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BBC SPORT -Ashton unsure of World Cup team

Now, it's understandable that that Messer Ashton has a headache looking at the upcoming starting XV, but saying that, he's not been looking at the right men.

If I were in his shoes;

1. Andrew Sheridan (assuming he's fit) - A big, powerful lump who's finally learnt how to scrum and always been useful in the loose.
2. Dylan Hartley - Yes, he will have had a long time out because of that little incedent helping Worsley remove an eyelash, but over the last season there hasn't been a better, 'ahem', English Hooker. As a second best, ***terall is a very similar player.
3. John Brooks - Spent over 18 months at Bedford and in New Zealand tearing scrums apart and hasn't made a single mistake during the Churchill Cup. Highly under-rated player.
4. Lewis Deacon - Agile, Tall, Tough as a Brick Shithouse... D'arrl do.
5. Ben Kay - In the form of his life and the keystone of Leicesters dominance of set pieces this year. Plus having a world cup winners experience in there can never hurt.
6. Nick Easter - On the road to becoming the best back row forward in the country.
7. Magnus Lund - The only true number 7 in England even remotely good enough for the international stage.
8. Dan Ward-Smith - Before his knww injury was guaranteed the no. 8 shirt, and should still be a certain. If not though, Forrester and Haskell may have a lot of hard work on their hands being starter players.
9. Peter Richards - ******** to what Dewi Morris says, neither Ellis nor Perry is not, I repeat, NOT, the outstanding Scrum Half in the Guinness Premiership, this man is. If he's injured, use Danny Care.
10. Shane Geraghty - Watching him play makes me think of a young Carlos Spencer only with pace. Enough creativity to win a game on his own and his England debut showed he's not intimidated by the big stages.
11. Chris Ashton - Maybe a gamble, but he's converting to union before the World cup and is big, fast and skillful enough to compete with the worlds best wingers.
12. Anthony Allen - The best 12 in the country by a (west) country mile.
13. Mathew Tait - Still a long way off being the finished article, or the next Brian O'Driscoll for that matter, but has come on leaps and bounds over the last 12 months and will suit Ashtons running game much more then Tindall. Should cause many defences problems.
14. Jason Robinson © - Can create a score from nothing and leads by example. He could get into many peoples all time XV.
15. Danni Cipriani - Wasps wonderboy has a great future ahead of him. Great under a high ball, agile, extremely quick and has a howlitser connected to the end of his right leg.
 
My 15:

1. Tom French - Spent most of his time at Henley, gets rushed into the line at the HEC final and goes about demolishing Leicester's scrum. Awesome future and if he can handle 80 minutes of the HEC as a baptism of fire, give him a shout in the RWC too.

2. Mark Regan - Right, bear with me here...he has had quite a come back this year both with Bristol and with England on the tour just gone. Give him another run out against the French in the warm up game to see how he holds up and if so, unleash him. The Boks didn't like him and they still won't like him in September. Hey, it worked for France with Ibanez!

3. John Brooks - I too noticed him in this years Churchill Cup. Him and French could make up England's new dream front row for years to come.

4. Lewis Deacon - Fair dos, on form too this year. Just drill into him the

5. Ben Kay - On form and still got the tenacity that made him a world cup winner. Give him one last hurrah.

6. Nick Easter - Excellent player in form but also shows good promise by ploughing on even as most of his team ran out of steam at Pretoria.

7. Tom Rees - Excellent prospect who is in form. Hopefully for once he'll manage to master the Welsh this time...

8. Haskell - A tradegy that D-W-S can't get a bionic leg or become a cyborg like the Major out of Ghost in the Shell. Haskell is a good enough replacement and is a good ball carrier.

9. Shaun Perry - Perry has a sharper pass than Richards, he has a faster pass than Richards, he is bulky yet fast and has as much initiative as Richards, he is an excellent Scum half. Richards on the bench though. Me and Mite can have this argument until the cows come home but the guy is an excellent Scrum Half.

