They complement each other well and it’s just a case of who starts and who finishes, with Mako Vunipola available outside of the squad should any injury occur. “Going back to loosehead, Jones can mix and match from two of the best in Ellis Genge, who has improved out of all recognition after his captaincy award, and Joe Marler, still the toughest scrummager around. Will Stuart seems not to have pushed on and whilst Joe Heyes is improving, if you played SA tomorrow would you really be comfortable with either of those starting? I hate to say this, but Dan Cole is still miles ahead of either of those options even at 34 and he’s actually playing some of his best rugby of his career.
“Whilst loosehead has a queue of excellence at England’s disposal, I really fear for them if Kyle Sinckler gets injured, as the depth at tighthead is very shallow. That might mean Jones goes back to his scrapheap and re-selects someone like Nick Isiekwe or Elliot Stooke or look elsewhere to the likes of Harry Wells or David Ribbans. “There’s a need to find another lock or two before the season is out, not forgetting that a fit Joe Launchbury would make a huge difference. Sure, Courtney Lawes could do a job if absolutely pushed, but he favours scrummaging on the same side as Itoje, is very underpowered as a second-row and also, you lose him in his best position on the flank,” he said.
In the lock department, Jones has selected three players he knows well in Charlie Ewels, Jonny Hill and Maro Itoje, with very little back-up. “Whilst some positions, such as fly-half and back-row, have a real depth about them, others are very short of the quality required at Test level. It’s absolutely key psychologically that England get over this mental speed bump with them, and if Jones is serious about a World Cup win, with 83,000 people at home, this is a game that should be won.” Forward optioneering The big one, however, is South Africa, who, despite their Lions win, are still not quite the side some think they are. Australia have really improved greatly this season, but without a couple of their key midfielders, England have to expect to continue their winning run against them. “In terms of what success looks like from November, the goal has to be to win all three Tests. “If you look back to a similar point in 2001, Clive Woodward used that year to rejuvenate his team and we saw the emergence of Lewis Moody, Trevor Woodman, Iain Balshaw and Ben Kay, four players that were all integral components of the 2003 win, so there’s absolute proof that Jones is right to be going down this path right now. “Jones, for all his bluster, will realise that, whilst experimentation is important, delivering a November of winning rugby is the absolute key teams want a winning habit and how you win isn’t as important as the result, even at this stage.
“There’s always a lot of rattle and chatter on social media regarding marginal selections – things like Sam Simmonds v Alex Dombrandt and so on – but what few supporters realise is that international coaches select the best players to deliver their plan and structure, not necessarily the outright best players in their position in club rugby. “The simple fact is that with five campaigns ahead of England before the World Cup preparations, this is the last chance Eddie Jones has to test and tease out a few combinations and also to cover over some problem positions within his squad,” said Chuter. As England prepare for the first of five campaigns between now and the 2023 Rugby World Cup, former England hooker George Chuter joins Expert Witness to examine the November Test selections ahead of the first match v Tonga on Saturday.