EDDIE’S PUZZLE
Joseph guile set to edge out the brute force of Te’o
SCOTLAND are still haunted by what happened to them at Twickenham a year ago and most of the ghosts are likely to be found in England’s midfield at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Last March, Vern Cotter brought his side to London with a sense of expectation, only for the visitors to be buried under an onslaught as the Auld Enemy claimed seven tries in a 61-21 demolition.
The tormentors-in- chief wore the white 10, 12 and 13 shirts; George Ford and Owen Farrell, who formed the lethal creative hub of the electric English attack — and Jonathan Joseph, who plundered a hat-trick.
Matt Taylor, who was Cotter’s defence coach, remains in the post within Gregor Townsend’s set-up and yesterday he was forced to reflect on that personal ordeal. ‘It certainly wasn’t my highest point,’ he said. That is some understatement.
It was a miserable experience and the Scots are hell-bent on earning redemption in Edinburgh.
But they know a juggernaut is heading their way and that it will be shrewdly driven by Ford and Farrell, the two playmakers who troubled Italy in the NatWest 6 Nations opener, before excelling again in a tighter contest against Wales.
‘They are a good combination,’ said Taylor. ‘We have looked at how they play, coming on the short side in the middle of the field and picking off lazy forwards. They did that against Italy and Wales. England have big carriers, then Ford and Farrell pick weak edges to attack.’
The ongoing success of the Ford-Farrell axis has changed the entire selection dynamic for Eddie Jones and his assistants in relation to England’s midfield.
It has long been a problem area for the national team, but there has been relative stability of late. In the two years of this regime, Ford has been the pre-eminent fly-half, with Farrell and Joseph the centres. What seemingly began as a stop-gap 10-12 option has emerged as a long- term solution, even though Jones won’t accept that it is necessarily the final answer for next year’s World Cup.
After his side won in Rome, the head coach was asked what his view of this partnership had been when he took the job and whether it had altered over time. He said: ‘To be honest, I didn’t really know — and I still don’t. The best option may be Ford and Te’o, the best option might be Farrell and Te’o. We’re not sure, but those two guys (Ford and Farrell) are getting a great understanding.’
While Jones won’t nail his colours to the mast, it appears certain the Ford-Farrell alliance will stay in place. And that means there has been a shift of focus, from finding a power carrier and off-loader at 12 to considering them at 13 instead.
So, a year after his hat-trick in the Calcutta Cup, Joseph is the one sensing a growing queue of contenders jostling behind him. Ben Te’o started against Italy — despite being injured since October — and Jones likes the gainline-busting clout that the cross-coder offers.
He wants more bulk in the back line and Te’o brings that presence, as he showed in the first Lions Test against New Zealand last summer. England’s coaches will consider the merits of brute force and guile in the wider midfield channel.
Joseph is more likely to start, but it is by no means a certainty. Te’o can act as a different type of attacking outlet.
In a twist, the men could be club-mates next season as Te’o may be heading to Bath. And to add to the intrigue, this is no two-man tussle for one shirt.
Jones has spoken recently of considering Jack Nowell at outside centre. He is keen to reintroduce Manu Tuilagi there — if he ever regains peak fitness and his past potency. It is also Elliot Daly’s position of choice, although he has pulled up a forest of trees as a wing.
Scotland will be seeing the ghosts of 2017 at Murrayfield, but whether they see all of them from the start is another matter.