LOSING IMPACT
Are England finishers finished?
AS ENGLAND pick over the carcass of their failed Six Nations title defence, Eddie Jones has been served up an easy scapegoat in referee Pascal Gauzere.
But there is also unpalatable gristle to stomach closer to home – not least the team’s fading finishing power.
In their two meaningful matches, England have yet to register a single point in the final quarter. For a team who pride themselves on the destructive impact of their bench, that statistic should make for alarming reading.
Not so long ago Jones was making a song and dance about how his finishers – as he referred to them – were changing the sport.
Now the question is whether England’s finishers are finished.
The side were in striking distance after an hour against Scotland, trailing by five points; and Wales, when they were level. But they drew a blank thereafter and were beaten both times.
Even in the gimme game against Italy, England only won the last quarter 9-7. So much for the stormtroopers coming on to change the game.
The impact from the has been negligible.
The contrast to the Wales replacements in Cardiff could not have been more vivid, with Cory Hill’s bonus-point try coming after Callum Sheedy had kicked the penalties that put his team out of sight.
England’s depth has been affected by the absence of forwards Sam Underhill, Joe Launchbury, Jack Willis and bench
Courtney Lawes. Livewire scrum-half Harry Randall is also injured.
But of all the teams in the championship, they should be able to put out a strong bench regardless, given the numbers that are available to head coach Jones.
England had second-row and back-row cover on the bench in Charlie Ewels and Ben Earl.
Where was the potential back line game-breaker Paolo Odogwu?
The uncapped Wasps player has not featured at all in the Six Nations yet.
By the time England face France at Twickenham a week on Saturday, Odogwu will not have played any rugby for eight weeks.
Jones has plenty to ponder in his selection for France.
Maybe he should start with No23 and work backwards.
DARREN MOORE became Sheffield Wednesday’s fourth manager of the season yesterday – and walked straight into a row with former club Doncaster.
The 46-year-old quit a League One promotion campaign with Rovers to try to revive Wednesday’s hopes of staying in the Championship.
Doncaster chairman David Blunt said he was “disappointed” given the support Moore had to build a “promising season”.
The Owls have been managed this term by Garry Monk, Tony Pulis and, latterly, interim boss Neil Thompson, who will remain on the staff.
Blunt said: “We disappointed that Darren are has chosen to leave the club part way through what has been a season full of promise.
“We have made significant efforts to support Darren over the past 18 months and ensure he was able to build a team capable of challenging in the top six. This has included supporting him through the past two transfer windows.”
But former West Brom boss Moore said: “If there is upset it is because of what we did at the club. I understand David’s comments and about being disappointed and the timing, but I am sure he is delighted for me as an individual.
“Doncaster are a wonderful club. It was an honour to go back as a former player 18 months ago and, seeing where the club were at, relegation material, and then we had a promotion-push stopped by Covid. Second season, we were leading another promotion push. We maximised our effort.”
Wednesday, second from bottom, are six points adrift of safety and tomorrow face a derby with Rotherham, just a place above them.
Moore said: “It is my biggest challenge because it is the next one. I have to be confident. I am ultra competitive. I have a belief within. It will always burn in me.
“I know it is not an easy challenge. We have some top,
talented players here and I want to unlock that to their full potential. We have to unleash that talent and get them playing with freedom.
“I did that at Doncaster. I had players there playing to a level they might not have seen six months ago. I can’t stop what people’s views will be. The chance was too much to resist – I had no hesitation.”
Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri insisted he is not selling up and indicated the club will be publishing their accounts imminently. He said: “I expect if there is nothing wrong, maybe we can submit this week or next.
“We’re still hoping to be in the Championship. We have 14 games – enough points there to stay up.”
PEP GUARDIOLA has warned his record-breaking Manchester City stars they face the axe if they let standards slip between now and May.
The Premier League leaders go into tonight’s clash with Wolves at the Etihad on the back of a stunning English record run of 20 straight wins in all competitions.
But with his side sharpening their focus on an historic ‘Quadruple’ Guardiola insists there must be no let-up in effort.
The manager said: “As much as we win and get results, we have to continue to demand and be over the players and say, ‘We can do better’.
“At the moment when I feel that everyone is thinking the job is done, or how good it is, then this guy is not going to play.
“I’m so intuitive to know exactly the guys who are not ready to continue what we have to do. We are in a good position in the Premier League, we’re in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the final of the Carabao Cup, and we won the first leg in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
“So we are in contention and that is good but we cannot sit down and say how good everything is. We know each other quite well and they know how demanding I am.
“Even now, in the three days in the lovely Manchester sun, they’re not relaxing for one second. There is a lot of the job still to do and there are signals where we have to improve.” Guardiola is wary of a Wolves side who did the double over them last season, winning 2-0 at the Etihad and 3-2 at Molineux.
And the City boss is expecting a testing encounter despite the visitors sitting 12th in the table.
“The history against them dictates and shows us how tough they will be,” he said. “We have to be calm because they play on your ambition and impatience to punish you.”
Plaudits have rained down on City as they have gone 27 games unbeaten in all competitions.
But Guardiola said he was uncomfortable with being labelled the best until they have proved it at the end of the season.
“The best team in Europe are Bayern Munich and in England the best team are the champions Liverpool. They are the best,” said Guardiola.
“If you are going to take the crown, you have to take it. It is March and nobody is champion. We have to deserve it.”