise. Could Burrell and Tuilagi play together? Might it be worth trialling Tuilagi on the wing? Watch this (congested) space.

12 Brad Barritt

Stuart Lancaster reckons the differences between inside- and outside-centre are diminishing in the modern game. Barritt, a consistent rock for Saracens, is also the type of resilient, uncomplaining character beloved by the national management. Twelvetrees, Burrell, Kyle Eastmond and, conceivably, Owen Farrell or Sam Burgess could, however, soon be chasing the same shirt.

11 David Strettle

This season's leading Premiership try-scorer with nine but has not featured for England since coming off the bench in Argentina last year to win his 14th cap. While Lancaster has told him that, at 30, the international door is not closed, Yarde and May have leapfrogged him and the elevation of Bath's Semesa Rokoduguni to the Saxons squad does not bode well either.

10 Owen Farrell

Set to be one of only four starting survivors from this fixture in 2012; just six of the match-day 23 will still be involved this weekend. The emergence of George Ford, however, guarantees an intense battle for the England No10 jersey for the foreseeable future. Toby Flood may have bowed out but Ford, Freddie Burns, Stephen Myler, Henry Slade and even Danny Cipriani are all hovering if the warrior Farrell falters.

9 Lee Dickson

Will also be past 30 when the World Cup kicks off and Danny Care's re-emergence has again condemned him to a supporting role. Ben Youngs' form will surely return at some stage but Dickson's game-management skills should ensure he remains part of Lancaster's squad heading towards next year's World Cup. Care, though, is rapidly emerging as one of the key cogs in Lancaster's new England.

1 Alex Corbisiero

If England – and Northampton – could get the 25-year-old Corbisiero on the pitch more often they would be thrilled. Knee trouble has severely curtailed his involvement since 2012 but his series-turning effort for the Lions last summer underlined his many qualities. In his absence, however, Joe Marler and Mako Vunipola are both making an increasing impact at loosehead.

2 Dylan Hartley

Not only is Hartley still around but he is an increasingly authoritative figure these days. While Tom Youngs started for the Lions and Rob Webber is a forceful presence for Bath, Hartley has flourished as much as anyone under Lancaster's honesty-based regime. A bolter for this summer's tour to New Zealand could yet be Exeter's Luke Cowan-Dickie but, for now, Dylan is the daddy.

3 Dan Cole

A reassuring presence on England's tighthead side since 2010, until being sidelined last month with a neck problem. Lancaster is not currently blessed with huge amounts of cover, hence the management's delight at David Wilson's sterling performance against Ireland. Henry Thomas, Scott Wilson, Will Collier ... a long England career beckons for at least one of them.

4 Mouritz Botha

Lancaster's tenure is entering phase three, having morphed from short-term stabilisation through hard-to-beat defiance into something more outgoing. Botha was very much a phase one choice, invited to hold the fort until the next generation pitched up. Team sheets featuring Botha, Phil Dowson, Tom Palmer, Matt Stevens and Charlie Hodgson increasingly feel like ancient history.

5 Geoff Parling

One of the successes of the Lions tour, he has been recovering from shoulder surgery and has had to sit and watch Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes establish themselves as England's premier second-row pairing. Dave Attwood is also lurking but Parling's leadership qualities and lineout expertise still make him a useful option if injury disrupts the Lawes/Launchbury axis.

6 Tom Croft

Imagine if Croft had not suffered another long-term injury and missed virtually the whole season? The competition at flanker will certainly hot up when Croft returns for Leicester, which could be sooner rather than later. Tom Wood will not lie down meekly and Tom Johnson, Ed Slater and James Haskell are also desperate to play in next year's World Cup.

7 Chris Robshaw

It is a tribute to Robshaw's competitive edge, endurance, determination and standing among his team-mates that he remains such a constant in Lancaster's changing world. He was running on empty last summer but has been consistently influential again this season. Younger potential rivals such as Matt Kvesic and Luke Wallace have been forced to wait their turn.

8 Ben Morgan

Morgan would be on the bench this weekend if Billy Vunipola was fit but he has done extremely well to re-emerge as a genuine Six Nations force, overcoming both injury and Gloucester's average form this season. Exeter's Dave Ewers and Northampton's Sam Dickinson are making strides but, in terms of explosive power, the squad's fitness staff reckon Vunipola and Morgan can improve still further.