- Courtney Lawes is backed to return as captain
- Wales drop Louis Rees-Zammit for Twickenham clash
Sometimes the stars align, even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day and occasionally Eddie Jones’s views on team selection match up with those of the England masses. On Wednesday night the latest indications were that by selecting a midfield combination of Marcus Smith, Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade, Thursday morning’s team announcement is set to be one of those occasions.
The curveball move would have been to pick Tuilagi on the wing – as was the case against Australia in November – or leaving him on the bench but barring a late change of heart, Jones is likely to give the public what they want. For, given the options available to him, a 10-12-13 combination of Smith, Tuilagi and Slade is the most logical choice – a midfield trio providing the backbone of a lineup to quicken the pace en route to Twickenham.
Written by Gerard Meagher
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/feb/23/manu-tuilagi-expected-to-power-up-englands-electric-smith-slade-axis under the title “Manu Tuilagi expected to power up England’s electric Smith-Slade axis”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
