England's hooker dilemma

At no position were England exploited more during this Rugby World Cup than at hooker.

Dylan Hartley’s suspension for headbutting meant that the front row of he, Joe Marler and Dan Cole, which had been the most efficient unit in the 2015 Six Nations, was broken up. Leicester’s Tom Youngs was catapulted from dynamic replacement to starter.

Although pre-tournament concerns had centred around the impact this would have on the lineout, it was at the scrum where the damage was really done. Both Australia’s Sekope Kepu and Fiji’s Manasa Saulo targeted Youngs and were able to exert enough pressure to shear loosehead Marler away from him and eke penalties out of the ineffectual English set-piece.

As a result, the time may now have come for England to look in a new direction at hooker, in their goal to establish a reliable and consistent spine to their side heading into the next cycle. If Hartley can (again) convince the England management that his discipline problems are behind him or Youngs can shore up his scrummaging and hooking, then both remain important assets to England, but it is likely a position where fresh blood will be required.

Saracens’ Jamie George will be a frontrunner, having been a part of England’s RWC squad and is coming off the back of a stellar 2014/15 season in the Aviva Premiership. With Schalk Brits missing most of last season with injury, George stepped up for Saracens, proving to be the fulcrum of their dominant defensive and set-piece games.

George also brings plenty of ability in attack, boasting a deceptive burst of speed and some of the best hands at the position in the Premiership. While perhaps not extraordinary in any one single facet, George is arguably the best all-round hooker, sans Hartley, that England have at their disposal and that’s a fantastic position for the 25-year-old to be in.

George’s biggest rival comes in the form of Exeter’s Luke Cowan-Dickie. The Chief had seemed like a strong bet to make England’s RWC squad following Hartley’s suspension, but some inconsistencies with his lineout throwing ultimately saw George favoured. If that area of his game is improved this season, he could be the man England attempt to commit to, as he certainly boasts the potential to be considered among the world-leading hookers of the southern hemisphere in the not too distant future.

A dominant scrummaging loosehead in international age-grade rugby, his switch to hooker, prompted by Stuart Lancaster and the current England coaching team, helped the England U20 side to their first Junior World Championship title in 2013. Cowan-Dickie has since brought that scrummaging impact, as well as plenty of dynamic ability in the loose, to the Premiership with the Chiefs.

Away from those two obvious candidates, Sale’s Tommy Taylor and Northampton’s Mike Haywood are two players certainly worthy of mention.

Taylor was well on his way to a first England cap in 2013/14 but injury not only robbed him of his chance to take a spot in England’s enlarged touring squad to New Zealand, it also wiped out most of his 2014/15 domestic season. If he can stay fit and rediscover his 2013/14 form, then Taylor has every chance of impressing enough to be in the selection conversation ahead of the 2016 Six Nations.

An opportunity may be harder to come by for Haywood, who faces the unenviable task of dislodging Hartley from Northampton’s first XV, but he is a player who has always shone when called upon. Northampton may have the deepest front row in the Premiership, so don’t make the mistake of thinking of Haywood as your average backup, as he would be starting for many other sides in the league.

With George, 25, the oldest of the quartet (Cowan-Dickie 22, Taylor 23, Haywood 24), the future is certainly bright for England at the position, especially with the likes of Yorkshire’s Jack Walker and Leicester’s Harry Thacker to also come into the equation over the coming seasons.

Both George and Cowan-Dickie have furthered their cases with strong showings in the opening two rounds of the Premiership, with the latter looking accurate at the lineout and beginning to allay fears over that area of his game. Focus on the pair will increase once the higher pressure games of the European Champions Cup come around, but they are certainly leading the race for England’s two jersey as of right now.

The results of the RFU’s inquest and any subsequent changes in the England coaching team would undoubtedly have a significant bearing on England’s position on their current crop of hookers, but if one of George or Cowan-Dickie isn’t at least in the England 23 when they take on Scotland in their Six Nations opener, it would be a real surprise.