The Autumn Internationals are always an exciting time for rugby fans, with the best of the Southern Hemisphere travelling to face the best of the Northern Hemisphere in matches that usually attract a great deal of attention among the global fanbase.
For England, this year’s programme presents an opportunity for them to take the next step in their rebuild under head coach Steve Borthwick, with his time at the helm so far seeing some signs of improvement in all areas but also highlighting how far they still have to go to get back to the level that they want to be at.
The upcoming period of games is usually when head coaches look to hand some new players call-ups in a bid to test potential combinations and partnerships and to see who might be future international stars, and it will be interesting to see if Borthwick follows that trend and hands chances to some of those who have yet to feature in an England squad, but who have been impressing in the English Premiership of late.
With that in mind, this short tactical analysis will highlight three names who could be part of the conversation in a few months’ time and who fans could see on the list when the squad is announced.
George Hendy
The first player that might be considered is George Hendy, who has been a shining light of late in a Northampton Saints squad that has caught the eye both at home and on the continent. Capable of playing as a full-back or a winger, his pace and devastating finishing ability has led to him going from a fringe player to one of the first on the team sheet each week, and his ability to drift infield as well as to stay wide means that he gives his team a variety of ways in which to construct their attacks.
However, where Hendy might really aid England is in their defensive play, with him having the pace to contribute to the blitz defence tactics that defence coach Felix Jones has been so keen to implement, but also having the ability to work well under pressure whenever teams limit the effectiveness of that press.
This is where Borthwick’s side have fallen down of late, with many a scout report highlighting how they close the ball down but leave themselves too exposed in the areas behind those pushing up the field as a result, and so having a player like Hendy who can track back and remain composed in those spaces (as was shown during Northampton’s European Rugby Champions Cup Round of 16 tie against Munster) could be really beneficial to tidying that aspect of their play up.
Will Porter
Harlequins’ tactics have for a long time revolved around the creativity of their half-back pairing and the ability of those two players to find gaps around the pitch that their rapid back line can then exploit, and it is a game plan that has proven fruitful for them on a number of occasions.
Whilst the partnership of Danny Care and Marcus Smith has proven to be highly effective for a long period of time now, there are others who have stepped in at times and who have shown their quality in the half-back roles too. One of those is undoubtedly Will Porter, who has proven himself to be an able understudy to Care at scrum-half and who has shown the same speed of thought and ability to make sniping runs around the fringes of breakdown situations.
It is that that has led to him gaining so much positive attention of late, and the fact that his clubmate Care has now retired from the international game means that there is now a spot in the England side for another scrum-half to come in and to make a name for themselves. There are many who could lay claim to it from all around the Premiership, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Porter’s name linked with a call-up in the summer, given the obvious quality that he possesses.
Joe Batley
Whilst he is now 27 and so is not exactly a fresh face on the scene, Joe Batley has been a star name in the Bristol Bears squad for a long period of time now, and this season has seen him once again catch the eye as his side have ascended the table and have given themselves a very good chance of competing in the Premiership play-offs.
Bristol have always been known for playing some scintillating rugby at times, and plenty of analysis pieces have highlighted the pace with which they move the ball around and the quality of their wide attackers as central to that. However, nothing should be taken away from the contributions that their forwards have made, with set pieces largely working out and them constantly able to get over the gain line and to control the tempo of their games, and both Batley and his second row partner James Dun have come in for praise as the campaign has gone on.
With Batley standing out in a struggling Worcester Warriors side before they too entered administration, his qualities are not unknown to the wider Premiership fanbase, and now might be the time that Borthwick decides to test his abilities at a higher level and to see if he can translate that form onto the international stage. He certainly would not be a bad player for England to consider calling up ahead of the upcoming fixtures.