The six key questions England's tour Down Under must answer with World Cup looming

During his England tenure, when he explained selection calls, Stuart Lancaster often used the term “credit in the bank” in reference to the loyalty earned by experienced players.

A similar principle applies to coaches. On succeeding Lancaster, Eddie Jones built up plenty of goodwill between 2016 and 2017. After a dip in 2018, a run to the 2019 World Cup final replenished his popularity.

This four-year cycle has been odd for everyone, but England have had a particularly strange time. In 2020, following a blip in Paris, their ferocious defence eked out results and they even picked up a pair of trophies.

Over the last 18 months, though, there have been two lean Six Nations campaigns either side of an explicit promise to invigorate their conservative, kick-heavy approach.

Since the beginning of 2021, England have suffered six Test losses from 15 matches. Of their nine wins, eight have been at Twickenham. The other came at the Stadio Olimpico.

Frustrating defeats have been compounded by recurring requests for patience because, so obviously, the 2023 World Cup overshadows more immediate priorities. That tone – close to patronising in a ‘don’t fret, trust us’ way – is grating on fans, more so because tangible developments have not been easy to identify.

All cloak and little dagger would be a reasonable way to describe England’s World Cup build-up. There has been a purgatorial limbo about their 2022. Fixtures have come and gone without providing much in the way of new information. Consequently, credit in the Bank of Jones has dwindled.

Supporters want answers, or at least validation that their side is on the right track. They do not want more reassurances that everything will be alright in 2023, as they have been offered in recent post-match debriefs and by the RFU’s tournament reviews.

Jones’ stock soared in 2016, when England went Down Under and whitewashed Australia with performances that exuded clarity. Six years on, with the Wallabies threatening a resurgence under Dave Rennie, the tourists must demonstrate purpose and conviction.

It is not that there are no extenuating circumstances. Senior statesmen are unavailable. It is just that people have grown tired of hearing about extenuating circumstances. Fortunately, this series is bound to answer a few of these questions.

Are assistant coaches contributing?

We begin with the query that is most assured of a resolution. Players mentioned below could fall victim to injury. Jones’ coaching team will have to stay the course. And they need to illustrate progress.

Last September, the Rugby Football Union announced the arrivals of Richard Cockerill and Anthony Seibold to join Martin Gleeson and Matt Proudfoot under Jones.

A press release issued explained that the coaching line-up was “finalised”. John Mitchell, Simon Amor and Jason Ryles had all left the carousel, leaving a curious collection of lieutenants bound for the World Cup.

Proudfoot and Cockerill will have been reasonably happy with some strong mauling in the Six Nations. Those two should be excited about the uncertainty around Australia’s pack. Seibold, the defence guru, has clearly encouraged more aggressive jackalling. Gleeson’s attack showed promise last autumn before stalling.

But none of them appear to have definitively stamped their imprint on England’s displays as yet. Steve Borthwick, Scott Wisemantel and Mitchell, conversely, seemed to shape team strategy.

Jones is insistent that his regular chopping and changing of backroom staff stimulates the environment rather than disrupting it. Now would be a good time to vindicate that theory.

Does the Smith-Farrell axis have a future?

On paper, a midfield union of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell makes sense and could drive ‘New England’. The idea will be for the pair to dovetail as distributors. Sometimes, Smith will slip to second-receiver and attempt to pick off stretched defences. With quick ball, the 23-year-old may push flatter.

Farrell can either play pull-back passes to give his junior partner room or sit deeper and use his boot to find space in the opposition back-field. If the combination copes against Samu Kerevi, then it is defensively sound. Of course, the effectiveness of a Smith-Farrell double-act will depend upon infrastructure around it.

Can backline power make up for absent Tuilagi?

Joe Cokanasiga will be handy if Joe Marchant wears 13 alongside Smith and Farrell because the brawny wing could be a gain-line focal point. His tip-on pass to Jack Walker against the Barbarians, demonstrating a capacity to pop up in unconventional positions, was one of the more promising moments of a grim debacle.

Otherwise, the flinty Guy Porter is a potential foil for two passers and can also cover inside centre. Fraser Dingwall supplements Dan Biggar and Rory Hutchinson at Northampton. Another Saint, the exciting Tommy Freeman, has been carving out-to-in angles on club duty.

All of this, plus the bustle of Jack Nowell, should provide England with the thrust that they need without Manu Tuilagi. And, although Tuilagi attended a training camp in May to familiarise himself with Smith and Farrell, his presence next year cannot be guaranteed.

Are returning veterans up to it?

Flagship omissions following the cull of 2021, Billy and Mako Vunipola are back. The former is England’s sole specialist No 8 and, while Tom Curry may feature at the base of the scrum, he will shoulder a vital carrying load. Mako is now below Ellis Genge in the propping pecking order, but can have an impact in the series.

Danny Care has been talked up, too. The scrum-half’s last Test appearances was almost four years ago, yet there is nobody better to enliven phase-play.

Whether or not this trio would have been included were Alex Dombrandt fit and Ben Youngs around does not matter. They are in Australia and have an opportunity to crash into the World Cup reckoning.

Is Stuart a Test-class tighthead prop?

The identity of Kyle Sinckler’s back-up needed resolving before the Bristol man pulled out of this trip and Will Stuart, who has 20 caps, will be eager to establish himself this month. Joe Heyes, the 23-year-old Leicester Tigers tighthead, will nip at his heels.

Perhaps it is unfair to single out Stuart when there are others out to repay faith and prove themselves. Harry Randall, Charlie Ewels and Jonny Hill would all occupy this category.

Could Lawes revert to lock?

This very question was met with a smile from Jones during the Six Nations. Lawes’ last start at lock for England remains the World Cup final, with a perceived lack of scrummaging heft keeping him at blindside flanker. That should not stop us wondering and there are signs that Jones is considering a rethink.

Sam Underhill and Tom Curry started in tandem against the Barbarians, even after Dombrandt’s withdrawal, and the England head coach has predicted that Australia will engage in long bouts of kick-tennis in an attempt to restrict the number of line-outs.

That would lessen the need for Lawes to complement two locks as a third elite jumper. And it could energise England because a second-row partnership of Lawes and Maro Itoje would free up Jones to field three of Jack Willis, Lewis Ludlam, Curry, Underhill and Billy Vunipola. As many as four of them could decorate a matchday 23.