Even Gatland could struggle to fix alarming faults with Red Rose
At the risk of seeing a great Welsh victory through an English prism, Warren Gatland is obviously the best candidate to succeed Eddie Jones after this year’s World Cup, assuming Jones stands down and the Rugby Football Union consider instant success more important than appointing a bright young English coach.
In less than two years, Gatland has drawn a series in New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions and set a national record for Wales of 12 consecutive wins. In 12 years, he has reeled in two Grand Slams and may be about to add a third after Wales trailed 10-3 at the interval but won the second-half 18-3 to prevail 21-13. He also won the psychology, correctly predicting Kyle Sinckler would lose his cool, and leaving a deep barb in English skin, saying: “When it’s really mattered, I’ve questioned whether they can win these big games.”
All in all, a proper hit job that enhanced Wales’ World Cup hopes and left England wrestling with familiar demons, 12 months after a woeful Six Nations campaign left them fifth in the table – a real fall from grace. Jones’s gameplans worked superbly against Ireland and France. But in Cardiff, England unravelled tactically. Brain freeze is the only possible explanation for them hoisting high balls relentlessly to Liam Williams, a specialist catcher and counter-attacker.
Take none of the garlands from Wales, who lost the first-half power struggle but then recalibrated their attacking game and rode a huge wave of emotion. It might seem vulgar to start talking about Gatland as a future England coach in the moment of his record-setting triumph. But as Gavin Mairs reported in The Daily Telegraph, Gatland is on the RFU’s list should Jones elect not to continue after the Japan World Cup. So, the point of mentioning it now is to acknowledge an approaching reality. Gatland will be on the market by November, and Ireland’s Joe Schmidt appears better placed to take over from Steve Hansen as head coach of New Zealand.
Jones has more pressing concerns. To borrow a line from Delilah, England, in the last 12 minutes of this game, “just couldn’t take any more”. As Wales surged through them, England returned to introspection.
Until this wild Saturday in Cardiff, they looked to be building something special. Their 76 points against Ireland and France suggested a rebirth, with new players and fresh ideas. It was stopped by a Welsh epiphany. There is still enough promise in this England team for them not to despair quite yet. But this was painful.
Those 12 minutes of Welsh ecstasy belong on England’s list of Cardiff nightmares, which is not short. Power and control were outdone by Welsh zest and enterprise, wave upon wave smashing into England’s defence.
The infusion of new blood – especially Mark Wilson and Tom Curry – should help carry England to Japan as contenders. There was, though, an uncomfortable sense that England’s attacking game failed them just as it seemed to be moving into a bright new phase.
By his exemplary standards, Owen Farrell made a dreadful start, sending his first high-kick vertical, late-tackling Gareth Anscombe and then having a kick charged down by Gareth Davies, the Wales scrum-half, who was assigned by Gatland to shut him down. Then he slipped a forward pass to Henry Slade with England 10 metres from the try-line.
These games are imagined endlessly in pre-match talk that is only ever guesswork. Nobody really knows what will happen when the hymns pour forth and the fuse is lit. Wales-England in Cardiff is an unpredictable firework show. Only the intensity is guaranteed.
Mulling over the praise for England’s incisive kicking game in their first two games, Farrell had said: “Your kicking game is only effective if there is space there. And the space is only there if you are a threat with ball in hand. We’re making good decisions and that’s what rugby is about.”
Nowhere tests decision-making more hotly than the Principality Stadium, where the pitch feels tight and the home crowd uncomfortably close. And kicking the ball high to Williams was dramatically less effective than booting it long to the makeshift No 15s employed by Ireland and France.
Jones was annoyed too that England conceded the penalties that allowed Wales back into the game. Again: familiar aberrations.
No wonder Gatland felt schadenfreude. If New Zealand look past him, considering him “too direct”, England will be tempted to throw money his way. But the English rugby psyche still has flaws even Gatland would find hard to cure.