LOCKS
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
It was an interesting set of events at the StoneX, as Saracens withdrew Maro Itoje from the pitch just one minute into the second half. Itoje jogged off under his own weight, with Mark McCall sighting a “grumbly knee” as the cause of the lock’s departure. Itoje is as yet unconfirmed to play for Saracens this weekend, but the North Londoners are confident that the second row will be back in action relatively soon.
England fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as Itoje has long been a stand out stalwart of Steve Borthwick’s side. Given the added responsibilities of Saracens club captain, after Owen Farrell’s move to Racing 92, Itoje has grown into a real leader of men, and was identified as England’s best player on tour by the All Black coaches, as well as legendary former lock Ian Jones.
We can see George Martin continue on with Itoje in their second row partnership, as the Leicester man stood out on tour in the absence of Ollie Chessum. Martin has seemingly surpassed his Tigers teammate to the starting five jersey, with his specialist skill amongst the worst kept secrets in professional rugby. Martin is a certified missile in defence, as he flies out of the line and makes clattering chop tackles.
Martin starred for England as they utilised Felix Jones’ blitz defence, and it remains to be seen whether England will continue on with the high press now Oyonnax head coach Joe El-Abd has been appointed to the Irishman’s vacancy. El-Abd may well introduce his own brand of defence to the England set-up, that could benefit Chessum or Northampton’s Alex Coles better than the high octane Martin, with all answers set to be revealed this Autumn.
BACK ROW
6. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)
7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens)
Rounding off the starting XV for England’s Autumn Test against the All Blacks, and we can see Chandler Cunningham-South given the go ahead for the six jersey. The Harlequin was impressive upon the recent tour of his former country, as Cunningham-South battled hard in Auckland’s Eden Park, just a few miles down the road from his old family home. We predict the 21-year-old starting, given the recent injury update to Bath’s Sam Underhill.
Underhill had minor ankle surgery after the Summer Tour, and has not yet featured for the blue, black and whites so far in the Premiership. Granted, Underhill’s customary ability to bounce back from the hardest of knocks could see him return in time for the All Blacks Test, which again will only be revealed in time.
Tom Curry started for Sale Sharks in their opening match of the season, as he ran out on the flank in his side’s win against Harlequins. However, the 26-year-old was knocked unconscious in the seventh minute of the match, and failed an assessment at half-time, despite initially returning to the pitch after the HIA. It is no secret that Tom Curry has endured some serious spells on the sidelines, with a potentially career ending hip injury being his latest obstacle to overcome. Here’s hoping the back row gets the rest he needs, and can return to England duties this November.
And of course, at the number eight spot we have gone for Ben Earl, with the Saracens back row eyeing up another crack at Ardie Savea. Earl and Savea were not shy of complementing one another in the pre-match media sessions out in New Zealand, with a mutual level of respect established between two of the world’s very best back rows. Earl is out to continue his mission of becoming the world’s best in his position, and he would certainly stake a claim to the title by getting the upper hand on the 2023 World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year in the Autumn Series opener.
REPLACEMENTS
There is a debutant amongst the ranks for our predicted England squad to face the All Blacks, with Guy Pepper continuing to go from strength to strength in the Premiership. The former Newcastle Falcons man has made a new home in Somerset upon his move to Bath, and has had an immediate impact upon the blue, black and white back row.
16. Theo Dan (Saracens)
17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
18. Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
19. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
20. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby – Debut)
21. Jack van Poortvleit (Leicester Tigers)
22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
23. Elliot Daly (Saracens)