Probably the biggest headline to emerge from today's announcement of England's Six Nations squad is the inclusion of Owen Farrell as fly half and captain.
Farrell, remember, hasn't played any rugby since November and makes his comeback from an ankle injury this Saturday for Saracens against London Irish.
You may recall that Farrell, alongside several other Saracens, was woefully short of match practice going into last year's Six Nations - and it showed as England were abject in their opener against the Scots. This year England open against Scotland again, and it seems lessons have not been learnt.
Moreover, Farrell's inclusion appears to be at the expense of the bang-in-form George Ford. Now, in general I have no issue with Owen Farrell as a player (he'll be delighted to know). But, right now, most (other than die-hard Fez Heads) would agree he is behind both Marcus Smith and George Ford as a number 10.
That, of course, does leave the inside centre role that he has played on numerous occasions for his country. But is he the best option there? I'd argue not. I'd argue that there is a more than strong case to say that Tuilagi & Slade or Slade & Marchant is a far more effective centre combination than Farrell & Tuilagi/Slade/Marchant. Tuilagi, also recovering from injury, has missed out on this squad selection.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, by including Farrell in the squad, Eddie feels that he has to include him as captain - which pretty much means means that Farrell must be included in the England starting XV.
Not only does this mean that England's backline, to the delight of opposition defences, will not be as strong as it otherwise might be, it also sends out a poor message - that, despite the continued isolation of the Vunipola boys, there are still players who will be picked for England whether or not they are in form or up to speed.
That said, I am not for one minute suggesting that Farrell should be ditched as an international player. But what he does needs is a run of club appearances to get his fitness and game up to scratch before being reconsidered.
And, besides, it would have been interesting see how a Farrell-less England would fare in a Six Nations tournament.
