Wrong players, wrong tactics – thanks Eddie!
I’M SURE I’m not the only “couch warrior” to write about the woeful exhibition England put on against Scotland last Saturday.
If ever there was a time to introduce new blood to England, Saturday was it. Instead of picking the best in-form players in the Premiership, Eddie Jones picked a team largely of players who hadn’t had a game since November. What did he have to lose..?
Maro Itoje was the only one who really tried, but even he was more of a cart-horse than the thoroughbred we are used to seeing.
It was like rugby-by-numbers. Instead of a game played by instinct – ie. what was happening in front of them – we had a team who couldn’t adapt.
When we needed someone like Harry Randall to inject impetus from the base, we had, instead, Ben Youngs who’s well passed his use-by-date, and Owen Farrell who didn’t dare take a chance. And where were the Simmonds brothers, Sam and Joe?
Twickenham was dreich that day, but to this “armchair coach” England were much wetter in every way. Thanks Eddie..!
Michael Reay
EDDIE Jones reportedly said the Bath/Wasps 44-52 Premiership try-fest at The Rec last month was a terrible game. If that was the case, which it wasn’t, England’s Twickenham spectacle was diabolical.
I agree with reader Colin Boulsession a rugby convert like me and a goalkeeper in Brian Clough’s Derby team. He recently wrote to The Rugby Paper and quoted Cloughie, who told his players the easiest thing they could do was give the ball away, the hardest bit was getting it back.
Colin said he couldn’t understand why rugby teams kicked away possession, nor can I. At Twickenham last Saturday England were starved of the ball and when they got their hands on it, too often they booted it to the grateful Scots.
Clive Goozee
CAN we please stop all this “Scotland were brilliant against England” stuff ?
From where I was sitting, England were appalling, while Scotland were quite good. Quite good is better than appalling, so quite good won – by five points. I would suggest that, with such a huge advantage in territory, poston,
and the penalty count, any one of France, Wales or Ireland would have won by 20 points.
Scotland certainly deserved to win but the hype that has accompanied the result has been amplified by the ‘38-years-sincethey-last-won-there’ factor.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if England were now to regain their best form, and win the 6N by one point – the losing bonus point they earned against Scotland?