"At the moment, Mark has got that position and he's grasped it with both hands," says England scrum coach Neal Hatley. "The others have to chase him down"
Monday 4 March 2019 22:38, UK
Chris Robshaw has been told he must outperform Mark Wilson if wants to reclaim his place as England's first-choice blindside flanker by scrum coach Neal Hatley.
Robshaw has been included in Eddie Jones' Six Nations training squad ahead of Saturday's Test against Italy for the first time this year after returning to fitness following a knee injury sustained in October.
The 32-year-old will take part in sessions at the start of the week before discovering on Tuesday afternoon whether he is to play any further part in preparations.
That prospect appears unlikely after Wilson took advantage of his injury to make himself an indispensable part of England's back row, primarily as a number eight during the autumn series but this year at six.
Also competing for the position is Brad Shields, the former Hurricanes flanker who is favoured by the management despite an indifferent first season at Wasps.
"Mark and Chris are very high work rate players," Hatley said. "In the autumn, Mark really took a step up from a carrying point of view. We played him at eight where there are more opportunities to carry.
"From a work rate point of view, both are pretty similar, but at the moment Mark has got that position and he's grasped it with both hands. The others have to chase him down.
"He's an unbelievably proud Englishman, he's got real competitive desire to make tackles and then to get up and compete for the ball. He has been outstanding."
Robshaw won the most recent of his 66 caps during last summer's tour to South Africa but has slipped down the pecking order with the World Cup looming.
He made his comeback for Harlequins against Saracens on January 26 and was watched by Hatley in Saturday's 31-29 victory at Bath.
"Chris looked good. Physically he's in as good a shape as we've seen him," Hatley said. "He's in really good condition. Last weekend he made 28/30 tackles and got two turnovers.
"He's come back in good shape and his big challenge now is to add value. He's combative and very dependable. He's got an excellent work rate and he doesn't make many mistakes. That's quite a good commodity."
It appears unlikely, however, that he will have sufficient time to force himself into the frame against the Azzurri or the climax to the Six Nations against Scotland a week later.
"Everyone has a chance to play. It depends on how Chris goes over the next two days of training," Hatley said.
"We've talked continuously about developing strength in depth and we see Chris as an important of that."
