IRB Rugby World Cup
Ask Steven: England's centres conundrum
John Griffiths
August 30, 2015

Who were the last double-new caps to appear as England's centre-pairing? M Burns, England

Of all the playing units at Stuart Lancaster's disposal for the coming Rugby World Cup, the centre pairing appears to be where there is most doubt regarding his best starting combination.

In 41 Tests (up to August 30, 2015) since becoming head coach in 2012, Stuart Lancaster has used twelve different centre pairings (run-on details only).

The combos with their number of pairings are:

11 Brad Barritt & Manu Tuilagi

7 Luther Burrell & Jonathan Joseph

6 Luther Burrell & Billy Twelvetrees

3 Brad Barritt & Owen Farrell

3 Brad Barritt & Billy Twelvetrees

3 Joel Tomkins & Billy Twelvetrees

2 Brad Barritt & Kyle Eastmond

2 Jonathan Joseph & Manu Tuilagi

2 Kyle Eastmond & Manu Tuilagi

1 Jonathan Joseph & Billy Twelvetrees

1 Kyle Eastmond & Jonathan Joseph

1 Sam Burgess & Henry Slade


Sam Burgess and Henry Slade were both new caps in the recent World Cup warm-up Test against France at Twickenham. That was the first time England had fielded a pair of "freshmen" in the centre since Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt were blooded against Scotland at Murrayfield in February 2012 - Lancaster's first England Test at the helm.


They were only England's fifth such pairing in the past sixty years of Test rugby.


Before that, the last double new cap centre-pairing to start for England in a Test were Geoff Appleford & Ben Johnston against Argentina in Buenos Aires in June 2002. England won 26-18. It was a one-off Test for which Clive Woodward left his frontline players - the likes of Jason Robinson, Will Greenwood, Mike Tindall, Ben Cohen, Jonny Wilkinson, Richard Hill, Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back - at home to rest before the long season that culminated in the 2003 RWC. England fielded virtually a second fifteen in Buenos Aires.


The time before that was England's 1969 Five Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin when John Spencer and David Duckham were both new caps at centre in a side beaten 17-15. The only other occasion in the past sixty years when a pair of new caps lined up in the centre for England was at Cardiff in 1965 when Dave Rosser and Geoff Frankcom, both of Cambridge University, were on the losing side against Wales.

© John Griffiths

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