EXHIBITION TIME Eddie’s new-look side must put show to keep the heat on Wales in title race
TWICKENHAM will stage an exhibition today. A training session. A problemsolving exercise. A chance to put on a show. The outcome is certain, so this is not a Test match in the truest sense, promising tension and intrigue.
England v Italy is a fixture in reverse. The match begins with the result already known. For all the diplomacy of the hosts, they are well aware that the question is not whether they win, but how many they win by. The bottom line is to claim the four-try bonus point which will keep them firmly in contention to claim the Guinness Six Nations title.
Frankly, if they fall short of that objective, it will be a seismic shock. Since the Italians joined the annual championship, they have lost nine successive matches in south-west London, by an average of 30 points. They are currently on a record- breaking run of 20 consecutive Six Nations defeats. The Azzurri’s head coach, Conor O’Shea, speaks with endless enthusiasm about the project he is overseeing but long-term hope is being masked by short-term failure.
Some bookmakers were offering odds of between 50-1 and 73-1 against the visitors. The Six Nations is founded on fierce rivalries but the harsh reality is that this has never been one. It just comes down to whether England win with a swagger or a stutter.
Eddie Jones’s team know that the task is to keep the pressure on their conquerors in Cardiff. Wales are on course for a Grand Slam, but any slip will allow the English — buoyed by their bonus points — to snatch the title. Warren Gatland’s men take on Scotland at Murrayfield in the early kick- off and then Ireland at home next week. England will expect to dispatch Italy and Scotland on successive Saturdays, which may yet leave them top of the European pile for the third time in four years.
In the not-too- distant future, this could be a fixture with something else riding on it. Relegation. If World Rugby’s grand plans come to fruition, this championship will not stay ring-fenced much longer and the Italians would be fighting for survival.
The focus this evening will be on the process. The fine detail. The sub-plots. England have a new look, one that Jones has been excited about unveiling, so it will be fascinating to see whether his super- sized side functions effectively. There are plenty of questions to answer. Can Ben Te’o and Manu Tuilagi operate well in midfield? The centres wreak havoc by breaking tackles and off-loading but time will tell if they can form a complementary partnership.
Out wide, another giant ball-carrying weapon of mass destruction is ready to run riot. Bath’s Fijiborn rookie wing, Joe Cokanasiga, takes some stopping, as he proved when he burst on to the Test scene last November. He also has a predator’s knack for scoring tries.
His opposite wing, Jonny May, believes he has endless potential, saying: ‘He is very gifted, athletically, and he is a huge bloke. He is strong and very fast — so he has got the world at his feet. He is getting better, he is learning and I am pretty sure he is going to have a pretty decent game.’
Asked if Cokanasiga could emerge as one of the world’s best wings, May — a man now firmly in that category — added: ‘Of course he could. For a wing, that athletic ability is huge, then you’ve just got to build your game understanding and he is doing that.’
Among England’s backs, the other question mark is Dan Robson but the Wasps scrum-half is again having to bide his time on the bench. This time, surely, he must be given a decent spell of game-time, in order to start proving that he can be the understudy to Ben Youngs at the World Cup.
Up front, the rookie ‘ rough diamond’ props, Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler, have an opportunity to demonstrate that they have the set-piece prowess and sufficient composure to go with their explosive ability as strong carriers and defenders. And Brad Shields must use a start at blindside flanker to re-establish his World Cup credentials, now that Mark Wilson has shaken up the back-row hierarchy. Overall, the big question for England is whether they can deliver a Plan B if Plan A fails — something they were unable to do when Wales seized the initiative in Cardiff a fortnight ago. If Te’o, Tuilagi, Cokanasiga and Co cannot create route-one momentum, the home side have to be able to adapt on the hoof. Similarly, Jones will expect his players to react far more swiftly if Italy come up with spoiling tactics, as they did with their ruckless ploy two years ago.
O’Shea’s team were competitive against Ireland in Rome in their last fixture and it must be hoped that they can raise themselves again today, in order to give their captain a fitting Twickenham send-off. Sergio Parisse is 35 and is unlikely to grace this arena again.
The No 8 has been one of the greats of the era. There will be no glory for him today but the crowd should pay noisy tribute to an iconic figure, before settling back to savour the exhibition.