How can England have a guy at full back who can't take in the first carry from a kick down field? He constantly looks for one of his wingers to take the ball from him, which buys the defence another 10 metres. I think his injury is severely hampering his performance and he looks a very frustrated player because of it. Shaul or Lomax should be at 1 for England before Tomkins on this seasons form.

I was told at the start of the year that his injury was that bad he'd be lucky to play again, something about having pioneering surgery to repair/replace damaged ligaments, he had nothing left. With such a serious condition it's a miracle he's back on the field, but would explain the drop in his performances, the change in his tactics, the frustration and constant moaning at referees, and his loss of pace and agility. If that is the case, he's not likely to get those back with one pre season. We have seen with Walsh and Lomax what it takes to come back from horrendous injuries, Walsh especially was a shadow of the player he was before for the best part of a season and a half.