MARTIN JOHNSON has dismissed complaints that England are picking too many overseas-reared players after announcing a revised senior elite player squad for the Six Nations championship which includes Bath’s former New Zealand rugby league international Shontayne Hape, one of three Kiwi-born players selected.
With England’s cricket selectors facing similar questions about the increasing number of South Africa-born players in their squads, Johnson insisted the prevailing trend does not bother him.
Having himself represented New Zealand Colts during a youthful spell with King Country, he believes commitment to the cause is ultimately the crucial factor. “Is it relevant? I’ve played with guys who have been born overseas throughout my England career, whether it be Nigerians or South Africans. You could never doubt, say, Mike Catt’s commitment.
“Riki Flutey’s been one of the outstanding players and characters in the team and Dylan Hartley’s been the same. We’re looking forward to having Shontayne in there. It’s about what people do when they’re there, how they handle themselves and the commitment they have to the team. It’s fantastic to have him.”
The 28-year-old Hape, who won 14 rugby league caps for New Zealand, can only pray he enjoys a more fruitful Test career than England’s two previous Kiwi league imports, Lesley Vainikolo and Henry Paul. Johnson has not ruled out the option of playing Hape at outside centre but mostly sees the former Bradford Bull, who is now qualified by residency, as offering vital cover in the “tricky” number 12 position should anything happen to Flutey.
“He’s not a 22-year-old, he’s an experienced guy,” Johnson said. “We’ve had our eye on him for a year or so. We’ve been impressed with him as a player and everything we hear about him as a person is positive. It’ll give us depth in the 12 position, which has been a difficult one for us.”
Johnson feels happier about the strength of his squad now than at any previous stage in his tenure. As expected, the Northampton wing Chris Ashton is in the mix, with Nick Easter, Lee Mears, Delon Armitage, Toby Flood and Flutey among those returning from injury. Courtney Lawes has been formally promoted to the senior squad ahead of the long-serving Ben Kay, with Ben Foden sneaking in ahead of Olly Morgan. Further additions are likely in the frontrow, with replacements for Andrew Sheridan and, if necessary, Julian White due to be announced on 25 January.
Perhaps the most significant casualty is Shane Geraghty, who has slipped behind Flood in the busy outhalf queue. With Charlie Hodgson, Stephen Myler and Danny Cipriani also named in the Saxons squad, Geraghty could do with impressing against Ireland A on January 31st.
Johnson has yet to confirm whether Steve Borthwick will continue to lead the side but is bullish about England’s prospects. “We finally have the core guys back in and there’s some depth building. Every series has felt like starting again in recent years and hopefully we can develop the consistency we got towards the end of last year’s Six Nations. I think we’ve got a good enough group of players to go into any Six Nations game thinking about winning.”
Johnson accepts, though, the Wales game at Twickenham on February 6th will be a pivotal tie. “Both teams will feel the pressure of needing to get a win.”
Guardian Service
ENGLAND SQUAD – Backs:D Armitage (London Irish), M Banahan (Bath), D Care (Harlequins), M Cueto (Sale), H Ellis, T Flood (both Leicester), B Foden (Northampton), R Flutey (Brive), S Hape (Bath), D Hipkiss (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), U Monye (Harlequins), M Tait (Sale), J Wilkinson (Toulon).
Forwards:S Armitage (London Irish), S Borthwick (Saracens), J Crane, T Croft, L Deacon (all Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Stade Francais), C Lawes (Northampton), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne, S Shaw (both London Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale), S Thompson (Brive), J White (Leicester), D Wilson (Bath).
