1
'His preferred position': England explain why they have backed Elliot Daly for a first start since 2016 at outside centre
England boss Eddie Jones has explained his rationale in replacing the injured Henry Slade in his midfield with Elliot Daly, a player who hasn’t started a Test match in the outside centre position since a November 2016 win over South Africa.
ADVERTISEMENT
All 44 of Daly’s other starts until now in his England career have come on either the wing or at full-back but a training ground injury to Slade last Monday has now opened the position up to Daly as Jones wanted to play a left-footed kicker at No13 in Dublin.
Slade’s injury was described by his club boss Rob Baxter on Wednesday as ‘niggly’ and there was optimism within the England camp that he would be ready to start against the Irish. However, he experienced discomfort on the training ground on Thursday and was scratched from the XV.
“He ran this morning. Just wasn’t quite right,” outlined Jones before his team jetted across to Ireland for Saturday’s match. “Still feeling it a bit and given the position he plays, it would be too much of a risk. He had to pull out of the team this morning and Elliot will play at 13 and we have got Ollie (Lawrence) and Joe Marchant on the bench to back it up.”
Asked why he opted to go for Daly at outside centre, a spot he hasn’t started in at Test level for so long, Jones explained: “It’s more the sort of game we are anticipating.
1️⃣ change for England as they head to Dublin #IREvENG #SixNations
https://t.co/aDwtO4NXgV— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 18, 2021
“When we play Ireland at Aviva Stadium it’s generally a big aerial contest and to have someone in your back line with a left foot, which Henry gave us, is going to be a basic requirement. Henry is an important part of our team and Elliot can fill the same sort of duties as Henry did.”
Daly was benched for last weekend’s round four win over France, his place going to Max Malins, but Jones is a fan of Daly’s versatility and is backing him to prosper in his revised role.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He has had to dig down deep into himself, find the best of himself. It has been a tough Six Nations for Elliot and he is coming back into his best form and he has got a great opportunity in his preferred position.
“We prefer him to play at 15. The player can prefer their own position, we prefer him to play at 15. He has done a great job for us at 15. He celebrated his 50 caps and now the opportunity is for him to play at 13.
“If it’s a high volume kicking game, which it probably well be, then his work rate off the ball, his ability to get back on kick returns and his ability to kick chase is going to be really important and he has got a great engine on him. He is strong defensively and we know he is a penetrative runner. If he gets some quick ball he will trouble them [Ireland] on the outside.”
Odogwu went in uncapped with England in January and is still without a first Test run all these weeks later#SixNations #IREvENG
https://t.co/HDLhqxgBBV— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 17, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Adding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
2 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
2 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to comments