My totally unbiased (not supporting Tigers, honest), opinion:
ellis deserves to be in the mix up. At tigers and for England he has shown that he is a game breaker. His service is poor, but was improving. The fact that he can create tries with strong running can win games. I'd keep him about, but would mostly start with another 9 with faster service. I know i'll disagree with Teh Mite on this one, but if his running wins games then i can cope with slower ball. As long as he contributes to a win i'm happy. Game v scotland is what i'm thinking. Not great service but his runs led to several tries, which won the game.
moody also deserves to be there. There is no back row in the world quite as crazy as him. if he keeps his discipline he is one of the best no 6s at playing a high tempo game. He may or may not be at the top of his game in 4 years, but we need to win matches in the short term to develop properly. He has the experience at top level. By all means Haskell and co should get their chance, but Moody shouldn't be cast off untill he fails to perform.
Hipkiss and Tait: Tait could be full back wing or centre. If he goes to FB it will take a while to get a decent centre partnership. Hipkiss needs to add more strings to his bow. He is a great runner, but needs to know when to pass. In the WC final he came on and made good yard v a very good defence. But he failed to read the defence and as SA targetted him in the last15 mins he didn't pass out to those in space. He has the talent and i hope Loffreda sorts him out, because i don't want to be counting the missed overlaps in the 6N.
Wingers: loadsa choice. Sackey should stay around, but he by no means head and shoulders above Strettle.
Overall i think the key to England building success in the next few years will be keeping a strong pack, with a balanced back row, and developing a consistant 9-10-12 axis in the backs. One of the things Gommersall did in the WC was kick (sometimes brilliantly, sometimes not) and a decision-maker at 9 could ease some pressure from Wilko or whoever. The difference Catt made to England every time he came into the team has been clear, and we need 2 tactical kickers and organisers in the backs to get the most out of the many promising outside backs itching to make an impact.
