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Ben Earl could start at inside centre this autumn as Steve Borthwick looks to increase England’s positional flexibility ahead of the World Cup.
Selecting Henry Pollock on the wing and Guy Pepper in the backline – both players are flankers – are also experiments under consideration for later in a campaign that opens against Australia on Saturday.
Earl has been picked at No 8 against the Wallabies with Pepper operating at blindside flanker and Pollock present on the bench, but the trio might be given new roles in the fixtures against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina that complete the schedule.
The trend of stacking the bench with forwards – a tactic England will use at Allianz Stadium this weekend – makes players who can operate in the pack and backline especially valuable.
Earl has accumulated minutes at inside centre for England and Saracens during matches, but handing him the number 12 jersey would be an ambitious step forward.
Borthwick said: “Ben would be very effective there. Is it something you’d want him to experience at club level? Ideally.
“In a situation like that, ideally the player would do it at club level first. That’s Saracens’ business not mine, but I have no hesitation starting him in a Test at 12 because he’s got that ability.
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Ben Earl could start for England at inside centre this autumn (PA Archive)
“Maybe, maybe not it will happen this autumn. It’s certainly a factor I’m considering. He’s spent so much time training with the backs and you can see his skillset and his pace.”
Pepper has been rewarded for excelling during England’s summer tour to Argentina and the United States when he won all three of his caps, to the point he has confined British and Irish Lions Pollock and Tom Curry to bench duty.
Pollock, Northampton’s 20-year-old rising star, could soon be used in a different way.
“We’ve been looking at Henry on the wing. Henry’s pace is a match of a lot of wingers. That kind of versatility is really important to us. It’s one to consider,” Borthwick said.
“Right now he’s a young man and a back row forward. The situation with Ben is slightly different. Ben is such an experienced player and we’ve been investing for a long period with him in the centres.”
George Ford will pull the strings against the Wallabies after edging Fin Smith for the fly-half duties, continuing in the position he held against the Pumas and USA in the summer.
Marcus Smith was part of the Lions squad that visited Australia but has been overlooked completely with Fin Smith – another member of Andy Farrell’s squad – providing playmaker cover from the bench.
“These are tight calls I’m making with very good players. I could have selected any one of those three and they would have been brilliant,” Borthwick said.
“George started the season playing really well for Sale, did really well over the summer in Argentina from a performance point of view and also from a leadership point of view. I’m looking forward to him keeping that going this weekend.”
PA