Lancaster has been bold and it feels exciting
Overall it is just about as bold and as exciting an England squad I have ever seen.
I applaud Stuart Lancaster for picking a squad full of young, talented players that the bulk of fans would have picked as well. It is so refreshing to see players who have impressed week in, week out in the Premiership getting their chance and a number of those players are Saints ones.
I am thrilled for Lee Dickson because he has been rewarded for a level of consistency over the last few seasons which not many others have matched. I am so excited to see him prove it during the training and show he is good enough to get in the matchday 22. It looks like him or Joe Simpson for a place on the bench as Ben Youngs will surely be number one.
It will give so much hope for players like him who clearly have the ability but might have feared the opportunity had passed them by. Clearly he has been helped by injury to Richard Wigglesworth and Danny Care’s ban, but that doesn’t matter now.
The press that assembled in Leeds yesterday to hear the England squad announcement were treated to a really interesting off-the-record briefing from Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree.
The press corp were never taken into the confidence during Martin Johnson’s time in charge. He told us what he wants from players and how he wants the team to play. He trusts us not to repeat it and invested a certain amount of responsibility in the us. He made us feel part of the squad in a way. It is a break from tradition, but helped us understand what type of player he wants to build the culture they want. I can’t give away too much, but I am not surprised the likes of Phil Dowson are getting recognised and are on the verge of Test caps. Rowntree spoke about what Dowson adds and the maturity he brings, but also how unlucky he has been over the last few years. Whenever Rowntree has sat down for a selection meeting in the past Phil has been a topic of conversation. He has always been on the verge as long as Rowntree can remember. It is reward for his perseverance.
A lot of the 22 shirts will be filled at Murrayfield by performances in training over the next few weeks, the coaches will be looking at how players react. There are places up for grabs. Ben Morgan has been talked about at No. 8, but I don’t think that is at all certain. There is no nailed on No. 8 and there is some talk Chris Robshaw could play at eight. If you are looking at a genuine eight, as much as Phil wouldn’t say it himself, he can press for that and be in the party that flies to Murrayfield.
I think what we are seeing is a coach in Stuart Lancaster who backs his instinct. He knows Calum Clark as well as anyone from his time at Leeds. We have seen what he has been doing for Saints and he would have been an outside bet for the squad before it was announced, there will be few quibbles. And he is exactly the kind of player that might thrive in this environment. He has a real opportunity to prove he is worth his place amongst the very best in the land. His game can only develop.
They know there are areas of his game that needs rounding, but it is an indication of his potential to be in the squad at just 22.
There were one or two enquiries about the inclusion of Chris Ashton and whether Lancaster had considered leaving him out. But one thing that became absolutely clear was just how big a fan Lancaster is of Chris Ashton. He will definitely play at Murrayfield.
England have no issues with Ashton’s temperament whatever might have happened over last couple of months.
My thought that we could see Ben Foden on the wing for the first match were scotched by what Lancaster said.
He talked of how he likes to see backs to be adaptable and play in different positions to broaden their experience. But he said the one position where you do need an outright specialist is on the wing. I questioned him on that and he said it is because finishing is an art and in those tight spaces the ability that Ashton has of finishing half-chances is not easily replicated. And also how they have to come off the wing to attack. When he imagines a prototype 21st century winger he imagines Ashton.
Jordan Turner-Hall was another he picked out a number of times so expect him to feature.
Every player would have got a phone call to tell them of their selection and also to re-affirm what it means to be an England player and what is acceptable. The players will draw up their own code in the camp, but they will be aware of the standards they have to set now.
We can all imagine what Lancaster wants. He wants his players to take a lead and to a certain extent run the team for themselves.
The key is the management setting the tone and make no mistake, if there is any doubt about application and attitude that player will not be in the team. Delon Armitage is a case in point. Ben Foden and Mike Brown have been in great form, but one of the reasons Armitage is not in the senior squad is because he can’t be trusted on the pitch.
It is being made clear to the players that they are not just representing themselves or Lancaster but their country.
I don’t think Lancaster has put a foot wrong since taking over the job. A lot of us questioned the appointment, but he has been magnificent. Whenever I have been at a match he has been there, he has talked to coaches and gone to clubs’ training. This is not a selection of a man playing for his own job. He has given England an opportunity to develop He has thought more about players futures than his own.
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