Black Magic for Jones’ England
FOOTAGE from the last two minutes of this thunderous classic should serve as a demonstration of what rugby commitment and courage looks like. Both sides had countless heroes who did not deserve to lose.
Once Elliot Daly’s 76th-minute try had punished Jonathan Davies’ wayward clearance-kick, England still had to hold the line one last time to quell the Welsh resistance. The scenes that unfolded, in attack and defence, were quite remarkable.
Amid all the post-match talk of the impact made by the visitors’ so-called finishers, credit must be paid to so many starters in red-and-white jerseys.
There was Jake Ball, pounding the ramparts yet again. There was Alun Wyn Jones blasting forward, Justin Tipuric delivering an emphatic ruck clear-out and Dan Biggar showing awareness and dexterity despite crushing pressure and fatigue.
On the English side, Courtney Lawes still making tackles and dragging himself up for more. There was Owen Farrell driving back the mighty Samson Lee. There was Maro Itoje smashing into a breakdown and felling Taulupe Faletau seconds later.
And then, decisively, a finisher duly finished it, as Kyle Sinckler won a ruck penalty over the ball, to complete another England great escape that had coach Eddie Jones likening his team’s resilience to that of the All Blacks.
This was a pulsating encounter which honoured the heritage of a fierce rivalry. England snatched it, but a draw would have been fitting. The likes of Ball and Biggar, Sam Warburton, Ross Moriarty and Rhys Webb had every right to rage at the injustice of it all after producing epic deeds.
But England won because they have become accustomed to winning — and because they have forgotten how to quit.
A 16th successive victory relied on spirit, hard graft and a ruthless bloody-minded streak. As the dust settled, Jones spoke of the mental strength among his men.
‘Even when a side beat us, I don’t think they are going to beat us,’ said the Australian, who had the good grace to admit England had got out of jail. Again.
‘We are a gritty team with characters who don’t know how to get beaten. That’s when you know you have a good team. We were never going to get beaten here. We were always hanging in there.’
For the first time, Jones conceded Engand’s casualty list is hurting them; that they miss the clout of the Vunipola brothers Billy and Mako, Chris Robshaw and George Kruis. He spoke of a ‘big hole’ in the line-up.
The back row, in particular, was an area where the visitors had the look of a side trying to patch up a deep wound with a flimsy plaster.
Wales held the aces there, with Warburton owning the breakdown and Moriarty spreading mayhem with his tackling power. But, as with the stuttering performance in ‘Le Crunch’, England gained precious late momentum from their replacements.
Ben Te’o’s break helped create the platform for Daly’s match-winning try, while James Haskell made his considerable presence felt with trademark force in the contact areas, earning a ‘Terminator’ tribute from his head coach.
Jones suggested that the frequent English habit of pulling results out of the fire was reminiscent of the world champions.
‘How many of our last 15 wins have come in the last 20 minutes? That’s not by coincidence,’ he said. ‘How many times have you seen New Zealand win Tests in the last 20?
‘Everything we do is geared towards bridging that gap between us and New Zealand. We’re not happy being the best team in Europe, we want to be the best in the world.’
On this form, the All Blacks would be superior in most aspects, but they would struggle to shake England off.
Tenacity and this relentless nature stems from a training regime known as ‘tactical periodisation’, which Jones first adopted when he was Japan coach and has now established with England.
The inspiration for it was a Qatar-based Spanish exercise physiologist called Alberto Mendez Villanueva, who has worked with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. In essence, England train harder than they have to play, giving them the tools to fight their way out of tight corners.
They certainly found themselves in a tight corner once Webb had sent Liam Williams through a glaring gap to touch down and give Wales a 13-8 half-time lead. Webb continued to torment the English defence, while Moriarty led an onslaught which repelled the Red Rose attack.
England began the match in convincing fashion — leading to a try for Ben Youngs from a sustained assault — and that is how they finished it, after a brief spell midway through the second half when it appeared the wheels might fall off.
Daly recognised as much, saying: ‘We were forcing it, especially in that second half, but towards the end we were just calm, collected and direct. We did what we needed to do.’
Wyn Jones offered a somewhat matter-of-fact Welsh summary. ‘We were more clinical, we tried to be smarter, but we let ourselves down,’ said the home captain.
‘They were clinical when they had the opportunity. We matched them in terms of physicality, but winning is a habit and they’re on a roll at the moment. Unfortunately, we just fell short.’
That is no disgrace. Others will fall even shorter — Italy at Twickenham in 13 days’ time, for instance. England are on a roll and they will take some stopping. Another Slam looms on the horizon.