England side

[stormmaster1]

England Head Coach Brian Ashton today announced the team and replacements to play South Africa in the Rugby World Cup 2007 final at Stade de France, Saint Denis on Saturday October 20 (9pm local time, 8pm UK time).

England
15. Jason Robinson (Unattached)
14. Paul Sackey (London Wasps)
13. Mathew Tait (Newcastle Falcons)
12. Mike Catt (London Irish)
11. Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
10. Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons)
9. Andy Gomarsall (Harlequins)
1. Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
2. Mark Regan (Bristol Rugby)
3. Phil Vickery (London Wasps, captain) *
4. Simon Shaw (London Wasps)
5. Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers)
6. Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers)
7. Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers)
8. Nick Easter (Harlequins)


Replacements
16. George Chuter (Leicester Tigers)
17. Matt Stevens (Bath Rugby)
18. Lawrence Dallaglio (London Wasps)
19. Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
20. Peter Richards (London Irish)
21. Toby Flood (Newcastle Falcons)
22. Danny Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers)


So Ashton has elected to swap Lewsey for Cueto rather than shuffling Hipkiss and Tait.

No real surprises really.

 

[AllezWasps]

Good decision, Hipkiss is a good player, but untested, you don't test people in RWC Finals.

Cueto may not be the best player in the world, but he does his job.

 

[stormmaster1]

hipkiss has done well off the bench, and did more damage ball in hand v France than any other back except Robinson. That said he has never started for England, and Ashton's reasons for choosing Tait ahead of him still stand. I wonder if he will come on for 20 mins again to threaten the Springboks defensive line? Who knows how Cueto will do. Expect him to be targetted.

 

[AShipley]

I would agree, as Tait's defence was much better playing wing than centre, and hipkiss is a stronger, more direct runner. I fear that the Bokke could attack Tait as a weak point for strong runners like Pietersen and Fourie, in a way Hipkiss couldnt'

 

[Prestwick]

True but then again, Hipkiss could have been a good choice to focus on steyn. A better compromise would be to replace tait with hipkiss and lewsey with cueto. That way yot have a safe bet on the wing and attacking power to take on a frankly uncertain and wayward bok mid field with out de villiers.