Jeremy Guscott: Jonny May must keep improving to make himself invaluable

There is always a dilemma for international coaches such as Stuart Lancaster when it comes to cutting players, because it is so important that they make the right decisions. That applies in a tactical sense, and also in terms of team morale. However the good thing for Lancaster is that the competition within this England squad is so strong that they look in a good place almost whoever he picks.
Let’s use No.8 as an example. Although Nick Easter’s recovery from his back problems have kept him in the frame, it’s the return of Ben Morgan that is a huge plus. This is not just because of his influence as an attacking carrier, but also in the way he has forced Billy Vunipola to raise his game to stay in contention.
Everyone in the long squad knew before the World Cup training programme began that eight or nine players would be surplus to requirements after the return from the USA. So, although it is never easy for any player to be dropped from a squad, no-one can argue that it came as a surprise.
In the pack George Kruis survived because he has gone very well in his appearances for England and has proved that he is a Test player. However, although his progress is well ahead of schedule, he may struggle to make the final 31 because the timing of his arrival as a second row contender could not have been much worse.
He is unlucky that it coincided with Courtney Lawes developing as a genuine leader, Geoff Parling having a bank of experience at his fingertips, Joe Launchbury emerging as an all-court lock, and Dave Attwood impressing with his physical presence.
Matt Mullan was not so fortunate, and, alongside Gloucester openside Matt Kvesic, was one of two forwards in the seven-man cull announced on Friday. Mullan had a very good season for Wasps at loose-head and has never let England down, and although it won’t make him feel better, he could soon be in good company. With Mako Vunipola and Joe Marler in the box-seats, 2013 Lions starter Alex Corbisiero could also miss out when the big reduction comes at the end of August.
At hooker Rob Webber must have shown up well in camp because he had an inconsistent season, whereas Jamie George was the pick of the Premiership No.2s. I’d eventually expect George to challenge Tom Youngs and Webber, with Luke Cowan-Dickie missing out.
The coaches should know most of the selection matrix by now. Having had the players for six weeks they know their fitness capabilities and also their mental capacity. The last piece in the jigsaw is to see the players they have promoted alongside their starters – such as George hooking between Marler and Dan Cole – so they can show how good they are.
The decision to leave Kvesic out of the back row strikes me as similar to the call to leave Kyle Eastmond out of the running at inside-centre. Neither of them quite fit the way England want to play.
There is no one who stands out in the England backrow as a truly influential force who can steer the game, and that includes Chris Robshaw. However, there is a sense that Kvesic could leave the backrow unbalanced because he doesn’t quite have the fine-line timing of a Richie McCaw or a David Pocock, with the danger that he will give away too many unforced penalties.
Giving away penalties in your own half is unforgivable, and Calum Clark, who stays in the squad, has similar issues regarding discipline. Clark is a grafter, and Lancaster knows him well, but if he stays he has to be more than a club grafter – he has to bring something extra to the team. In Tom Wood’s case it is his ability as a line-out forward that provides the extra factor, but with Clark it is not as evident.
Flankers like the Kvesic and Clark are in a similar position to Martin Corry a few years ago, and they have to find a way to break into the back row in the same way that James Haskell has. Haskell is fit, experienced and has presence – and that adds up to Test quality despite the silly yellow card against France.
Tom Croft has an X-factor element that could sneak him into the squad late on, but, even though he can run like a centre, the competition is very fierce and time is not on his side.
This England squad is beginning to pick itself as the tournament nears, and Lancaster is fortunate that he has a squad in which his second choices are very close to his first choices in terms of quality. For instance, at fly-half an interchange between George Ford and Owen Farrell would not disrupt the effectiveness of the team, and even in the centres there are plenty of options.
Billy Twelvetrees can count his blessings to have been retained at No.12 while Eastmond was discarded. In my view Eastmond has been unlucky, mainly because England have not worked out how to harness his skills, including his distribution and kicking. In some ways you feel he is a victim of other players not being able to keep up with him in terms of reading the game.
Twelvetrees has played plenty of Tests and done a job for England, but he loses out by comparison with his main rivals, Brad Barritt and Luther Burrell.
Barritt is the measure of consistency. He hardly misses a tackle, and runs hard and straight, and while Twelvetrees may have the bigger skill set, he cannot produce it consistently enough to be as effective. Burrell is also a step ahead because not only has he scored tries, he has also had very few shaky games for England during two 6N campaigns.
Henry Slade and Sam Burgess have also come in and made it difficult for Twelvetrees and Eastmond. If the choice down the line is between Slade and Burgess, I would go with Slade because of what he will offer over the next four years. Furthermore, Burgess has similar strengths to Barritt and Burrell, whereas Slade is a tactical kicker with a wider repertoire.
In the battle for the wing slots Jonny May has also obviously made his mark. May is an X-factor speedster, and if he can improve his high-ball game you couldn’t leave him out. However, until he does that, he’s not invaluable.
May contrasts with Semesa Rokoduguni, who fits the English mould because he is powerful and combative. It is surprising Rokoduguni has been axed along with Marland Yarde, who is a similar player.
In terms of proven Test try-scorers the main casualties at this stage are Yarde and Chris Ashton. Yarde struggled all last season, but he had his chance in camp to put his hand up – and has not managed to hold it high enough. It goes to show how quickly things can change in the space of a year, because Yarde was so good last summer in New Zealand.
Ashton was on the fringe anyway, so he would have had to have gone up a few gears to change the pecking order.
Overall, there have not been too many unexpected changes to that pecking order with the latest cuts from the squad, and England appear to have strength-in-depth as the World Cup preparations move on.