Who To Look Out For In This Year's RBS Six Nations

Now that the dust has settled following Eddie Jones' squad announcement yesterday, here at Against The Uprights we thought we'd take a moment to look at the some of the most promising English players named in Jones' EPS squad.

A lot of the talk on social media following the announcement was directed towards the players who Jones had left out of the squad, players such as Brad Barritt, Tom Youngs, Tom Wood, Geoff Parling and most controversially Danny Cipriani and since the announcement Eddie Jones has quite rightly said "there should be a lot of disappointed players when you're naming your national squad". However it's time to start looking forward and not think about what could have been had those players been included but what we have to look forward to from the players that are there. It's obvious that Jones is building a squad for years to come, naming seven uncapped players with an average age of 22.

Obviously, those uncapped players, bar perhaps one or two, will not be thrown in to the starting XV straight away but the experience of training and working in the England camp will be crucial for those young men. It's time for a new era of English rugby, so who can we, as fans, look forward to seeing in this years Six Nations?

Matt Kvesic
After what seems like an eternity, it seems that England have realised the need for an out-and-out openside-flanker and it seems that we may have one or two in our midst. The obvious first choice for the English Number 7 role would be Toulon's Steffon Armitage. However, with the RFU's somewhat controversial decision to stick with the policy of only selecting home-based players, this is not an option. Nevertheless, this has paved the way for Matt Kvesic. With three caps to his name and still only 23 years of age, Kvesic, who currently plies his trade at Gloucester, looks a great all-round number seven and very rarely gets caught the wrong side of the law.

Can Matt Kvesic be the number seven England need?

Part of England's problem in recent times has been the breakdown, a part of the game which Kvesic excels in greatly. Conor O'Shea recently praised his relentless work at the breakdown after his man of the match performance against Harlequins back in December. Generating quick-ball and sapping opposition ruck speed are the main concerns for a number seven and Kvesic seems to be the perfect fit. Let's just hope that Jones gives this promising young talent the game time he deserves.



Josh Beaumont 
It's clear to see that Jones has recognised the need for a solid back row in the English pack, the part of the team that over the last couple of years has never seemed to have a definitive line-up. As we said previously, Jones has really started looking towards the future with his recent squad selection and we couldn't be more excited to see how 23 year old Sale Sharks number eight Josh Beaumont fits into this England squad. Josh, son of former England captain Bill Beaumont, has excelled massively in recent years and has been one of Sale's standout performers this season. Since making his debut only three years ago, Beaumont has developed in to destructive back-row operator and looks to be a real force to be reckoned with.

Josh Beaumont, son of former England captain Bill, has
impressed during his time at Sale Sharks.

Having played as a back until the age of 17, Beaumont is incredibly confident with ball-in-hand,. However, he is not afraid to get stuck in to the "tight, nitty-gritty stuff, that's [his] first priority". Beaumont is also incredibly skilled in the line-out and may be able to finally offer stability in the English line-out. It's highly doubtful that Beaumont will start at number eight with Billy Vunipola looking to be the obvious first choice but training and playing for England, even if it is from the bench, will give Beaumont an enormous amount of confidence and will further his development into a world class back row.

Maro Itoje
For those who have had the pleasure of watching Maro Itoje at Saracens this season, you will know that the 21 year old is nothing short of a rugby machine. He is an incredibly strong tackler, very rarely misses tackles, he is confident when carrying the ball and his timing and decision making is incredibly impressive. However, where the Saracens lock really stands out and makes his presence known is at the breakdown. His awareness at the ruck is fantastic and is constantly disrupting possession. Standing at 6ft 5in Itoje is very impressive in the line-out and may be able to offer England something a little different.

Itoje was named the Aviva Premiership Player of the Month
for December.

There have been a few stories suggesting that Maro Itoje could emerge as a surprise candidate to take the England captaincy under Eddie Jones. Personally we believe that is too much pressure on an uncapped 21 year old's shoulders. However there is no doubt that Itoje can lead a national team, having captained the England Under 20's team to a Junior World Cup in 2014. Itoje also revealed recently that his nickname from his England teammates is 'F.E.C' which, unsurprisingly stands for 'Future England Captain'. We would love to see Itoje starting for England against Scotland, alongside Launchbury in the second row, however at 21 his place in the starting XV may not be secured just yet. But one thing is for certain, Itoje seems to have all the credentials to go and be a world class international rugby player and we can't wait.



As we said previously, it's clear that Jones' EPS selection is more about developing a strong squad for the future and bringing through the finest young talent that this country has to offer. Of course there will be players who will be disappointed that they have missed out but that shows the competitive nature of English Rugby.

So, it's time to forget about last Autumn's diabolical World Cup campaign and get behind this new-look England squad and coaching team and see how the new boys do in the white jersey.


AP