Neil Back backing youngsters to rival star man James Haskell

James Haskell‘s heroics in Australia may have put the long-running back-row argument on the back burner but England legend Neil Back is still of the belief that a traditional openside of his ilk is needed to turn Eddie Jones‘ men into world-beaters.
“Haskell was rightly named Man of the Series, he played to a different level,” RWC 2003 winner Back told TRP. “He has got some great strengths which he demonstrated by the bucket-load in the first two games that he was involved in, and made a fantastic contribution, particularly in defence and the contact area and in clearing out rucks,
“But as we go forward and develop our game, I still think there’s a need for a back-row player who can offer continuity if we’re going to take it on to the next level.
“Haskell may be a part of that but I think one player within that back-row has got to understand running lines and have the ability to offer himself as a link player. To do that you can’t get into rucks, you have got to keep yourself available and be able to pass the ball away to put other people into holes and then be ready to follow them through and get a second touch on the ball …a bit like an auxiliary nine if you like, especially when we go to the wider channels.
“I think we have proved we can beat the other Northern Hemisphere teams with the philosophy that we’ve got but I think that, and Eddie Jones knows this, we need to keep improving and continuity of play is one of the areas that needs addressing if we’re going to take on the best teams in the world, New Zealand.
“We have got to find a way to play that falls somewhere between how Australia played and how we played. Australia tactically got it wrong, particularly in the second Test, for not taking points when they were on offer, they were a bit arrogant and thought they’d get over the line but our defence was incredible.”
England have gone from World Cup fall-guys to the team everyone is talking about under Jones, and former England captain and British & Irish Lion Back believes a change of mind-set and competition for places, citing U20 openside Will Evans, left, as “one to watch”, are two of the main reasons for the remarkable turnaround.
“The older ones will be looking over their shoulder and thinking, will I make it to the next World Cup?” said Back, 47.
“We did incredibly well in Australia and we are in a great place. There is a lot of young talent coming through such as Matt Kvesic and Sam Underhill, and I am sure a few players will work their way through pre-2019 if anyone drops off.
“Eddie Jones played a few masterstrokes with his mind games,” Back continued. “Post-Grand Slam he accused some England players of dropping off in their level of performance without naming any names. As a player you’d be left wondering if he was talking about you. And after we won the series, the rhetoric, no doubt led by Eddie, was all about us not taking our foot off the Aussies throat and making it 3-0. Even then, he was still suggesting some players hadn’t played as well as they could have done on tour. That kind of thing keeps everyone on their toes and fighting for their spot. He has made them realise that they need to be great if they want to remain a part of this great team.
“England now walk and talk like world champions. You have to feel world class to be world class.”
JON NEWCOMBE