In terms of this not being England's best 15...
The front row is as good as it's going to be with the resources we've got, and in general it's one of the stronger in the world.
Second row is awaiting a fully fit Lawes, but Botha's been decent in that role so far. Parling I haven't seen so much of so I can't really comment, but Palmer would probably be our best lineout expert lock... however, he's getting old and hasn't been at his best in the opening two games. In the wings Robson, Garvey and Attwood are in line for caps at some point.
At scrum half, England have a lot of depth - Youngs, Care, Simpson, Dickson, Wigglesworth with Spencer coming through. It's a question of selecting the right type of player and one who's on form - at the moment, Dickson seems to be that man considering Care is unavailable.
10 and midfield is also as good as we can do at the moment. People can talk about Wilkinson/ Hodgson if they like, but they are old. Flood isn't ready to start yet, and while there are a number of other players in the mix, none of them are obviously better than Farrell, Barritt and Tuilagi.
Back 3 sees a lot of depth at 15 with our best player starting there. Wings are a different matter, but with Sharples injured, Wade injured and an untried force, and Ojo seemingly out in the cold, Ashton and Strettle aren't bad players by any stretch - certainly among the most exciting wingers in Europe when they're getting good service, even if their defence is suspect.
So, numbers 5 and 10 could, possibly, be occupied by better players but that would mean picking someone not at 100% or someone who doesn't fit into England's 4 year plan.
The one area of selection we should be looking at is back row, but this is only because there's no proper openside. Haskell would improve the back row, but he's unavailable. Morgan looks like the strongest option we have at 8.
In general, though, if England lose they cannot really moan about not having their strongest team. Rarely does a professional side have a clean bill of health, so one or two players missing shouldn't be a problem. What is encouraging for me is that England have settled on a starting XV that is pretty close to our strongest, and every one of them should be around come RWC 2015. These players will gain experience and improve over the next 4 years, and new guys will emerge to fill in the holes. For once, I'm optimistic, regardless of the result against Wales.
In terms of a proper openside to wear 7, I've been frustrated in general by a video on rugbydump of Stade vs Toulon. Steffon Armitage looks to have been outstanding in that match. Firstly, the mere fact that he's worn 7 and played well seems to have seduced a lot of commenters into suggesting him as the answer to England's problem. This is frustrating seeing as he doesn't really demonstrate any of the qualities necessary for a true international fetcher - unlike, for example Andy Saull.
But what is most frustrating is that I think Armitage's talent has been wasted because he wears 7. Here is a flanker who is 5'9, built like a tank and with pace to burn. You'd think that would be the perfect physical attributes for a genuine openside. Which for me begs the question, why has he/ his coaches never bothered to learn the position properly? Is it because his ball-carrying abilities distract from the need to spend time buried at the bottom of a ruck? In which case, why did nobody suggest he be a hooker when he was younger? Something tells me that with a little tweaking earlier in his career, Steffon Armitage could be an important part of England's future. What a shame it's not happened and he's now off the radar in France.
sooner have those two than Eddie Butler and Jonathon Davies
