Former England hooker Brian Moore has advised coach Stuart Lancaster to pick Henry Slade over Sam Burgess in his final Rugby World Cup squad.
Both centres made their debuts in England's 19-14 warm-up win over France on Saturday, and Moore believes that Slade's craft is needed more than Burgess's brawn as they compete for a spot in the final squad.
He wrote in The Telegraph: "The instant need is for Slade's greater dexterity, shown in several passages of play, with his kicking being a very useful adornment at centre and all this without mentioning his cover as a genuine number 10 if needed.
"Much is made out of Burgess' professionalism and he is a stellar rugby talent. However, any of his fellow players who require lessons in professionalism should not be in a World Cup squad.
"The non-sentimental choice is for the Burgess question to be one for the next tournament. What Lancaster needs is options at centre but not a running debate with the media and supporters about which two players are his primary unit."
Both players could feature this weekend when England travel to Paris for their second match against France.
Charlie Bennett
