Daily Mail - 23.08.2019

Daily Mail, Friday, August 23, 2019

87

MIKAZE KIDS!

Underhill given chance to show they can work as a unit

England’s Gun XV. I can’t wait to see it fire

while now. Eddie has gone with

seven of the eight forwards I put in

my team published in these pages

a couple of weeks ago, and

actually I would pick Joe Marler

over Mako Vunipola too now,

based on fitness and form. It is

good to see Vunipola back fit and

on the bench. That is England’s

strongest starting pack.

I like the back-line too. I can’t

disagree with playing Owen Farrell

at centre and George Ford at No 10

— Ford is playing really well.

It seems Eddie is now looking to

reunite Ford and Farrell as the

playmakers for big games at the

World Cup. It’s tough on Slade, but

he’s still coming back and is right

in the mix, and will be a great

back-up from the bench when fit.

Most of Eddie’s best England

performances have come with

Ford and Farrell playing together.

That was the combination when he

went on that 18-match unbeaten

run in 2016-17.

I love seeing two playmakers in the

back-line — if that is Farrell and

Slade, or Ford and Farrell, that’s

great. To win a World Cup you need

two playmakers at Nos 10 and 12.

Manu Tuilagi will be so excited. This

is the first time he has started

outside Ford and Farrell (right),

and will be licking his lips at

this opportunity.

I bumped into Tuilagi and Billy

Vunipola recently — wow they are

massive! They blamed it on a

‘pump’ session they had done with

James Haskell, who came into

camp this week. They look fit,

strong and ready to cause chaos.

Manu especially won’t be just used

as a battering ram but will be put

into space.

I’m excited about the back-row

trio of Tom Curry, Sam Underhill

and Billy Vunipola too. I have

wanted to see those three play

together and now we get

the chance.

For me that back row is as good as

anything New Zealand, Wales,

Australia, South Africa or

Ireland can put out.

Quick teams win World Cups

and that is always embodied by

the back row. At the top level

you must have real pace —

these guys have it.

The backs will love having those

three in front of them as they

are quick, can handle the ball

and are not just big guys.

With the teams Eddie and Joe

Schmidt have picked I think we will

see a Test more akin to those we

have seen between Australia and

New Zealand in recent weeks, with

something truly at stake.

Ireland are almost at full strength

too, with Johnny Sexton not quite

fit so Ross Byrne starts at fly-half,

but other than that it’s

their best side too.

If England don’t play

really well you would be

worried, as they have

gone fully loaded.

However, I expect them

to be excellent with their

Gun XV. The World Cup

really does start

tomorrow —

enjoy.

WORLD CUP WINNING COACH

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD

LINE-UPS

ENGLAND IRELAND

Daly .................. 15 ............Kearney

Cokanasiga ..... 14 ........... Larmour

Tuilagi .............. 13 ...........Ringrose

Farrell.............. 12 ..................... Aki

May .................. 11 ......... Stockdale

Ford ................. 10 ................ Byrne

Youngs ..............9 ............. Murray

Marler .............. 1 ..................Healy

George .............2 ................... Best

Sinckler ............3 ............. Furlong

Itoje ..................4 ....... Henderson

Kruis .................5 .................Kleyn

Curry ................6 .........O’Mahony

B Vunipola ........8 ............ Stander

Underhill ..........7 .... Van der Flier

Subs: Cowan-

Dickie, M Vunipola,

Cole, Lawes,

Wilson, Heinz,

Francis, Joseph.

Subs: Cronin,

J McGrath, Porter,

Toner, Beirne,

L McGrath, Carty,

Conway.

SHUFFLE STATIONS

EDDIE JONES has picked two

combinations to face Ireland

that have never started

together before. George Ford,

Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi

as his 10-12-13, and Tom Curry,

Sam Underhill and Billy

Vunipola at 6-7-8.

17th

DIFFERENT 10-12-13

combination trialled

under Eddie Jones. Ford-Farrell-

Joseph have started 17 of 42 Tests.

26th

DIFFERENT 6-7-8

combination trialled

under Eddie Jones. Robshaw-

Haskell-Billy Vunipola is the most

tried combination, with seven

starts together.

4

ENGLAND have lost their

last four matches with

George Ford and Owen

Farrell starting together, after

winning 20 of the previous 21.

7

POINTS needed by Owen

Farrell to pass Jonny

Wilkinson as the

Englishman who has

scored most points versus

Ireland. Wilkinson

scored 51 in five Tests,

Farrell has 45 in five.

Dynamic:

England

will look to

dominate

breakdown

GETTY IMAGES

UNDERHILL