It should be remembered that when Alex King and Jerry Guscott are fit the possible permutations in the backline become very interesting indeed.
Don’t be surprised to see Mike Catt returning at full-back where Matt Perry, for all his promise, still doesn’t look the finished article. Tim Rodber will return from injury and Tony Diprose will bounce back to create even more selection headaches in the back row where Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Hill are firmly ensconced. I have to admit I’m not a fully paid-up member of the Neil Back Appreciation Society (President: Stuart Barnes). Too many of his tackles are “passive” for my liking, and he still gets turned over in contact too often.

Nevertheless, England really are spoilt for choice in this area.Collectively the scrummage tightened up immeasurably over the month. Darren Garforth has taken his opportunity well, and although he will never make a World XV, his solidity has allowed the rest of the team to play. Jason Leonard looked far more comfortable in his natural position of loosehead, so that while against Australia the backrow could not get into the game offensively because they were constantly going backwards, by the time of the second Test versus New Zealand the middle five had any number of options because they were working from a secure base.In attack, the realignment of Paul Grayson, the injury to Catt, and the improved levels of ball retention meant that continuity is now beginning to be merged with more of a cutting edge.Defensively, the team were outstanding – with the exception of Grayson in the final Test, who spoilt a high-class performance with two glaring errors. Much of the good work initiated by Mike Slemen and built upon by the Lions in the summer has been refined by Phil Larder so that, in football terms, the side looks “tight at the back”.One area where we need to develop our game still further is in the tackle zone; the speed and accuracy with which the support players “clear out” defenders is not always direct or decisive enough. The delivery of the ball by the tackled player lacks consistency and we are still not sure how many players we need to commit to the breakdown.

However, in most other areas we lose little in comparison tactically or technically now that the players have become more comfortable with the ball in hand.We must continue to try to play the style of game we saw against New Zealand, always pick a Test-standard place kicker somewhere in the team (which precludes the use of Catt in such a role), and stop labouring under the misapprehension that somehow these other guys are superhuman. Standards in English rugby are rising in only the second year of professionalism – partly because of the levelling up of teams in the Premiership and the influence of overseas coaches and players. The main threats to continued improvement are now overplaying and exhaustion, rather than rickety competitive structures and nasty old Johnny Foreigner.. Leicester 55

Sale 15
Rugby Union, as it is being played at present, can no longer be described as the great leveller. The superiority on the field will almost inevitably be translated in its full glory or, in the case of the vanquished, in its full horror on the scoreboard And so it was at Welford Road yesterday. These are two highly respected sides in the Premiership of English rugby but this was not so much of a match as a massacre, the margin of Leicester’s victory in no way flattering them.They were simply irresistible, scoring seven tries, including a penalty try, and submerging Sale with a compelling display of total rugby. Sale are either inspirational or diabolical and yesterday there was no doubt into which category they plummeted.