Jesus Christ.
If that selection is true, it is basically insane on every conceivable level.
1) We have two 13s in the squad. One, the focal point of our attack, is injured. The other is not going to be selected even in the 23, instead we are taking our worst attacking 12, in fact our worst attacking player by a country mile, and moving him to 13 because of his "experience"
2) BARRITT IS NOT EVEN ANY MORE EXPERIENCED THAN SLADE AT 13! They have both player there internationally once, and Slade has played much more there domestically.
3) Plus, Slade is good and Barrit is bad, we can all see that!
4) Let's say, for the sake of argument, we accept the need to play Burgess-Barritt in the centres. Let's pretend Slade and Jack Nowell are also injured, so Burgess has to make his first international start - why the hell would you drop the flyhalf with whom he has played probably 95% of his rugby at inside centre?! Who has generally been very good for England with a couple of exceptions and did very little wrong last week.
5) Now let's pretend that Ford is also injured and these three are literally the only backs left in those three positions. You have the slowest, least creative midfield you can possibly imagine ... so, what would you do with your pack? Go with essentially the same one that played against Fiji, the "mobile" one (if you're being kind) / "lightweight" one (if you're not)? Or change 2 or 3 players to shore it up and suit the slow, inexpansive game plan implied by the cackline selection? This is essentially the decision Lancaster has forced upon himself when he had absolutely no need to - make several, disruptive changes to the pack, or combine a slow, trundle-it-up back line with a lightweight pack.
6) There are probably many more things about this that are utterly mental; I just can't think of them right now. I'm too angry to think straight.
Wales are suffering injuries right left and centre and it's killing them, unfortunate for them. We've had one injury, and Lancaster has gone into meltdown. Honestly, it's like watching a Merit Table team work the 9 forwards and 6 backs who did turn up into a serviceable 15 to make up for the four best players who were last seen in the Walkabout at 4am and now aren't answering their phones. Has he tried asking if any of the squad have a mate who played at school who they can ring?!
to replace them.
