Rugby: Preview of England's Test Season

We take a detailed look at England's upcoming challenges in their soon to begin Test season. 

Just less than a month from a ball being kicked in anger, and the Red Rose of England’s test season is off to a bad start as four of their more influential players will likely play no part in their upcoming Autumn Internationals.

Wasp’s duo, Tom Rees and Danny Cipriani, will play no part in 2009’s end of year test matches, and the flanker will be a loss, with early indications that he may miss the 2010 Six Nations as well.

Cipriani, woefully inconsistent with form and on the outer with Johnson, may not be such a loss to England’s hopes, but was a potential option for a left field call up considering other backline absentees. 

Either way, “Celebrani” desperately needs games at Wasps to fulfill his earlier touted, but little seen of late potential.

The malingerers in question are fullback and London Irish star Delon Armitage, who has gone the same way as centre and Brive’s glamour signing Riki Flutey (both picking up shoulder injuries prior to the Wasp’s pairs concerns) with both players in serious doubt for at least the next three months.

These two back’s losses are even more of a blow for England, and to say the deficit of such key pillars would be annoying the powers in the halls of the RFU is a massive understatement.

Flutey and Armitage have been two of the mainstays in which England has built what some would cautiously label a quiet revival under boss Martin Johnson, with the duo both making their England debuts against the Pacific Islands last November.

Armitage, rated by some as the best catching fullback in Europe, played in every match since.

To say that Flutey (the former Wairarapa-born New Zealand Under-19, which won the World Cup in 1999, and Hurricanes player) has reinvented himself in the North would be a great understatement. 

After signing with London Irish, he moved to Wasps, where he was named the PRA Player of the year.  He was then donning England colours, where his form in this year’s Six Nations earned him a Lions call up.

He became the first player in history to play for and against the famous touring side.

They are valuable players, but are they irreplaceable? 

Well, considering some basic facts from the Six Nations, in the short term they may well be. 

England, runners up in the 2009 tournament, scored 16 tries; double their tally from the previous year. 

They were, in terms of total points, the best attacking and the best defensive side in the competition.  Of their tries, Flutey (who was equal top try scorer with a certain Brian O’Driscoll) scored four, and Armitage three.

The trick here is that Johnson knows how to mould men into his own image, and craft a potent forward (white orcs on steroids, anyone?) operation, but irrespective of the men assisting him, he requires natural talent for England to be able to attack. 

While there were some painful inconsistencies in Red Rose’s execution in recent matches, their potency was so much more promising with the creative genius of men like Flutey and Armitage.

There are some options covering fullback, with Olly Morgan and Ugo Monye being strong ones, while Mathew Tait and Mark Cueto have first-class experience at the back of the three-quarter line.

Flutey, however, is the only specialist number 12 in the squad, and Leicester Tigers Toby Flood, in theory the second playmaker of the elite player squad, is out with a long-term Achilles problem.

The replacement is difficult considering the fact so much of England’s attacking and marshaling is built around the former Wasps midfielder. 

Mike Tindall could be called, but there are more attractive and long-term options sitting in the England Saxons squad.  Brad Barritt of Saracens, Northampton’s Shane Geraghty and Jordan Turner-Hall of Harlequins are all alternatives. 

While Barritt is a South African import, he is part of the revival of the famous club, and has a robust game that England typically desires in their midfield.

Johnson was clearly not happy with the news regarding all of his injuries, offering a strictly worded “get well” message via the media. 

His usual heavy brow seemed all encompassing as clearly the man in charge was not happy that arguably his two best attacking players and arguably his most flamboyant loose forward will be out.

Rees' absence is not a killer blow, for while the Wasps back rower is probably the best on the ball operator England has, they do have plenty of options in the back row. 

James Haskell, Tom Croft, Michael Lipman and a recovering Lewis Moody are all viable test options for England.

However as always, it will be an arduous test for England when the leaves of their flora turn the most wonderful shades of yellow and red throughout the arboretums in the country.

The Wallabies will arrive at Twickenham, followed by the Pumas, and then the All Blacks. 

With the Australians on a rare Grand Slam quest, the New Zealanders no doubt in a menacing mood considering their poor (by their standards) Tri Nations, and Argentina wanting to show the form to cement their entry into the Tri/Four Nations, Johnson would clearly love and needs to have all of his hands on deck.

While one feels that his ultimate judgment will come in New Zealand at the 2011 World Cup (not only for Johnson, but for all test coaches), the honeymoon is all but over for the 2003 World Cup winning captain.

