TRU's Position Watch - Inside Centre

The pack and the half-backs are all done and dusted and we’re now on the home straight as we the run the rule over the Aviva Premiership’s inside centres.

Sam Tuitupou, of the Sale Sharks, is perhaps the unluckiest player to miss out, thoroughly impressing outside Danny Cipriani this season, whilst Wasps fans will no doubt be disgruntled to see both Chris Bell and Ben Jacobs also miss out.

Disclaimer - To prevent him being the elephant in the room, Sam Burgess was initially considered after showing a lot of impressive signs following his transition from Rugby League, but ultimately there just isn’t the body of work to judge him alongside the guys who have cracked the top eight.

8. Sam Hill, Exeter Chiefs
Hill is one of the brightest prospects in English rugby and has been a vital component in Exeter’s impressive season thus far, but at just 21 years of age, he still shows a lot of inconsistencies in his game. Of course, that’s understandable given his lack of experience. At his best, Hill looks like a young Jean de Villiers, puncturing defensive lines with his powerful running and halting ball carriers with formidable defence, but on occasion he can look one-dimensional and if he can’t break the gain line, begins to look slightly ineffectual. At this point next season, expect Hill to be challenging at the very top of these rankings.

7. Anthony Allen, Leicester Tigers
One of England’s forgotten men, Allen is an all-round centre who can do everything that’s asked of him on a rugby pitch. After breaking through at Gloucester, Allen made a name for himself as one of the more instinctive, skilled midfielders in the English game, whilst a move to Leicester in 2009 has helped him hone the defensive side of his game. In the modern game, where physical assets have never been more valued, it is perhaps a lack of game-breaking speed or tackle-busting power that has seen Allen fail to translate from a very good Premiership player to a good international centre, but there can be no doubt he is one of the most reliable performers at club level.

6. Billy Twelvetrees, Gloucester Rugby
A strong carrier, a good kicking game and a well-respected leader, there’s a lot to like about Twelvetrees, but there’s also something intangible missing which just prevents him from being considered with those players yet to come. Playing outside of a new half-back combination at Gloucester this season certainly hasn’t helped Twelvetrees, nor has the loss of Henry Trinder outside of him, but there have still been times when his decision-making has let him down badly, regardless of the players around him. Nevertheless, he has all the physical and technical skills required to excel, as well as the support of Stuart Lancaster, something which carries far more weight than my opinion.

5. George Lowe, Harlequins
If it were not for injuries, then Lowe would surely have been capped by England by now. Harlequins have looked blunt in attack at times this season, but when Lowe is in the XV, they are an entirely different prospect. The centre can distribute, beat men on the inside or outside shoulder and has an intuitive understanding of the game that often sees him on the shoulder of line breaks all over the pitch. He also has the versatility to play outside centre and if he can stay fit and firing for the rest of the season, do not be surprised to see him make a late claim for a spot in England’s Rugby World Cup squad.
 
4. Brad Barritt, Saracens
Barritt takes a lot of flak, often unfairly, but has more than deserved every single one of his 22 England caps to date. Admittedly, Barritt won’t unlock a defence with Matt Giteau-esque passing or kicking, but what he does offer is fearsome defence, strong carrying and solid enough distribution skills. Sometimes coaches, fans and journalists can all get too bogged down in what a prototypical player at the position should look like and can be guilty of not appreciating a quality player simply because he does not fit the mould. There are limitations to Barritt’s game, but he should be a lock to make England’s RWC squad, if not the starting XV.

3. Alapati Leiua, Wasps
A late arrival to the Premiership following the 2014 Super Rugby season and a short sojourn home to Samoa due to a family bereavement have prevented Leiua from lighting up the Premiership in the same way he did for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, but there have already been glimpses of his extraordinary ability. A late convert to the midfield, having started his career on the wing, Leiua is arguably the most dangerous centre currently plying their trade in England. The Samoan has all the attributes to be considered amongst the very best in the world at his position – pace, power, skill, mental understanding – and he has them in abundance. A lack of a track record against the arguably more defensively adept Premiership sides is all that denies him top spot.

2. Luther Burrell, Northampton Saints
Injuries may have disrupted his opportunities to show Lancaster that he is the person to man England’s 12 jersey this autumn, but given the imperious form he has been showing in the Premiership and Champions Cup, it would take a brave man to bet against him laying down a big marker for the jersey during the Six Nations. With Manu Tuilagi seemingly cemented into England’s outside centre spot, people have questioned how well Burrell would compliment him, citing it as midfield bereft of skill and relying purely on power. Nothing could be further from the truth. Burrell continuously proves himself to be one of the better distributors in the English game for Northampton and despite public perception, is one of the better dual-threats (running and passing) in the game today.

1. Kyle Eastmond, Bath Rugby
At his best, Eastmond is borderline unplayable. The Rugby League convert displays all the best traits of his former profession – incisive passing, dazzling footwork and the ability to spot a gap – and has coupled them with a quickly developed understanding of Union. Detractors will point to his defence, mainly due to his size, but in reality he defends well, particularly when charged with blitzing up on the outside. In these scenarios he can use his electric pace to get to ball carriers before they’ve had any chance of building up momentum and he successfully negates the size advantage that most opposition players have over him. Hopefully two average performances (in a considerably below par side) in the 12 shirt for England this autumn won’t cost him a shoot at the Six Nations and RWC this year, but the position remains very much in flux, with Owen Farrell, Burrell, Barritt and Twelvetrees all in contention to fill the role, not to mention the wildcard that is Burgess. Good luck, Stuart.