BACK THREE PLAYERS
ELLIOT DALY: B
2023 RWC Caps: 3
The personification of versatile, Elliot Daly has made a career of being able to cover almost the entire back line (with the exception of scrum half). Daly has again brought these talents to the World Cup stage, having run out on the left wing and at outside centre so far in the pools. The Saracen was a doubt for the World Cup after a nasty knee injury, yet recovered for strong performances, admist concerns of him missing the opening contest against Argentina.
MAX MALINS: C-
2023 RWC Caps: 1
An underused asset in Steve Borthwick’s toolkit, Malins has only enjoyed 70 minutes of game-time, with each minute coming against Chile. The Bristol Bears man looks to be lower down the pecking order than he would have hoped, with Borthwick blessed with plentiful back three talents at his disposal. Predominantly a right-winger, Malins sole England run out so far showcased his adaptive nature, as he turned out on the left wing against the South Americans.
HENRY ARUNDELL: A
2023 RWC Caps: 1
Henry Arundell is nothing short of an anomaly in our Rugby World Cup grading system. The Racing 92 speedster has only made one appearance at the competition so far, but what an appearance it was. A faultless showing against albeit weaker Chilean opponents, Arundell optimised the adage of ‘you can only play what’s in front of you’. Five tries saw the ex-London Irish flyer equalise Josh Lewsey’s record for most England tries in a single Rugby World Cup match, yet it was still not enough to get in the match-day squad for the Pool D closer against Samoa.
FREDDIE STEWARD: B+
2023 RWC Caps: 3
The man under pressure from Borthwick’s positional altering of Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward has long been the ‘safe option’ to run out for England at fullback. However, the Leicester Tigers man faces a threat from Smith, and has been putting out confident performances to keep his name etched upon the number 15 jersey. Still widely regarded amongst the best under the high ball, and rarely gets brought down by the first defender akin to a prime Mike Brown, Steward is battling for his shirt, and brought out the best in himself with a try against Japan.
JONNY MAY: C+
2023 RWC Caps: 3
Closing out the squad is a man who just two months ago, did not think that he would be heading to France. Gloucester’s Jonny May did not make the initial 33-man squad during the Summer, yet was kept around the squad in a tough-love ‘first reserve’ capacity. May’s talents were called upon, as England’s leading active try-scorer replaced the injured Anthony Watson at a moments notice. Three full 80 minute run-outs across both wings showcased Borthwick trust in the veteran winger, who is eager to find the try-line.
