GALLAGHER VERDICT
Eddie’s boys need something else other than ‘give the ball to Jonny’
Eddie Jones was telling us last week that England were not really practicing attacking at present… and frankly it looked like it at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli. Ok, that’s possibly a bit of a cheap shot because there is no such thing as a bad win in Wales, they are all hard earned and as the years recede hold equal kudos in the record books.
And yes we know that winning sports teams are often, although not always, built on a rock solid defence.
Defence is unquestionably important and perhaps Eddie wasn’t just playing with our minds: “Blueprints and all plans are good until you get punched in the mouth,” went his argument. “That’s the plan. You never want your plan to be in place too far ahead of the World Cup – because you are giving the opposition too much chance.”
Frankly though that strikes me as slightly odd. There are three Six Nations tournaments to go before the World Cup and, as other England coaches have discovered, if you bomb in just one tournament your job will be in dire jeopardy, fail to come first or second in two on the trot and you will be gone.
Why not develop a great attacking game now and meanwhile, in those endless camps and gatherings over the next couple of years, work on your revolutionary World Cup winning attacking shapes in the build up to RWC2023?
Somewhere along the line England need to start developing and finessing something other than “give the ball to Jonny” behind the scrum.
What was noticeable last week against Ireland, with less than 40 per cent possession and territory, is that England looked totally at ease and controlled on the back foot.
Last night, with the stats reversed, England struggled to exert their will and dominate proceedings despite a plethora of ball and the Wales scrum frequently finding a way to annoy Romain Poite.
The Frenchman is not a ref to get on the wrong side of, he is always right even when is wrong, which is often these days. He encourages no discourse, debate or chat.
And at one stage last night that included not only the respective front rows but the TMO whose very valid observation that Dan Bigger had just been tackled dangerously in the air – a clear and obvious penalty – was dismissed out of hand en route to England’s first try. It’s all very well being decisive... but it’s much more important to be correct.
Wales produced comfortably their best performance of the autumn but they are still work in progress. There seems to be no recognizable game plan or shape yet and they badly need to get their two classy wings Josh Adams and Louis ReesZammit more heavily involved going forward. If you have two match winners on board use them.
As with many teams going through a transitional period under a new coach Wales are currently searching around to find their identity.
I’m fascinated by this identity thing, normally it’s instinctive and organic but it’s quite difficult to get a handle on Wales at present. In recent years, like other nations, they have chased a few buys ups like Kiwi Hadleigh Parks – who performed very well until a better offer came along in Japan – and another New Zealander Johnny McNichol who was capped with undue haste on
“England need to start developing something other than ‘give the ball to Jonny’”
qualifying but is currently surplus to requirements.
Then there is this plethora of born and educated English players whose rugby culture is essentially English.
Nick Tompkins was the most capped age group England player and the shining light for the England system before he discovered a Welsh granny while Johnny Williams, a try scorer last night, was another star England U20 player who also scored a try for England against the Barbarians last year. Callum Sheedy, whose rugby education is Millfield and Bristol, also represented England in that game.
Londoner Will Rowlands had made his way via Rugby School, Oxford University, Jersey Reds and Wasps while Tomas Francis is a gruff Yorkshireman. Jamie Botham is the grandson of an England cricketing legend and the son of Liam who played cricket for England schools and toured South Africa with the England rugby squad in 2000.
The aforementioned Adams was surplus to requirements in Wales and only fulfilled his rugby talent when Worcester took him in while Rees-Zammit has come to prominence with Hartbury College and Gloucester. Ross Moriarty, currently out injured, won two Junior World Cups with England while with Hartpury and Gloucester.
It’s all legal and ok as per the regulations even if you disagree with some of the regs, especially those concerning qualifying by residency, but it an odd phenomena nonetheless and there’s a strange parallel with the natural world. It’s called brood parasitism!
This is when birds – notably cuckoos, starlings, cowbirds and some types of ducks – decide they can’t be bothered to make their own nests, nor will they engage with the boring and torturous business of egg sitting.
Instead, they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, and get the host bird to do all the hard work of sitting, supervising the hatching and then actually bringing the chicks up, feeding them and developing them.
Now this might work for a while but I sense it is making it a challenge to forge a real Welsh identity.
And why not tackle the main problem which is still their shambolic domestic rugby which failed to provide a platform for the host of cracking players Wales produce. They complain at only having four professional franchises but that is as many as Scotland and Italy combined.
It should be a thriving rip-snorting scene but they have contrived to make it an uninspiring mishmash which is forcing them to look elsewhere. That is not sustainable.
“Wales badly need to get Josh Adams and Louis ReesZammit more heavily involved”