Ugo Monye believes England‘s World Cup wing selections are potentially set in stone but has urged boss Stuart Lancaster not to dismiss the old guard.
Jack Nowell, Anthony Watson, Jonny May and Quins club-mate Marland Yarde look ready to battle it out but Monye believes proven, and in-form, men like Chris Ashton, Dave Strettle and Matt Banahan could still have a part to play.
Monye told TRP: “I can’t see it changing a huge amount. Jack Nowell and Anthony Watson are both good players, Jonny May’s in good form and, although I’m biased, I believe Marland Yarde should be in because of his physicality.
“Christian Wade has magic moments every time you see him, but picking him depends on what type of game England decide to play and there are other guys who are playing very well and shouldn’t be overlooked either.
“Matt Banahan’s doing very well in a Bath backline which has functioned so well. George Ford and Kyle Eastmond are opening up holes for him to exploit and he’s been scoring plenty of tries, so he really should have a shout.
“Chris Ashton is still a quality finisher and is probably the best support runner in the country, which is what you want from a winger, while Dave Strettle’s been outstanding in all competitions. It’s still very close among all those guys.”
Monye added: “I do rate Jack Nowell, who’s played a lot at 13 and is a very talented ball player and finisher, while Watson is up there, too, but there are really seven or eight names there and any of them can do a good job.
“Going into a World Cup these are the selection problems you want, but I wouldn’t discount the older guys yet. There’ll be some disappointed people but they’ll only be one injury from getting a call so it’s still up for grabs.”
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