Harlequins playmaker Marcus Smith is the future, but captain Owen Farrell is he solution right now, according to Warren Gatland.
Farrell over Smith
Gatland wrote in his column for The Telegraph: “If the plan was to make a half dozen changes for Japan, then I would stick to the plan and do that by giving Farrell a start at 10, before then picking my best side for New Zealand and South Africa.
” If you go with the same selection as Argentina, then that team pretty much needs to play the whole autumn together to build for the two big games.
“With Owen at No 10, you look at that as a possibility if you want to play a different game. The hard thing for England is you are trying to find a place for Marcus and he is a raw talent, unbelievably skilful.
“ertain games you go back to Owen at No 10 and you have that solidity, experience, and he has done it brilliantly for Saracens controlling the game for a number of years and had great success at fly-half.”
Simmonds for Vunipola
Gatland wrote: “Upfront, I’m not sure that Maro had the impact at six in terms of ball-carrying so it’s whether you put him back into the second, even though I felt Alex Coles had a great debut.
“A back row featuring Tom Curry, Jack Willis and Sam Simmonds. That could give you some real mobility, some carrying power and footwork.”
Warren Gatland’s England XV to face Japan
Back-three:
- 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
- 14. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
- 11. Joe Cokanasiga (Bath RFC)
DID YOU KNOW?
- In May 2022 Steward was named as the Rugby Players’ Association Player’s Young player of the year and England men’s player of the season
- In April 2017, Nowell was called up for the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, becoming the first player to be selected from Exeter Chiefs by the Lions
- Cokanasiga was born in Fiji but before his third birthday, moved to England with his father, Ilaitia, who was in the British Army
Centres:
- 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
- 12. Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks)
DID YOU KNOW?
- He was named Manusamoa, after the name of the Samoan national team, Manu Samoa, because his brother Freddie was selected for Samoa at the World Cup in 1991, the year Manu was born
