IT’S not just special pleading for a friend that has motivated me to demand that Danny Cipriani be given a proper chance for England these past nine months. It’s because I am an England fan too. Danny got zero opportunity in the Six Nations and when he came on last weekend it seemed like no one wanted to pass to him. So I am delighted that he got some proper game time last night and he took his chance so well. In fact, all the bench made a difference when they came on.
If only the set-piece had functioned as well in the first half. Stuart Lancaster and his coaching must have been spooked by that because we all thought that England had this key area pretty much nailed down.
Sir Clive Woodward and Will Greenwood said they would have Danny in their final 31-man squad. The debate will now move on to who else makes the cut. For me, Henry Slade and Ben Morgan were the two big positives from the Twickenham game. I looked at Slade and thought there is England’s future. Then I thought, hang on a minute, maybe that future is only two weeks away. He must have moved ahead of Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell in the pecking order. But what about Sam Burgess?
Let me preface my comments about Sam by saying that I was no angel on the pitch. It’s been a while since I played but I like to think I am still honorary chairman of the Sin Bin Club. English Premiership, Heineken Cup, England internationals — I picked up cards in all of them. I never once got sent off, however.
Maybe I would have been dismissed if I had been playing now because referees are under such pressure to crack down on foul or cynical play. You can bet that pressure will be ratcheted up a level or two at the World Cup.
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The tournament is the showpiece that draws in non-rugby fans. We know that those who run the game are increasingly anxious about how it is perceived by a wider audience.
I say this to sound out a warning to Sam, whom I like. Anyone who can be named man of the match in the biggest game in Australian rugby league after fracturing his cheekbone early on clearly has bravery, talent and big-match temperament in spades.
That last quality is in short supply in this England squad, by the way. Only a few have won a Six Nations championship, in 2011, only two have won a Heineken Cup final — James Haskell and Cipriani with Wasps in 2007 — and none has won a Grand Slam. Nor do England fans need to be told about our long hunt for the “X Factor” in the centre.
But Burgess needs to be careful. Last weekend he received a yellow card for interfering with play after not retreating 10m from a penalty. It was a silly card to pick up. And while the reverberations from his two hits on French runners could be felt at the top of the North Stand, his tackle technique could yet prove controversial.
We know that things like this will come under the microscope at the World Cup. Four years ago, Sam Warburton paid the price for the clampdown on the tip tackle. That sending-off cost Wales a place in the final. England cannot afford to have a red card waiting to happen in their ranks.
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One reason Burgess was so desperate to make an impression was because he was making his Test debut. So were three other England players — Henry Slade, Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie. It does not strike me as good planning that four members of the preliminary squad should have to wait until a World Cup warm-up game to get their first taste of Test rugby.
From being long shots at the start of the summer, Slade and Burgess have put the pressure on Burrell and Twelvetrees, especially after Mike Catt’s comments last week highlighting the importance of a clever and tight defence being key to all World Cup-winning sides. Ben Morgan is looking for a starting spot. I was really pleased to see him back after spending most of the season out after his leg break. I can relate to what he must be going through, not just because I am a former No 8.
When I was the only man to play every minute of England’s 2003 World Cup campaign, people wondered if I had done something to annoy Sir Clive Woodward. That’s possible, of course, but I think the main reason Clive used me so much was because I had missed the warm-up games with a hamstring injury. I needed all the time on the pitch I could get in Australia to get my form back.
There is a difference between being match-fit, which I was, and being in form. Clive stuck with me through the pool stage and quarter-finals and I like to think that I repaid him in our final two matches.
Morgan needs as much playing time as he can get and there must be a few of his teammates who feel the same. Lancaster has talked about having a full-on trial game in training before he has to name his final squad next Monday. I don’t blame him. The other interesting talking point is at hooker. Tom Youngs must be first-choice. I would have Rob Webber on the bench in my matchday 23, with George getting the nod over Cowan-Dickie for the third spot.