Lancaster to remain with tried and trusted
England coach Stuart Lancaster will this morning confirm his starting line-up for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations game against Ireland in Dublin – and he is expected to keep changes to a minimum.
James Haskell has been promoted to start his first Six Nations match since 2011 at blindside flanker, with Tom Wood shifting across the back row to replace the injured number eight Ben Morgan.
But Lancaster is reported to have decided against bringing Manu Tuilagi straight back into the starting line-up after the powerful Leicester centre missed England’s 39-18 victory over Scotland with an ankle injury.
The indications are that Tuilagi will be used as an impact player off the bench, with Billy Twelvetrees retaining the 12 jersey and Brad Barritt once again running the defence from outside centre.
Haskell’s last England start in the Six Nations was also at the Aviva Stadium, when Martin Johnson’s men had their Grand Slam ambitions wrecked on the final weekend of the 2011 championship.
The Wasps flanker opted out of last year’s tournament in order to play club rugby in Japan and then New Zealand. In doing so, Haskell knew he was gambling with his England career.
Although convinced the experience would make him a better person and a better player, the challenge was in convincing head coach Stuart Lancaster.
There were times when Haskell feared his face may not fit in Lancaster’s new regime, no matter how well he played on his return to Wasps.
Harlequins’ Nick Easter, a central figure under Johnson, had found himself in exactly that position following the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
But Haskell has battled his way back into Lancaster’s plans, convincing a once-sceptical head coach of his passion and dedication for the cause.
“It was (a gamble). I had no idea what was going to happen, I had no idea that I was going to get the opportunity to come back in,” Haskell said.
“I knew that if I went away, that I would be more enriched as a person, I’d probably grow up and come back as a better player as a product of that.
“There have always been times, with new coaches coming in, when I have looked down the barrel of not playing for England again. I never knew I was going to get an opportunity again.
“I’d seen that guys were not involved. I’d seen what they were trying to create and they were bringing in young players.
“But I knew that if I got the chance to work in this environment, that if Stuart got to know me he could see that I was passionate about England and this team, that I will keep fighting and do everything I could do to get involved in the squad because it means that much to me.”
Haskell displayed those fighting qualities at Twickenham last weekend, when he made 10 tackles, hit 16 rucks and won four turnovers in just 35 action-packed minutes.
