I get the impression Mike Catt doesnt have full control of the backline

Owen Farrell has been terrible but I get the feeling Lancaster wants him there for the goal kicking

Tuilagi and Barritt are great defensively but offer nothing in attack

Chris Ashton doesnt make any breaks, doesnt make any yards, doesnt get over the gainline all he does is hover around acting as a support runner

Id rather we play Ugo Monye big physical man who will carry the ball

I would like to see Danny care (Englands best SH) with Flood outside and a combination of Jordan Turner hall/Barritt and Jonathan Joseph

When you have got a special player like Joseph in your side you dont need to be creative he can create and go through the smallest of gaps

I like Mike Brown at full back would like to see Monye and Wade/strettle on the wings

saying that tuilagi offers nothing in attack is unfair to say the lest imo.

Tuilagi just runs over people thats all

Would love to see Joseph be given a chance at 13

i dont agree that's all there is to his game.

besides, there's a difference between a player who runs over opponents and a player who just looks for contact and goes to ground.

the man's a weapon, and england are very lucky to have him. he's only young and his allround game is only going to improve. for me though he's already oe of england's very best players.

Tuilagi Definitely has the capability to be one of England's top players. He is a monstrous battering ram in midfield, however, yesterday he looked for contact too often, wanting just to smash his opposite number everytime, which is great when you offload to supporting runners, or break through the line, but he wasn't really yesterday.

A battering ram works best at 12. It forces the opposite backline to compact and become narrow as they fear Tuilagi running straight through the middle of them. This created space out wide, as demonstrated by the boks yesterday.

Give the ball to Tuilagi flat when he's coming at pace and he will punch holes in the defence, but the scrum half, winger or 13 needs to be supporting him to take the offload. They are then running one on one at the fullback.

The other option is use him as a dummy runner, spraying the ball outside, with the fullback and opposite wing joining the line utilising their pace against a narrow and thin defence.

Monye is a good shout, as both him and Ashton as fantastic support runners.

A big 12 and quick 13 is the best centre combination. So Foden for 13

I'd really like to see Tuilangi and Joseph together in the centres as well. I'm massively unimpressed with Farrell, he kicks goals and defends well but that's it. Hopefully one of the other new fly halves comes good soon, in the meantime I'd go with Flood.

Flood at his best attacks the line and sets Ashton and others away in space. I also think his defence is better than some have suggested.

I too would like to see Joseph in there with Tuilagi. We do need more wings coming through. I would stick with Farrell. It was a decent effort. We must remember that is a very young team. Morgan, Robshaw, Foden, Ashton, Tuilagi, Marler, Cole, Farrell, Youngs are all 25 or under.

Mike Brown has been ruled out of the tour and Barritt will miss the next test in Johannesburg

So Foden will move to FB could see Monye/Strettle coming in on the wing

Lancaster has also said this: "We've trained with Owen at 10, Toby at 10 and with Owen at 10 and Toby 12. Clearly moving Manu in one is an option and having someone like JJ at 13."

England's Six Nations wins were built around power and developing an attacking game. Against South Africa we can't quite match that power and the attacking game hasn't developed fully enough - yet - to compensate for that.

We have to find that difficult balance of increasing creativity without reducing power. For me the idea of playing Foden at 13 would be disastrous - his skill is his ability under the highball and being able to run it back - being mangled by the Springboks centres and backline wouldn't achieve anything other than to weaken England's centre and make it very susceptible to attack.

Tuilagi has to be part of it, as he was the only one to make the Boks uncertain and Brown & Barritt's injuries may provide Lancaster with something of an opportunity. We have the players in the centres and backs to cause the Boks trouble - Tuilagi, Ashton, Foden we just need to ensure we get the ball to them.

It's also important not to make wholesale changes that might up the development of players - I'm surprised at the way people are slating Morgan, Farrell etc all of a sudden. For this reason I'd start with Youngs, Flood, Strettle, Farrell, Tuilagi, Ashton & Foden; with the option of bringing in Joseph and moving Tuilagi to 12 later on

Sorry, last para "upset the development of players"

SARS,

I don't think Foden would be a disaster at 13, although when I wrote the article I was unaware that brown has now been ruled out of the tour so Foden will revert to 15.

You mention his running game, he can do that running from deep. He's extremely quick and surprisingly strong. Also, playing as fullback means his one on one tackling is very good, therefore not diminishing our defensive solidity.

Brown is my preffered fullback, when fit, as his running game is just as good as Fodens, but his kicking is better.

Barrett, although a monster in defence offers nothing going forward, surely just another tindall, who was slated for many years for offering nothing to England. I dont see how we've moved forward by playing Barrett.

Farrell needs to play 10 week in week out, which he isn't doing at Saracens. Perhaps with his dad gone he can look to a club where he will get the game time he requires.

Youngs-flood-Tuilagi is a good axis to work from. But a quicker, more attacking and skilful 13 would be beneficial. Joseph should get a game on wednesday at 13. We desperately need to involve our fast dangermen more. Flood pulls Ashton into the game. And with Morgan and Tuilagi smashing lines, Ashton should revel hanging off their shoulder to run deep into the heart of the opposition

how exactly did mike brown get a "lacerated eyeball" ?

"how exactly did mike brown get a "lacerated eyeball" ?"

Pretty standard injury against the boks!

it's disgusting. it seems to be accepted as a part of the game out there. remember when burger stuck his finger right in someone's eye in front of the touch judge and the tv camera in the lions test ? got about a 2 week ban didnt he ?

They have come a long way in the last twenty years though...

To be fair JPB I was only kidding...if it had been an eye gouge we would have heard about it....i've scratched my eyes a few times in games usually from the edge of someones shirt scrapping across my eye or something equally innocent.

Interestingly Jerry Guscott seems to back "Persies ankle" in having Joseph at 13. I have to say I'm not so sure, if we were playing Italy maybe, but I'm less sure about South Africa at altitude - thats a real baptism of fire.

On Foden at 13, my main - and very strong - reserve is the size of the Boks centres and back line, with whom Foden would be in frequent contact as a centre, I think this would play to his weakness (size) rather than his strengths (speed and fleetness of foot).

Finally on the eye injury, yeah it seems to be accidental, unlike the Schalk Burger "assault" on Luke Fitzgerald, which was absolutely shameful - a clear red card - made worse still by the way South Africa responded, which would have been disgraceful for an 8 year old playground bully in detention. Though fortunately the Boks do seem to have lost that sort of stupidity with a change in management

SARS,

Glad to hear it about the eye injury...I assumed it was accidental but didnt have the details

Care hasnt even made the bench for tomorrow

Can England not find a better winger than Ashton? I really dont rate this guy, all he seems to do is finish of moves with a run in. Will very rarely create anything himself.

Wales are starting to benefit by playing a load of youngsters on the wing, surely England can unearth one or two as well.

Phil