England can still win Six Nations, but only if they beat Scotland ... and that’s a big IF
WHAT LED TO THE PUMMELLING IN PARIS?
CHRIS FOY: England were unable to exert the physical dominance that Eddie Jones had expected. They lost the collisions and were turned back on the gainline. They could not build sustained pressure, there were too many errors, they were eclipsed at the breakdown and were unable to adapt.
SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Poor selection, too many players out of position or being blooded too soon. Too much noise from Jones about brutality and violence and becoming the greatest ever rugby team! It proved a huge distraction, a recipe for disaster.
DYLAN HARTLEY: Skills errors from one to 15 meant England could never sustain pressure; not only individually, but also at the set piece. We had issues with deliveries and winning clean ball. Secondly, the French dictated the gainline with their physicality. Thirdly, France were quality. The narrative was how they are this young side, but in reality they had only two new caps.
NIK SIMON: France came flying out of the traps while England looked flat. Eddie Jones pushes his players to the max at their training camps. Perhaps he took too much out of them.
WAS IT JUST A BLIP?
FOY: England can be more physically imposing, but being deprived of their Polynesian power does not help. The breakdown trouble could be alleviated by a back-row reshuffle, but the failure to troubleshoot on the hoof has been a recurring theme for years. It would be a shock if there is not significant improvement against Scotland.
WOODWARD: The evidence suggests not. I was hoping the World Cup final was a bad blip, a no- show that had never been debriefed or explained by anybody qualified to do so. But now England are repeating their mistakes.
HARTLEY: Yes, relax. The team have world- class players and hundreds of caps. Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition — England were off and France were on.
SIMON: Not really. The great All Blacks teams of 2011 and 2015 had the ability to adapt and fight their way out of a corner. Sunday was not the first time in the last 12 months England’s leaders have been slow to react.
CAN JONES FIX THE PROBLEMS THIS WEEK?
FOY: The line-up in Paris was similar to the one which put New Zealand to the sword. Something was horribly awry but England have experience and title-winning pedigree at Test and club level.
WOODWARD: Yes. England have the talent but don’t like being favourites. Winning repeatedly when you are the fancied team is mainly mental. That victory over New Zealand will mean less if it appears in isolation. Already it feels diminished
HARTLEY: The coaching and playing group will be hurting and will work tirelessly to put it right. Just remember South Africa lost their opening World Cup game.
SIMON: England are blessed with talent. But France threw caution to the wind with their youthful selection and England took the conservative route. Perhaps Jones needs to inject more youth who will attack the gainline and play with no fear.
DO ENGLAND NEED A SPECIALIST No 8?
FOY: Yes. Jones is convinced this is the era of the hybrid player, but there is a limit to versatility. Tom
Curry is a world-class flanker. He is not a world- class No 8. The clamour for Alex Dombrandt of Harlequins to be promoted is loud, for good reason.
WOODWARD: Absolutely. Tom Curry is one of the world’s best flankers, so why play him at No 8? Big mistake. I would start Alex Dombrandt immediately
HARTLEY: England had one loose ball from the scrum which a specialist may have dealt with differently. So did they need a specialist No 8? No, but they did need more players making dents with confrontational carries.
SIMON: Yes — and there are lots of options. Ben Earl has been the best No 8 in the Premiership statistically and should start at Murrayfield.
IS IT TIME FOR A NEW SCRUM-HALF?
FOY: Ben Youngs has been written off in the past and has responded in style. He is nearing a century of caps and is a popular figure, but Jones will not be swayed by sentiment. However, he ignored Ben Spencer and Dan Robson. A rookie contender must force the issue and that isn’t happening.
WOODWARD: Yes, but who? Jones has done nothing to bring on a new generation of nines, which looks crazy. He only ever has two in the squad. Youngs performs well when England dominate but not when they are struggling.
HARTLEY: I was in a similar situation as a player. Yeah sure — give everyone a game who plays scrumhalf… and when that doesn’t work give someone else a game. Seriously, continuity is good. Ben will be hurting and will be better for it.
SIMON: Youngs has been a fine servant but is unlikely to be Test standard in 2023. The shortage of obvious successors is a reflection of Jones’s blinkered selection policy.
