England coach Stuart Lancaster needs to spring a surprise to defeat southern hemisphere superpowers Will he back his stats man and go for those players who have been in tip-top form during the opening weeks of the season or will he revert to trust and reputation. Personally, I think there should be a bit of both. Pick the form players where you can, but don't dispense with those players in whom he has that obvious trust at the highest level. What we have to remember is that for every page of stats that Stuart has on his iPad, the Wallabies, Springboks and All Blacks will have the same facts and figures. So, if he picks Player A because he wins 100 per cent of his line-out ball at the front, well, he can expect the Kiwis to attack the front of the line-out on England ball. My approach would be this. Use a combination of the stats and reputation and then shock the rugby world by going against the facts upon which you have so heavily relied. Let me give you a clear example. If selected, England's main ball carriers according to Opta are Robshaw and Morgan. The opposition will know that and will act accordingly. So why not shift the emphasis? Why not use the element of surprise and maybe give the ball-carrying role to one or more of the remaining back five players? Just a thought. If we are to have a chance of winning, we need to shock them with quick line-outs and tap penalties and a high-tempo game. It brings me nicely around the my selection and the runners and riders for that opening game against Fiji in 13 days" time. Going from the front row, I would pick Dan Cole and Dylan Hartley with Maku Vunipola on the loose head. Hartley's ball-carrying stats put him above his competitors while Vunipola is a player who has proved this season that he can carry and make his tackles. In the second row I would go with Geoff Parling and Tom Palmer, for their all-round contribution. They are the leading second-row ball carriers in the elite player squad and boast the lowest percentage of missed tackles. They also provide the necessary bulk to a back five that for me would include Courtney Lawes on the blindside and Morgan and Robshaw at No 8 and openside respectively. At half-back, it becomes a little more difficult. If it's dry I would plump for the Lee Dickson and his high-tempo game, and if it's wet Danny Care should get the nod. Toby Flood wins the vote at outside-half with Manu Tuilagi and Jonathan Joseph in the centre with Chris Ashton and Ugo Monye on the wings. Mike Brown completes my starting line-up on the back of a terrific start to the season which sees him boast more carries than anyone else in the squad. Rugby with Opta's help is becoming moneyball. Players therefore have no hiding place. However, stats or no stats, it is time now for this England squad to deliver. Austin Healey is part of ESPN's live coverage of the Aviva Premiership. ESPN is lead broadcaster for the league and will show next Sunday's clash between London Irish and Harlequins