Jones showed guts to fix his error...
AT the final whistle in Sydney, you could see how much a series win in Australia meant to England, and I have to give credit to Eddie Jones for fixing the huge mistake he made by starting Danny Care.
I take my hat off to Jones for that, because it was a big, bold call. As England head coach, I never substituted a player before half-time, but the decision to replace Care was the right one.
In the build-up to the third Test, I could not understand why Jack van Poortvliet had been dropped to the bench after such an impressive display the previous week.
It was a massive error. Care had a really poor half an hour, but Jones realised he had made a mistake and rectified it quickly. It takes guts to do that and his move paid off. Van Poortvliet made a huge difference when he came on.
Van Poortvliet is the find of the tour. He is an excellent player, and outstandingly calm for such a young man. The Leicester scrumhalf might only be 21, but he immediately made England look more organised when he appeared off the bench. His composure and speed at the breakdown were impressive.
I feel sorry for Danny. It is tough for a player when they are hooked out of the game so early and not for injury or tactical reasons.
But, in Test rugby, there can be no room for sentiment.
With Van Poortvliet on the field, England were much better and to have won a series in Australia is huge for the team after a poor Six Nations.
England will now be able to go into a huge season with more belief than they started this trip with.
The next stage of England’s development is to move away from constant talk of physical
dominance. You need more than that to beat the best teams and win a World Cup.
England beat up Australia to win the second Test and, ahead of the third, they talked about doing the same thing. It is blindingly obvious to say you need to be physical to win matches.
But Jones and his team can’t become obsessed with that facet of the game alone. Being physical should be like having a strong scrum and efficient line-out. They are givens.
What is not a given is the ability to play with skill and pace. We did see more of that from England in Sydney, which is encouraging.
England still have work to do and they will have to improve.
What is clear is the Six Nations is now the ideal preparation for any World Cup success, not touring the southern hemisphere. That has never been the case previously, but now it really is.
With the exception of Italy, every Six Nations game allows for a real opportunity to prove your World Cup credentials. The southern hemisphere nations will be worried — and certainly should be.
I THOUGHT Sean Fitzpatrick summed it up perfectly in the TV studio after Ireland’s stunning series win in New Zealand which, frankly, is just a brilliant achievement.
Fitzpatrick admitted the All Blacks had been outcoached by Ireland, and he was spot- on. Andy Farrell had Ian Foster’s number. The men in green were better in all facets than those wearing black. It’s not often you hear former All Blacks like Fitzpatrick admit their team were outplayed and outsmarted.
Ireland’s coaching team and Farrell were lightyears ahead of their opposition.
I think that spells big trouble for Foster as New Zealand head coach, with Joe Schmidt and Warren Gatland both kicking their heels in the background.
The All Blacks were as poor as I’ve seen them in Wellington, but in no way should that detract from Ireland’s triumph in winning a series in New Zealand’s backyard.
Farrell has done an amazing job with them and it was noticeable how, in between their raucous celebrations, the Irish players spoke so highly of him.
The way Ireland played in New Zealand was physical, but also had a real attacking threat. They played with pace and Robbie Henshaw’s try was as good as you’ll see at the highest level. Victory in New Zealand also sent Ireland to No1 in World Rugby’s rankings, which will give them confidence going into next year’s Six Nations and World Cup.
Like France, Ireland are now leading contenders for both competitions and much of that is down to the way Farrell has got his team operating on and off the pitch.