England Fly half decision

My first topic article thing on here, so be nice!

With the 6Nations in less than a week (oh yeah) me and some of my friends have been discussing who should start at 10 for England on friday. With both Floody and Wilkinson in great form it is actually a rather large choice for MJ to make.

First Flood. As a Tigers fan I have watched the man play quite a bit this year and he has looked good whenever I have seen him, bossing the game and making good ground, slotting his kicks as well. A great example was the top table premiership game vs Saints. He played very well, really kept a grip on the game and also managed to keep his cool after foden scored in about 3 minutes. I almost blew my lid so hat's off to him (no pun intended). England seemed to lose their shape after he went off vs RSA, and being already in possession of the 10 jersey gives him an advantage.

Now Wilkinson
What with him playing in France and me only just getting sky I haven't seen very much of him. However, he is apparently in the form of his life, and was recently voted best player in the French league, a huge achievement given the other big names in the league. He also managed to put Munster out of the HC before the quarters, which surely is a fantastic effort. A truly great rugby player. However, he seems to stand a bit deeper than flood, and I am not sure he fits with the new way England seem to be trying to play. I watched him play vs Ospreys and he looked in good fettle made a strong break and wasn't standing that deep, so maybe he has worked on this area.

As they say, form is temporary, class is permanent. So, what do you do if you have to players, both with bags of class and in great form?

I say you pick Flood for Friday. Playing well and is the current 10, and see from there.

Opinions on who should start. Particularly Welsh fans, who would you least like to see at 10 for England?

JW

Been too engrossed in the cricket to see much rugby of late, so although a long-time admirer of JW's steady-ness I'd go for continuity with Flood.

Good to have an in form JW in the wings though, in case Flood is injured or suffers a drop in form.

Wilko for me he has been in very good form and a reason that Toulon have gotten as far as they have. His kicking is worth an extra 9 points or so a game and against France that could be the difference.

hodge - Agree with you on JW's presence V France. Nothing more comforting, when the French are being naughty, than to see him sail the ball through the uprights all afternoon.

Against a more disciplined side like Wales though, I'd prefer to start with the more mobile/attacking Flood and have JW ready on the bench.

I think Wilkinson would have an excellent steadying influence from the bench in the latter stages against a side like Wales, who often rally towards the end of the game. He has also shown he is able to handle pressure better than any other international fly halves, in his two RWC finals, and cardiff will exert massive pressure in the later stages.