The CONTROVERSIAL World Cup 2027 Winning England Team Borthwick Could Pick in 2024! ----------------------- Rugby artwork in background courtesy of Blair Skivington www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BlrArtGB
Tbh this squad appears to be purely based on potential of players not reality and the locking pair appears to completely ignore that you have a lighter second row to a breakdown threat and cos two huge guys make a difficult guys to lift
Throwing in some rugby league convert options; Kai Pearce-Paul at 6 (a Courtney Lawes type with a Sonny-Bill offload game), Herbie Farnworth at 12 (world class centre with full-back skill set) and Dom Young on a wing (big, powerful, amazing in the air, very fast and an incredible finisher). All currently in their early 20's with potential Jason Robinson level impact.
Ben Earl at 12 might be similar to the Burgess experiment. RU is a game of specialists. I don’t think it would work (again). He’s great as a loose forward. World class. I don’t think the Curries are in the same league.
I've been saying for ages that some players don't need a number on their back and Earl could easily play at 12. Sarries often use him as a decoy runner or play off him in set moves and he would be brutal defensively. We have so much talent in the back row that if he has a blip in form, his size will play against him - Sam Burgess was never a 12 so it's not worth citing that experiment. It's like oil and water.
Ben Earl at 12 🤣🤣 living in a fantasy world. Don’t you remember the Sam burgess experiment? If you’d watched Northampton this year you should know how important Dingwall has been to them. His brilliance in bringing others into space is the true modern 12. The days of the crash ball 12 are long gone, let alone playing a back rower there…
I like the look of the pack, in particular that they are young, big, strong, and hopefully aggressive. England haven't had a dominant pack for a few years, what with an old front row, and a lightweight second row. If you don't have front foot ball provided by a dominant pack going forward, you've got nothing.
Love the imagination! Would pay good money to watch this team run out. Junior Kpoku is a great shout, what a talent and still so young. That back row would also be terrifying to play against.
I think Pollock will be knocking on that door come 2027, With Courts & Ludlam leaving there’s more opportunities now in the Backrow. By 26/27 season he’ll be Saints starting 7.
Spencer would be 34 for 2027! Same question always comes up re. players like Simmonds and Earl and switching to centre. Doable according to Eddie Jones and many a club coach. I have always wondered why, apart from Jones, England management have always avoided any kind of response or comment on the question (and why pundits never put the question to them!).
Spencer - already 31, so not the best option for RWC2027 Earl - powerful, yes, but not sure he has the size to punch holes in the midfield (he thrives on driving at edges, not set defences), so not sure that he has the potential at 12 Hopefully we can get more depth at prop too - nothing against Genge, but he needs to be pushed hard by competitive alternatives to up his scrummaging game
Play players in their positions in my view. Earl will never become a work class centre starting out at his age. He is already a world class backrow. Don’t pay much attention to Woodward. I know he won a World Cup but I think that came despite him not because of him.
I know Sale have been playing Opoku-Fajour at tighthead but he still looks more like a loosehead to me, which is where England u20s play him. Billy Sela and Afolabi Fasogbon are both big (pun intended) prospects at tighthead.
Interesing Nice to see that Barbeary and Mercer aren't around in your thinking. I don't see Spencer as a prospect, I'd make sure we were developing Quirke or Randall as an alternative. I'll hold off on Willis, I don't see him coming back from France to not win a world cup. I'm not seeing the clubs letting the RFU get away with overseas England players, just because the mass exodus it would cause. The only hope would be that the prices would drop because there were so many players keen to play in France and for England. And be careful of clauses in French club contracts that players are only available in the International window, no cheeky training camps and they are also notorious for having Pacific Islanders not being able to play for country at all. With that in mind, if Smith,M isn't starting he won't be in the 23, he'll be in France earning a fortune. It's clear he's not interested in being the 2nd best flyhalf. So if Marcus isn't the starter I don't see him being on premiership wages being a boot boy, when the French will throw money at him and he could be an Investec Cup winner. The thing that's missing in this, is what changes are going to be made in the next 3 years to make the game "better". Let's see how scrums change over the next 2 seasons, to see if you need huge lumps to push and whether we need to develop talented, strong, more athletic and powerful forwards. I see changes to get ball in play times up and then the lumps become more of a liability than an asset. And I was a lump in my playing days, I can just see the changes coming.
would LOVE to see this. aside from eligibility problems, it's not ridiculous. chuck in arundell (& van rensburg, possibly tyrone green), and this would be a monster team. can see no reason why this shouldn't be close to england's team in 12/18 month's time. (tho bit harsh on chessum maybe? and england still struggling, i think, for a world-class scrum half)
CCS won’t get at 8 with Dombrandt in the club who brings his balance out. He doesn’t link or pass enough, but he can play like Elsom did for Australia I think.
I'm looking at that pack ... WOW! Such a monstrous, but skilful set of forwards. I'd reverse the scrum half selection, partly for Saints continuity and understanding in the starting lineup, but also for balance. Spencer balances out Marcus' game brilliantly. You need that French style 9 alongside Marcus, so he can 'play' the game and not have to run it. Likewise, reverse the Hookers, as I think Dan is the better, more destructive player, without losing anything in the set piece. Really good thought experiment.
Wow that would be an England dream to be proud of. Not so much a fantasy really either . Though maybe Willis as captain and getting around that foreign team rule may drag me down to a bit of reality.
I love this team steward is another option at 12 to but the power option would be amazing especially with earl he would be an amazing 12 would defo start Lawrence at 13 though the physicality to get over the gainline would be great especially with that forward pack
Opuko-Fadjour at loose head not tight head gives you him Genge and Baxter at LHP and Sela, Fasgabon (U20s) and Harper at THP. Martin Chessum Itoje and Kpoku (great shout) at lock. Dan, Langdon and AN OTHER at hooker. Don't like Earl at centre (too late in his career to change) so he's a backrow option with Hill, CCS, Willis, Underhill, Curry (better captain option, genuinely world class player) and probably Fisilau. Spencer is too old and hasn't really shown much in his admittedly few opportunities, so Mitchell, JVP, Randall and Quirke. Two Smiths are your 10s. Centre is an issue so I'd be chasing Farnworth, Lawrence and Freeman other than that. Agree with chasing Young, he gives in with IFW, Sleightholme and Roebuck. Like Furbank at 15, would also go after Welsby from St Helens, world class at FB and FH in League. All fixed, bound to win the WC in 2027, you can thank me later. Happy to take payment in beer.
