Basic errors by Stuart Lancaster cost us says Mike Friday

Critical pre-tournament errors in selection by head coach Stuart Lancaster and a failure to deploy X-factor players during losses to Wales and Australia cost England their World Cup chance, according to former Red Rose Sevens boss Mike Friday.
Friday reckons England paid a price for excluding Dylan Hartley, Kyle Eastmond and Steffon Armitage from their 31-man squad and has criticised what he views as tactical failures and lack of a coherent Plan B as both games slipped away.
Analysing England’s campaign, Friday told The Rugby Paper: “When you’re given a job you’ve got to put your own stamp on it, but your ideals have to stack up.
“Leaving Hartley out didn’t stack up because it robbed us of one of the world’s best scrummaging hookers and the man with the edge that we needed in the front-row – all because he wasn’t available for one game against Fiji.
“Hartley’s disciplinary record is what it is but for Stuart to take the moral high ground and say ‘not on my watch’ left us in a poor position.
“Leaving Eastmond out didn’t stack up either. And when you look at the 31 he eventually picked, he left what X-factor there was out of his 23s.
“There was no Danny Care, no Henry Slade and no Jack Nowell in three vital games, so you’re looking at the blend wondering: ‘What was your Plan B?’.
“Then there was playing Sam Burgess – you can’t start him and have Brad Barritt on the pitch as well because it’s all so predictable.
“We tried to take Wales on at their own game and did okay for 50 minutes, but the Welsh came through.”
Friday also accuses England of being ‘strategically naive’ for leaving out two-time Europeanplayer-of-the- year Steffon Armitage, whom he believes would have solved the breakdown issues.
“I agree with England’s overseas policy, but they had three years to engineer a position where Armitage was playing in England,” he said.
“Michael Cheika ensured Australia had the players he wanted but we were strategically naive.”
Friday believes Premiership clubs must also shoulder a portion of blame for England’s failure.
He explained: “Is the Premiership all it’s cracked up to be? It’s a good competition but are we missing an Armitage? Yes. Are we developing an Armitage? I would argue our league probably doesn’t suit that kind of player.
“We’ve got the likes of Luke Wallace and Matt Kvesic but no one to rival a McCaw, Hooper or Pocock, and the way our league is refereed means we’re not creating back-row forwards like they do in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Where are the modern day Backs, Hills, Dallaglios, Moodys, Corrys and Worsleys?
“We’ve got young talent, you can see that through the U20s, but are those guys then getting enough rugby? Clubs should get more guys out to Championship clubs to help hone their skills.”
NEALE HARVEY