I agree with everything he says until he starts getting into the specifics of players.
Jonny May should not be in the running for England outside-centre. Nor should Henry Trinder, or James Simpson-Daniel. The day of willowy 6' pace merchants at outside centre is gone. The centres have too much defensive responsibility and operate in too much traffic. Size is not everything - Joseph isn't very big, but is very responsible defensively, while Lowe has a surprising amount of strength in contact - but power is necessary. I don't think I'm overly damning the Kingsholm boys to suggest that's not them.
The issue of the matter is that while I'd have liked Tuilagi to have some competition, going by end of season form he has no competition. Joseph was in a slump, Lowe was in a slump, I forget who was there for Glaws which I think says it all, Daly had moved to 15 and I'm struggling to think who else there is... Tompkins can sod off. It's easy to see Lancaster's logic here, although I'm not sure I agree with it. He has 1 credible international 13, no credible international 12s, no challengers to 13, a bunch of challengers to 12. So he's picked 1 13 and 3 12s. I don't like how bolted on that makes Tuilagi, but it does make sense.
As for Tuilagi at 12... yeah, I think he might be onto something, but that requires a) More 13s b) More work done on Tuilagi's creative vision. That's a future project, not right now.
I find his tighthead comment ludicrously misplaced, Dan Cole has been an excellent England servant already and has been asked to shoulder an unenviable burden this year, David Wilson had an excellent summer and deserves a chance to build on it - and Will Collier and Kieran Brookes are in nappies. Particularly Brookes. Brookes has genuinely done nothing at Premiership level to suggest he should go to a World Cup in two years time.
Attwood is a bit bigger than Launchbury - mindyou, according to the RFU, he just shrunk an inch and gained 4 lbs, which would make him a fair bit bigger, but is a dubious claim - but only a bit; whether he is strong enough to do the tight guy role at international level is still in question. Launchbury and Parling will get first bite of the cherry in Autumn if fit for a good reason, they've been a really good combo, and even with the argument of balance Attwood has got his work cut out there.
And, uhm, Luke Wallace/Sam Jones in the EPS? Really? If he named Will Fraser his argument might have made sense, but he didn't, and it doesn't and that's a hugely talented trio of guys who can form partnerships between them if needed in Robshaw, Croft, and Wood. There's commitments to ideals and there's blind ideology, this is the former to me - 3 best flankers and the best openside - and I am happier with that than naming opensides for the sake of it.
Not sure Yarde hasn't got top end pace either tbh. Not saying he does have it, but he looked pretty quick this summer...