ANGER AS BOO BOYS PUT BOOT INTO FORD
Fans sour England’s send-off win
THIS was Twickenham, but not as we know it. Perhaps the fans didn’t bring enough sunscreen and the heat — as well as the beer — went to their heads, but the upshot was a thumping England win tarnished by abuse of a home player.
It was surreal and sinister to hear a largely English audience turn on their own No 10. George Ford missed six of his seven shots at goal and that was quite enough discomfort for him to bear, without the increasingly loud soundtrack of boos and jeers that accompanied every lapse.
No wonder Eddie Jones lamented the negativity on a day when his weakened team emphatically trumped a Wales line-up that was far closer to full strength. The head coach was left riled and on the defensive despite presiding over his sixth victory in as many fixtures.
On the back of the Grand Slam, there was another trophy for the cabinet — albeit a contrived and insignificant one. But when England captain Dylan Hartley climbed the steps to collect it, most of the ‘supporters’ had long since left.
There was plenty of vocal backing for the hosts, but the other side of the coin was a rare outbreak of dissent. There was more of it on the pitch, when Dan Biggar angrily complained to referee Marius Mitrea, following Jack Clifford’s second-half try, which the Welsh stand-off believed had come from a knock-on by Dan Cole. The officials were right to award the try and Jones was not impressed with Biggar’s strident protests.
Put aside the sideshows and this was a revealing game. As a pointer to what lies ahead this summer, it gave cause for English optimism and Welsh foreboding. Jones will take his men to Australia with enhanced conviction that they can win the series against the Wallabies, but his counterpart here, Warren Gatland, will struggle to stay as positive about Wales’s hopes in New Zealand.
The visitors led at the break but they were outplayed for 50-60 minutes, despite having most of their leading lights on duty. Losing Dan Lydiate to injury is a hammer blow, but there was plenty more to concern Gatland, such as being seen off in the set-piece and at the breakdown, and seeing the fabled Welsh defence unravel all too often.
England depart tomorrow for Brisbane. They will fly in hope, given that they were without a dozen key players yesterday and still won with room to spare. If Ford had been in prime kicking form, this would have been a rout. In fact, the one major concern for Jones will be what to do with the crucial 10-12 combination for the series opener against the Wallabies on June 11. Owen Farrell is on a roll, so there is a powerful case to switch him to fly-half, to act as the primary playmaker. But that would shatter Ford’s confidence and also leave a problem to solve at inside centre. Henry Slade took a step back in the Premiership final and Ben Te’o is untested. Elsewhere there are more answers than questions. Luther Burrell will surely have his tour place confirmed today after a try- scoring comeback and Marland Yarde was another who touched down on his return and was at full throttle when the ball came his way. Jones was critical of the way Teimana Harrison, on debut, and the other rookie backrower, Jack Clifford, played in the opening quarter, but they both came to the fore in the final hour. Harrison showcased his aggressive carrying and breakdown work, while Clifford galloped around the open spaces to telling effect.
As well as playing their part in the English command of the set-piece and collision areas, locks Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes served notice of their desperate hunger to respond to being usurped in the first-choice XV by the Saracens pair, Maro Itoje and George Kruis. Both were busy and powerful, while Ellis Genge provided a brief glimpse of his hard-edged potential.
Wales surged ahead early on when Rob Evans drove over from close range. Biggar converted that and a subsequent penalty, to open up a 10- point advantage. One more penalty was all the Ospreys fly-half and his team had to show for their afternoon’s work.
Gradually, England came alive. Burrell crashed over from Ben Youngs’s short pass in the 20th minute, but the revival really ignited either side of the break.
The second home try duly came when Mike Brown and Harrison both made good ground on the left and Jonathan Joseph sent Anthony Watson away for another twisting, stretching finish to add to his burgeoning collection. After the break, England took the lead at last, as Youngs left Scott Baldwin and Amos floundering to dart over from an attacking line-out.
There was no let-up for Wales. Biggar’s pass near halfway was patted down by Cole and Clifford pounced, picking up the ball and leaving Scott Williams in his vapour trail to score. Biggar raged in vain. Ford’s conversion — from in front of the posts — was his only kick on target and drew loud, mocking cheers.
Wales tried to break out of their half but when the ball went loose, the home side struck again. Lawes fended off Roberts before putting Yarde away for the try he had earned for his tireless endeavours.
There was raucous acclaim for the victors, but unnecessary derision aimed at the conductor of their attacking game. Ford has battles ahead, but appeasing English fans should not be one of them.
A journey to the other side of the world may be just what he needs to reboot his game, especially as England will travel with soaring hope.