Manu Tuilagi's famed strength brings a powerful shot into midfield that England needs. Photo: Getty Images/Dan Mullan
Death, taxes and doubts over England's best midfielder; these are the three certainties of life. With the World Cup finally approaching, we cannot, with a sense of inevitability, be sure of a partnership at the center that Steve Borthwick will turn to when the stakes are at its highest. Indeed, with only four warm-up matches left before the start of the tournament, a completely untested combination could ruin a party. And «collapse» is the key word.
Having taken the top job just seven months ago, Borthwick has always had to show conviction — and defy convention — for England to fight. He promised elements of surprise and a pairing of Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence could be an effective crooked ball.
Borthwick has alternatives that are arguably safer. From the quartet of Owen Farrell, George Ford, Henry Slade and Tuilagi, he can assemble two 2019 frontline configurations: Ford Farrell Tuilagi and Farrell Tuilagi Slade. Marcus Smith and Farrell spent time as a 10-12 axis. Elliot Daly, Joe Marchand and Guy Porter are other potential offside centers.
Ollie Lawrence needs to stop a bit when he gets his Steam Head up. Credit: Getty Images/Steve Bardens
But Tuilagi and Lawrence's teamwork offers England a carrying power that they are clearly concerned about their attackers' lack, as well as the temptation to react to the overall landscape. Look around the globe. Combining two tacklers has become a trend.
France is proud of Jonathan Danti and Gael Ficu. Bundy Aki moved Robbie Henshaw to the role of Ireland's outside center when Harry Ringrose was unavailable. The arrival of Geordie Barrett along with Rieko Ioane strengthened the All Blacks. Sione Tuipulotu and Hugh Jones made an impact during the Scottish Six Nations campaign, supplanting the excellent Chris Harris.
Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Sinti made an impression on Saturday in Argentina's match against South Africa, who will themselves choose a midfield duo from a quartet of Lucaño Am, Damian de Allende, André Esterhuizen and Jesse Criel. Eddie Jones is hoping Len Ikitau will return as Australia's defender for Samu Kerevi while Wales can field Nick Tompkins and George North. Fiji was able to muster Semi Radradra and Vaisea Nayakaleva, pushing Josua Tuisov to the flank. Tonga has Pete Ahki and Malakai Fekitoa.
Rugby England's Journey to Wales
With Tuilagi and Lawrence taking the field at the same time, heading for the win line, England has no shortage of direct running threats. . However, ball possession is just one foundation to cover and this combination will require compromise. First, forget the numbers on the T-shirts.
Defensively, Tuilagi would likely occupy the inner center channel and Lawrence, perhaps more agile on the side, in the outer center. As he showed during Six Nations, the latter is a devastating jackal when stalled. Lawrence came out of relative obscurity to compete in this tournament on 23 after Dan Kelly and Daly were injured. Lest we forget, Borthwick's first midfield trio was Smith-Farrell-Marchant. Lawrence returned from the bench late before being named in the starting XI with Slade against Italy and Wales.
Lawrence wore number 12, and Borthwick gave him the unabashedly clear duty of kicking down the front door. Despite having 13 points on his back, Slade often went to the first receiver position to win back passes during set plays — as inside centers such as Kelly, Tompkins and Tuipulotu often do — and Lawrence hit from center to center.< /p> 
Lawrence jumps from beginning to end as Slade approaches the first recipient
These patterns, which show the primaries and blind wings rotating around their centers, are preserved in this year's Six Nations from the Eddie Jones era. But Lawrence didn't necessarily need to turn into the first recipient to play alongside Tuilagi. With Farrell and Slade both potential centre-pieces, Kelly was considered redundant for the England pre-season. Richard Wigglesworth had time to reshape or add to his attack plans.
Ashley Beck, a Wales international with seven caps, is convinced his former Worcester Warriors teammate can give more than he showed during the Six Nations. He believes England should prioritize sending Lawrence, a powerful athlete who weighs around 10kg less than Tuilagi, to spaces over faces. However, Beck saw that the partnership was working.
«You won't ask Ollie and Manu to do a lot of footwork,» he says. “They will more or less hold the middle of the field. You have to play to their strengths and not misuse them because they can affect how deep England go into the tournament.
