England need leap of faith to make progress
THERE may be no judo sessions at England’s training camp in Brighton, but there will be plenty of exercises in mental agility on the schedule.
Eddie Jones is well aware that England have to take their game to a new level if they are to achieve their goal of toppling the All Blacks as the number oneranked side in the world, as Clive Woodward’s team did at the turn of the millennium.
In the modern era the only way to do that, in the spirit of rugby Trekkies, is to boldly go towards that cherished frontier. The meek shall not inherit planet rugby.
New Zealand do not win match after match by being timid and risk-free. They believe in their skills, trust their instincts and back each other.
English players are not schooled in the same ball-in-hand manner, not nurtured from the cradle as barefooted Kiwi kids on his way to primary school were taught to run freely with a rugby ball.
But they have other virtues, and Jones has put an emphasis from the outset of his tenure on those fundamental virtues of dominant set-piece and unyielding defence, but England need to take a leap of faith if they are to become world-beaters.
That process is top of the agenda in Brighton, with Jones urging his men to be “daring”, and to have “the courage” to play their game.
Although that might sound straightforward, it will be anything but.
England may have an unblemished record under Jones, played 13, won 13, but they are far from being an intimidating force in the manner that New Zealand are.
The one element that separates the world champions from the distant pack is their ability to take their chances. And to realise those opportunities you have to be forthright enough to create them in the first place. On both fronts, England are lacking: in mindset and in execution.
Jones intends to get into his players’ heads in Brighton. The detail will follow. All this will be challenging, all the more so given the attrition rate and turnover of personnel. Mere survival these days is quite an accomplishment.
How could it be otherwise when another slew of contenders has been either ruled out for the Six Nations, such as the Vunipola brothers, Billy and (in all probability) Mako, or has not made this two-day gathering on the south coast, notably the stricken Manu Tuilagi as well as the inform Wasps lock, Joe Launchbury. The spectre of injury is a constant fear, all the more so in a Lions year.
Every match played before the announcement of the squad to tour New Zealand in the summer will act as a trial. For fans, and pundits, it is a fun bar-room exercise. For coach Warren Gatland it is the imperative sifting of options. Of course there will be fringe candidates who will force their way into consideration, in much the manner that Ireland tighthead Tadhg Furlong did during the autumn. Others will come to the fore but equally Gatland’s focus has to be on settling his style of play and, with it, his principal cast.
Senior figures, be it Ireland’s Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton, or England’s Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje, or Alun Wyn Jones of Wales, have to show their colours throughout the Six Nations, not just as the fine players they are, but as leaders of men also, the like of which have to be at the heart of the Lions’ party.
Gatland will be paying particular attention to the fortunes of his leading candidates for the captaincy, with Dylan Hartley’s issues with discipline a negative.
If there is one closing wish for 2017 it is that the game comes to a sensible solution as to what is acceptable in the tackle.
Concussion is a blight on the sport and it is right that the authorities are looking to address such a pressing issue through game-related regulation.
As ever, it is the players who matter. The messages in Brighton hold true for them all. May the force be with them. — The Daily Telegraph