Here's the 45 man squad, split into forwards and backs, and broken down by (usual) position:
First thing, is that it's good to see that some of the guys who did well in the Churchill Cup have been recognised and given a chance with the EPS. So that means Botha comes in to bolster the number of South Africans in the squad and Sharples gets a crack at wing. Sharples was electrifying in the Saxons games and fully deserves his place.
Looking at the forwards, its pretty much business as usual.
We know all about the choices for the front five, there's nothing new to see here. Corbisiero seems to be the coming man but will he get game time now that Matt Stevens has been fully rehabilitated back into rugby? I see Johnson going with
The hookers are the usual as well. It'll be Hartley, Thompson, Chuter, Mears. I'm a big fan of Hartley and I'm hoping he really cements his place over the summer. 28 caps means he's no longer a rookie, he needs to bring his Northampton form to the international stage.
I'll admit it now, I think Johnson's wrong with the locks. Botha can play but is green at this level. Simon Shaw is the world's oldest rugby player and, much as I love the way he plays, can he still do it at this level? Palmer and Deacon seems to be Johnno's preferred combination but I'd rather see a pairing of Lawes and Palmer. The second row needs a nasty bastard and who better than the Northampton destroyer? We've not had that level of power/aggession in the locks since Grewcock was stomping about in white. Deacon is an honest player, he'll compete, but I don't understand Johnson's preference for him over Nick Kennedy.
The back row is, again, the usual suspects plus Robshaw and Waldstrom. The lack of competition at Number 8 worries me. I don't understand the criticism that Easter gets when he plays for England and Waldstrom has been strong this season, but I would've loved to see Haskell playing at 8, for his sheer dynamism and for the fact that it would let you play Croft at 6 and Moody at 7.
The backs are a mixed bag. All the usual faces plus a couple of new faces who, if we're honest, will be holding the tackle bags by the end of the training period (although I sincerely hope this isn't going to happen).
I think the picks at Scrum-half are safe enough, albeit if I were picking I'd have gone for Paul Hodgson ahead of Wigglesworth. I like nuggety scrumhalves and Hodgson is exactly that. Mind you, if Youngs can re-find his form then nobody else is getting a look in anyway.
Fly-half. Rory Clegg played beautifully for the Saxons, it's a real shame that Johnson couldn't have found a place for him in the squad. Flood is as out of touch as his halfback partner and you know what you'll get with Wilkinson and Hodgson. Why not take the time to look at Clegg in a real pressure-cooker?
The centres fill me with worry. We all know that Johnson's going to go with Tindall and Hape but Tindall is bang out of form (out of time?) and Hape has never done it in an England shirt. I don't care how could his defence is supposed to be, he has to break the line and create tries. Otherwise he's a waste of a place. Tuilagi could be a revelation in the England midfield, providing he doesn't get too punchy and a combo of him and Flutey could be very interesting. Shame that there's no place for Trinder in the squad though.
Looking at the contenders for the back three positions, I have to admit that I'm dead set against the inclusion of Armitage as the only other contender for full back. His lack of form in an England shirt and his misdemeanours over the season, for me, would've ruled him out. Alex Goode has been outstanding and fully deserved a call up in his place. The back three, for me, would be Cueto at 11, Ashton at 14 and Foden at 15 with Sharples, Simpson-Daniel and Goode on the bench.
After all that waffle, here's the team that I'd like to see take the field for the first game against Wales in August. Picked only from the training squad, it assumes everyone's fit:
The replacement's bench is split 3 forwards to 4 backs. If there was a problem with one of the locks I'd move Croft into the second row and bring Haskell on. Haskell would also cover Number 8. Banahan provides options at wing and centre and the only hole is a specialist fullback, although Cueto has played there as has Hodgson when Sale decided to kick everything.
