England Six Nations watch

Slowly but surely the England internationals have filtered back into club duty in the Aviva Premiership over the last few weeks, following a forgettable display at the Rugby World Cup.

While they’ve been licking their wounds, answering never-ending questions over England’s performance and generally just getting back up to speed at their clubs, a number of players on the fringe of the England squad have been making waves in the opening rounds of the Premiership.

We’ve looked at a number of players who have excelled in the early portion of the season and who have certainly put their hands up for Six Nations selection.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Exeter Chiefs

The hooker narrowly missed out on featuring at the Rugby World Cup, with some errant throwing in his England debut proving enough of a worry to a coaching team already concerned with the team’s set-piece sans Dylan Hartley. Fast-forward a few months and Cowan-Dickie has been the driving force behind an Exeter lineout which is successfully completing over 90% of its throws.

His improvements at the set-piece have not come at the detriment of his game in the loose and is, along with Dave Ewers, Exeter’s most consistent source of front-foot ball and gain-line breaks. Finding a reliable hooker who can throw accurately and hook the ball at the scrum should be England’s number one priority and Cowan-Dickie’s early season form suggests he should be at the top of their shortlist.

Luke Wallace, Harlequins

When Wallace burst onto the scene a few years ago, alongside the likes of Matt Kvesic, Will Fraser and Sam Jones, England’s future on the flanks looked very promising. Injuries have hindered Fraser and Jones thus far, while Kvesic has been overlooked by England for the most part, but in the early skirmishes of the 2015/16 season, it’s Wallace who is arguably impressing the most.

His work as a jackal is much improved on previous seasons, while his ability to duck and clear counter-ruckers at the contact area is excellent. The former may be what most fans are calling for, but it was actually the latter which more significantly derailed England at the RWC. The proficiency of Wallace at the contact area could be a big boon to England, not to mention his considerable talents in the loose as a support runner and carrier.

Josh Beaumont, Sale Sharks

Beaumont is in the unenviable position of trying to dislodge Billy Vunipola, one of the few England incumbents with genuinely world class potential. Barring a remarkable run of form which prompts England to try Vunipola at blindside or to even drop him, Beaumont is probably competing with Ben Morgan for the role of backup and/or bench back rower.

With Beaumont looking more and more like Kieran Read with each passing game, there’s no reason why he can’t rise up England’s pecking order. The number eight, who can also play at lock, is a dangerous force with ball in hand, not only as a physical carrier, but also getting out into the wide areas and opening up opposition defences with well-timed distribution.

Will Chudley, Exeter Chiefs

Admittedly, Ben Youngs is only just returning to the Leicester starting XV following his RWC duties, but there can be little argument with the assertion that Chudley is currently the form scrum-half in the country. As with Vunipola, it’s difficult to see Youngs losing his England place between now and February, but Chudley should certainly be in the mix to be the Leicester man’s deputy.

Chudley has provided a nice balance of quick distribution and testing the fringes for Exeter, something which has been made even more impressive by the fact the Exeter pack struggled to find its feet in the first three games of the season. Richard Wigglesworth and Lee Dickson may have played their last games for England and the door is open for Chudley to throw his name into the hat with Danny Care and Joe Simpson.

Elliot Daly, Wasps

It’s felt as if Daly’s time has been coming for years now and with Jonathan Joseph and Manu Tuilagi both currently injured, it could finally arrive in 2016. With 115 appearances for Wasps and multiple Barbarians caps, it’s easy to forget that Daly is still just 23 years of age, but with a blistering start to the Premiership season under his belt, he’s in a position to stake his claim for England’s 13 jersey.

A cannon for a boot, dancing feet and a searing burst of pace, Daly has a lot to offer. The combination of the last two makes him a nightmare to defend one-on-one, as he has the ability to turn on the afterburners and ghost around players on outside arcs, while his phenomenal kicking ability makes him a threat to knock over penalties from as far away as 60 metres.

Semesa Rokoduguni, Bath

England’s wings are in far from bad shape with Jonny May and Anthony Watson impressing over the last 12 months, but Rokoduguni’s form at Bath may hasten Watson’s move to full-back at international level. The Fijian-born winger has been at his elusive best for Bath in the early rounds of the Premiership season and is the only English (or EQP) back to have played every game and averaged over 9m per carry.

This excellent per carry average is attributable directly to Rokoduguni’s ability to avoid contact. As a runner, he searches for gaps, flat-footed defenders and weak inside shoulders. Exquisite footwork and a strong fend mean that, more often than not, Rokoduguni can expose any of these with clinical effiency.