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England's Danny Cipriani, right, runs with the ball. AP Photo/Matt Dunham
The rugby writer for the UK Telegraph, Mick Cleary, was critical of England’s play against the Australian Babarian, and rightly so. He concluded that Australia should be able to defeat the England side if it cannot lift its game on Saturday night.
“There were worrying signs in England’s game throughout,” Cleary reported. The backs showed “their inability to attack with either fluency or potency.”
One of the reasons, in my opinion, is that England’s backs alignment is all wrong.
For years now, the number 10 has been standing so deep it is almost impossible for England to get over the advantage line from back attacks.
England do have a flat line when they are running their tubby props and hookers at the defensive line. This proved to be successful against the Barbarians, but it hardly a recipe for scoring tries against strong defensive teams.
Why the highly paid England coaches haven’t worked out that, when running the ball, the number 10 has to be flatter, is beyond me. Cleary pointed out that the attack was “stodgy and mind-numbing.”
It has been like this ever since Sir Clive Woodward was retired. Someone like Mark Ella could fix it up in a couple of hours.
Which raises the question: “How can the RFU justify the present coaching staff holding their positions when the play and performances of England has been so woeful in the last couple of years?”
Cleary was estatic over the performance of James O’Connor.
He noted that England “were almost beaten single-handedly by a teenager.” He did not mention the play of Berrick Barnes, but this might have been out of kindness.
Barnes has not adjusted to the new interpretations of the ruck, which encourage sides to hold on to the ball. Barnes kicked away too much good Barbarian ball to the extent that he brought England back into the game.
With the shaky Barbarian scrum being trounced by England, it became a close run thing at the end to save the draw.
Scrum-time is going to be the Wallabies weak area in the Test against England. Hopefully the front row can hold up enough to provide some sort of a platform for the backs.
One of the features of the play against Fiji was the way only six kicks were made by the Wallabies in the first half. Robbie Deans has clearly got the message through to his players (but not apparently to Barnes) that possession should not be kicked away to the opposition.
Fiji’s rush defence, too, was exposed with some clever inside passes from Quade Cooper.
In this context, the comment before the Test against South Africa by Marc Lievremont, France’s coach, is interesting: “Our plan is to play complete rugby, not just kicking up-and-unders.”
France is always a likely team on their day because from time to time they play the complete rugby game that even the best defensive sides cannot cope with.
Last year they defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand, something that is rarely done by European teams. You’d be a fool to suggest that they cannot do the same thing to the Springboks, depending on what French side turns up on the day.
You’d have to think that the next European team to win the Rugby World Cup, whenever that might be (2011 perhaps), will be France, for they are the only European side that seems to have the players in the forwards and backs to play ‘complete rugby.’
The Springboks coach Peter de Villiers is right to point out that this Test will be his toughest (they play Italy next) before the Tri Nations.
The Springboks will be without Fourie du Preez, who is having an operation on his shoulder. But this is another formidable team, the best in the world right now, and surely the favourites to win the 2011 RWC.
The main point about this splendid side is that, like the Bulls, they have the composure and the game to come from behind and win.
This ability to win, even though as against Wales last week they were well behind early on, marks the Springboks as an outstandingly mature side. But is the side too mature?
Getting the most senior players through what will be another two years of Test rugby is the challenge that is before de Villiers.
Ireland have gone for experience over younger talent in their bid to record a Test victory against the All Blacks.
Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth is likely to be boggy, so this explains why, say, Ronan O’Gara has been selected ahead of Johnny Sexton.
The backline is full of old hands.
In the forwards, the Conacht duo of John Muldoon and Sean Cronin get a run because of injuries to established players.
Ireland clearly see Saturday’s match as their best chance in some time of defeating the All Blacks. They have given the task to their old faithfuls for one last hurrah before turning some of them, especially in the forwards, out to pasture.
Ireland right now is essentially the same side that bowed out of the 2007 RWC so tamely.
The All Blacks, like the Wallabies, are using these June Tests to bring on young players who could be useful next season.
In the case of the Wallabies, especially in the frontrow, with all the injuries being sustained, blooding new players is a necessity. The same applies to the All Blacks, who have five starters out with injuries.
But Henry has gone for quality and character in naming their replacements. Benson Stanley, for instance, completed a degree in commerce before starting his professional rugby career.
The Franks brothers will be long term All Blacks, as will Israel Dagg and Aaron Cruden.
They are being given a chance now, rather than next year because Graham Henry knows that there won’t be time in 2011 to blood new players.
The Springboks showed before their victory in RWC 2007 that you sometimes have to risk losing Tests with young players to develop a side balanced between old hands and newish talent that will win the RWC trophy.
The three Southern Hemisphere teams and France are doing this, looking towards 2011. But Ireland and England are sticking with their older players, looking no further than 2010.