$\"Who$ <\/div>\n

It being June 2020, I know I\u2019m a bit late to the party on topics like this but hey, lockdown allows us to finally get round to things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve used a combination of the number of caps, involvement in key victories and major tournaments over the decade as well as who I have enjoyed watching to create my team of the 2010s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 3 England players with more than 90 test caps (putting them in the global top 99 all-time) that played predominantly in the 2010s. Ben Youngs (99), Dylan Hartley (97), and Dan Cole (95). They\u2019re joined on the England top-10 list by Courtney Lawes (85) and Danny Care (84). This won\u2019t be the last time I mention any of those players!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly I\u2019ll go through major tournaments over the last decade to outline key players and then go through my 1 to 15\u200a\u2014\u200aplus my 8 subs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

World Cups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
During the last decade there have been three world cups, and to say that England\u2019s success has been mixed would be an understatement. Here\u2019s how the three world cups went down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2011 World Cup<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
In 2011, England beat Scotland, Argentina, Georgia and Romania to top their pool and set up a quarter-final with France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France stuttered through their pool, on the receiving end of one of the most embarrassing World Cup defeats of all time by losing to Tonga and getting through the group thanks to Tonga not managing to win against Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As France tend to do, they went from ridiculous to sublime, seeing off England with an impressive display in Auckland and ending England\u2019s World Cup at the Quarter Final stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2011 World Cup saw the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall, Steve Thompson, Simon Shaw, and Lewis Moody putting on an England shirt at a World Cup for the final time. If I were doing a team of the 2000s, they\u2019d all make the cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also saw the emergence of Manu Tuilagi on the world stage and a first World Cup outing for the only three players to play in all three world cups this decade\u200a\u2014\u200aBen Youngs, Dan Cole and Courtney Lawes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The biggest splash England made at the 2011 World Cup was Manu Tuilagi jumping off a ferry in Auckland Harbour.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
2015 World Cup<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
As a fan and holder of tickets to the 2015 World Cup, I\u2019m still not quite over the trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
England became the first host nation not to make the knockout stage after they fell foul to the \u2018pool of death\u2019 which included both Wales and Australia. How did this happen you ask? The draw was conducted almost 3 full years before the tournament itself when Wales had surprisingly dropped down out of the top 8 in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Pool A was by far the strongest in terms of the world ranking in the 2015 World Cup.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
By the year of the World Cup, Wales were back up to 6th, creating a pool with the 4th, 5th and 6th best teams in the world. I\u2019ve digressed here, but I\u2019m still bitter about it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poor execution and decision making on the pitch led to a heartbreaking loss to Wales and was followed up by a somewhat inevitable loss to a superior Australian side in the final pool game. England were out before they even got going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Pretty much the last time we smiled that evening, as we watched England crash out of their home World Cup.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Because of this, there\u2019s no notable performances or players worth discussing in terms of a team of the decade from the 2015 world cup. I certainly won\u2019t be talking about Sam Burgess\u2019s short rugby union career in this post\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2019 World Cup<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2019 was a different story. Comfortably beating Argentina (aided by Tomas Lavanini\u2019s 18th-minute red card for a high tackle) and the game against France being cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis seeing England comfortably topping the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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My view in Tokyo Stadium during England’s victory over Argentina in the 2019 World Cup.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A demolition of Australia in the quarter-finals was followed by arguably England\u2019s best performance of all time\u200a\u2014\u200aa crushing victory over New Zealand in the semi-final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final with South Africa was a bridge too far, with England dominated in the scrum and a deserved victory for the Springboks in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the three World Cup teams, then, it is unlikely that the 2015 team will get much of a look-in, but the 2019 team absolutely will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six nations performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Wales are the most successful team of the last decade in the six nations with 3 championships, two of these being grand slams. Ireland and England also have 3 championships in this period but just one grand slam apiece. France round off the list of champions with a grand slam championship back in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
England bounced back emphatically from world cup devastation in 2015 with a grand slam championship in 2016, and then retained the title in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, from October 2015 to March 2017 England won 18 straight games, smashing their previous record of 12 set in 02\/03 and equalling New Zealand\u2019s record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