WHAT OTHER CHANGES?
FOY: Curry should revert to blindside and resume his alliance with Sam Underhill. Anthony Watson at full-back — if fit. Jones has overlooked Sam James of Sale, a class act at outside centre, so with Henry Slade injured, Jonathan Joseph can deputise for Manu Tuilagi, if he is ruled out.
WOODWARD: Lawes is not a six, Farrell to 10, Joseph to start at 13, Devoto 12, hopefully Watson to return or Daly back to full-back. Kruis, Cowan-Dickie and Genge to start. Apart from that as you were!
HARTLEY: A bit like Scotland, England were camped on the French line multiple times but came away with nothing. Turning that possession and field position into points will be looked at.
SIMON: 15 Furbank, 14 Watson, 13 Daly, 12 Farrell, 11 May, 10 Ford, 9 Mitchell, 1 Vunipola, 2 George, 3 Sinckler, 4 Itoje, 5 Lawes, 6 Curry, 7 Underhill, 8 Earl.
HAS SARACENS SCANDAL AFFECTED THEIR PLAYERS?
FOY: None of the Saracens players performed at their supreme levels, but they weren’t alone. Even if their minds are scrambled, they are too influential to rest en masse.
WOODWARD: They were flat but they have played an incredible amount of rugby in the last 12 months. They might just be knackered, in particular George and Farrell. If fatigue is the issue, rest them and bring somebody in.
HARTLEY: If you’re suggesting England’s performance was down to cheating the cap, you’re way off. What is frustrating is that all these questions are looking for the answer to why England lost to a quality French side. My answer to the first question explains why I think England lost.
SIMON: They were all below par in Paris. Saracens have rotated their team heavily in the Premiership this season, so perhaps they were short of match practice. They made basic skill errors.
HOW CAN JONES REPLACE TUILAGI?
FOY: The obvious solution would be to reinstate Mako Vunipola at loosehead prop, but that depends on his physical condition. One positive aspect of England’s performance was the dominance of the scrum, so the coaches will think carefully before tinkering with their front row.
WOODWARD: I’m not convinced England need that big midfield presence any more. What they need is a Nick Tompkins-type 12 but that option has gone
HARTLEY: You can’t. Manu is Manu and only Manu can do what Manu does. I guess they’ll have to rethink how they play to their strengths with whoever slots in.
SIMON: There are no other English centres with Tuilagi’s power. He is one of a kind but his body cannot cope with the workload for club and country. Daly could offer an alternative approach.
ARE SCOTLAND CAPABLE OF BEATING ENGLAND?
FOY: They certainly are. Gregor Townsend’s side were unlucky not to beat Ireland and that display, along with events in Paris, will have raised Scottish hopes. England will be coming off a six- day turnaround and they will be in hostile territory again.
WOODWARD: Totally. They were much improved in Dublin, will rally around Stuart Hogg and will be up for this game in a big way. At home to England, they usually raise their game
HARTLEY: Scotland were great to watch, but equally frustrating. Hogg took heat for not scoring but they had eight to 10 opportunities to win. They’re a quality side who can always attack, but what impressed me most was their physicality. England will approach this respectfully.
SIMON: Not now they have left Finn Russell out. It’s a situation that has been handled terribly by the Scottish Rugby Union.
CAN ENGLAND STILL WIN THE SIX NATIONS?
FOY: Yes. They can be infinitely better than they were on Sunday. The other two winners — Wales and Ireland — have to come to Twickenham and the Irish were unconvincing against Scotland, so the title is wide open.
WOODWARD: Yes, it’s early days. They have Ireland and Wales at home and Italy on the final day. Now France are out of the way the draw works well… but only if they win on Saturday. That is now a big ‘if’.
HARTLEY: Plenty of teams lose a fixture then go on to win. The nature of their loss will have disappointed them. Momentum and confidence go hand in hand, so all eyes on France, Wales, Ireland.
SIMON: They will be favourites in Edinburgh and Rome, and the odds of beating Wales and Ireland at Twickenham are far greater than winning on the road.