Six Nations squad news:The latest brave new era in English rugby will be launched today with an unapologetically familiar list of names. Brian Ashton has already indicated he will not be picking a raft of newcomers in his 32-man Six Nations squad and is disinclined to cast all his World Cup veterans into the wilderness for the sake of it. A mass injection of youth, for a variety of extremely sound reasons, is simply not going to happen.
Maybe things would be different if the long-awaited deal between club and country had already kicked in. From this summer Ashton and his coaches will enjoy much more preparation time with their elite players and will not be required to dispatch them back to their clubs for league games between Six Nations weekends. For now, though, the old Elastoplast arrangement still exists, and England will be together for only 24 hours or so before regathering ahead of their opening game against Wales at Twickenham on February 2nd.
Ashton, as a result, will merely be tinkering and filling in enforced holes rather than swinging a wrecking ball.
In the backs, he needs to find replacements for the retired Jason Robinson and Mike Catt and cover himself at scrumhalf following Shaun Perry's nasty windpipe injury.
Up front, the decision of Lawrence Dallaglio and Martin Corry to step off the Test merry-go-round has, in some ways, simplified matters in a crowded waiting-room.
That said, we should expect at least one notable omission. Yesterday was a good one for Andy Farrell following confirmation of a new two-year contract with Saracens, who have also signed his 16-year-old son, Owen, on a three-year academy deal.
Today promises to be less joyous as, barring a last-minute reprieve, he is set to be omitted from Ashton's squad.
"I'm big enough to take not getting picked," he sighed yesterday. Simply staying fit enough to play an active role is his main priority nowadays.
Deep down the former Man of Steel already knows that injury has ruined his England union adventure. His World Cup-ending calf problem felt like the final straw - "I suppose that'll always nag me for the rest of my life" - and the form of Toby Flood and Olly Barkley this season has been good enough to give Ashton fresher alternatives. With the gifted Danny Cipriani surely destined to be Jonny Wilkinson's understudy, the 10-12 axis looks relatively tied up.
Rather more fluid is the situation in the back three, where Josh Lewsey and Mark Cueto are under increasing pressure. David Strettle, who missed the World Cup with a broken metatarsal, is back in business and the likes of Tom Varndell, James Simpson-Daniel and Richard Haughton, not to mention the Tongan powerhouse Lesley Vainikolo, who is theoretically eligible for England, constitute a seriously quick chasing pack.
The other principal area of intrigue is the backrow. Ashton has been buffeted by gales of advice, not all of it from club coaches touting their own men. True, Bath's Steve Meehan reckons his openside Michael Lipman is the answer to Ashton's breakaway plans, but Dean Richards saw enough of Tom Croft snaffling lineouts, making tackles and scoring tries against Harlequins last Sunday to suggest the Leicester man is a genuine international contender.
By the tone of his farewell tribute to Corry yesterday, Ashton would also have liked the Leicester captain to hang around a little longer. "From a purely selfish point of view, I am really disappointed that Martin Corry will no longer be featuring in a white shirt with a red rose, because I know, as many others do, that he has worn it with pride and dignity for many years," said Ashton. "He has been an outstanding member of the England team and his contribution will be sorely missed."
Guardian Service