England had a better second half of the decade than the first\u200a\u2014\u200awith two six nations championships, an 18 game unbeaten run, a world cup final appearance and a brief stint at number 1 in the world rankings. 16 England players were in the Lions squad that drew the 3 match series 1\u20131 in New Zealand in 2017, including top points scorer Owen Farrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that\u2019s enough background on tournaments over the decade. Now it\u2019s time to pick the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The forwards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Loosehead Prop<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Joe Marler<\/em><\/strong> made his debut in 2012 and has 71 caps to his name. Plus, he\u2019s known as one of the funniest guys in rugby so I\u2019d love to have him in and around the dressing room, but when he\u2019s fit, Mako Vunipola<\/em><\/strong> is just too dominant to overlook. Mako gets the 1 shirt and Joe Marler takes 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellis Genge<\/em><\/strong> a.k.a. baby Rhino is like a, er, rhino in a china shop when he carries but as he only made his debut in 2016 and has only recently established himself within the England set-up, he doesn\u2019t make it. One to watch for the 2020s team though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hooker<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Captain for the 2016 grand slam and 2017 six nations championship triumph and with 97 caps, Dylan Hartley<\/em><\/strong> is the most obvious choice at hooker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hartley was a warrior on the pitch and I give him all the respect in the world for his longevity at the highest level, but he has his downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temperamental and prone to foolish and dirty tactics, he missed out on the 2013 Lion\u2019s tour due to an 11-week ban for abusing a match official. He was banned for a total of 60 weeks between 2007 and his retirement in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a creative and athletic hooker himself, I can\u2019t think of a better mentor for Jamie George<\/em><\/strong> than the one he had at Saracens\u200a\u2014\u200aSchalk Brits, probably my favourite hooker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George\u2019s first 17 international games were all off the bench\u200a\u2014\u200aa record for most tests without a start, but he has amassed a further 27 caps for England and 2 for the Lions since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite Dylan Hartley\u2019s huge amount of caps, captaincy and Lions selection in 2013, I\u2019m going to go with Jamie George<\/em><\/strong>. For some time from 2016 onwards it seemed that Hartley was keeping George out of the 2 shirt by virtue of being captain rather than being a better player, and I was one of many \u2018armchair pundits\u2019 calling for the switch to George being the top hooker. Much of the talk was that Hartley was a \u2018start or drop\u2019 player\u200a\u2014\u200athat he did not have value as a bench player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I believe that George is a better, more dynamic player and has a far better temperament and character. Jamie George<\/em><\/strong> gets the 2 shirt and I will still reward Hartley for his record by giving him number 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tighthead Prop<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dan Cole<\/em><\/strong> is second only to the great Jason Leonard in terms of caps with 95, made his debut in 2010 and was an ever-present throughout the decade. He also made the Lions team in 2013 and 2017 and has 3 caps for them. With those credentials, Dan Cole deserves to be my tighthead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kyle Sinckler<\/em><\/strong> has been a revelation since his debut against South Africa in 2016 and has won 25 caps since then. No doubt he\u2019ll be an important player for England in the next World Cup in 2021, but he doesn\u2019t come close to Cole in the team of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan Cole <\/em><\/strong>takes the 3 shirt, Sinckler <\/em><\/strong>takes 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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1 – Mako Vunipola<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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2 – Jamie George<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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3 – Dan Cole<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Second Row<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
There are four locks that all deserve a shout out here. All four were part of the grand slam winning squad of 2016, six nations triumph in 2017 and world cup squad of 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll start with the two that don\u2019t quite make it into the starting lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joe Launchbury<\/em><\/strong> is a quality operator that can count himself unlucky to be playing in a golden era of talent for English second rows otherwise he\u2019d have had even more than his 62 caps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George Kruis <\/em><\/strong>has similar credentials\u200a\u2014\u200a45 England caps but 3 Lions\u2019 caps too. Personal preference but I\u2019m just more of a fan of Joe, so he\u2019ll go on the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve yo-yo\u2019d in my opinion of Courtney Lawes<\/em><\/strong> a few times over the last decade. At times I thought he was one dimensional and a brute, and other times he can break a game alive and is a dynamic, multi-positional playmaker. Athletically, he\u2019s a freak, but he\u2019s developed his game so much over the decade and his 85 England caps 2 Lions caps are well earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maro Itoje <\/em><\/strong>will go down as one of the best England players, and best second rows, ever. He\u2019s a hybrid second-row\/ flanker and despite being 6 foot 5 (1.95m) manages to get in at the breakdown like he\u2019s 5 foot 5, is a tackle machine and he\u2019s highly capable in the lineout. That\u2019s before I\u2019ve mentioned his attacking ability, of which he has plenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He dominated New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final and despite only making his senior debut in 2016, has already established himself as one of the first names on not just England\u2019s, but the Lion\u2019s team sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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4 – Maro Itoje<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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5 – Courtney Lawes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>
