After how badly 'experienced England' did in the WC, and how well 'inexperienced England' have bounced back from that, I don't have too much faith in experience being all that important.
Yeah this is one of the main things that really annoys me about certain coaches - picking players on past form and "experience" rather than how well they are playing now. It's probably the main reason Warburton has been picked ahead of Tipuric for Wales this week.
You could argue Biggar has been just as good, if not better, than Farrell in the past three matches. Controversial, I know, but hear me out.
People keep arguing for Wilkinson's inclusion based on how many points he scores. That means nothing in terms of a players ability. Farrell has scored 42 points, Biggar 0. Does that make Farrell that much better than Biggar? Of course not, because Halfpenny is kicking, therefore we can ignore points scored statistics.
I just think that although Farrell is perhaps a steadier, Wilkinson-type, keep the points ticking over kind of player, Biggar offers more in attack and varies his game more. Biggar has had 3 try assists now, compared to Farrell's 1. Biggar has carried 19 times to Farrell's 9, maybe showing he can evade the tackler more easily than Farrell can. He has also carried over 69 metres, to Farrell's 30 (I know you can't read too much into that one). Biggar has beaten 4 defenders, Farrell is yet to beat one.
The only stat I can see that favours Farrell really is that he has missed less tackles (4) than Biggar (5), but one less tackle missed is hardly worth considering. But it does bring up questions for both players about their defensive abilities, perhaps.
I know you can't base this solely on statistics, but that 4 defenders beaten and 19 carries stat are big ones for me. They clearly show an ability to exploit the defence from the first-receiver position.
Anyway, let the debate continue...
Oh, and for the record, Burns should be starting for England this weekend. He is by far the best fly-half option for England, and offers so so so much more in attack. I've said this in the past, but I still think he is the fly-half from the northern hemi that I can most see the potential to develop into a player of Dan Carter's class. I hope Gatland has been watching him in the Premiership, because if I were head coach he would be on that plane in a heartbeat.
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