Control will be key to success over Argentina
IN their latest World Cup game England overcame a spirited American side with a performance that was not spectacular, but certainly accomplished.
They had 10 changes from their opening game against Tonga giving more game time to further members of the squad.
At this stage of the tournament England could not be in better shape, with most players having had a game, no injuries, no scandals, and topping their group with maximum points.
The next game sees the men in white take on an Argentina side that will be a step up in intensity, but England will still be favourites to gain the victory, with a try bonus point adding the extras.
The key words this week in the England camp will be control and accuracy.
Control the game tempo and field position as the South Americans will not like playing without the ball and will get frustrated and give away penalties, where Owen Farrell can then punish them with successful kicks or push them into a corner.
One England player who came into the World Cup with improved form, which has continued, is Jonathan Joseph who, whenever called upon, has stood out, giving Eddie Jones something to think about especially with Henry Slade seemingly still struggling with injury.
One of the biggest talking points of the World Cup is the standard of refereeing. The high tackle once again is high on the agenda.
The tackle level especially in the pro game has gradually moved up the body, which is not completely wrong, but as the tackle point becomes higher the margin for error decreases.
As already mentioned in this column control is key. Individual players in a contact sport must always maintain control, with the speed of the game getting forever faster, players getting physically more powerful so players with poor timing and technique will be found out.
The South Sea island players have a reputation for hard, high shots and at times reckless challenges. A high powerful shot to the head can cause a lot of damage, so policing this area of the game is crucial.
Factors in ‘mitigating’ circumstances may have to be taken into consideration. For example, if the ball carrier is ducking or falling down and a high shot happens this can come to the rescue of the tackler where a nailed on red card can be reduced to a yellow, or in some cases no action, because the ball carrier was in an off balanced position.
To stop the reckless high shot the chin up is a no-go area. If a player’s macho decision making in his tackle technique gets in the way of safety to attackers, then an early bath should be the only option.
This zero tolerance to high tackles will ensure players will soon adapt their technique and attitude to this area of the game.