10. Shane Geraghty/Flood/Wilkinson - Dead heat. I have no idea who to choose. Geraghty has the speed and initiative to just run at a line and find an invisible gap but isn't reknown for his kicking. Flood is good with his kicking and is also fast and agile but has the precense of a fairy when tackling. Wilkinson makes his tackles and kicks well but..well...he'll die by the end of the group stages! I'm edging towards Geraghty and have Flood on the bench but I'm still not sure.

11. David Strettle - Dear god! I'd never leave him out. Has guts, speed and intelligence in spades. A shoe in for the job.

12. Anthony Allen - We need a stable centre partnership. He may be small but he is very, very good. Best guy to partner Tait in my opinion which brings me to...

13. Mathew Tait - ...the perfect partner for guys like Allen, Flood and Geraghty. Needs to work on his tackling though...seriously.

14. Jason Robinson © - Again a shoe in, also nice to give the grand old man of speed one last outing before we send him off to Sky or the BBC as a pundit.

15. Danni Cipriani - Could we be throwing him to the lions? Meh, its too late for that now, who dares wins. Cipriani excelled in the Saxons so send him into the breach or at least onto the bench.
 
I'm not surprised he's unsure, we've not been able to play our first choice 15 since the RWC in 03! He wouldn't be unsure if everyone was fit but since players keep dropping like flies he's obviously going to be very unsure about squad and team selection!
 
Here's My World Cup squad:

1)Vickery
2)Chuter
3)Stevens
4)Corry ©
5)Palmer
6)Worsley
7)Rees :bravo:
8)Dallagio :wall:

9)Gomarsall
10)Wilkinson
11)Strettle
12)Lewsey
13)Hipkiss
14)Sackey
15)Robinson

Replacements: 16)Regan, 17)White, 18)Shaw, 19)Haskell, 20)Perry, 21)Tait 22)Geraghty
 
heres mine

1. vickery
2.chuter
3.white
4.grewcock
5.palmer
6.moody
7.worsley
8.easter
9.gomarsall
10.wilkinson
11.strettle
12.barkley
13.tait
14.robbinson ©
15.cipprianni

replacements
16.yates
17.rees
18.corry
19.geraghty
20.flood
21.hipkiss
22.varndell
 
I'd really like to see a load of youngsters given a go together, but I just know it won't happen:

1. Sheridan/French
2. Chuter/Regan/Paice
3. Vickery/Brooks
4. Palmer/Croft
5. Borthwick/Brown
6. Easter/Skinner
7. Rees/Lund
8. Skirving/Haskell/Forrester

9. Perry/Richards/Wigglesworth
10. Wilkinson/Geraghty

11. Strettle/Ojo
12. Flood/Barkley/Allen
13. Hipkiss/Tait/Clarke
14. Simpson-Daniel/Sackey
15. Ciprianni/Abendanon
 
When is Dylan Hartley able to play again? Id like to see him have a run at 2.
Will he be available when the Saints come down to play the Pirates on the 9th September?

Without him my side would be
1.Sheridan
2.Regan
3.Stevens
4.Shaw
5.Kay
6.Moody
7.Rees
8.Easter
9.Richards
10.Wilko
11. Strettle
12 Hipkiss
13.Sinbad
14.Robinson
15.Cipriani

On the bench, Vickery, Corry , Lund
Sackey, Cat, Morgan

Thinking about it has just made me realise how unimpressive this all sounds. Surely i can do better than that? Ill give it some thought
 
When is Dylan Hartley able to play again? Id like to see him have a run at 2.
Will he be available when the Saints come down to play the Pirates on the 9th September?
[/b]

Unfortunately not. Ban doesn't end until half way through October or something like that.

He'd be a good shout for the squad if it wasn't for that I think. Could well be starting Hooker for 2011 if he continues to progress as he has done.
 
Sheridan

Chuter

Vickery©

Grewcock

Borthwick

Moody

Sanderson

Corry

Gomarshal

Hodgson

Lewsey

Wilko

Tait

Robinson

Cipriani



Bench:

Regan

White

Shaw

Worsley

Perry

Hipkiss

Balshaw
 

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