News

Andrew urges Hodgson to shine

May 28 2008

Charlie Hodgson has been urged to stake a claim for the starting England fly-half slot against the All Blacks in Auckland.

Danny Cipriani and Jonny Wilkinson - Hodgson's principal rivals for the England number ten shirt - will both miss next month's New Zealand tour after undergoing ankle and shoulder operations respectively.

And while England could still turn to either Olly Barkley or Toby Flood to step in, both players primarily play their club rugby at inside centre.

Hodgson, whose 30-cap Test career has been blighted by injury setbacks that underpinned him missing the last two World Cup campaigns, will start in Sunday's non-cap Twickenham clash against the Barbarians.

And with the All Blacks awaiting England less than a fortnight later, it is a golden opportunity for Hodgson to reaffirm his credentials.

"We want Charlie to play and stake a claim for being in contention for the first Test," said Tour Manager Rob Andrew.

"He is a great player and he has been running the show this week with Flood at twelve.

"I am looking forward to seeing them play together and mixing up the game, setting the foundations for when we go to New Zealand."

While Hodgson prepares for a pivotal game in terms of his future representative prospects, England are continuing to come to terms with Wasps prodigy Cipriani's long-term absence.

He is unlikely to play again this year due to a fracture dislocation of his ankle during Wasps' Guinness Premiership play-off victory over Bath ten days ago.

"The loss of Danny is a big blow for the player as much as anything," Andrew added.

"Any injury for a professional player is a massive blow, but to get such a serious one at so young an age when he has made such an impression this year, you could not get a worse situation than that.

"It is the nature of sport.

"The medical people are very pleased with the way his operation went. There are no reports of any complications but with any major surgery you have to wait and see.

"There are many examples of players coming back from this type of injury - (former Wales and Lions wing) Ieuan Evans is a good example.

"Pace was an important part of his game and he came back to a very high level after his injury."

Harlequins number eight Nick Easter will skipper an England side containing nine capped players, but Easter and centre Mathew Tait are the only survivors from last autumn's original World Cup squad.

Tait lines up alongside Flood in midfield, although he will head to New Zealand in competition for the full-back berth with Quins' Mike Brown, while considerable excitement surrounds the wing combination of David Strettle and Topsy Ojo.

Strettle returns for the first time since suffering a foot injury during England's Six Nations defeat against Wales on February 2, with London Irish's Ojo given the chance to transfer his blistering domestic and European form onto a bigger stage.

Five of the six uncapped players on view are in the pack, including the entire front-row unit - Nick Lloyd, David Paice and Jason Hobson - but they could all be overshadowed by Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley when he appears at some stage off the bench.

Hartley was on course to enjoy World Cup recognition but a six-month ban imposed for gouging wrecked those hopes and meant an element of career-rebuilding with Saints in National League One.

Northampton duly gained promotion back to the Premiership and New Zealand-born Hartley could now make an overdue Test debut against the All Blacks in either Auckland or Christchurch.

"I am no longer a loose cannon. I am a better player for what happened a year ago," Hartley admitted.

"I guess my career could have gone either way after the ban, it gave me a kick up the backside."

England forwards coach John Wells has no concerns about Hartley's temperament, adding: "I have spoken to him in the past about his discipline.

"He has worked on that at Northampton with (coach) Dorian West. He now plays in an organised and disciplined way.

"The rough edges have been eliminated from his game but there is still a physicality and aggression about the way he plays, and we need those in English rugby."