Youngs made a scapegoat for arrogant England’s lack of forward motion in Paris
England looked arrogant on Sunday. In the first half, they looked like a side who thought it would just happen for them; that they could go through the motions and win at the Stade de France.
They were hit early by a nice try. There was a blatant knock-on in the build-up to France’s second – it was an atrocious decision – but England still would not have won had it been disallowed.
Ben Youngs has taken a lot of stick. He has been called ponderous and a host of other things. Sometimes, you get dropped and you think: “I deserve that.” Sometimes, you think: “I am the fall guy here.” I think Youngs will be feeling both.
There are few better players at manipulating fringe defenders. One of the easiest ways to stop line-speed in midfield, which is what England faced from a France side coached by Shaun Edwards, is by your scrum-half being in motion. If you can get your nine breaking out from the ruck and keeping the ball in two hands, entertaining the first two defenders a little, the other side’s defensive line cannot come forward. Your opponents cannot blitz, because they will end up in a big dog-leg.
That is how Antoine Dupont put Teddy Thomas through early on. You do not even have to be a massive threat, but defenders cannot ignore you because going beyond the ball is too dangerous.
Youngs used to do that a lot. Willi Heinz did in the second half, albeit against more tired opponents. But England’s stationary forward runners did not help early on. They seemed to think they could entice tacklers on to them because they had done it in training.
Owen Farrell dropped a couple of passes because England were doing things they simply were not used to doing. Normally, George Ford is moving forward. When he does that, he is brilliant. When he does not, he might as well be a letter box.
He is just mailing a ball out to someone rather than putting players through holes. He can only control defences when he is moving. If your nine is not moving and you are getting blitzed, what compounds the situation is when you have a tighthead prop who takes the ball standing still.
Kyle Sinckler was motionless, thinking he was Merlin the Magician and throwing balls out the back. If you are going to stand still, use a bit of deception and get the ball to Ford. From there, he can manipulate opponents.
Ali Price and George Horne are both good at those scooting runs. It works when your team-mates are on the same wavelength. But, if you glance up from the base of a ruck and all you see is a prop standing still waiting for the ball, you have to give it to them. Otherwise, you are throwing a 25-metre pass in the pouring rain to a fly-half who does not want the ball because he has his support players in front of him. If Ford is not going to be the first-receiver, he has to be the second-receiver and time his run on to the ball.
That way, he will be in motion. If Ford spends tomorrow standing and delivering, England will lose unless Jonny May can pull something out of the bag again. His tries against France were just sensational. They came out of absolutely nothing.
I tend to agree with the argument that Farrell has not played well since he has been captain and at inside centre. I was very critical of the Ford-farrell partnership when it was first formed. It does work occasionally, I get that. But there have been too many times when it has not.
Particularly when England are chasing a game, it is not a partnership that gives them enough. It is different when they are on top and everything is going for them. What are England going to do if that does not happen? I am surprised that Ollie Devoto has not been given a chance. Manu Tuilagi made dents early on. Devoto has carried so well for Exeter Chiefs and always seems to get in behind.
Without Billy Vunipola and now Tuilagi, they are going to have to change things.
The second half was great, on the whole. I have no idea how George Kruis did not score, which would have made it 24-21 in the 75th minute. We saw hints of high-tempo attack, which is how England want to play.
What I do not understand – particularly in the case of May, because we have not seen a great deal in an England shirt from Elliot Daly for a good while – is why these players are not getting the ball enough. If there is a left-hand scrum and the ball does not eventually reach May on the right, he should run over to Ford, kick him in the spuds and say: “Listen mate, I do not train all week to stand around. Teddy Thomas has touched the ball five times and I have only touched it once. Give it to me and I’ll win the game for us.” That is what those wide men are there for!