England's Centre Options Against New Zealand in the 2014 Autumn International

Injured: Luther Burrell and Manu Tuilagi.

Options: Billy Twelvetrees, Kyle Eastmond, Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell.

England have a mini-crisis at centre ahead of the visit of New Zealand to kick off the autumn internationals on 8 November. With guaranteed starter Manu Tuilagi out and one of the best players of the 2014 Six Nations in Luther Burrell injuring his hand in the European Champions Cup, per the Guardian, coach Stuart Lancaster should prioritise stabilising the ship rather than blooding young talent against the All Blacks.

The toughest of starts, playing New Zealand off the back of their Rugby Championship victory without any prior game time means that Lancaster should look to a solid centre partnership. That pairing should be Saracens duo Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt.

If Lancaster is willing to relocate Manu Tuilagi to the wing at short notice against New Zealand, then he should also seriously consider moving Owen Farrell from 10 to 12. As examined at the time, Tuilagi’s positional switch was a high-risk move from a low-risk coach. Playing Owen Farrell at inside centre rather than fly-half would be an innovative but judicious move.

England should embrace such flexibility. The great Dan Carter began his career at 12 and has been playing there for the Crusaders to accommodate Colin Slade. Farrell, it is worth remembering, began his England career at inside centre, playing alongside Saracens team-mate Charlie Hodgson and Brad Barritt. It is a role he knows and can fulfil very well.

Autumn internationals, especially a year out from the World Cup, are about winning. They are about laying down a marker to the rugby world, such as England did in 2002 before lifting the Rugby World Cup a year later.

Consequently, Brad Barritt should play alongside Owen Farrell in the first two fixtures against New Zealand and South Africa. They are both the best and most physically demanding opponents England will face this autumn, and in the absence of Burrell and Manu Tuilagi, England cannot take risks on the defensive abilities of Billy Twelvetrees, Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph.

Eastmond is the most exciting option for Lancaster, but the All Blacks took a liking to him in the third Test last summer and only lasted a half. As Lewis Moody states, per the Daily Mail: “Does he go with Eastmond who can be absolutely devastating in attack but who was fundamentally found out in defence on the summer tour?”

New Zealand have three world-class centres at their disposal. Malakai Fekitoa and Conrad Smith are likely to start, with Sonny Bill Williams in reserve. Farrell and Barritt are the two best tacklers England could play in the centre, and they will need to hit high percentages to stifle the New Zealand midfield. As for England’s attack, that will have to come from the back three and the fly-half, where George Ford should be selected.

Ford, the 2011 IRB Junior World Player of the Year, deserves an England call-up. Ford is an excellent game manager. He is also very good at delaying the timing of a pass and thus waiting to either run himself or put deep-lying runners through a gap. A perfect example of this was last month for Bath against Northampton (see video below).

Ford also developed a good understanding with Farrell in the England age-group teams, where Ford played fly-half to Farrell’s inside centre. They also briefly played together in those positions in the rout of Italy last March, during which a deft move by Ford put Chris Robshaw through for a try.

Against Samoa and Australia in late November, England may be able to call upon Luther Burrell, in which case they can consider a more attacking centre pairing. But for New Zealand and South Africa, the midfield should be Ford, Farrell, Barritt.