England eager to dethrone Irish as Kings of Europe
THIS was a recordbreaking sixth consecutive win over Australia, but England didn’t dwell on it for long. They went through the motions; posing for pictures with the Cook Cup, then shifted their focus to settling a local score.
Within an hour of dispatching the abject Wallabies, Eddie Jones and his squad had a new target in mind. Ireland. Their aim is to topple the Six Nations titleholders — and conquerors of New Zealand — from their lofty perch. The new European hierarchy has gone green on top and England will have to travel to Dublin in their quest to reclaim the role of northern hemisphere standard-bearers.
When he was asked about the prospect of going to the Irish capital for a titanic encounter to launch their 2019 Championship campaign on February 2, Jones said: ‘We owe them one.’
The intent was clear, the pain also. England watched Ireland celebrate a Grand Slam on their pitch last March and they want payback.
‘They’re the top team in Europe now,’ said Jones, in reference to Joe Schmidt’s formidable side. ‘We want to be the top team in Europe.’
The latest triumph over Australia was such a formality — despite the second-quarter wobble — that it was natural for the attentions of the victors to turn to the serious business ahead.
‘That game is huge,’ said Maro Itoje, when asked about facing Ireland.
‘I can’t wait. They have beaten us the last two times we have played them, so it’s a big challenge. You look at the personality types and the character of this squad; it’s exactly the type of game we want to be in.’
Saturday’s man of the match, Harlequins prop Kyle Sinckler, added: ‘Ireland are a great team, but we’re a good team as well. Whatever team is picked there to play against Ireland, we’ll stand a good chance, but we’ll definitely have to be at our best to beat them.’
Whatever team is picked by Jones — and it is bound to look very different to the one that lined up against the Wallabies — it will stay true to the blueprint from this autumn series.
England have embraced their heritage of forward power and it ultimately led to Michael Cheika’s hapless visitors being dismantled by brute force. The super-sized hosts dominated the scrum and most of the collisions all around the field.
They’ve been told to relish the route-one approach and Sinckler had no complaints, saying: ‘We know the way we want to play. It’s an English way. We want to be confrontational and it’s all based on our pack being dominant.’
Yet, this is not a formula restricted to the forwards. The Wallabies were rocked by a thunderous onslaught in the wider channels, too.
When Sinckler wasn’t blasting through holes, Ben Te’o was making dents, or Joe Cokanasiga was using his giant frame, pace and footwork to devastating effect.
However, Jones is determined to prevent Bath’s Fiji-born sensation from being burdened with the ultimate comparison.
When the question duly came, about Cokanasiga being likened to Jonah Lomu, the head coach said: ‘I tell you what Lomu did. He nearly won a World Cup for New Zealand. When Joe nearly wins a World Cup for us, he won’t be good enough, because he has to win a World Cup for us. Then you can start talking about Lomu.’
Cokanasiga is just finding his feet at this level, but his potential is enormous. His emergence has been one of many positive aspects of the last four weeks for England, who appear to have climbed out of their slump. The other primary bonus is the proof that Mark Wilson can thrive against the top teams. Newcastle’s versatile backrower has forced his way into World Cup contention with relentless energy and work rate and grit.
In the trying circumstances, Jones can take heart. Deprived of so many leading lights, he has deployed a weakened team and finished with three wins from four games — with the only defeat coming by a point against the world champions.
Granted, the performances have been decidedly patchy and an ability to adapt swiftly on the hoof remains elusive, but there is renewed optimism.
In addition to the enhanced power across the field, there is enhanced X-factor too. Cokanasiga brings that, along with two returning icons — Manu Tuilagi and Chris Ashton. With those lethal runners reintegrated, Jones has a multitude of options within his midfield and back-three contingents.
In time, though, he will need selection stability in those areas, not to mention more aerial authority from Elliot Daly, if he is to be the long-term successor to Mike Brown at full-back.
Like Itoje, Owen Farrell has been a consistently outstanding presence but he has also drawn global scorn in relation to his tackle technique.
On Saturday, his no-arms charge which stopped Izack Rodda scoring warranted a yellow card and a penalty try. Farrell was lucky to escape sanction — just as he had been at the end of the game against South Africa, which England hung on to win. This is a area in his game which needs addressing.