England vs. Australia: Players with a Point to Prove

With Stuart Lancaster announcing his 23-man squad for this weekend’s autumn internationals opener against Australia, it’s become clearer as to which England rugby stars have the most on the line.

Whether it’s because their place within the side is far from secure or because many see it as being very much so, there are a specific batch of players with more to prove than the rest.

Early club form this season has rewarded a handful of players with further consideration in the national side, whereas some English stalwarts are merely relying on previous form with the team to get them by.

With that being the case, let’s consider which players have the heaviest burdens on their shoulders heading into this Cook Cup encounter against what looks to be an improving Wallabies side. Disagree with our selection or feel a player has been omitted? Let us know in the forum below.

1. Chris Ashton

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It’s been a roller-coaster year for Chris Ashton, whose form in the first half of 2013 wasn’t enough to see him into Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions squad, helped in no small part by the Six Nations where he managed to score just the one try.

Now showing some great promise with Saracens once again, Ashton has had a good opening to the Premiership campaign and is set to once again inflict pain on the travelling Australians.

It was in 2010 that the winger scored quite possibly the finest try of his career, a length-of-the-pitch dash capped off with his signature swan dive.

There won’t be any expectations for the speedster to recreate such heroics, but Ashton will certainly need to show more than simply pace this weekend.

The Guardian’s Robert Kitson has reported on the player himself admitting that his form over the last year hasn’t been of international standard, but that he’ll also benefit because of the downward spiral. Whether that turns out to be true or not, Ashton has as much reason as any other to feel the pressure of selectors going into this series.

2. Chris Robshaw

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Chris Robshaw’s omission from the British and Irish Lions squad this summer was a hard pill to swallow for some, blocked by a thriving assortment of back-row talents among the Home Nations.

Now back in the captain’s role having taken a risky international break over the summer, the utility flanker is once again prepared to lead this English side.

In a way, the captain can always be considered one of those with the most to prove in any squad, examined with microscopic scrutiny for their qualities in spearheading their side’s endeavours.

However, Robshaw’s scrutiny this autumn falls on the back of a period that some say should have led to his stripping of the captaincy.

With that being the case, it’s time for the Harlequin star to put any demons of 2013 behind him and prove that, more than just physically, he’s mentally ready to take control of his team against Southern Hemisphere opposition.

3. Joel Tomkins

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One of three centres called into Stuart Lancaster’s original training squad and retained for the Australia outing, Joel Tomkins’ early-season form has been enough to reward the Saracens playmaker with his international debut.

Beating Henry Trinder and Luther Burrell to the centre spots left vacant by the injured Manu Tuilagi and Brad Barritt is already an achievement for the in-form Tomkins.

However, the 26-year-old’s journey hasn’t even begun yet and the true test will be seen when the player eventually makes his bow for the side this Saturday.

A lot of Tomkins’ success could well rest on whether Tomkins can function well alongside Billy Twelvetrees, who's been named at inside centre for the upcoming Test.

However, competition is certainly looking less fierce without the released Trinder, Burrell and Kyle Eastmond present. Now, it’s up to Tomkins, a rugby league convert, to prove that his selectors were right in giving him the opportunity, instead of regretting their decision to not choose one of those left out.

4. Billy Vunipola

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For some, Billy Vunipola’s talent is already etched onto the record; it’s just a matter of the Saracens youngster recalling some of form that saw him score a six-minute hat-trick for England against a Consur XV this summer.

The 20-year-old is now well on his way in his England ascendancy and is ready to compete with the likes of Ben Morgan, Tom Wood and perhaps even captain Robshaw for a place in Lancaster’s side.

This weekend holds a specific significance for the younger Vunipola brother as he goes up against the nation he was born in. Therefore, the back rower will have as much reason to turn out as any other, except that spectators will be expecting an awful lot from the marauding starlet.

Due to our fascination with young talent, players of this potential can often have too much pressure placed on them so early in their international involvement.

That being the case, it will undoubtedly be a case of the mental side of things standing up to the test for a player barely out of his teens. After all, at 130 kg and standing a 6’2”, the physical is more than accounted for.

5. Lee Dickson

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Danny Care’s release from the 23-man squad means that Tom Youngs is the only man competing with Lee Dickson for England’s No. 9 jersey, a race that the latter appears to have won for now.

Dickson’s early form with the Northampton Saints this season has been enough to keep summer recruit Kahn Fotuali’l on the sidelines, and even the benched man himself says Dickson is deserving of the start, per BBC Sport.

Youngs is dealing with a challenge of his own at Leicester, as David Mele is showing that he’s more than just a substitute alternative for the reigning champions. However, a successful British and Irish Lion he remains, meaning that Dickson’s slightest slip could be punished with a changing of the half-back guard.