Eddie has made a complete hash of England’s No 9s
KYRAN Bracken says that Eddie Jones is making such a mess of selection at scrum-half that it has taken the gloss off England’s Autumn revival, and warns that it could jeopardise their chances of winning the 2019 World Cup.
Bracken, whose fierce rivalry with Matt Dawson for the No.9 starting spot was a hallmark of Clive Woodward’s 2003 world champion regime, believes that England’s head coach is in the process of slipping-up in a position that has been pivotal to the ambitions of every World Cup-winning team.
Bracken, who won 51 England caps, including captaining the side on three occasions, told The Rugby Paper: “Eddie Jones has made an absolute hash of it at scrum-half. He’s meant to be a ‘supercoach’ and the Press panders to him, but I’m flabbergasted with his selection at 9 over the past two years.”
Bracken believes that Jones took his eye off the ball last season by not blooding two of the Premiership’s best rising scrum-half stars, Dan Robson (Wasps) and Ben Spencer (Saracens), when his two established 9s, Ben Youngs and Danny Care, were struggling for form.
He homes in on the gap in passing speed from the base between the English top two and their New Zealand rival Aaron Smith as a symptom of the lack of attention to core scrum-half skills in the England camp.
“I don’t think that Ben or Danny have improved their pass since they first played international rugby, and my question for Eddie is why he and his coaches are allowing that crucial skill to remain average. Who is looking at this? Have they done the analysis? It’s not hard to get a stopwatch. Is anyone looking at these things and saying, ‘if we had a guy who can pass like Aaron Smith how
“Youngs and Care are coming towards the end of their careers and might be on the way down”
much would it change our attack?’”
He argues that this has been detrimental to establishing the right balance at scrum-half with less than a year to go before England leave for the tournament in Japan.
“The message he has sent out is that he will pick players irrespective of their form for their club. Dan Robson was on fire for Wasps 18 months ago, and Ben Spencer was also very impressive at Saracens, but Jones missed the chance to give them an opportunity to show what they can do at international level. Whereas if you asked an alien to pick a scrum-half a year ago would you expect them to pick a Ben Youngs playing the way he was for Leicester? I don’t think so.”
Bracken adds: “You never know how players react until they play international rugby, and last season when the Six Nations was lost Jones had to make changes. He knew then that he had to take three scrum halves to the World Cup and the fact that he has not explored the options properly defies belief.”
Bracken, who was renowned for his rapid service, steepling box-kicking and grit, mentored both Youngs and Care early in their careers. He says that he is not calling time on either of his former students, but nobody knows better than he does that there is no sentiment in pro sport. After starring in the 2003 summer tour away wins over New Zealand and Australia, and featuring four times in the 2003 World Cup – including in the quarter and semi-final victories over Wales and France – Dawson was picked ahead of him for the final against Australia.
Bracken says: “I am not necessarily saying that it should not be Ben Youngs or Danny Care at scrumhalf for England, because both have plenty of ability. However, any coach has to question selections continuously on the basis that players usually have an early upward curve, which can keep going upwards – or level off – before it eventually becomes a downward curve.”
Bracken stresses that timing is an important component in selection, and questions whether Jones has got his right. “Youngs and Care are coming towards the end of their careers and might be on the way down. The question for the coach is whether Robson and Spencer are far enough on the upward curve to be good enough to replace them?”
He says: “What I do know is that I’ve seen Ben Spencer score 50 yard tries, kick a ball and land it on a sixpence, and also kick goals from 60 yards.”
He adds: “I don’t think Jones and
his coaching team took into account the form of Robson and Spencer a year ago when Youngs was not at the top of his game, and now I just think it’s too late. We haven’t got a clue whether they can make the step up, and it’s a massive shame.”
Bracken believes that the decision by Jones to pick Spencer’s club-mate, the 35-year-old Peter Pan, Richard Wigglesworth, as his third choice during the Autumn, has compounded the error. “What is so difficult to understand is that now he has picked another player on the downward curve in Wigglesworth. He has a good kicking game, and he kicked well against Australia when he came on for Youngs, but will he be the difference when it comes to the big games in Japan?”
As part of a 2003 squad which pushed each other to reach the highest standards, Bracken senses a lack of rigour when it comes to passing skills. “I don’t think that anyone in the England management has got out a stopwatch and compared how long it takes for the top scrum-halves in England to get the ball away to the 10. Can they not see when a scrum-half has a