(^) Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 13, 2019
78 RUGBY WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN
Age: 24 Born: London
Club: Saracens
Caps: 27 Height: 6ft 5in
Weight: 18st 6lb
Previous RWCs: none
MARO ITOJE
SECOND ROW
Age: 28 Born: Welwyn
Club: Saracens
Caps: 37 Height: 6ft
Weight: 17st 11lb
Previous RWCs: 2015
JAMIE GEORGE
HOOKER
Age: 28 Born: Wellington,
NZ Club: Saracens
Caps: 53 Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 19st 6lb
Previous RWCs: 2015
MAKO VUNIPOLA
PROP
Age: 29 Born: Eastbourne
Club: Harlequins
Caps: 59 Height: 6ft
Weight: 18st 13lb
Previous RWCs: 2015
JOE MARLER
PROP
Age: 32 Born: Leicester
Club: Leicester
Caps: 86 Height: 6ft 3in
Weight: 19st 5lb
Previous RWCs: 2011, 2015
DAN COLE
PROP
Age: 29 Born: Guildford
Club: Saracens
Caps: 33 Height: 6ft 6in
Weight: 18st 8lb
Previous RWCs: 2015
GEORGE KRUIS
SECOND ROW
Age: 23 Born: Dacorum
Club: Saracens
Caps: 1 Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 17st 2lb
Previous RWCs: none
JACK SINGLETON
HOOKER
Age: 26 Born: Truro
Club: Exeter
Caps: 12 Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 17st 4lb
Previous RWCs: 2015
LUKE COWAN-DICKIE
HOOKER
Age: 26 Born: London
Club: Harlequins
Caps: 22 Height: 6ft
Weight: 18st 1lb
Previous RWCs: none
KYLE SINCKLER
PROP
Age: 24 Born: Bristol
Club: Leicester
Caps: 10 Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 18st 5lb
Previous RWCs: none
ELLIS GENGE
PROP
Age: 28 Born: Exeter
Club: Wasps
Caps: 59 Height: 6ft 6in
Weight: 19st 11lb
Previous RWCs: 2015
JOE LAUNCHBURY
SECOND ROW
Age: 30 Born: London
Club: Northampton
Caps: 72 Height: 6ft 7in
Weight: 18st 1lb
Previous RWCs: 2011, 2015
COURTNEY LAWES
SECOND ROW
Age: 21 Born: London
Club: Sale
Caps: 11 Height: 6ft 2in
Weight: 16st 10lb
Previous RWCs: none
TOM CURRY
FLANKER
Age: 23 Born: Ipswich
Club: Northampton
Caps: 1 Height: 6ft 4in
Weight: 16st 5lb
Previous RWCs: none
LEWIS LUDLAM
FLANKER
Age: 23 Born: Washington
DC, USA Club: Bath
Caps: 9 Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 16st 3lb
Previous RWCs: none
SAM UNDERHILL
FLANKER
EDDIE PUTS
HIS FAITH
IN ROOKIES
Bold selections as England bid for glory
by CHRIS
FOY
Rugby
Correspondent
R
UARIDH McConnochie
and the rest of
England’s World Cup
rookies were still com-
ing to terms with the
life-changing news they
received yesterday when
Eddie Jones delivered an
emphatic declaration of faith.
‘It’s our best 31,’ said the head
coach of the squad he had just named,
awash with unfamiliar novices. ‘I’m
convinced it is our best 31. I could
have picked more experienced play-
ers, but I just don’t feel they’ll give us
what the younger guys will give us.’
In the last 18 months, the veterans
have been usurped. And the process
has accelerated as the World Cup has
drawn nearer, at just the time most
countries are seeking to stockpile
those who have been round the block
a few times.
England will go to Japan without
Dylan Hartley, Chris Robshaw, Mike
Brown, Danny Care or James Haskell.
They have lost a stack of caps, but,
according to Jones, gained so much.
‘It’s always nice to bring new blood
in,’ said the Australian. ‘It freshens
everything up.’
So England are refreshed by the
influx of tyros such as Bath’s
uncapped outside back McConno-
chie and Northampton flanker Lewis
Ludlam, who only made his debut in
the victory against Wales on Sunday.
‘He came from nowhere,’ admitted
Jones. These two aren’t the only new-
comers. Another Bath wing, the giant
Joe Cokanasiga, only has five caps to
his name but has precious X-factor
which Jones could not ignore.
Willi Heinz, 32, is an older rookie
but he has also made the cut after
just one international appearance.
Jones was bullish and energised as
he assessed his left-field choices. He
identified a specific occasion when
McConnochie caught his eye,
saying: ‘I’ll tell you the game I saw
him. It was a beautiful sunny day in
Exeter. He played for Bath and did a
lot of good things. I remember driv-
ing back in the car and trying to find
out more information about him.
‘He is a big, tall guy with feet and at
Exeter, because you are close to the
ground, you can hear and see the
communication of the players. He is a
very good communicator. We found
out more about him and he contin-
ued to play well. Once he came into
camp, he cemented our impression of
him. He’s a mature boy who has
played a number of positions, so he
was a pretty easy selection.’
McConnochie, the former Team GB
sevens player, recalled that game
against Exeter in his first season of
professional, 15-a-side rugby.
‘It was the first 20 minutes where it
went really well for me,’ he said.
‘Every time I got the ball there was a
bit of space.’
It has been a remarkable career lift-
off. In May last year, McConnochie
went with a school friend to the Pre-
miership final as a paying spectator,
without any inkling about what would
happen in the year ahead. Once Jones
had identified his potential and called
him up in May, he was welcomed with
a reassuring message.
‘Eddie has been great all the way
through,’ said McConnochie. ‘He said
something really good to me at the
start — “You are in because you’re
great at what you do. Just be your-
self ”. That gives an uncapped player
like me massive confidence.’
Ludlam has been similarly encour-
aged to be himself since coming into
the squad on the back of a break-
through season for the Saints. Jones
acclaimed him as an ‘uncomplicated
player’, adding: ‘You ask him to do
something, he does it and he does it
at 100 per cent. To me, he’s one of
those old-fashioned sixes that just
does the job. He carries hard, tackles
hard, cleans out hard. He’s had to
beat some good players to get there.
You’ve got Robshaw, who’s a
75-capper, and others. He’s done
really well to get in.’
Jones also gave an insight
into the human side of the
selection process. He can be
ruthless, but he is also
aware of the impact of his
decisions. ‘We’ve left out
some good players and it’s
difficult,’ he said. ‘It’s a
stressful, painful period.
As a coach it’s probably
one of my least favourite
times. Telling players
they haven’t made the
World Cup is not a nice
conversation, but unfor-
tunately you just can’t
pick everyone.’
He has opted to pick
Jack Nowell, even
though the Exeter
wing is still striving
to recover from
injuries. There are
no guarantees
that he will be fit
before the squad
fly to Japan on
September 8, but
Nowell said: ‘I am
all right. I took a
whack to my ankle
in the Premiership
final and tore a few
ligaments in my
knee.
‘I am on the right
track, but pushed it a
bit hard at the start so
it flared up a bit. The
surgeons are very happy so
hopefully I’ve turned a corner.
‘I have been able to do a lot of the
training. I have always had Italy
(England’s final warm-up match on
September 6) in my head. I want to
work towards that.’
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(Elle)
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