Maro and Courtney in the second row are a formidable duo of power, energy, big tackles, mobility and a dominant lineout.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Flankers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At the start of the decade, I\u2019d have put money on Steffon Armitage<\/em><\/strong> having a long and illustrious England career, particularly given the lack of quality opensides England have had in recent times. In 2011 he moved to France having only made 5 England appearances and never came back, ruling him out of future appearances due to the strict selection policy that players must play for an English club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Tom\u2019s, Croft and Wood,<\/em><\/strong> have both gained a decent amount of caps at flanker, and both play their best rugby at blindside (6). Croft also has 5 caps for the Lions (he went on the 2009 and 2013 tours). There was a time when I thought Croft would play for England for a long time, but injuries set him back on more than one occasion and then with Robshaw being the captain, his chances of being picked diminished and he hasn\u2019t picked up any more caps since 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wood has had more caps and longevity than Croft but did primarily play in England\u2019s less successful years of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Amazingly, Lewis Moody is 6th for appearances at flanker in the 2010s despite retiring in 2011.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Chris Robshaw was captain during England\u2019s least successful period of the decade. Despite captaining 42 games, England won only 25 under Robshaw\u2019s captaincy and won no major honours. He certainly wasn\u2019t England\u2019s best captain but he was the epitome of work ethic, leading by example and a constant nuisance, particularly defensively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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James Haskell joked that the 2016 six nations back-rowers ‘weren’t bad for a couple of 6.5s’ with neither of them being out and out openside flankers but still managing to win the Grand Slam.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Robshaw\u2019s back row mate James Haskell has had a mixed England career, but he had a real purple patch towards the end of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m going to go with Robshaw at 7, though. I just think he\u2019s a better player than Haskell, plain and simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My pick at blindside is my most controversial of the entire team. He only made his debut in 2017 and has just 19 caps, but what a difference he has made to the England back row in that time. If all goes well he\u2019ll make the team of the next decade, too, but the impact he has had for me surpasses that of Haskell, Wood and Croft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Tom Curry<\/em><\/strong> takes the 6 jersey and Haskell<\/em><\/strong> goes on the bench, with Tom Wood and Tom Croft missing out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>A well deserved MOTM performance in the World Cup quarter-final and a hilarious post-match exchange.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure wp-block-heading\" id=\"5070\">Number 8<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">This one doesn\u2019t even need a token discussion. <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Billy Vunipola<\/em><\/strong> is an absolute beast with ball in hand, and media coverage from other countries tends to centre on his ability when coming up against England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The only slight against him is that he is prone to injury, but that\u2019s the price he (and us fans) pay for his bruising style that puts his body on the line week in and week out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">He has 50 caps, 8 tries and was also selected for the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017, but had to pull out due to a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Ben Morgan<\/em><\/strong> and <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Nick Easter<\/em><\/strong> both accumulated some caps in the early part of the decade and <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Nathan Hughes<\/em><\/strong> has 14 caps more recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Sam Simmonds<\/em><\/strong> is one to watch for in the coming years but <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Billy Vunipola <\/em><\/strong>is the number 8 of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-11.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"411\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-11.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-11\/\" class=\"wp-image-411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-11.png?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-11.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-11.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-11.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">6 – Tom Curry<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-12.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"410\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-12.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-12\/\" class=\"wp-image-410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-12.png?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-12.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-12.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-12.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">8 – Billy Vunipola<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-13.jpg?resize=525%2C453&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"409\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-13.