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After a recent chat, it was really interesting watching a team in red and black making short work of their opposition over the weekend. And I’m not talking about what the Crusaders did to the Waratahs.
While much of the attention – and almost all of the Australian attention – was directed towards the rugby debut of a certain former NFL player in southwest London, I decided to tune in for my first ever dose of English Premiership rugby, with Saracens hosting Leicester in the first semi-final.
With the unexpected arrival of beIN Sports on my Foxtel menu, European rugby has suddenly become available at McSport HQ.
And to be fair, I know that I can’t take this game as indicative of the Premiership. Played at Sarries’ Allianz Park north of the city, a game on synthetic turf in bright sunshine is certainly going to be the exception to the stereotypical rule.
Indeed, Saracens’ win over French club Racing 92 in the Champions Cup Final the weekend before bore little resemblance to the way they accounted for Leicester 44-17, winning through to the Final against Exeter next weekend at Twickenham.
If you’ll allow some shameless name-dropping, the recent chat I refer to was with new England coach Eddie Jones; an interview for a magazine feature out in the coming weeks. Once I got used to the idea of the England coach calling me “mate” at some point in every answer, it was a really interesting chat on a number of fronts.
At that point in time, Jones hadn’t even named a train-on squad for the three-Test series against the Wallabies in June. After both Premiership semis were played, he has now named his initial touring squad. Those not involved in the Premiership Final this weekend will come together to play a tour warm-up clash with Wales before departing for Australia.
Saracens, Leicester, and Wasps had just played in Champions Cup semis when we spoke; the first time three Premiership clubs had ventured so deep in European competition since the 2006-07 season. I asked Jones whether having so much English representation in Europe was going to make his selections harder, from the perspective of the clubs playing as well as they had to get that far.
“No, it makes it easier, mate,” he told me. “It means that 75 per cent of our squad are playing in top level teams playing at the highest level in Europe, and they’re getting used to winning, and that’s only a good thing for us.”
Sure enough, of the 32-man squad he named on Sunday, a large chunk of his squad did indeed come from those three clubs. When you throw Harlequins into the mix as well, who lost the Challenge Cup Final to Montpellier the same weekend as Saracens’ title, then the share is getting pretty close to what Jones mentioned.
In all, 13 of the 17 forwards he named came from those four clubs. And the other four forwards were all from Northampton, including new captain Dylan Hartley. Further reinforcing Jones’ reliance on combinations for what will be a tough tour at the end of a tough season for his players.
And Jones knows it will be a tough tour. “We are in no doubt of the challenge we face. England have only ever won three Tests in Australia and never won in Brisbane, so it is a great opportunity for us to create new history,” Jones said in the statement announcing the tour squad on Sunday.
Those three wins aren’t exactly recent, though: Melbourne in 2003, the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final in Sydney, and in Sydney again in 2010. Mind you, England haven’t played in Australia since. There will be plenty of experience from the British and Irish Lions series win in 2013, however.
Equally strange, England have never played a three-Test series in Australia. Ever. I had to confirm this for myself when I first heard it earlier in the year – I was at the Melbourne Test in 2003, and would’ve sworn black and blue until I looked it up that that match was the second of a three-Test series.
Jones was similarly surprised when I put that triviality to him, and admitted “it’s not a great record,” when referring to the three wins on Australian soil in competition that goes back to 1963.
Jones named 14 backs on Sunday – eight of them from Saracens, Leicester, Wasps, and Quins – with two names standing out. Former South Sydney backrower and current Leinster centre Ben Te’o will tour Australia once he officially becomes a Worcester player, which won’t be until after the Wales match this weekend.
And hulking Leicester no.12 Manu Tuilagi was named, too, despite being in major doubt after a fairly severe hamstring injury 20 minutes into the semi against Saracens. “It’s very much in the balance whether he goes on tour or not,” Jones said at the announcement on Sunday.
“He’ll be examined by the Leicester staff more intensely on Monday … hopefully by Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning we’ll have a pretty firm decision on whether he goes on tour or not.”
The English press reported that Northampton centre Luther Burrell or Exeter midfielder Ollie Devoto will be promoted into the squad if Tuilagi is ruled out.
Toward the end of the interview, Jones threw out five names to the regulation ‘players to watch?’ question, and perhaps unsurprisingly, three of them were from Saracens.
Young lock Maro Itoje: “Only 21. Good lineout skills; likes to hit in open play. He’s a very, very decent player.”
Rampaging no.8 Billy Vunipola: “He’s a mix between a Toutai Kefu and a Willie Ofahengaue; he’s one of those lovely Tongan no.8s in that he’s physical but he’s got a touch of skill about him. He’s got a step and an offload like ‘Kef’ had, but he’s also got that ferocious hitting of ‘Willie O’. And again, mate, he’s young; he’s only 23.”
And Owen Farrell, interestingly, considering how much Australian fans would have seen of him in recent seasons. “I think this year he’s taken great strides,” Jones said.