ENGLAND WERE HUNGRY AND ENERGISED... I EXPECT THEM TO KICK ON NOW
IT IS all eyes on England’s next game against Ireland in two weeks — and what a prospect that is. But I suspect history will show Saturday’s ugly, sodden, windblown win over the Scots to be more important in the greater scheme of things.
The consequences of losing would have been dire. England would have been perceived as being in freefall ahead of a huge match against a rejuvenated Ireland and the pressure in the build-up would have been immense.
Instead, they are back on the winning trail and can breathe again. Ireland were much improved against Wales but were not worldbeaters and England have two impressive wins over them in the last 12 months to reflect on.
My feeling is that England will go well again at Twickenham, assuming Eddie Jones does not do anything daft on the selection front.
As I wrote before the game, I did not expect England to slip up against the Scots, simply because it was a better selected, more coherent team. I would suggest that selection is sometimes Jones’ biggest problem and it certainly put England on the back foot in the match against France.
At Murrayfield I never felt England were going to lose, and although it was the scrappiest, most chaotic game imaginable, I started to become optimistic about England’s future again.
We can declare the post-World Cup period of ‘grieving’ over, though many have underestimated how badly that affected a youngish squad. To get so near, to play so well in the semi-final but to bomb seven days later — that is hard to take. You need a few months to put some distance between that failure and the next challenge.
On Saturday though, I saw a hungry, energised England team. Flawed in certain areas but very determined and I expect them to kick on. I also saw something which heartened me. Key England tight forwards — Jamie George and Kyle Sinckler in the front row, lock Maro Itoje and Tom Curry in the back row — staying on for the full 80 minutes.
An expression I have always had as my mantra in business and rugby is ‘disruption’ — change, innovate or disrupt traditional thinking. This is something not usually associated with the English mentality but successful entrepreneurs ‘disrupt’, as do successful sports coaches.
I look at a future England pack of
Ellis Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, George Kruis, Curry, Sam Underhill and a fit-again Billy Vunipola and I want those players on for 80 minutes.
If five of them went the full distance yesterday why not eight? The next weeks, months, years should be spent trying to take their fitness to a new level. Disrupt the current thinking of what is possible.
I have never been happy with our acceptance of the replacements merry- goround on 55 or 60 minutes. More often than not they detract from a team’s effort as their best players depart.
I have not seen a Six Nations game where I have been convinced the players entering the arena have done any better than those coming off. Many teams get worse. Look at the French coach taking off his entire front row and nearly handing the game on a plate to England. Leave your best players on.
Meanwhile, did you catch the Sonja McLaughlan interview with Jones on BBC before the Scotland game when she pressed him on why he feels the need to stoke things up verbally?
‘I enjoy doing it,’ he admitted. ‘It’s easier not to say anything… but I think you have got a responsibility to create the theatre of the game, to paint a picture of how you want the players to play and to sometimes paint a picture to the opposition. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.’
In Australia, rugby union is a long way behind cricket, rugby league and Aussie rules and you have to sell big union games for all your worth to get a crowd and the temptation is to go over the top verbally sometimes. You do not need to do that here. Since when has there been a need to hype up France v England in Paris or Scotland v England at Murrayfield? The rivalry is centuries old and we all love it.
Jones’ ‘ brutality’ comments before the France game were premeditated and he repeated them in a country where a number of junior players have died from rugby injuries in the last year or so.
He got it badly wrong and the professional reply to someone heading up the image of English rugby should have been statesmanlike. ‘I apologise for that, I got that one wrong and I am sorry really if it upset anyone.’ End of story and move on.
Ireland beat Wales with a bit to spare in Dublin and with the game avoiding the worst of the weather we were able to witness a decent spectacle with the Irish back three looking dangerous and Tadhg Furlong appearing a rejuvenated figure in the front row.
What pleased me most though was seeing the satisfaction on Andy Farrell’s face. He can look in the mirror this morning and say: ‘Yes, I can really do this job.’
No matter how accomplished you are as player and an assistant coach you will have nagging doubts in the back of your mind when you take up your first appointment as the man in charge.
Farrell can reflect on two wins, one of them scrappy, one very pleasing. He will feel as if he belongs and has nothing to lose when Ireland head to Twickenham.