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“I don’t regret anything, mate.” That was Eddie Jones’ response during the post-match media conference in Ireland, when queried on his statement made earlier in the week on whether Jonny Sexton’s parents should be worried in light of his recent history of head trauma.
This statement of strength is reflective of the new aura England has encompassed in private quarters, and quietly out on the field.
It may also prove to be England’s Icarus Paradox.
But before we get to that, let’s break down the English performance against Ireland.
Set piece
There was relative parity between both sets of scrums, however again England’s came to the fore in the final quarter.
Early on, Ireland’s scrum posed problems, using pre-set head positions to disrupt not only England’s ability to drive straight, but consequentially disrupting their bind. It is incredibly taxing on the upper body to employ such headstrong positions, especially in the case of Mike Ross, who only recently had returned from injury.
Ireland also employed the tactic of changing the power of their hit on the ‘set’ calls, which also led to binding issues for Ireland’s props. England stuck to their guns with eight-man straight-drive scrummaging, and reaped the rewards. Case in point, an Ireland scum destroyed 10 metres out from the English line in the 74th minute.
England enjoyed supremacy come lineout time, as thrice Ireland had threatening lineout positions foiled. In contrast to Ireland, who veered toward simplistic movement, England used deception, with Chris Robshaw collecting in the front when attacking the tryline – the only take Robshaw had the whole game. Overall, Ireland lost close to 60 per cent of their lineouts.
England’s mauling game, again, was disappointing. Maul attempts were easily foiled, and it appears they are still grasping the setup stage of the system, leaving the ball carrier prone to disturbances from the opposition locks.
Breakdown and defence
The English forwards’ tackling techniques has been superb. They really dial in on the first tackler coming into the contact area, with good feet position in close to the ball carrier, and a solid spinal position targeted at the hips.
Notwithstanding Dan Cole and Dylan Hartley’s communication mix-up in allowing Ultan Dillane to canter through, a big reason for Ireland’s inability to put points on – despite 70 per cent possession and territory in the second half – lay in England’s tackling, line-speed and subsequent breakdown pressure.
This England defensive setup is acutely aware of who the first receiver of rucks is, and use the defensive ‘key’ position (third man from ruck) to really fly out and apply pressure. Once tackled behind the gain-line, Ireland had no choice but to pile numbers into the breakdown, leaving them numerically disadvantaged on the outside.
Ireland’s forwards were completely dominated come phase play in both attack and defence, leaving space for England’s attack, and a lack of space for Ireland’s.
The only real blight on defence was Connor Murray’s sneaky try. Because of this dominance, it would be unfair to commend the backline for their defensive work.
Attack
George Ford’s kicking game was vastly improved from his previous two performances. His Garry Owens were accurate and many a time left little option for Ireland to launch a counter attack. The subsequent breakdown pressure left Ireland reeling, with more forwards than they would have liked committed to the breakdown to retain possession, thus negating the width gameplan they were looking to employ.
The backline play from England was poor. Around the half-hour mark, England had two consecutive midfield scrums in Ireland’s red zone. They stacked four players on the left, and left two on the right. The pre-call was for Owen Farrell to run an ‘unders’ line, with Jamie Joseph running an ‘overs’ line. The first time Ford got caught, as Farrell timed his run poorly. The second time Ford looked to put Joseph on the outside of his defender with a miss pass, which went to ground.
It is hard to fathom the thinking behind this play call. Simple plays tend to be most effective close to the line, however, Farrell is not going to draw much attention defensively due to his lack of stature, and the pass to Joseph was beyond Ford’s capabilities.
England also manufactured two-on-two, three-on-three and four-on-four situations, with their forwards dominating the midfield gain line contest in phase play. Many a time, you would see England’s inability to interest the second defender outside the ball carriers. The reluctance to drift, shimmy or step with pace, perhaps in fear of being dragged into touch, is really telling. This is what sets southern hemisphere rugby apart from northern.
This lack of adventure, skill even, is sadly a symptom not only of England, but all the Home Nations. These situations are gold, especially in Test rugby.
England’s attack systems were a lot more polished, with players having better understanding of their positional demands. And with their forward dominance, quicker ball was available against a retreating defence, which led to the best try they have manufactured so far this tournament in the 61st minute. Options aplenty, and smart decisions taken.
England’s Icarus Paradox
Wikipedia describes the Icarus Paradox as a reference to “the phenomenon of businesses failing abruptly after a period of apparent success, where this failure is brought about by the very elements that led to their initial success.”
The swagger, confidence and good old aggressive English pompousness are the intangibles Jones has reinstate, as seen in the continued selection of players such as Farrell and Mike Brown. They are both voracious characters, however they are ill-suited to the positional demands required of England’s game plan.
The immediate selection of Manu Tuilagi, despite only having played three games in the last 13 months, is indicative of Jones’ understanding that Farrell is not the 12 England needs to elevate their backline to world-class standard.
Brown has played just below average in his three appearances so far. He stifles England’s counterattack by continuing to return kicks on his own, despite teammates having opportunities further out. His passing as first receiver is poor, and he is not the attacking threat at Test level that he is for his club. The only reason I can find for his inclusion is his character traits appeal to Jones. It is also to be noted he is one of England’s vice-captains.
England must be careful, because the intangibles that will see them win the Six Nations will prove futile when it comes to playing southern teams. How many times have we seen the Six Nations champions struggle and later question themselves after playing the world’s top three teams?
If the persistence on character traits sans rugby intellect continues, it is going to be a long year ahead for this English side.
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.