The key for Wales in Twickenham clash? Just stop Manu Tuilagi
Wales will have to upset England’s rhythm, match them at the set-piece and get their discipline spot on
If Wales are to stand any chance of beating England at Twickenham on Saturday, they must find a way of stopping Manu Tuilagi. Of course, it is not quite as simple as that. They will need to match England at the set-piece, stand up to them physically, while getting their discipline spot on at the breakdown. But it all comes back to Tuilagi. If Wales can find a way of nullifying him, they can really disrupt Eddie Jones’s team.
When England go well, as they did against Ireland last weekend, or at the World Cup last autumn, they play off front-foot ball. Tuilagi is the key to them getting it. He wasted no time in reminding England fans what they had been missing for the first two rounds when he returned at Twickenham last Sunday.
England hit him early and often, and he made it over the gain line every time. It was the same when England faced Ireland in Dublin last year, hitting him with that early over-thetop line-out.
Whether it is off the top, over the top, or bringing him in as first receiver, Wales will know what is coming. The problem is stopping it.
There are two ways they can try. Neither is perfect. Wales could take a man out of the line-out, put an extra player in the channel between 10 and 12. They could keep their last line-out man on the floor, not jumping or lifting, and get him out early to target Tuilagi. They have to do something to close his space and knock him off his stride.
Tuilagi gives England confident, guaranteed front-foot ball. And when they get that they are incredibly dangerous. They control the tempo of the game, get their front-foot kicking game going, control territory.
Ben Youngs was like a different player last weekend.
He ran a bit, varied it nicely, his attacking kicks were well judged, he held defenders. George Ford and Owen Farrell were able to get their carriers coming on to the ball.
Ireland actually had more possession than England, but it was one of those statistics that meant very little. England were so dominant in the contact areas, making 39 dominant hits to Ireland’s 12.
What was so impressive was how they shared those hits around. And when they did get possession, they made it count.
What strikes me about England’s top carriers last weekend is variety. Tuilagi made 55 metres in hard yards in midfield, Jonathan Joseph made 64 metres from kicks or kick returns, and Courtney Lawes made 44 metres from his back row carries.
England have such a variety of carriers. In Joseph, Jonny May and Elliot Daly, they have the steppers to beat men. In Tuilagi, Courtney Lawes and George Kruis they have big men who can get over the gain line.
They also have unrivalled strength in depth. Mark Wilson, Henry Slade, Joe Launchbury… all are potentially game-changing from the bench. But Tuilagi is the key. He makes such a difference to the way England play.
Wales know this. Their problem is they are still going through growing pains following Warren Gatland’s departure. A bit like Ireland, they are trying to implement new ideas without losing what made them so good under their previous coach.
As I said, they are going to have to be really clear about their set-piece, and about managing discipline around the breakdown. This is where Shaun Edwards was so influential. His teams tend to have a real go once it gets away from the first two breakdowns.
Josh Navidi’s return should make a difference here. But Wales also need Hadleigh Parkes and Nick Tompkins to be producing dominant tackles. They need their second man to the ball to be taking English players away. They need to force England to play at a different tempo, as they did in Cardiff last year. They need to play in the right areas, in England’s half, and build phases which, fast or slow, keep the ball away from England.
The return of Liam Williams is a boost. Halfpenny is good, but Williams offers something completely different – his ability to run the ball back and beat the first man is special. With Josh Adams out injured, we might see Halfpenny on one wing and George North on the other. That would be a back three capable of competing with England’s front-foot ball and their very effective associated kicking game.
Alun Wyn Jones knows what they need. It is a new coach in charge, but that does not mean they have forgotten everything Warren Gatland taught them. Wales have to upset England’s rhythm. One thing is for sure, this championship is not over yet. France have been a joy to watch, but they are not unbeatable. Scotland have been the best in the competition defensively. If they keep the scores close for an hour, and get the Murrayfield crowd on side, we will see what France are made of.
Wales must do the same against England. Take the game to them, keep it close. And most of all: find a way of stopping Tuilagi.