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-13\/\" class=\"wp-image-409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C883&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-13.jpg?resize=300%2C259&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-13.jpg?resize=768%2C662&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-13.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">7 – Chris Robshaw<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">13 years separate Robshaw and Curry, but Curry plays with an experience that defies his youth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure wp-block-heading\" id=\"40a2\">The forward subs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-14.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"408\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-14.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-14\/\" class=\"wp-image-408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-14.png?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-14.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-14.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-14.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">17 – Joe Marler<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"491\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-15.jpg?resize=525%2C491&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"407\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-15.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-15\/\" class=\"wp-image-407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-15.jpg?resize=1024%2C957&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-15.jpg?resize=300%2C281&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-15.jpg?resize=768%2C718&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-15.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">16 – Dylan Hartley<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-16.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"406\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-16.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-16\/\" class=\"wp-image-406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-16.png?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-16.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-16.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-16.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">18 – Kyle Sinckler<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"405\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-17\/\" class=\"wp-image-405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-17.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">19 – Joe Launchbury<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-18.jpg?resize=525%2C506&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"404\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-18.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-18\/\" class=\"wp-image-404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C987&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-18.jpg?resize=300%2C289&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-18.jpg?resize=768%2C740&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-18.jpg?w=1044&ssl=1 1044w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">20 – James Haskell<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">It\u2019s a hugely experienced group of forwards on the bench, with over 300 England caps, and all of them have been selected for the Lions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3 graf--leading wp-block-heading\" id=\"ea7c\">The Backs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">So that\u2019s the forwards done, now it\u2019s on to the backs. I\u2019ve got 7 starting positions and 3 subs to pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p wp-block-heading\" id=\"13d8\">Scrum-half<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">Had the 2019 Six Nations not been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Ben Youngs <\/em><\/strong>would now be a member of the 100 cap club. He sits tantalisingly close on 99 and has been ever-present throughout the 2010s. As I mentioned at the top, there are only 3 England players that were involved in all 3 world cups so it should be a no-brainer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">But for much of the decade, I was a vocal petitioner for Danny Care starting above Ben Youngs because of the extra attacking threat through his sniping runs from the breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">I can\u2019t deny Youngs has improved throughout the decade, becoming fitter and more rounded in his game and I can\u2019t argue with him being England\u2019s scrum-half of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Richard Wigglesworth deserves an honourable mention but can\u2019t compete with the 84 caps of Danny Care, so Care goes on the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p wp-block-heading\" id=\"ccc8\">Fly-half<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">Owen Farrell is the first name on the team sheet, but where should I play him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">He\u2019s England\u2019s second all-time points scorer and at his current rate of points per game, would equal Jonny Wilkinson in 24 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">With the Six Nations, Autumn Internationals and Summer Tours, it will take between 2 and 3 years to do this. A very doable feat given that Faz is still only 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">He also has 82 England and 4 Lions Caps so he\u2019s closing in on the 100 Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">There\u2019s only a couple of other fly-halves in the world that can compare to Farrell in the past decade for me\u200a\u2014\u200aBeauden Barrett and Johnny Sexton. That puts him in illustrious company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">George Ford has 64 caps and 300 points to his name, all while being the second choice kicker and second-best flyhalf in the team. He\u2019s fantastic on the front foot\u200a\u2014\u200aa smart rugby player with great distribution from both his hands and his feet. He\u2019s come under scrutiny over the years for his diminutive stature (as rugby players go!) and lack of defensive ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">I want to play Farrell in his best position, though, so Faz is my 10 and Ford drops to the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"403\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-19\/\" class=\"wp-image-403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-19.