There is life beyond Tom Willis. The Bordeaux-bound England exile is a tremendous player but Harlequins’ Chandler Cunningham-South, the versatile lock/back-row forward, has the capacity to fill the Saracens player’s boots.
His 53 minutes against Fiji were hugely encouraging. There are faster back-row forwards but only Willis can match — well, probably eclipse — the brutal carrying power he brings on the front foot. Fiji are not the All Blacks but they combine the beautiful and the bestial. If a ball-carrying back-rower leaves the field having spent the game going forward, he’s not short of a number of useful ingredients.
The obvious one is strength, the less obvious is some pretty adept footwork. Cunningham-South has plenty of both. One early run into the heart of Fiji’s defence was exactly the sort of stampeding move Bordeaux will expect from Willis next season onwards. This came just minutes after treading all over Fiji’s open-side.
And then there was his effective charges coming from the front of the lineout to the tail. He takes opposition out with his blend of dexterity, dynamism and raw power. Best of all, his potential remains largely untapped.
To opt for him as a replacement for Willis is to add an extra ingredient to the lineout. On Saturday he was England’s most reliable lineout jumper. If he doesn’t bring quite the same heft as Willis around the fringes, he delivers a more athletic lineout presence. Cunningham-South is a ferocious tackler with a nose for the tryline, as he revealed against Wales last season. What he gave Steve Borthwick on Saturday was an excellent option for No8 who can also step into the second row if required.
Flexibility is a prerequisite in the back five of the forwards. Fresh legs are essential if England are to make it ten straight wins with one of the biggest scalps of all. The last 20 minutes of the match are likely to prove crucial. Scott Robertson’s team are flawed but have been formidable in the final quarter of their Tests against both Ireland and Scotland.
In Chicago they turned a 13-7 deficit into a 26-13 victory. In Edinburgh, Scotland fought back from 17-0 to level the game and grasp the momentum, only for the Kiwis to turn up the heat and blank their opposition yet again. Will England beat the All Blacks if they reach the final quarter of the game without scoring a single point? It’s possible, but I very much doubt it.
Curry has been instrumental in getting England over the line from the bench this autumn
REUTERS
The balance of selection is a delicate one when it comes to the forwards. A split of six forwards and two backs in the replacements is the odds-on option. Cunningham-South allows extra flexibility in either row. Given the excellence of Ollie Chessum and Maro Itoje in the second row, Borthwick could go heavy on the back-row bench options.
Before we consider the starting back row, it is a good idea to think about the impact substitutes. The first name on my team sheet is Tom Curry. But not at No6, where he played so heroically for the Lions in the Test series. Borthwick has been utilising him from the bench in the initial autumn fixtures and it is as 20, coming on at the hour mark with a brief to batter the All Blacks, where he can do most damage. Curry’s lineout work was notable at Twickenham. Henry Pollock, who replaced Cunningham-South at the base of the scrum, can be introduced along with Curry; young Master Mayhem.
Earl’s electric pace offers England a vital asset in attack and defence, as proved by his second consecutive man of the match display on Saturday
WARREN LITTLE/GETTY IMAGES
That’s two thirds of the finishing back row. Fiji faced Ben Earl — the official man of the match for the second week running — for the duration. He could be selected at No8, where his speed was one of the points of difference between England and Australia. Against Fiji, his speed and determination saved a try as he appeared from nowhere to grab the right ankle of Fiji’s scrum half, Simi Kuruvoli, and yank him backwards to cause a spill where the try had seemed inevitable.
Yet for all the volume of Earl carries, Cunningham-South adds a physical edge with and without the ball around the fringes. Both Australia and Fiji have enjoyed their share of breakdown success, which should concern Borthwick.
Earl is a glittering talent. In the space of five second-half minutes he produced a Fiji-like flip to keep a counterattack going. It ended with an Ellis Genge try. Soon after he threw a lovely long pass to open the midfield up for Marcus Smith; then there was a little stepping break behind the Fiji defence. He’s an eye-catcher all right. He carries with conviction, as a would-be centre should. Few expect him not to start, it’s just a question of where.
It’s also a question of balance. Guy Pepper is growing into one of those unseen but constantly discussed talents. OK, my eyes are not what once they were, but I’m a long way from blind and it is preposterous for Sam Underhill not to get the vote on the other flank.
Underhill has played some of his greatest games against the All Blacks. Sam Warburton reckons he is the best tackler he has ever seen. If Earl, with his speed and skill is a potential match-winner, so too is Underhill. I would like to think the injury-prone Bath flanker was given a rest on Saturday, along with George Ford, before the forthcoming game.
Rassie Erasmus predicted the French squad of 23 before the France-South Africa Test match and those predictions came true. Clever man. I don’t have a crystal ball, so here’s my wish, not another prediction, for England’s back row and the rest of the team for New Zealand:
England v New Zealand
Twickenham
Saturday, kick-off 3.10pm
TV TNT Sports 1