Northampton Saints: Reihana ‘JC ready to take centre stage for England’
jon clarke
Saints legend Bruce Reihana has pleaded with England to end their midfield misery by picking Jon Clarke.
Martin Johnson is set to pick his 45-man preliminary World Cup squad on Sunday and Reihana, who is heading to France after nine and a half years of loyal service at Franklin’s Gardens, believes Clarke has to be on the plane to New Zealand in September.
The centre positions have been a perennial problem for England.
Current inside centre Shontayne Hape is a relative novice after switching from rugby league and with Mike Tindall injured England are even contemplating converting Bath winger Matt Banahan to outside centre.
Reihana, who won two caps for the All Blacks before moving to Northampton, is astounded England have not picked Clarke, who has been consistently superb for Saints over the past two seasons, to solve their problems at centre before now.
“I can’t understand why Jon Clarke is not in that England side, it is unbelievable,” said Reihana.
“If I was in charge he would have been in the side a long time ago. He is one of the best, if not the best, defenders in the Premiership.
“He has got great skills, good feet, is experienced and has a good head on him. They have been playing around with the centres for a long time and it hasn’t worked.”
Johnson is a big believer in the experience of World Cup winner Tindall and has made the Gloucester centre captain on occasions, but Reihana feels Clarke is a much superior player at outside centre.
Tindall’s defensive qualities are important to Johnson, but Reihana, who held a farewell barbecue at Franklin’s Gardens last night before moving to Bordeaux Begles in the Top 14, said: “There is a bit more to it than defence, and if they want defence why not go for Jon Clarke.
“Clarkey is also quicker than Tindall, I don’t understand it at all.
“When the All Blacks played them they exposed a few cracks in Tindall and the England centres. I like Tindall, but Clarkey has been proven for many years and he has never really been burned.
“England have as good a chance as anybody, but they have got to sort their centre position out.
“If they chucked Jon Clarke in there, they would be sorted and then they need somebody else at 12.”
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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