2GS The Sunday Times June 5, 2022 19back three of Alex Goode, Sean Mait-
land and Alex Lewington has been
satisfyingly good of late. They are
joined by a potential meteor in Rotimi
Segun, deadly as a broken-field
runner in the latter stages of this
season. And another in Ben Harris,
the strapping wing ready to be
unleashed.
And next week’s semi-finals could
be electric. There is little love lost
between Saracens and Harlequins,
and the confrontation between Owen
Farrell and Marcus Smith at fly half
will be compelling as well as instruct-
ive. In fact, so will every confronta-
tion in the match.
The second semi-final, an East
Midlands derby between Leicester
and Northampton, is not quite the
foregone conclusion suggested by
their relative league positions and
Leicester’s momentum. Saints have
some great players and some weak-
nesses. If they can mask the latter
then the likes of Dan Biggar and Alex
Mitchell at half back, Courtney Lawes
and Lewis Ludlam up front and
Tommy Freeman in attack will give
Leicester trouble.
The disadvantages under which
English clubs will be operating, and
the preposterous length of time their
players will be away, suggests that
Saracens will be hard-pressed to
repeat the authoritative excellence of
their champion recent years in
Europe. But they will still be fiercely
competitive. Many, including the
bookmakers, currently make them
favourites to take the 2022 Premier-
ship title.
That in itself would be a triumph
for resistance, morale, technical
expertise and their community
conscience, and another two fingers
from them to the sporting jealousy
which surrounds them.
Pick Marchant, Daly
and Cokanasiga:
England’s solution to
a Manu-shaped hole
Stuart Barnes
It doesn’t do to believe a single word
spoken on the subject of Manu
Tuilagi. What his head coaches say
and what the 31-year-old does are two
different things. The latest news that
he has undergone knee surgery is
another sad example.
The recent operation reads like a
straightforward clear-out to ensure
full fitness for the 2022/23 World Cup
season. Do you remember when he
joined Sale? He was going to be used
sparingly by them in a way — it was
implied — Leicester had not. This
most delicate of behemoths was
supposedly set to play and practise a
little less and achieve a lot more.
He certainly hasn’t played much
more but that is because, for all the
best intentioned comments from
Alex Sanderson, the Sale director of
rugby, he has failed to stay fit. The
hamstring injury sustained with
England was supposedly due to a step
up in intensity. England and Eddie
Jones are always a good justification
for player injuries.
But when he hobbled off at half-
time against Wasps in May, he hadn’t
been near an England squad for a
while. And, it has to be said, his
performances have not lived up to his
billing. Television commentators build
him up but apart from the odd barge
he hasn’t been knocking opposition
over, creating space for others or
destroying attacks with his tackling.
He is famous for one devastating,
New Zealand-wrecking performance
in the mists of Stuart Lancaster’s time
— so long ago he can accurately be
described as much myth as man.
It is time to move on. But the
question has to be, “move on towhat?” Tuilagi is not an isolated
issue. He is part of a policy problem
linked to the midfield, but more
broadly to the strategy of the backs.
The news that Henry Slade will
miss Australia with a shoulder injury
only magnifies the musing on the part
of Jones. Yet in a way, rotten luck as it
is, it could be a blessing. Firstly, they
are not both first-choice centres
unless Jones decides to dump Marcus
Smith after a short spell at fly half.
That is not going to happen. Jones
will continue the experiment of
combining Smith and Owen Farrell as
the pair of playmakers. It showed
clear signs of potential in the autumn
of 2021 before Farrell’s injury ended
the experiment. The try against
Australia where Farrell delayed his
pass for Smith to loop around and
pop the powerful Freddie Steward
through a hole was as good as
anything the England midfield has
crafted in years.
The England captain has been
playing his way back towards form
with the timing of his passing game.
Smith, meanwhile, has suffered a few
bumps and bruises along the way.
Such is the path of an exceptional
talent. Many of his problems have
occurred closer to the set pieces and
breakdowns. Most of those magical‘While the injuries to
Slade and Tuilagi
are rotten luck, they
could in a way also
be a blessing’moments have come in more broken
situations, such as the glorious try he
conjured against Montpellier.
If Farrell and England can find
their way towards the Australian gain
line, Smith can create carnage a few
metres off the shoulder of Farrell. In
other aspects of the game, England
will have the ability to split the fly
halves left and right to keep the
opposition guessing. It’s not the
crash, bang, wallop of the Sale man
but it might be the alternative with
which England can set sail for France.
There is, of course, every chance
Jones would have selected Tuilagi in a
wider channel, either outside centre
or wing. He did it in the autumn.