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">9 – Ben Youngs<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"402\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-20\/\" class=\"wp-image-402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-20.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">10 – Owen Farrell<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">My 9\u201310 axis has over 180 caps for England and 6 for the Lions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure wp-block-heading\" id=\"c710\">Centres<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Brad Barritt <\/em><\/strong>was solid (metaphorically and literally) for England during his 25 caps from 2012\u20132015 and I\u2019ve always been a fan <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Henry Slade<\/em><\/strong>, who hasn\u2019t quite established himself as the regular starter he\u2019d have hoped and has been somewhat hampered by injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">But my choices for 12 and 13 are <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Manu Tuilagi<\/em><\/strong> and <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Jonathan Joseph.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">If you want to talk about careers hampered by injury, you\u2019d probably start with Manu. He looked set to dominate the decade when he burst on to the international scene in 2011. He missed a world cup, a lions tour and multiple six nations championships due to injury (and disciplinary action) but still has 38 caps and 17 tries. His family have pretty decent rugby pedigree, with five of his older brothers having represented Samoa internationally. Imagine providing high-protein meals for that lot?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">At 13, I\u2019ve always been a big JJ fan\u200a\u2014\u200aI love his ability to make something happen and get between defenders. He\u2019s electric with the ball in hand and a great support runner. He\u2019s fallen out of favour in the last couple of years but he had a real purple patch from 2015\u20132017, scoring all of his 17 tries for England in 2.5 years, including a hat-trick against Italy in the 2016 Six Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"401\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-21\/\" class=\"wp-image-401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-21.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">12 – Manu Tuilagi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"400\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-22\/\" class=\"wp-image-400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-22.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-itemcaption\">13 – Jonathan Joseph<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">My midfield of Manu Tuilagi and Jonathan Joseph combines finesse, decision making, power and evasiveness to make a quality duo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure wp-block-heading\" id=\"fdc0\">Back three<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">Mike Brown tops the charts of back three players with 69 caps this decade, and a total of 72, and only 8 of these were off the bench. He\u2019s the only out-and-out 15 in the top 7 caps list of the decade and he was Mr dependable for the majority of his England career. Some may argue he was kept in the team a little longer than his form warranted but he goes in as my 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-399 is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"446\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-23.jpg?resize=446%2C470&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-23.jpg?w=446&ssl=1 446w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-23.jpg?resize=285%2C300&ssl=1 285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 446px) 100vw, 446px\" \/><figcaption>Top back-three players by number of caps in the 2010s<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Jonny May is 5th on England\u2019s all-time try-scorer list with 29 and needs just 3 more tries to move up to 2nd. He needs a total of 21 more tries to beat Rory Underwood\u2019s record. If you\u2019d told me back in 2013 that Jonny May would have been on an all-decade England team, I\u2019d have laughed at you. He was a flyer, a finisher, but lacked the depth of skills and defensive ability needed at international level. Man has he proved me wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jonny May - I AM SPEED | Highlights 2020 \u1d34\u1d30\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6VyJupOhzKw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>A compilation of Jonny May doing Jonny May things.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">My final pick in the back-three is Chris Ashton. He could, and should, have played far more than his 43 games for England during the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">He stormed on to the England scene in 2010\u200a\u2014\u200ascoring 6 tries in his first two six nations match and ending the 2011 World Cup as joint-top scorer, despite England being eliminated in the Quarter-Finals. He started all 5 matches as England won the Six Nations in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">He was dropped from the England setup in 2014 and then successive bans (for gouging and then biting) kept him out through to 2017 when he left to play for Toulon and therefore became ineligible to play for England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">He also turned down Eddie Jones\u2019s offer of being called up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">In there then, there are at least 40 more England games he could have played in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">To back up his international credentials with some club stats, he\u2019s the European Champions Cup top try scorer and he\u2019s just 7 away from breaking Tom Varndell\u2019s Premiership record of 92 tries so his prolific try-scoring ability for both club and country get him the final spot in my team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Shoutout to Ben Foden for his wonderful hair, Elliot Daly for having a bazooka of a left-foot, and Jack Nowell for his rat-tail but my final position on the bench goes to <strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Anthony Watson.