Jeremy Guscott: Kyle Eastmond must seize this chance to show his skill

Kyle Eastmond can skin players in his sleep with his speed, footwork and swerve, and one of the things I’d most like to see from this tour of New Zealand is for him to come through and make an impression. He has a great skill set that England have not seen in full, and that Bath have not managed to tap into yet on a consistent basis.
If Billy Twelvetrees is not fit for the first Test in Auckland then the England centre pairing I would go with is Eastmond and Manu Tuilagi, and it is one with the potential to give any team, even New Zealand, food for thought.
If I was Eastmond I’d be putting my hand up in training and making it clear to Stuart Lancaster that I want to take responsibility – that I am comfortable as the main midfield focus, and want to be the man making the break, the off-load, pass or  run.
If you have Tuilagi at outside-centre you also have the advantage of a player who is very similar to Luther Burrell in terms of getting you over the gain line and scoring tries.
It will be hard for this squad because with one group already there, and the other lot not due to depart until after the Premiership final, there is a lot of disruption. There is also a lot to adapt to.
Going to New Zealand and South Africa is like touring nowhere else because of the intensity of the spotlight on rugby.
On the plus side New Zealand might be without Kieran Read for the first Test, and the England coaches will want to stress the positives. They have to get across the dual message that England can win, and also that they have got nothing to lose. After what they’ve achieved in the Six Nations at the very least they will also want to avoid a pasting.
If they lose the opening Test then it must be a very good performance – so the guys arriving after the Premiership final realise they’ve got a battle to get their place back.
Everything is against them to succeed in the opening Test. However, I agree with Lancaster that if you build a hard-working culture then you are not as reliant on individual brilliance. That is what Leicester have done over 25 years or more, and it is what Lancaster has tried to create with England.
It’s that idea that it’s not about England adapting to you, it’s about you adapting to what England do.
Some people have pointed out that Danny Cipriani has played more Premiership rugby this season than Freddie Burns, so how come he can’t walk straight back in? It’s mainly because Burns understands the England culture and system because he has been in it for a couple of seasons, whereas Cipriani is adapting to it only now. From Lancaster’s viewpoint this is about a long-term culture with strong roots, not a quick fix. It’s about more than players simply having talent, they have to have character too.
On the face of it, England can still put out a good side. They have got core forwards in Chris Robshaw, Joe Launchbury, David Wilson, Dave Attwood and Ben Morgan, and in the backs Danny Care, Mike Brown, Jonny May and Tuilagi. However, the form of missing players like Burrell, Billy Vunipola, Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood has been integral to the team’s success, and it is difficult to replace a third of the team and have the same impact.
What could get the new players up to the benchmark those guys have set is the adrenalin of playing against New Zealand. For the players that come in it’s their chance to prove to the selectors that they have what it takes, and that they can be trusted.
Take Marland Yarde. He’s got to be hungry and prove that he is a true try scorer, because that’s what an international wing must be.
He’s relatively quick and strong, and he says he wants to be one of the great wings – his ambition is to be seen in the same way as the All Black wing Julian Savea. He wants to have a go, and he brings an edge because he has scored tries despite playing in an average London Irish side.
Yarde has delivered at every England age-group up to now, and did reasonably well against Australia in the autumn. But, what’s he like under the high ball, and can he turn defence into counter-attack? One thing the England back three can be sure of is that against the All Blacks they will be really tested.
In the pack Morgan is more established, and I rate him as an international No.8, but I want to see more of him in defence. If you have a massive defence you become indispensable, and the challenge for him is to go at it as hard in defence as he does when he has the ball in his hands in attack.
Great players develop and move on. Chris Robshaw has done that. He has lost a little weight and has become more of a link player, although he has to win turn-over ball or England will lose out in this series.
Joe Launchbury has been exceptional, too, and when he has played against New Zealand at Twickenham he hasn’t been overawed or overshadowed by Sam Whitelock or Brodie Retallick, but can he make the same statement away from home?
Whether England win or lose against New Zealand they will find out how good they are.