Someone else has to step into the
No 13 jersey. We know of Slade’s
capabilities. In his absence it is a
golden opportunity for Harlequins’
Joe Marchant to play No 13. There is
no outside centre playing as well as
the Harlequins player. Against
Gloucester at Twickenham, he stood
out as the best on the field. He did a
fine job for England against South
Africa as well. His spell in Auckland
with the Blues has added an element
of Super Rugby speed of thought to
northern hemisphere doggedness.
Another reason to play him is his
empathetic relationship with Smith.
Much has been written about the
Smith-André Esterhuizen axis but the
fly half and centre have caused plenty
of mayhem at Harlequins. Marchant
deserves a series to state his case as
the alternative to the Exeter operator.
Yet England would miss Slade’s
left-footed kicks. Either for the
corner from penalties or stabbing
kicks behind onrushing defences,
Jones enjoys that left-footed option.
That’s why Elliot Daly is part of this
conversation and my choice as left
wing. He has a well-honed ability to
time a late run off Farrell from blind
to open and a sublime kicking game.
He fits the jigsaw with Steward
stepping into the blind-side position.
Throw Joe Cokanasiga back into
the Test arena and England has the
power to pound its way through any
soft shoulder. Here’s a back line of so
much potential balance I have already
stopped thinking about Tuilagi.FINEST DISCOVERY
Saracens’ Samoan
basketballer Theo
McFarland. Quick, agile
and great rugby sense.
Top spot by Nick Kennedy,
the head of recruitment.TEAM OF THE SEASON
M Malins (Saracens); A
Radwan (Newcastle
Falcons), D Kelly
(Leicester), A Esterhuizen
(Harlequins), T O’Flaherty
(Exeter); O Farrell
(Saracens), D Care
(Harlequins); E Genge
(Leicester), J Montoya
(Leicester), B Alo (Wasps),
H Tizard (Harlequins), L de
Jager (Sale), T McFarland
(Saracens), T Reffell
(Leicester), B Vunipola
(Saracens).BEST DIRECTOR OF RUGBY
- Steve Borthwick
(Leicester), wise-owl
revivalist.
2. Mark McCall
(Saracens), sublime
revivalist.
3. Lee Blackett (Wasps),
outstanding coach.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON
- Son Heung-min
(Tottenham Hotspur) Not
great up front or at
the breakdown,
otherwise
sublime. - Owen
Farrell
(Saracens)
Only played a
few games,
but the steely
consistency was
back in spades. - Tomas Reffell
(Leicester) undergone a
dramatic improvement
under Steve Borthwick.
ALTERNATIVE PLAYER OF
THE YEAR
Biyi Alo, the huge andvastly improved
28-year-old Wasps prop,
below, and rapper of
increasing renown.BIGGEST WEASEL
The stealthy dawn
pickpocket at the Gare de
Marseille-Saint-Charles.WORST
SURRENDER
Bath’s 64-0
defeat away
to
Gloucester.
Never has a
West Country
derby been such
a procession.FINEST FOREIGN PLAYER
(OF ALL TIME)
John Afoa, titanic for
Ulster, Gloucester and
Bristol. A magnificent
warrior who had the most
noble of careers. Now off
to coach in France.MOST WELCOME FIRST
Devon’s Sara Cox became
the first woman to referee
a Premiership match,
taking charge of
Harlequins versus
Worcester in September.BEST STADIUM
London Irish welcomed
fans to their new home,
the Brentford Community
Stadium. It is beautifully
situated, well appointed
and has staged some fun
games.MOST POIGNANT FAREWELL
Tom Youngs, the
Leicester hooker who
confirmed his retirement
at the end of April. He
marked the occasion by
making an emotional final
changing-room address
to the Tigers before
leading them on to the
field for their win against
Bristol.STEPHEN JONES: MY AWARDS OF THE PREMIERSHIP SEASON
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGESItoje was a key
player in the all-
conquering
Saracens team of
the past decade
and has helped
them reach the
Premiership
semi-finals this
seasonSaracens v Harlequins
(StoneX Stadium,
1.30pm)Leicester Tigers v
Northampton Saints
(Welford Road,
4.30pm)Both Saturday, live on
BT SportFinal Saturday June 18,
3pm; BT Sport and
ITV4, at Twickenham
StadiumSEMI-FINAL
FIXTURESLeinster bounced back
from their surprise
defeat in the final of
the Champions Cup to
crush Glasgow
Warriors in the
quarter-finals of the
United Rugby
Championship.
Leinster scored 12 tries
in their 76-14
demolition in Dublin.
They will face the Bulls
at home in the semi-
finals next weekend
with Ulster going to
Cape Town to face the
Stormers, who beat
Edinburgh 28-17.LEINSTER
RUN RIOT