Eddie’s still a work in progress
THE biggest challenge of England’s World Cup warm-up matches is assessing where the smoke-and-mirrors stuff ends and the true measure of how well prepared they are begins. My view is that paying attention to details of subterfuge, where players and moves are kept under wraps until the tournament, is a waste of time. Instead, we should look at the warmups as a reasonably accurate reflection of how well-primed Eddie Jones and his squad are against the standards they aspire to, and compared to their opponents.
The drawn two-match series against Wales provided us with many more positives from the first leg at Twickenham than there were from the loss in Cardiff last weekend.
The main disappointment in the second leg was the lack of try scoring opportunities they created against a Welsh side mounting the sort of curmudgeonly pressure defence that England will face against Argentina and France, and on three more occasions if they make the quarter-finals in Japan.
In the process, recurrent shortcomings in England’s game were highlighted – and they are beginning to appear as if they are areas in which head coach Jones is struggling to make headway.
The list includes a driving maul that lacks clout, a back row balancing act, not enough depth at scrum-half, a multiple-choice puzzle to solve in midfield, and the conundrum of whether to start the World Cup with Elliot Daly or Anthony Watson at full-back.
Driving Maul
Three out of four England line-out drives in the Welsh 22 turned-over in Cardiff is not a statistic that inspires confidence. It suggests this is not the area of traditional strength it was when England became world champions in 2003 – and if Jones is looking to emulate that team then his squad will have their work cut out to get their driving maul in gear before they open their 2019 World Cup account.
Given that Exeter have one of the most effective driving mauls in Europe, we asked the Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter to explain what is required for England to turn it into a deadly weapon, rather than one which frequently misfires.
What, for example, makes England capable of scoring such an impressive driving maul try against New Zealand last autumn, but then being unable to find a way through the Welsh maul defence on multiple occasions?
Baxter explains: “You often hear people saying that a driving maul was unstoppable, but no maul is unstoppable if a team defends flat-out, and puts numbers in – and Wales were really committed to stopping England in that second Test.
“When you get in a position when you have got to go for the corner and a line-out drive, such as (England faced) at the end of a match, that is when the opposition are fully loaded in defence. You don’t ever want it to be a point of last resort, because then it’s no longer such an effective weapon.
“What you want to do when you go to the corner is to show a bit of variety during the match, maybe by throwing long over the back, or using off the top ball from the middle of the line-out to send a centre up the middle, so that you keep them guessing. You have to sow a bit of doubt in the minds of the defenders, because if you keep throwing to catch it at the front or the middle of the line-out all the time, then they will just hammer you into touch.”
Baxter says that one of his big bugbears about the game now are pundits who do not understand the importance of the maul. “There is a real naivete about what creates space and mismatches, and I believe that is powerful mauls and scrums. The mauls tie a lot of players into one area, and that creates other areas where smaller guys can be effective against bigger men.”
He adds that brain counts as much as brawn in building an effective driving maul: “There’s way more to it than meets the eye, because there are so many elements. A lot of it is physical, but it is also a mental decision about being accurate about what you do, and getting your role in it right.
“Players have to buy into it, so there’s a lot of mental preparation. We do detailed video work, and then walkthroughs with attention to each player’s role, their start-up points, and how to direct their power effectively. Obviously the throw and catch are crucial, and then the first three players around the ball have to retain the integrity of the maul by staying strong and not allowing themselves to be spun away, or disrupted.
“Sometimes there is a tendency with most packs to spend too much time setting it up and making it look pretty, but forgetting that it has to be going forward, so you have to get the two elements synchronised.”
Baxter’s last point seems to be particularly pertinent when it comes to England raising their mauling game, starting with Tonga on September 22 in the SapporoDome.
Back row balance
At times over the last year England’s attack has looked lethal – with the wins over Australia, Ireland, France, and the first half against Scotland, the best examples – and it is no accident that this has coincided with Scott Wisemantel’s appointment as attack coach.
When he was asked earlier this week how many of his attacking ideas see the light of day, the relaxed Aussie responded that, “Eddie’s a very innovative coach”, and added: “A lot do, and a
lot don’t – but I come up with some insane ideas.” However, when it comes to loopy ideas the one that has taken pride of place when it comes to hamstringing England’s attacking options for the last decade, is that you could dispense with openside flankers, and the speed, combativeness, and linking ability that they bring. Wisemantel is fortunate to have two genuine rovers in Tom Curry, left, and Sam Underhill, far left, both of whom are fast enough to give England the continuity in attack they have so often lacked, especially when it comes to getting support runners to track line-breaks quickly enough to be on the shoulder of the carrier to take the offload. If England are going to sometimes sacrifice height at the line-out by playing this openside duo, it is imperative that Jones and Wisemantel maximise their impact around the pitch – and as decoys or links in back row moves off scrums.
The threat they pose at set-pieces in or around the 22 will make Billy Vunipola’s strike power from No.8 even more potent.
Scrum-half depth
Ben Youngs talked recently about England having great experience in key positions as an important factor going into the 2019 World Cup. What Youngs, 29, omitted to say is that as England’s most capped scrum-half – he made his 88th Test appearance against Ireland yesterday – he is the most experienced of the lot.
Youngs’ England understudy, Gloucester’s Willi Heinz, may be three years older, but with only two caps the gulf in Test match savvy between them should be massive. However, because the Leicester scrum-half is not the archetypal terrier 9 snapping at the heels of his pack, his authority is not as evident as it might be – while Heinz has already earned plaudits for being a clear communicator.
Youngs’ speed off the mark makes him a danger man around the fringes, and it explains why he is third in the list of Red Rose try scorers in his position with 12. However, England need him to rediscover not only his verve as a sniping runner but also to emerge as a commanding presence who brings the weight of his experience to count in Japan.
Midfield puzzle
The return of George Ford at fly-half for the first three warm-up Tests, with England captain Owen Farrell moving back to 12 against the Irish, suggests strongly that Jones has not abandoned the partnership that secured a Grand Slam in 2016.
It can be argued that the England coach has the best of both worlds. He has the choice of fielding either the combination of Farrell at 10 with Manu Tuilagi at 12 and Henry Slade at 13 – which at times looked so potent last season – or his previous 10-12 preference of Ford and Farrell, and then making a call on Tuilagi’s power or Slade’s playmaking ability at 13.
However, what Jones must be wary of is falling between two game-plans because England have not shown themselves to be the most tactically adaptable of sides – and that means making a clear choice between Farrell and Ford as his starting fly-half.
Full-back conundrum
Daly is such a gifted ball-player and athlete that, according to Jones, he can turn his hand successfully to almost anything. This explains his decision to deploy Daly at full-back for the last 14 Tests, and in most respects it has been rewarded, especially in terms of cut-and-thrust on the counter-attack.
The only hitch is that Daly, who spent most of his club career with Wasps at outside-centre and his early Test career on the wing, is not as flash under the high ball as he is elsewhere – and it has led to him coming under increasing aerial scrutiny since the Six Nations.
So far Daly has not shown the positional sense or conviction to quash the aerial criticism, and this contrasts sharply with Watson who showed cat-like reflexes and agility to claim high-balls against the Welsh.
Full-back has always been more of a risk and reward position than most, but unless Daly rises to the aerial challenge imminently the risk element is likely to tilt the scales at 15 in Watson’s favour.
The evidence of the warm-ups is that unless Jones and his squad resolve the issues raised here rapidly, England will go into the World Cup as more of a work in progress than the finished article.