Neil Back

England's injuries provide opportunities

Thu Oct 29 02:23PM

Managing expectations ahead of England's autumn internationals always had to be a careful process even before Martin Johnson had a spate of withdrawals.

Last year there was a lot of hope before the games and there ended up being some disappointing results.

However, you saw a style of play beginning to develop in the Six Nations. England finished second by winning their home games and then only lost their away games by a couple of points.

It was then a bit of a mixed bag in the summer as they lost to the Barbarians and split two matches against Argentina so they are still very much building a side.

Playing teams like Australia, New Zealand and Argentina would have been tough even without the withdrawals but the injuries do add to the woes.

However, on the flip side, it does present an opportunity for all of those players who are in the squad to stake their claim for a regular place.

Players should look to emulate what Delon Armitage did last year. He came into the side without much fanfare and was outstanding and has now become a very important member of the squad.

There is a lot of talk about young Northampton lock Courtney Lawes being handed a chance and I think Johnno will look to gradually ease him into the side off the bench in these internationals and then even more so in the Six Nations.

His team-mates Ben Foden and Shane Geraghty are two others who I would look to take advantage of all the absentees. Geraghty was absolutely outstanding when he played against us at Leeds and nearly won the match on his own.

Another reason to be optimistic is that Jonny Wilkinson is coming into the squad in great form after having played a lot of games in France and he should make a big difference.

There has been a lot debate about what the make-up of the back-row should be, with Nick Easter the latest man out with a calf injury, and I think the key is getting the balance right.

I think Tom Croft has to be in the team after his performances for the Lions in the summer. Many people, including myself, were very surprised when he was left out of the original squad, but he showed his qualities in South Africa when he was handed his chance.

James Haskell could be worth a look at number eight. He has been playing in France, in a very competitive league, and he will have started to learn a different set of skills over there.

That leaves Steffon Armitage and Lewis Moody as options at seven, and going back to the issue of balance, I think I'd go for Armitage. If you have Croft and Haskell in the team that gives you options in the line-out so you then have the luxury of a picking a ball fetcher like Armitage. You could then also have Moody providing valuable support off the bench.

At the lock position it now looks like Simon Shaw could be back for the Argentina game which will be a boost. He has really matured as his career has gone on. He has always been a good ball-carrier but he struggled at first when the lifting rule was brought in. However, he has worked on that aspect of his game and it is really showing now.

The fact that he is 36 is not an issue - if you are good enough you are young enough. Inevitably a time will come when you start looking at the World Cup and it is hard for me to see Shaw figuring in New Zealand although it is up to him to prove me wrong.

However, he can play a key role in helping to ease in one of the number of good locks we have coming through. I've mentioned Lawes before but you also have to consider someone like Richard Blaze while I also think Tom Palmer is an excellent player.

At international level it always comes back to that issue of balance. You always need a good mix of youth and experience to get results.

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