Unless head coach Eddie Jones throws a curve ball in selection, England’s left wing position for the pivotal second Test against Australia on Saturday is a shoot out between Joe Cokanasiga and Henry Arundell.
Here we examine the two options ahead of Thursday’s team announcement.
Joe Cokanasiga
Club: Bath
Age: 24
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 17st 9lbs
Caps: 12
Tries: 11
A force of nature with the size, strength and speed to torment defences, Cokanasiga should be setting the world alight yet he was a peripheral figure in the first Test.
The big wing of Fijian heritage has been besieged by a series of family challenges, a serious knee injury and Covid, but having emerged successfully from those crises his inability to make an impact on Australia appears to be rooted in the mind.
A promising start at Perth’s Optus Stadium quickly faded through his failure to go hunting for the ball or make himself available as a support runner.
It was a frustrating performance from a player who needs to develop the rugby instinct to match his ferocious physical attributes.
Henry Arundell
Club: London Irish
Age: 19
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 15stones 2lbs
Caps: 1
Tries: 1
The question of whether the gamebreaking skills displayed for London Irish and the England Under 20s would transfer to the highest level was answered in mesmerising style as his seven-minute appearance as a replacement inspired a late fightback against the Wallabies that secured scoreboard respectability.
Finishing a dynamic solo try and helping to set up a second made it one of the great England debuts, but starting is a different matter.
With only two Premiership starts under his belt there are still shortcomings in his defensive game that would be leapt upon by the likes of Marika Koroibete and Andrew Kellaway.
Over-exposing a 19-year-old with such a bright future could be harmful at this stage of his development.
