Outside Centres of Attention

Is Jamie Noon really the right man to lead England forward in the outside centre position? Here I short-list my alternatives for taking the England 13 jersey in the new year.

(in no particular order)

James Simpson-Daniel

Club: Gloucester Rugby

Position: Centre/Wing

DOB: 30 May 1982

Height: 6' 0" Weight: 14st 6lb

England Caps: 10

I would prefer to use JSD on the left wing, however depending on the availability of other wing options, he would easily slot into the outside centre position. James is a powerful runner whose strength and leg drive could see him match up against the best in the world. The most obvious difference between the England and New Zealand teams during the 2008 Autumn series was the All Blacks ability to make metres whilst being tackled and their skill of the offload. This is something that JSD can offer. He also has a deadly step which could be quite useful too. His proneness to picking up an injury just before the international periods is becoming all too frequent however, and this may continue to affect his International selection.

Mathew Tait
Club: Sale Sharks
Position: Centre/Wing/Fullback
DOB: 6 February 1986
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 14st 3lb
England Caps: 24

Currently being touted as a fullback, I think Tait has all the qualities to make an excellent 13 for England. He has pace and is a 'slippery' player. His defence improves season on season and if you imagine a midfield of Cipriani, Flutey and Tait then you will be looking at a major attacking threat. Playing centre, wing and fullback may make Tait a bit of a Josh Lewsey or Austin Healey in that he can't cement down a starting place because his versatility makes him a great bench option.

Delon Armitage

Club: London Irish

Position: Centre/Wing/Fullback

DOB: 15 December 1983
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 13st 5lb
England Caps: 4

Performed extremely well as England's fullback for all four games of the 2008 Autumn Internationals so it may be wise to keep him at 15. There is a lot of competition coming through in this position though, and when all players are fully fit, Armitage will find himself fighting with Nick Abendanon, Olly Morgan and Mike Brown to be England's 15. At 13, Delon would be in a prime position to use not only his pace, but also his strength and his kicking options. Armitage has a great rugby brain, but still needs to develop his all-round game.

Dominic Waldouck
Club: London Wasps

Position: Inside Centre/Outside Centre

DOB: 26 September 1987

Height: 5' 11" Weight: 13st 10lb

England Caps: uncapped

His step, softness of pass, and his already established midfield partnership with Danny Cipriani and Riki Flutey give Dom Waldouck a great base with which to begin his England career. He doesn't appear to be as big physically as the other candidates, however, don't let that fool you. Waldouck is strong and has outstanding defensive capabilities. He has experience of slotting into the defensive 10 position, switching positions with Cipriani at club level, and so this may be useful for England too. Wasps' outside centre legend Fraser Waters had this to say about Waldouck: "I'd liken him to Tim Horan and though I guess Dom's not quite as big as Horan he is pretty solid, a strong boy who's got great feet. He has the potential to go all the way, and I don't feel like I'm overestimating him in saying that. Some guys rate themselves very early on, and it's easy to do that when you have the odd big game. Dom takes it all his stride and he works hard every game. I think if he was picked for England, he wouldn't change." At only 21 and with no England caps yet, Waldouck already owns Heineken Cup and Guinness Premiership winners medals.

Dan Hipkiss

Club: Leicester Tigers
Position: Centre
DOB: 4 June 1982
Height: 5' 10" Weight: 14st 7lb
England Caps: 6

There is ony major thing you need to know about Danny Hipkiss. His leg strength. When he gets tackled, this man will just not go down. This is something that was evidently lacking in England's 2008 Autumn International campaign. This is also something which needs to be developed and brought into the team's game in order to compete with the likes of New Zealand and South Africa. Hipkiss went to the 2007 Rugby World Cup but did not play a major part in the journey to the final. I worry that he may become the next Ollie Smith of English Rugby: Talented Leicester centre who wins a few caps for England, but then just disapears off the radar. Rumour has it that Wasps are interested in signing Hipkiss for the 2009/10 season, although, where that would leave Dominic Waldouck, I am not sure.

Let me know who you think could be England's 13 in the 2009 Six Nations by leaving a comment below.

Next time we'll look at Inside Centre options including Riki Flutey, Toby Flood, Anthony Allen, Olly Barkley and Jordan Turner-Hall.