Hey Stuart Lancaster, Nick Easter is better than ever

“Stuart likes to look to the future and stick with his younger guys. To a degree that needed to be done, but I am still playing at the top level. The Heineken Cup is the next step to international rugby and, if you perform well in that, people have to take notice.”

Easter plainly feels that whatever the justification for Lancaster’s old-guard clear-out after the 2011 World Cup misery, he should not have been among the discards – or not without supporting evidence, at any rate. Instead, he has been consistently exceptional – better, in fact, than either of Lancaster’s No 8 incumbents, Billy Vunipola and Ben Morgan.“Yes, 2011 does provide motivation,” said Easter. “It ended very, very sourly. We completely underachieved and, for me,there is still unfinished business. But if I did not feel I could produce internationally I would tell you straight, no matter how well I was playing for my club.”

O’Shea will argue Easter’s case with Lancaster, who visits Harlequins next week. He said: “If you ask if Nick is in the best 32 players in the country, it would be sarcasm if the answer was ‘no’.” Easter should be in England’s elite-player squad, and now he is doubling up in the second row would always merit a place on Lancaster’s bench.

It would be an almost unprecedented exception if Easter failed to prove it again tomorrow, even with Racing reinforced by their 2013 Lions, Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips and Dan Lydiate.

“Perhaps they underestimated us last time after we had lost our first two Heineken matches,” said Easter “No team has gone through from that position, but we have a chance and are very confident we can take it.”

Article source: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/rugby-sevens-brazil-adding-samba-style-to-scrum-for-2016-8877760.html

Hey Stuart Lancaster, Nick Easter is better than ever