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Four uncapped England players Eddie Jones can't ignore
By Ian Cameron
England head coach Eddie Jones names his Guinness Six Nations squad tomorrow and there’s been plenty of speculation as to its make-up.
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Here we look at four uncapped players who look likely to earn a call-up from the Australian.
LOUIS LYNAGH
Uncapped during the summer despite being involved with Eddie’s EPS, Lynagh looks nailed on to feature for England this Six Nations. His finishing ability has seen him bag sevens tries so far this season for Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership and the son of Wallaby great Michael would certainly offer Jones’ England team a real weapon on the edge.
LUKE NORTHMORE
Another Harlequin with sevens tries to his name, the 24-year-old midfielder offers a pleasant mix of size, pace and intelligence. Quins Attack coach Nick Evans explains what makes the centre special: “What he offers is a real physicality in defence, is a constant threat with ball in hand and is deceptively quick for a centre. His communication is good and is not afraid to boss people about and has a real competitive edge. It would be an amazing opportunity if he does get into the squad.”
OLLIE HASSELL-COLLINS
The 6’4, 99kg winger has been doing everything right for London Irish – and by right we mean scoring tries. He scored six so far this season for Declan Kidney’s side and offers size, pace and finishing ability. Collins turns 23 today and he has been tipped by the likes of Will Greenwood for an England call-up.
ALFIE BARBEARY
There can be little doubt that Barbeary will eventually be an England international, and the odds are short on it being sooner rather than later for the blockbusting back row. A previous dialogue between Barbeary, Wasps head coach Lee Blackett and Jones has seen the former hooker concentrate on the back row and it’s worked wonders. The ex-England U20s star is on fire and his exclusion would be seen as something of a shock at this stage. His inclusion could well come at the expense of Sam Simmonds and spell the end of the road for the out of favour Billy Vunipola.
Brad Shields described his teammate as a ‘bruiser’ who “carries the ball hard and makes big shots in defence. The thing about young fellas these days is that they are a bit of hybrid.”
You can't just name players, you have to have an idea who they would replace. Barberry is on an upward curve but Simmonds was European player of the year, Dombradt is the best in Europe, Curry is Eddie's favourite and Vunipola is in great form for Saracens, so who is he going to replace?