Jeff Probyn’s column: Two ‘big hits’ not enough to put Sam Burgess ahead of Henry Slade

Looking back at last week’s game and the England team’s performance against France at Twickenham, I have the feeling that I watched a different game to many of the other commentators who lauded the performance.
I must admit to some trepidation as the French team cut loose and, had they have not been ‘ring rusty’ and the ball bounced the right way, France could have been 20 points to the good by half time. The French scrum dominated at the setpiece but, fair play, England came back and scored against the run of play.
So how well did England play starting with the man of the moment, Sam Burgess? He had a fair game, he did nothing wrong and put in some good tackles but as Matt Dawson said this week, Burgess was out of position on a number of occasions and just because he survived against a second string French side doesn’t mean he should have a place in the final squad above the likes of Henry Slade (who excelled) or Luther Burrell, who has shown his worth in many Tests.
I don’t usually agree with scrum-halves but this time I think Dawson is right, particularly when he says Burgess played more like an out-of-place six than a natural 12.
What has to be remembered is, the intensity in the World Cup games will be far above the phoney war games of the warm-ups. Plus, players will be playing instinctively rather than having time to think before they act. Even in this low-key game Burgess’s instincts betrayed him and led to him getting a yellow card.
And despite the fact that in this game there were no consequences, in the quarter or semi-finals, it could cost England the match.
What does surprise me is the praise that is being heaped on him for two ‘big’ tackles, one on 16st Dimitri Szarzewski and the other on Alexandre Dumoulin who weighs under 15st.
As an ex-rugby league international front-rower, who weighs in at over 18st, it would have been one hell of a surprise if he hadn’t made his presence felt at some point during the game – but does that mean he should be given the slot above Slade or Burrell?
In my opinion, of the two debutants in Saturday’s midfield the most exciting and interesting was Slade. His skill with ball in hand was as thrilling as the Burgess ‘big hits’ but they were many more than just two occasions of magic from Slade.
It would appear that Billy Twelvetrees and Danny Cipriani will miss the World Cup boat but to play the attacking game that England seems to want, Jonathan Joseph and Slade must be selected. Then the question is, do Sam’s two tackles count for more than Brad Barritt or Burrell’s Test experience? In the forwards, both props showed their inexperience in the scrum but both had good games around the park. Kieran Brookes wasn’t helped by the fact that Mako Vunipola got blown away in the scrums, first by Nicolas Mas and then Uini Atonio.
The old saying that the tighthead is the anchor of the scrum still remains true but if the loosehead is driven back beyond certain point it is impossible for the tighthead to hold the scrum. The injury to Brookes saw the arrival of David Wilson on the tighthead but with Vunipola still on loosehead and suffering, the scrum didn’t settle until Alex Corbisiero was sent on to replace Vunipola.
At hooker, Rob Webber did well considering his loosehead prop was under pressure and he threw in well at the lineouts. When Luke Cowan-Dickie was substituted on to replace Webber he did some excellent cleaning up at the front of the lineout, mainly created because his throwing-in was so bad that he missed his jumpers. Once Corbisiero was on, the scrum was more settled so it is impossible to measure the performance of Webber and Cowan-Dickie in that area.
Last Saturday should have gone a long way to clearing selection issues in Stuart Lancaster’ mind but a lot will depend how he wants his England team to play.
If, as is professed we are going to see an England team that plays with the ball in hand and be less reliant on the traditional setpiece game, it could still provide a selection lifeline to players like Cowan-Dickie and Mako Vunipola. Both failed to do what is usually seen as the basic skills of the positions they play but showed good skills in broken play and carried the ball well.
For me, the choice for the front-row would be Joe Marler and Corbisiero on the loosehead, Wilson and Dan Cole on the tighthead with Webber, Jamie George and Tom Youngs at hooker. I think that judging from last Saturday’s game, Brookes, Vunipola and Cowan-Dickie lack the experience and accuracy in their setpiece roles to make the final cut for this World Cup.
Going with just four props would make it possible for another back- row which I feel is the area where England most need variety. With Chris Robshaw, Billy Vunipola, Tom Wood and, almost certainly, Ben Morgan, leaving just one place in the back-row, I feel that England would be best served having the extra option in the back row by keeping Calum Clark and James Haskell.
That would make my final 31 – Back three: Mike Brown, Alex Goode, Jonny May, Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell. Centres: Barritt, Joseph, Burrell, Slade. Fly-halves: Owen Farrell, George Ford. Scrum-halves: Danny Care, Ben Youngs, Richard Wigglesworth.
Props: Marler, Dan Cole, Wilson, Corbisiero. Hookers: Webber, Youngs, George. Second row: Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury, George Kruis, Geoff Parling. Back row: Robshaw (c), Wood, Billy Vunipola, Morgan, Haskell and Clark.
I feel that this 31 from the current 39, gives England the best combination of talent and experience enabling them the best chance of being successful.