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Funny how things change in one year, if I was to have said that Australia had a better scrum than England this time last year, people would have rightly chuckled at me.
England had given a pragmatic display, in which their scrum and lineout were very much to the fore.
This year, after Australia gaining parity at the scrum in the Rugby Championship, there is a valid argument that Australia having a better scrum than both Wales and England. Even more so after England and Wales were bullied by Ireland and Italy respectively at scrum time.
Let’s take a look at England first. Last weekend against an Ireland scrum without Cian Healy, they lost two scrums against the head. It wasn’t an early engagement or collapsed scrum, it was genuine physical humiliation. Much like it had been against France two weeks ago.
Thirty-five-year-old Mike Ross and powerful loosehead prop Jack McGrath drove England backwards in their own put-in as well as in Ireland’s put-in. While the England pack were impressive from open play, they’re scrum was completely overpowered and outwitted and now Stuart Lancaster is left with a serious dilemma.
They should sacrifice the work rate of Dan Cole and Joe Marler around the field for the bulk of David Wilson and Mako Vunipola at the scrum.
An hour after England’s impressive win, Wales were playing against an Italian team featuring Martin Castrogiovanni. After gaining parity at the scrum against Ireland last week, Wales thought their scrum issues were a thing of the past.
Well, they most certainly aren’t, Wales were smashed at scrum time. It was the clash of the two veterans that will leave Wales most worried as Castrogiovanni had the upper hand over Gethin Jenkins all game.
It would appear that England’s and Wales’ backlines are more settled than Australia’s much lauded backline. George Ford has nailed down the No.10 shirt for England and likewise Dan Biggar with Wales.
This is in stark contrast to Australia. Any one of Bernard Foley, Matt Toomua, Matt Giteau or the effervescent Quade Cooper could realistically start.
Then you look at the scrums and see how much Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu have improved the much maligned Australian scrum. Despite James Slipper’s monotonous 100 per cent win ratio as captain, the impact of Sio can’t be understated.
Last November against England, the English looked to press home their advantage at scrum time. England won 10 out of their 11 scrums and on one occasion drove the Australian pack back eight metres on their way to getting a penalty.
The general opinion after the game was that Australia lacked the front five to win the World Cup and England lacked the penetration in the backs to win the global showpiece. While neither are booming in these aspects of rugby, Australia’s success in the scrum was notable against New Zealand, as was England’s attacking fluidity against Ireland.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.