If versatility counts, Stevens will be in at No 1 for England
Writing in The Independent, Chris Hewett analyses the front-row selection dilemma now facing England team manager Martin Johnson following the injury-enforced exit of prop Andrew Sheridan.
"The question now is whether England have the faintest notion of who their number one No 1 should be. There are two contenders: the young London Irish prop Alex Corbisiero, who performed so well against such intimidating opponents as Martin Castrogiovanni of Italy and Nicolas Mas of France during this year's Six Nations, and Matt Stevens of Saracens, who has returned fitter, stronger, more focused and a whole lot happier in mind and spirit following his two-year drugs ban.
"Both men are good technicians and both have some football about them. Stevens' off-loading game, first developed during his spell at Bath, is worth its weight in gold in modern-day rugby, while Corbisiero's ability to take difficult passes and give good ones is equally striking. At 29, Stevens has had his share of rough passages in the scrum and survived to tell the tale. At 23, Corbisiero experienced a difficult hour or so against Mike Ross of Ireland in the Grand Slam match at Lansdowne Road last March, yet finished so strongly that all questions about his competitive make-up were answered there and then.'"
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