Missing in action?
Last updated: 1st February 2008
Balshaw: the game of his life
There are a few people in the team who should not be there and they need to repay Ashton's faith in them.
Brian Ashton was never going to please everyone with his England selection for the opening game of the Six Nations, including the Rugby Club. Stuart Barnes, Dewi Morris and Will Greenwood give their views on who is missing and why.
Stuart Barnes believes that on the whole the team is not that bad, however he does not understand why some inform players have been overlooked for players who are not playing well.
"I am a little bit disappointed that out of form players like Mark Regan and Andy Gomarsall were selected," said Barnes on the Rugby Club.
"To be fair there are not that many options for Gomarsall with Paul Hodgson injured, but I think that Lee Mears deserves a chance at hooker and I think that Matt Stevens should be starting instead of Vickery.
"I understand Test match selection is not just about who has been playing well over the last month or so, but when one player is so out of form and other players are playing so well as is the case with Reagan/Mears and Vickery/Stevens, then you worry that the selection is based on what these guys did several months ago.
"So I do have my reservations but saying that it is an exciting backrow," added Barnes.
"James Haskell and Luke Narraway add a lot of pace and Lewis Moody is quick and in form.
"On the whole it is not a bad team. I just think that in the front row it is a little bit too conservative."
Repay
Dewi is also not that happy and agrees with Stuart that there are players who are lucky to be there.
"There are a few people in the team who should not be there and they need to repay Ashton's faith in them," said Morris.
"Gomarsall is at nine but he couldn't play for his club side on Friday night - I don't know if he was rested or not, but he didn't get a run out.
"He has not been playing very well. As Stuart said, Hodgson is injured and I think Wigglesworth deserves a go.
"And I think that Balshaw is lucky at 15. He has his critics and he is going to have to play one of the biggest games of his career. On the whole they have an attacking backline, but how are they going to play? Like the World Cup where they played conservative and tried to bash them up front or will they use the expanse of Twickenham?"
Predictability
Will Greenwood understands what Brian Ashton is trying to achieve and believes that some players actually played themselves out of contention giving Ashton no option but to look elsewhere.
"Well there is an element of predictability about the forwards in the fact that they have been so good in the latter stages of the World Cup," said Greenwood.
"In terms of the front row I can understand the dynamism that Mears and Stevens would bring to the side, but I think you have to consider the fact that they will play 50 minutes and the other two will play 30 minutes.
"They are positions that change and the way that the rules are played now, it has almost becoming rolling subs in the front row, so I would not be too disappointed there.
"I agree that there are issues at scrumhalf with Hodgson being injured. I don't think Wigglesworth is ready yet and I would stick with Gomarsall, especially with the pack. He knows them and has the ability to drive them forward.
"Potentially I think that Ashton has gone down that road with regards to Balshaw and Tait as that is the way he likes his to see fullbacks to play," added Greenwood.
"Balshaw is almost an old fashioned arcing fullback, but they are both playing particularly poorly and suddenly Josh Lewsey has come back into form.
"It is difficult to play yourself out of Test contention in one game, but Tait did it spectacularly against Leicester. He was exceptionally poor and it would have been difficult to see how Ashton could have picked him."
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