606v2 picks the England World Cup squad: 3rd Fly Half

Martin Johnson World Cup training squad announcement a couple of weeks ago got us all talking about who should be there/shouldn't be there/should go to the World Cup/shouldn't go to the World Cup etc. Now that the heat has died down a little bit and the squad has had a bit of time to sink in, who do we think should make the final 30? Over the next few weeks I'll post a series of polls so that we can select a 30 man World Cup squad.

Current squad- as chosen by you:
Props: Dan Cole, Alex Corbisiero, Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens
Hookers: Dylan Hartley, Lee Mears, Steve Thompson
Locks: Louis Deacon, Courtney Lawes, Tom Palmer
Back row: Tom Croft, Nick Easter, James Haskell, Lewis Moody, Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood
Scrum halves: Danny Care, Ben Youngs, Joe Simpson
Fly halves: Toby Flood, Jonny Wilkinson
Centres: Shontayne Hape, Mike Tindall, Manu Tuilagi
Wings: Chris Ashton, Matt Banahan, Mark Cueto
Full backs: Ben Foden

2 spots left in the 606v2 squad, and we're light on cover at fly-half. I'm sure I don't need to remind you all of 2007, when we had Mike Catt and Andy Farrell sharing 10 duties against South Africa in the pool game! From what I can see, the only options in the training squad to cover 10 are Hodgson and Flutey. Hodgson is a better 10, but Flutey offers an option at 12.

Selection criteria: Winner of the poll will be added to the squad. Multiple voting is not allowed.

I think Wigglesworth has played fly half before as well

Have to pick C.Hodgson as Flutey shouldn't be near the England squad anyway.

Agree with Beshocked. I went for Hodgson.

Had to go for Hodgon. Flutey didn't have much of a season and Hodgson had a good year. But this raises the point about where are the other options? Any options? In the future, yes. But now?

someone who could play fullback as well would be goode see what i did there

Doctor_grey

Right now are options are fairly limited. I think that just happens from time to time. We have enough Jeff-quality 10s in Geraghty, Lamb, Vesty, Myler and the rest, but we don't have enough that can make a dent at international level. But we do have Twelvetrees coming through as a 12 who can cover 10, and then Farrell and Ford coming through at 10. The future is possibly quite bright, but we have no-one between 21 and 28 who can do a job at international level, and that is a little bit worrying.

Andy Goode?

I went for Hodgeson myself.

Robbo what you say there is true, is it the clubs fault do you think or maybe the national coaches for not bringing on enough young talent years ago, or just bad luck that they're all poor quality from that generation.

And really, on here at 4am??

Players like Barkley, Lamb, Cipriani, Geraghty, Vesty and Myler should be in contention, but for one reason or another they haven't made it. I think Johnson mishandled Cipriani and Geraghty (although there is no guarantee they would have made it anyway), while Barkley, Lamb, Vesty and Myler just aren't quite good enough.

I think Flood and Hodgson should be our 10s after the World Cup, and then we can take a few options on an extended tour to South Africa.

And yeah, I left my laptop on and came in from a night out and decided to do the next post in the series. Dunno why.

isnt there a lad at saracens called goode who can play 10 and 15 ?

Not in Martin Johnson's training squad there isn't. All these polls have exclusively been drawn from that squad.

The last few years really have been rudey poo for fly halves in England, much like centres and locks.

It's odd that almost at the same time though all these positions are filling up with pleanty of very good options.