Dan Frost, an Exeter Chiefs prostitute, was chosen left field by some Telegraph Sport readers. Credit: Getty Images/Ben Hoskins
Over Over the past two weeks, Telegraph Sport has been evaluating England's World Cup chances by positions, and now it's time to reveal who readers want to see on the plane. Steve Borthwick, take note.
Telegraph Readers, England Football Team, Looseheads
Ellis Jenge, Mako Vunipola, Val Rapava Raskin
Hookers
Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickey, Dan Frost
>Tightheads
Kyle Sinclair, Will Stewart, Dan Cole
Locks< p>Maro Itoye, Ollie Chessum, Joe Launchbury, David Ribbans
Flankers
Tom Curry, Jack Willis, Courtney Lowes
No 8s
Zach Mercer, Billy Vunipola
Scum-halves
Alex Mitchell, Jack van Poortvliet, Raffi Quirk
Fly-halves
Owen Farrell, George Ford, Marcus Smith< /p>Center
Ollie Lawrence, Manu Tuilagi, Henry Slade, Dan Kelly< /p>Three defenders
Freddie Steward, Anthony Watson, Henry Arundell, Max Malins, Elliot Daly
Telegraph Sports Analysis
Judging by this team, Telegraph Sport subscribers are erudite rugby fans. And judging by the selection of Val Rapava Ruskin, some of you are into Premier League rugby every week. The Georgian-born defensive midfielder has been a titan for Gloucester this season and Steve Borthwick could do much worse than include him in his World Cup team as third choice, a rookie. In 2019, that status was given to Ellis Jenge, and four years later, the Bristol props go to their second World Championship as the clear first choice and potential captain.
The front-line duo of Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickey, if the latter overcomes his injury struggle, will choose himself, but again, third place is intriguing. Despite his all-court performance in the Premier League final, Saracen newcomer Theo Dan is being overlooked in favor of Dan Frost. Exeter's Hooker certainly impressed with his move from the Wasps and will be in the frame, but Dan's dynamism has proven that as long as his standard remains the same, he has the difference to see the first-choice duo through.
Dumbheads practically choose themselves, with Kyle Sinclair and Dan Cole continuing after a solid Six Nations game, and Will Stewart coming in third after some bitter end-of-season performances for Bath.
Unfortunately, readers, in the castle we find our first egregious oversight. Leicester's George Martin, after his sensational home form and call-up to the Six Nations, will be 100 per cent in the game. Another thing is which of the four selected leaves. If Ollie Chessum doesn't recover enough from his bizarre ankle injury, then he could walk away, which would be heartbreaking given his Six Nations form. If Chessum recovers, then someone from Joe Launchbury or David Ribbans will look over their shoulder. Given that the former played in Japan and was not associated with England this season, if anyone from your quartet needs to be excluded, I would regret choosing him.
As I mentioned when choosing my squad, flankers are shu-ins. Courtney Lowes, Tom Curry and Jack Willis, depending on fitness, will be selected by Borthwick. However, can he choose an eight that can play as a flanker to complete this trio? He can. In that case, Tom Willis, or maybe even Lewis Ludlam, will be back in the ranks. However, our readers have chosen two unbeaten eights. I'm glad to see you've joined me to board Billy Vunipole's promotional train. Simply put, when he is at his best, there is no best No. 8 in England. And his skills and physicality are perfect for areas where England lacked last season.
Zack Mercer is a fascinating case. Undoubtedly supremely talented, but a test class? There's only one way to find out, I guess. The former No. 8 in the bath, who will join Gloucester next season, broke out of the top 14 in his first season at Montpellier but has not reached the same heights this season. Question marks remain around his physical form as well. It's no exaggeration to say that if he were French – behind the monstrous Les Bleus five – he could very well take the No. 8 shirt (or at least challenge the great Gregory Aldritt for it). But the English front five are not as strong in tight matches as the French, and there is not enough ballast in the back of the fight. Can Mercer bring it? I'm not sure at this stage, but his incredible talent means I'd like to be proven wrong.
At the age of nine, the Six Nations duo of Alex Mitchell and Jack van Purtvliet made the list, with Raffi Quirk adding to it. There's no major doubt here, except to note that Quirk wasn't even Sale's first pick this season. That jersey was held by another Englishman, Gus Warr, who could have earned a chance or two to prove himself in a training camp or maybe even a warm-up. Bath's Ben Spencer can't be discounted either, given his playing prowess and big game experience.
With three brilliant names on the fly-half, objecting to the selection would be foolish. However, the only minor dispute in this area is whether Borthwick considers it necessary to select three full half-flies. And, in this regard, will Owen Farrell also be used as front 12? If this is a case of Farrell exclusively taking the jersey 10, then one from Ford or Smith could be a resounding omission, especially if the head coach decides to pick another player to cover the fly-have in an emergency, like Max Malins or George Furbank. .
The centers, like the halves of the flies, are fairly straight forward. Manu Tuilagi plays as well as he has for the past four years; Dan Kelly was a vital cog in Leicester's road to the Premier League title under Borthwick; and Ollie Lawrence was in brilliant form for Bath. After that, the trio all come down to a direct shootout between Henry Slade and Joe Marchand. I understand Exeter's choice of center and don't mind it – for England the peak of Slade's strength almost usurped Marchand's strength – but I fear for Slade's intransigence. Marchand can play wide and play well, and that versatility can tip the scales the other way. But in fact, there is nothing special about it.
It's hard to disagree with five names in the last three, but something tells me that in August there may be a curve here. Freddie Steward and Anthony Watson are bankers, the latter being as close as possible to the Borthwick wing prototype. Malins and Elliot Daley pair so seamlessly with Farrell that choosing them makes a lot of sense, but is the former fast enough for the demands of wing play in Test rugby? Despite his brilliance in the Premier League final, doubts remain. Henry Arundell is a once-in-a-generation talent, but does he fit the Borthwick mold? Considering this is only his first season as head coach, if Borthwick felt there were other flanks that were better suited to how he wanted to play, perhaps Arundell was a resounding oversight. However, he will actually be in the game. Ollie Hassel-Collins, Kadan Murly and Joe Kokanashiga, who has worked hard on his speed, will drive them to the end.
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