England Backs

Full Back

At full back we are looking extremely strong. Brown has finally been given a run of games and has seamlessly made the transition from an excellent club player to an established international. He has thrived on the international stage and really proved himself this Autumn. We also have solid back up in the shape of Foden. However, Foden is currently out injured. Then we have the reliable Goode, who is comfortable at international level and also offers a different dimension to England's attack. The exciting talents of Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell are emerging fast.

Wing

Despite being in relatively poor form at international level for the past couple of years, Ashton remains the first choice right winger. Fortunately for him, both Wade and Yarde picked up injuries when he looked likely to be dropped. Ashton is very much a confidence player, I also feel who plays at halfback and in the centres makes a big difference to Ashton's game. On form he is a phenomenal support runner, an astute defender and a deadly finisher. I for one hope he starts coming good. Wade is going to be out for a while, but Yarde has a chance of making it back for the six nations. Behind these obvious choices, the exciting Gloucester youngsters May and Sharples would love another crack at international level. Thompstone has been in great form for Leicester this season, whilst Benjamin has already been talking up his own credentials since coming back from injury. Banahan has also been in fantastic form for Bath this season, featuring consistently on the wing.

Centres

This is where it gets tricky. In the Autumn we played an extremely lacklustre centre partnership. Tomkins was pretty much anonymous in attack, he couldn't even catch the ball and looked out of his depth at international level. His defence was ok - but not as strong as we were led to believe. Twelvetrees had an inconsistent Autumn, bar one or two glaring missed tackles - his defence on the whole was pretty strong - his carrying and passing was good and maybe given a chance to start with Tuilagi outside him and a more creative 10 inside, we could get the most out of him. If England were picking players on form, it was a travesty the young, exciting and powerful Luther Burrell wasn't given a chance. Capable of playing at 12 or 13, he runs strong lines - almost always breaches the gainline looks to offload and has really strong defence - his passing game is also underrated and he offers the physicality we miss when Tuilagi is out injured. I think he deserves a chance this Six Nations. When Tuilagi is back and fit he is an automatic first choice, however whether he plays at 12 or 13 depends on the style of play we are trying to achieve. Barritt has been out injured for a while, and I feel Twelvetrees may have overtaken him in the pecking order. Joseph seems to have been overtaken by Trinder too. I could also see England giving Farrell some game time at 12, especially if they prefer a more creative player at fly half. Eastmond seems to be heading for the exit door from Bath, so question marks surround him at the moment.

Fly Half

Cipriani! We simply have to pick him. Stuart Lancaster originally said that he would pick players on form. Cipriani is currently in the form of his life, he seems to have rediscovered his mojo and Steve Black (Wilkinson's mentor) has been working hard with him. Not only does he look physically and psychologically stronger, but his impact on the outcome of games is getting far more significant. He's always had the potential and he's starting to fulfill it. His defence has come on leaps and bounds. His running and passing game is looking sharp and accurate. He's scoring tries, playing with a smile on his face and assisting tries for others. His goal kicking is getting back to it's best, he's hitting drop goals and his restarts are causing the opposition havoc. He is one of the players in our team who has world class credentials, he also knows what it's like to mix with the best. Another strong contender is Farrell, his defence/commitment/goal kicking cannot be questioned - his attitude is spot on. However, what I question is his ability as a 10 to pick holes in the opposition and create opportunities for others. His game management is relatively solid, but he has a long way to go before he can be called the complete 10. Burns has been inconsistent for Gloucester this season, on form and confidence he is a very exciting player to watch. His defence is terrible though, much worse than Cipriani's and I think top international sides would exploit that. Flood is weighing up his options, but he is a proven international and when he's plays, the outside backs seem to flourish a lot more with ball in hand. Behind this lot, Ford has been playing regularly for Bath and playing well. I think a call up is too early for Ford, we should let his game develop at Bath, he also needs time to develop physically. It should also be noted that Myler has been playing consistently for the Saints.

Half Back

In my opinion Lee Dickson is extremely lucky to have won any caps at all. He'll remain in and around the squad, but Ben Youngs and Danny Care must overtake him in the pecking order. Ben Youngs is a world class player when he's on form, he just needs the game time and the backing from the coaches, he was colossal against the All Blacks in December 2012. Danny Care is a very exciting players and provides a spark which can help England in the last 20 minutes of big games, he should be pushing Youngs hard for this shirt. Wigglesworth and Simpson have both been playing well for Saracens and Wasps respectively and remain possible back ups.

15 M.Brown
14 C.Ashton
13 L.Burrell
12 M.Tuilagi
11 M.Yarde
10 D.Cipriani
09 B.Youngs

21 D.Care
22 O.Farrell
23 A.Goode

Burrell and Manu look a little homogenous to me, I'd play a smaller, quicker 12 or 13. Otherwise looks fine

15 Foden
14 Ashton
13 Tuilagi
12 Farrell
11 Yarde
10 Cipriani
9 Youngs

21 Dickson
22 Burrell
23 Brown

Sorry but Farrells a 10 or nothing...we have better 12 and 13's than him.

15- May
14- Walker
13- Daly
12- Eastmond
11- Wade
10- Cipriani
9- Simpson

21- Care
22- Burns
23- Tait