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Martin Johnson Gambles On Physical Presence Against Scotland – Six Nations 2010
For all the external pressure to make change, Martin Johnson remains set in his ways. He will argue that his preferred team won its first two games in the RBS Six Nations Championship and came within a few minutes of overturning last season's grand-slam winners so why should he change
It depends if you regard what England have achieved in the championship as progress. Loyalty is a fine thing but you have to wonder, for example, whether Delon Armitage has earned that since his return to action in mid-winter after a shoulder injury. The London Irish full back was an outstanding success in his first international season but has shown none of that confidence and strength in his three England games this year.
Given that Scotland know he suffered a painful rib injury against Ireland, Armitage seems certain to take some heavy hits early in Saturday's game at Murrayfield to test his appetite for battle. He has, of course, greater international experience than Ben Foden and Johnson could argue that when he gives someone their first start, he would prefer to do so in friendlier surroundings that Scotland will provide.
The same applies to Foden's Northampton colleague, Courtney Lawes, though in these days of big European matches in famous arenas, you wonder whether the argument holds so much water now. But Foden, in particular, will wonder what he must do to join the starting XV while Lawes will be happy to be back in the match-day mix, as he was during the November internationals.
He was never going to leapfrog Louis Deacon after the shoulder injury which has removed Simon Shaw from the second row. The England coaching staff have tremendous trust in the Leicester lock who has also been part of the developing forward juggernaut that has helped his club back to the top of the Guinness Premiership; it is not as though Lawes has been playing regularly in the second row for Northampton in recent weeks, his athleticism allowing his club to use him at blind-side flanker.
Lewis Moody, of course, was England's outstanding player in the autumn, arguably their only outstanding player of a depressing three-match series. The loyalty argument to his old club colleague has not held good for him, Johnson gambling that Joe Worsley can do as effective a job from the back row on Scotland as he did against Wales in the 2009 championship, the start of the run that propelled Worsley into the Lions squad.
But what Worsley has to do is is help change the poor statistics England have managed at the breakdown. They are not forcing turnovers, they are not clearing the ball well and they seem to want greater physical presence rather than a genuine scavenger on the floor. It is a curious decision and means that, once more, the younger Armitage, Steffon, must wait for his chance.
It is equally instructive to see Ben Youngs promoted to the bench ahead of Paul Hodgson. Youngs is still learning his trade at scrum half but there is no doubt of the impact he has had since enjoying regular game time at Leicester; he is a similar player to Danny Care, he is confident and playing well in a successful side - not that that has meant much for Foden.
Scotland V England Hospitality
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