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Rugby

'They have possibly the best 31-man squad' | Mike Tindall on England's depth

England's remarkable strength in depth was on show against Ireland on Saturday and according to f...



Rugby

'They have possibly the best 31-man squad' | Mike Tindall on England's depth

England's remarkable strength in depth was on show against Ireland on Saturday and according to former England centre Mike Tindall, they have one of the best squads going to the World Cup. 

Speaking on Tuesday's OTB AM , Tindall said while the squad is impressive he still has doubts about their temperament during big games.

“I’ve said for a while that I think England will go out there with possibly the best 31-man squad.

"Whether that then changes into a win you hope so but once you get to knockout rugby it's who turns up on the day.

"That's been the only question mark about England is those one off performances where they've been in the lead and then lost," he said.

Tindall thinks moving Manu Tuilagi from inside centre to outside centre has really opened England's attacking options.

England's Maro Itoje in action during the Quilter International match at Twickenham Stadium, London.

Set-piece tries

“I think the only thing that holds them back is the inconsistency we've seen over the last year.

"Obviously Manu [Tuilagi] has to be at 13, they played Slade and him together in the Six Nations and it took away from his game.

"When he comes that little bit wider you could see the problems that he caused the defensive shape, from set-piece especially.

"I think we scored two or three set-piece tries on the weekend just because there was so much worry about where Manu was running on those wider channels," the former England centre said.

As we saw on Saturday, Ireland were repeatedly exposed out on the wing and as Tandell said Tuilagi was key to that.

"If you're half a second off as you saw, England get on the outside and then with Cokanasinga coming in and being a genuine threat as well it does offer a lot of options.

"That stems from Manu Tuilagi being that little bit wider out and if he was doing it off 12 you would hope your 7 is sweeping that up," he said.

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England Rugby Manu Tuilagi Rugby World Cup