While he might have some grace yet (if for anything because few people would criticise him to his face) he needs England to announce themselves sooner rather than later.

Not only the incoming Southern teams does Johnson need concern himself with, but two very strong Irish and Welsh sides, as well as the spectre that Les Bleus may indeed be turning the corner under Marc Lievremont, will present challenges for England next year.

Johnson will name the official replacements for the England squad on Oct. 25.  By then, the Guinness Premiership will have played its sixth round, and the Elite group will go into camp.

The abrasiveness that Johnson wants has begun, with members of Ireland remarking after their test at Croke Park this year that they had never felt so “beat up” as they did after their one-point victory over England. 

But to prevent a false dawn, at the minimum the Twickenham turf must yield at least one Tri Nations scalp in the coming months.

England under Martin Johnson

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 - England v Pacific Islanders 39-13 @ Twickenham
Sat, 15 Nov 2008 - England v Australia 14-28 @ Twickenham
Sat, 22 Nov 2008 - England v South Africa 6-42 @ Twickenham
Sat, 29 Nov 2008 - England v New Zealand 6-32 @ Twickenham
Sat, 07 Feb 2009 - England v Italy 36-11 @ Twickenham
Sat, 14 Feb 2009 - England v Wales 15-23 @ Millennium Stadium
Sat, 28 Feb 2009 - England v Ireland 13-14 @ Croke Park
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 - England v France 34-10 @ Twickenham
Sat, 21 Mar 2009 - England v Scotland 26-12 @ Twickenham
Sat, 06 Jun 2009 - England v Argentina 37-15 @ Old Trafford
Sat, 13 Jun 2009 - England v Argentina 22-24 @ Salta

England’s upcoming test matches

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 - England v Australia @ Twickenham 
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 36, England 14, Australia 21, Drawn 1
LAST MATCH: England 14 – 28 Australia @ Twickenham

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 - England v Argentina @ Twickenham
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 14, England 9, Argentina 4, Drawn 1
LAST MATCH: England 22 – 24 Argentina @ Salta

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 - England v New Zealand @ Twickenham
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 32, New Zealand 25, England 6, Drawn 1
LAST MATCH: England 6 – 32 @ Twickenham

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 - England v Wales @ Twickenham
Sun, 14 Feb 2010 - Italy v England @ Stadio Flaminio
Sat, 27 Feb 2010 - England v Ireland @ Twickenham
Sat, 13 Mar 2010 - Scotland v England @ Murrayfield
Sat, 20 Mar 2010 - France v England @ Stade de France

England Elite player squad

FORWARDS

Steffon Armitage, London Irish 
Steve Borthwick, Saracens 
George Chuter, Leicester Tigers 
Jordan Crane, Leicester Tigers 
Tom Croft, Leicester Tigers 
Louis Deacon, Leicester Tigers 
Nick Easter, Harlequins 
Dylan Hartley, Northampton Saints 
Ben Kay, Leicester Tigers 
Lee Mears, Bath Rugby 
Tim Payne, London Wasps 
Tom Rees, London Wasps 
Simon Shaw, London Wasps 
Andrew Sheridan, Sale Sharks 
Phil Vickery, London Wasps 
Julian White, Leicester Tigers 
David Wilson, Bath Rugby 
Joe Worsley, London Wasps 

BACKS

Delon Armitage, London Irish 
Matt Banahan, Bath Rugby 
Danny Care, Harlequins 
Mark Cueto, Sale Sharks 
Harry Ellis, Leicester Tigers 
Toby Flood, Leicester Tigers 
Riki Flutey, CA Brive 
Dan Hipkiss, Leicester Tigers 
Paul Hodgson, London Irish 
Ugo Monye, Harlequins 
Olly Morgan, Gloucester Rugby 
Mathew Tait, Sale Sharks 
Mike Tindall, Gloucester Rugby 
Jonny Wilkinson, Toulon 

Last England Test XV (V Argentina)
D Armitage, Cueto, Hipkiss, May, Banahan, Goode, Care, Payne, Hartley, White, Borthwick, Deacon, Robshaw, S Armitage, Easter.

Last full strength England Test XV (V Scotland) (before Lions commitments)
Armitage; Cueto, Tindall, Flutey, Monye; Flood, Ellis; Sheridan, Mears, Vickery, Borthwick, Shaw, Croft, Worsley, Easter.