Markus Smith (left), Raffi Quirk and George Ford (right) are the three England midfielders. Custom Image
Steve Borthwick will name his team of 33 players for the Rugby World Cup on August 7, with 70 names on the long list of those who have been ordered to stay in shape.
However until then, there will be various training camps, both at home and abroad, as Borthwick tries to get his team in shape for the global rugby showcase in France this fall.
Over the course of two weeks, one block at a time, Telegraph Sport analyzes the depth that the England head coach has at his disposal in each position. Our six part series started last week with a look at the front row, locks and back row.
Here we move on to the backs, starting with linebackers.
Scrimmage linebackers
< strong>Jack van Purtvliet
Alex Mitchell
Ben Youngs
Danny Kare
Ben Spencer
Raffi Quirk
Harry Randall
Gus Warr
Charlie Chapman
It seems a long time has passed since Willi Heinz qualified for the World Championship by becoming vice-captain on his test debut before booking a ticket to Japan. Back in New Zealand with the Crusaders, the cunning scrum-half made a neat appearance for England. Yet through no fault of his own, Heinz epitomized how much Eddie Jones seemed to feel about the position.
Jones bled Jack van Purtvliet before he was sacked at the end of last year, and Borthwick continued to work with the young Leicester Tiger during his first Six Nations as head coach. Alex Mitchell has been given more responsibility in the England squad by apparently usurping Ben Young in the course of this tournament.
With the squad now up to 33, England don't have to take the risk they did in 2019 by leading just two halves of scrimmage. Jones planned to take on one experienced operator, presumably Young or Danny Kahr. Interestingly, even though Borthwick has yet to call any of the players, he is believed to have probed both Car and Ben Spencer. The latter was perfect for Bath.
Elsewhere, Harry Randall was enjoying a resurgent campaign with the Bristol Bears, and Ruffy Quirk, with incredible dynamism, looked brilliant for the Sale Sharks. Eligible for both Scotland and England, Gus Warr was so good that he became Alex Sanderson's clear first choice on his way to the Premier League final against the Saracens.
Gloucester's Charlie Chapman has a bright future ahead of him , and, like Quirk, can break defenses in an instant. He is another one who can represent Scotland as well as England. Below in the depth chart and well developed by Will Beckonsall and Tom Cairns of the Exeter Chiefs.
While numbers like Kare and Youngs would be encouraging, Borthwick will have a lot of know-how in other parts of the team and among defenders. The trio below boast just 21 caps but cover all bases. With a warm-up match to impress even after a year of start-stops, Quirk is capable of crashing the party.
Three halves of Charlie Morgan's World Championship bout: Alex Mitchell, Ben Spencer , Jack van Purtvliet
Rugby Half Fly-half Poll
Owen Farrell
George Ford
Marcus Smith< /strong>
Fin Smith
Charlie Atkinson
Joe Simmonds
Orlando Bailey
Freddie Burns
< p>In 2019, only two experienced midfielders visited Japan. Piers Francis was a floating linebacker; predominantly a covering center, but also a back-up number 10 in case Owen Farrell or George Ford get injured. Four years later, the top of the English hierarchy has not changed dramatically.
Marcus Smith may have amassed 21 games this season, but the domestic season's climax underscored the enduring class of Farrell and Ford. Borthwick will no doubt be building the back line with these two at the forefront.
Suddenly a more pertinent question than whether Smith can break into the England top row on Matchday 23 is whether he can the gifted Harlequin will go at all. There are at least two factors working in his favor, even after a rather tough game by the Six Nations.
First, he challenges the defense in various ways with an evasive, fleeing threat. Secondly, time was spent on a 10-12 combo with Farrell that backed up an effective attack; Even when England gave way to Scotland in February.
Fin Smith, who is three years younger than Marcus, who is 21, will take charge of Northampton Saints over the next four-year cycle. The same can be said for Charlie Atkinson and Orlando Bailey, although they are second only to Moody Pollard and Finn Russell at Leicester Tigers and Bath, respectively. Both Atkinson and Bailey spent time with the England national teams. They have a bright and exciting future.
Joe Simmonds, heading to Pau, will not let anyone down if his injuries cause him to be parachuted out, and Freddie Burns, in the midst of a Super Rugby campaign with the Highlanders, has already made up one tale with Borthwick as coach. However, of course, choosing a stable of half-breed flies is quite simple.
Charlie Morgan's three half-breed flies for the World Championship: Owen Farrell, George Ford, Marcus Smith
rugby fly semi-poll
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