When is a dropped player not really dropped?

Jack de Menezes looks at England’s theory that rugby players no longer need to aim for the starting XV after Ben Youngs was named on the bench for the first time in four years against a major nation

Ben Youngs was not selected to start against Scotland in the Six Nations (Getty)

Ben Youngs downplayed the notion of being “dropped” by England head coach Eddie Jones after being named on the bench against a major nation for the first time in four years.

The scrum-half has been one of Jones’s key leaders in his squad since taking the reins in 2016, with Youngs going on to make 44 of his 97 Test appearances under the Australian.

But after failing to impress in the Six Nations-opening defeat against France, Youngs was named among the replacements for last Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland as Gloucester’s 33-year-old Willi Heinz was handed the No 9 shirt.