Brown still the right man at full-back for England, says Robinson

Mike Brown is still the right man to start at full-back for England despite no longer being at the peak of his powers, according to World Cup winner Jason Robinson.

With 65 caps to his name, Harlequins player Brown has been England’s first choice at 15 since 2013 and has been named in Eddie Jones’ side to face Wales on Saturday.

However, debate has intensified as to whether Jones should shake up his back three by shifting Anthony Watson to full-back – the position he plays for club side Bath.

But while Robinson concedes Brown is not as good as he once was, he believes the 32-year-old brings balance to the side, flanked by Watson and Jonny May on the wings.

“I suppose it’s not too dissimilar to [Wales’ Leigh] Halfpenny. Although Halfpenny got a couple of tries under his belt last week, both are not as good as they used to be at bringing the ball back,” the Land Rover ambassador told Omnisport.

“What you do get from them, though, is that they’re safe under the ball, they’ve got a good kicking game, they’ve got that experience. They’ll be pulling the wingers about, they’ll be controlling that back three.

“Eddie Jones likes him because he’s solid. [Brown] is not going to say, yeah I am as good as Watson on the front, because he’s not.

“But it’s about getting that blend and, being a full-back, it’s about being in the right positions.”

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Watson insists he is happy to remain on the wing for England but Robinson is backing the 23-year-old to ultimately succeed Brown in the number 15 jersey.

“Watson is a man in form,” he added. “Two tries [against Italy], the second he took really well. And he can certainly do a job should Mike Brown either get injured or Eddie Jones chooses to change it over.

“As it stands at the moment, Watson is favoured to anybody else at 15 [after Brown] and he’s got that pace.

“A lot of wingers wouldn’t have scored the second try that he scored. It’s just some of those little foot movements, being able to hold somebody for a split second, and just taking yourself away from them.

“As a young lad who’s in great form, he’s got great pace and sometimes that pace makes a massive difference.

“That’s what England will need to do [against Wales on Saturday]. Get the ball to him and just give him those opportunities.”

Jason Robinson is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover has a heritage in rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite, supporting the game for two decades. @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal

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