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Watson can play across the back three and can make something happen with his kick-chasing, side-stepping and general energy going forward. He also started all three tests on the 2017 Lions\u2019 tour of New Zealand and was one of the standout players in the 1\u20131 series draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-24.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"398\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-24.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-24\/\" class=\"wp-image-398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-24.png?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-24.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-24.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-24.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-25.jpg?resize=525%2C499&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"397\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-25.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-25\/\" class=\"wp-image-397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-25.jpg?resize=1024%2C974&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-25.jpg?resize=300%2C285&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-25.jpg?resize=768%2C730&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-25.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-26.jpg?resize=525%2C545&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"396\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-26.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-26\/\" class=\"wp-image-396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-26.jpg?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-26.jpg?resize=289%2C300&ssl=1 289w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-26.jpg?resize=768%2C797&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">These three have pace, poise under the high ball and finishing prowess.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure wp-block-heading\" id=\"0ef4\">The backs\u00a0subs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-27.jpg?resize=525%2C532&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"395\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-27.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-27\/\" class=\"wp-image-395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-27.jpg?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-27.jpg?resize=296%2C300&ssl=1 296w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-27.jpg?resize=768%2C778&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-28.png?resize=240%2C240&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"394\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-28.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-28\/\" class=\"wp-image-394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-28.png?w=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-28.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-29.png?resize=525%2C525&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"393\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-29.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/tod-29\/\" class=\"wp-image-393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-29.png?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-29.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-29.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-29.png?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">Care, Ford and Watson round off the team at number 21, 22 and 23 respectively.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">There you have it, my team of the decade!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">What do you think? Would you change anyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-392 is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"513\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-30.jpg?resize=513%2C638&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-30.jpg?w=513&ssl=1 513w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/tod-30.jpg?resize=241%2C300&ssl=1 241w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" \/><figcaption>The starting XV has 12 players that were part of the England squad at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 15<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>It being June 2020, I know I\u2019m a bit late to the party on topics like this but hey, lockdown allows us to finally get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[31,32,30,9],"class_list":["post-23","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-england","tag-rfu","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Who makes my England Rugby team of the\u00a0decade? - Chris's Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who makes my England Rugby team of the\u00a0decade? - Chris's Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Reading Time: 15 minutesIt being June 2020, I know I\u2019m a bit late to the party on topics like this but hey, lockdown allows us to finally get […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Chris's Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-09T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-14T16:16:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chrismiles.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/England-vs-Argentina.jpeg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"562\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"18 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/chrismiles.co\/england-rugby-team-of-the-decade\/\",\"name\":\"Who makes my England Rugby team of the\u00a0decade? 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World Cups<\/h3>\n\n\n\nDuring the last decade there have been three world cups, and to say that England\u2019s success has been mixed would be an understatement. Here\u2019s how the three world cups went down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forwards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

World Cups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
During the last decade there have been three world cups, and to say that England\u2019s success has been mixed would be an understatement. Here\u2019s how the three world cups went down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n