“If I defend in the center, you might have Manu. approaches you in the first phase and thinks, «Okay, we stopped him, but he's already behind the line of reinforcement.» Then, in the next stage, Ollie or Billy Vunipola may appear around the corner. It will be a bit like Jamie Roberts and John Davis teaming up in Wales a few years ago.”
Beck, current Worcester Warriors Women's offensive coach, suggests that Tuilagi and Lawrence could cut corners between close-to-blow halves during phase play, and is confident that the lengthy preparation period provides an opportunity to change plans for the first phase.
“These guys are living with each other for the next few months and they have a couple of games to play,” he adds. “You have to be able to change the mind of an international rugby player about running lines and starting games. And in general, how many starting games do you get? Scrum is a lottery with lineouts, teams tend to keep the ball in the park [with their kicks]. The smaller the menu, the better, I guess.”
«England didn't use him as well as they could.»
Lawrence's versatility, according to Beck, should come in handy. In Bath, for example, he flourished with ballplayer Cameron Redpath. “That game with 10 in the back, 12 on the line and 13 short, running lines that he picks up when things are going well…he made a living for me and Ryan Mills [at Worcester] because he managed the short line so well.” Beck says of Lawrence.
“Ten gets a bit of freedom in the back because you don't want to fight him one on one because of his contact struggles. The way he plays Bat, you can use his footwork and his offloading game. I didn't feel that England used him as well as they could. As if he was preparing for the next stage. I always feel that he is better in the next stage when you get the ball in his hands early and there is a chance to go one on one.
“I think he's perfect for playing on any system. He was shown that he could run into a wall and chase shots, tackle and intercept the ball. He could play Manu if he runs after the ball in the second and third phases. At the same time, if [England] wanted to go for Ford-Farrell or Smith-Farrell, it's like playing Cam Redpath in Bath.»
Of course, Borthwick must remember to balance the rest of the backline. One of the top offensive coaches stressed the importance of keeping Farrell on the same pace he found with the Saracens last season and emphasized the importance of having ball carriers by his side. Tompkins' short pass makes it easy for the Premier League champions, especially in first-stage situations. Max Malins, associated with the Daly and Bristol Bears, plays ball, roaming wings. Alex Good is an exceptional full-back playmaker.
Without belittling Freddie Steward, the young Leicester Tiger doesn't have the game poise or passing skills of Goode, Willie le Roux or Hugo Keenan. One would think that at least one of Malin or Daly would be needed if Tuilagi and Lawrence started alongside Steward at full back. Any lack of speed can be made up for by deploying fast paddlers like Ben Earl, Tom Curry or Tom Pearson on the flanks.
In the 2019 Six Nations match against Italy, with Farrell playing in midfield, Eddie Jones deflected a significant shot from Ben Te'o and Tuilagi in midfield. Joe Kokanashiga also started on the same flank. However, they had a left-handed playmaker at cornerback in the Daly and could have made a difference by getting Ford and Slade off the bench.
Joe Kokanashiga in number eight, Billy Vunipola midfield, Ben Teo and Manu Tuilagi outside of Owen Farrell. pic.twitter.com/tG9nokiFE6
— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) March 9, 2019
With Tuipulotu and Jones, or «Huvipulotu», Scotland are taking advantage of the inherent advantages of the franchise system, tapping into the cohesiveness of the Glasgow Warriors pair. Tuipulotu, like the All Blacks' Geordie Barrett, epitomizes the value of being able to play from the center. His swinging kick, lashed out by Jones, sent Scotland to Twickenham in February.
Beck highlights Lawrence's hitting and offloading as unexpected benefits. As for Tuilagi, his name may cause some supporters to groan. Many are tired — and rightly so — of England's willingness to rely on a veteran with a brutal injury history. On the other hand, Tuilagi played quite well against Ireland in March. In Tom Thombleson and Aled Walters, there are two fitness gurus in England who will keep a close eye on Tuilagi.
A succession plan for the centers could be part of Borthwick's to-do list for 2024 and beyond. As far as band-aids for 2023, Tuilagi and Lawrence's collaboration is an exciting venture.
Do you think Ollie Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi are the right choice for the center couple? Join the discussion in the comments section below
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