Nick Cain: Suddenly the England scrum is Gr-eight again

There were not many No.8 options for England at the start of last season, and it had become another problem position. When Stuart Lancaster came in as caretaker coach just before the last Six Nations tournament he had only two choices: Ben Morgan, a novice with the Scarlets who was still learning his trade and was short of the conditioning required at Test level, and Thomas Waldrom, the Kiwi veteran at Leicester who had missed out on All Black selection during his time with the Crusaders and the Hurricanes.
It highlighted the problems England have had in ensuring a supply of talented players in each position, despite having more playing numbers than almost any other country. It is a long-standing failing which the RFU, despite their well-staffed high-performance department, have struggled to remedy.
Over the last decade I can recall the England cupboard being bare at prop, scrum-half, fly-half, lock and centre, at various times, with No.8 and openside flanker the most recent drought areas. In fact, it often seemed that no sooner had the deficit been sorted out in one position, than the production line was left unattended in another.
However, the good news for England supporters as we go into 2013 is that, at long last, there is competition again at No.8, with the likes of the young Wasps blockbuster, Billy Vunipola, and the forceful Jackson Wray at Saracens, emerging this season to challenge Morgan.
The link position between the pack and the scrum-half is so vital that standards have to be sky high, making sure that the incumbent, be it Morgan or anyone else, needs to be at the top of his game.
The Gloucester No.8 has been growing into the role after regaining his starting slot at the expense of Waldrom in the autumn, and playing well against South Africa and New Zealand. One of the hallmarks of a Test No.8 is that he must have the hands of a slip-catcher, and he ticks that box.
Morgan’s game has broadened since he arrived at Kingsholm and his fielding of kicks was excellent in the autumn. His tactical awareness was also keen, and he gained England big yardage on a couple of occasions by straddling the touchline when he was under a borderline clearance, and winning lineouts where the ball was kicked.
Morgan’s other key strengths are his power as a ball carrier, and his ability to prize open gaps with his off-loads out of the tackle, as he did last season to set up Ben Foden’s try in Paris. Once he gets over the gain-line the former plumber is more likely to force the defending side to spring a leak than he is to fix it, and there are clear signs that his work-rate is improving with the advances he has made in conditioning since struggling in the legs and lungs department on South Africa’s high veld last summer.
Morgan is thriving under the tutelage of Nigel Davies, who made the move to Kingsholm from the Scarlets at the same time, although he could still improve in defence. If Morgan can harness his power and timing to make offensive tackles, hitting hard enough to win turnovers rather than being satisfied by simply taking the man to ground, he could have the makings of a world class No.8. If he needs any guidance, he hasn’t far to go because two of the best heavy hitters in the Premiership, Akapusi Qera and Sione Kalamafoni, play alongside him in the Gloucester back row.
Morgan (6ft 3ins, 18st 4lb) has the footballing ingredients and the physical strength to remain in pole position going into the 2013 Six Nations, and the fact that he is used more as a lineout lifter than as a jumper is not an issue for England. Lancaster’s back row lineout requirements are met by having tall target men like Tom Wood and Tom Croft at blindside, while Chris Robshaw provides a further option at openside.
Vunipola has been a tank for Wasps, using his 6ft 4ins, 20-stone frame and low centre of gravity to blast through defences. Although he will be even more effective when he passes before seven cover-tacklers arrive together, his rate of improvement this season has been spectacular, and if the 20-year-old continues to maintain the right balance between mobility and power by keeping his weight in check, then he will soon put pressure on Morgan.
Wray, 22, is more streamlined at 6ft 3ins and 17st, and is a tidy footballer but also powerful enough to make the hard yards. However, where the Saracens youngster scores over both Vunipola and Morgan is in his speed around the pitch and his tigerish defence.
Here’s hoping they give Lancaster a selection headache and keep each other on their toes all the way to 2015.