So the battle against the old mother country is on the near horizon, against a new look and confident army fresh from success in battle led by the mischievous talents of their new head coach, Eddie Jones.
But just who are they? Can they do the unthinkable and take a series victory on an away campaign, on soil that has seen so many defeats for the men in white?
But that was then, and this now, they will say.
True, so I will also look at what the Wallabies might do to counter some of their strengths.
Since much has been written about England’s unbeaten Grand Slam performance in the Six Nations, I am going to direct much of my discussion to their most recent outing against Wales.
In the pre-tour match with Wales, the current English pack dominated the Welsh eight, and that dominance increased as the game went into the second half.
Their lineout was virtually flawless, and their pack began to drive the Welsh off their own feed, and this was not England’s complete first choice pack as many in the touring squad were playing in the Premiership Final.
It will be pleasing for Jones that the five tries to four bashing of Wales was dished out by an English side missing seven players from the starting side that won the Grand Slam under his tenure.
Five tries to one against a very strong Welsh side is nothing to be scoffed at even if the Welsh players were underdone while most of the English players had been playing in the Premiership finals leading up to the game.
England’s game was by no means perfect.
Jones said prior to the match that his goal was to have his players switch from “structured” to “unstructured” in the time it takes to throw a pass.
This is clearly still a work in progress, but the signs are there that, under Jones, this English side is moving towards something that may present a serious threat in the coming weeks.
They were certainly clinical, an aspect that was badly missing under Stuart Lancaster’s reign.
As a collective, both in the Six Nations and in the pre-tour match, the English pack has looked more organised and more robust than it did at the recent World Cup.
The big pack seems more mobile with the potential to add serious speed to their backrow, as they showed against Wales by the very abrasive rookie Teimana Harrison playing at six, and the explosive ball carrying talents of Jack Clifford at eight, both of whom will give Jones some good problems to have come selection time.
Australian-born Clifford might just be one of the big finds of the tour (if he isn’t already a big find) for England if he gets enough game time.
After his performance against Wales that will come sooner rather than later.
Clifford is already being touted as the player likely to oust Chris Robshaw from the seven jersey, since the Saracens’ Billy Vunipola, whose carries, power, and big hits were sorely missed at the 2015 World Cup, will not be ousted from the back of the scrum anytime soon.
Clifford is a big unit. He comes in at 193 cm, making him a good lineout option, and weighs a healthy 111 kilos. He is a difficult proposition for any defence because, coupled with his size and power, he has pace that is as good as most inside-backs.
His runaway try against Wales shows how dangerous he can be in open play.
His natural talent, superb form, and performance in that game might just see him in the starting line-up in the first Test. Clifford brings elements to English back row that are missing links in the puzzle.
But who would Eddie drop?
The very physical and niggly in-your-face James Haskill, or former captain, the robust and intelligent Chris Robshaw?
Clifford will also be relatively unknown to Cheika and the Wallabies. His pace and power will certainly give the Wallaby defenders something to think about in an area of the game, the back row, that the Wallabies have a clear edge in, even if there is no question the English back row do not want for physicality.
It is that rare pace – something the incumbents lack – that players like Clifford and even Harrison bring to the back row. Together with their natural physicality, it sets them apart.
On the other hand, the experience in big games also sets the incumbents apart. That being said, Clifford will probably start.
England’s tight five will certainly be more formidable this time around.
It is no secret they will be difficult opponents in the lineout, an area which was Australia’s Achilles heel last season.
The giant, highly mobile locks from the Saracens – George Kruis and Maro Itoje – are a difficult pairing to deal with. Captain Dylan Hartley is rightly known as an excellent thrower, giving England the clear edge in the lineout.
This is probably going to be the case even if Cheika makes the changes at lock as expected, at least initially, as the English pair are more settled as a unit.
Wallaby captain Stephen Moore, and especially Tatafu Polota-Nau, are not going to win world’s best throwers at the lineout anytime soon.
It didn’t help that the Wallaby captain barely had anyone to throw it too if Will Skelton was one of the locks. This will no doubt change if Cheika persists with the Pooper combination, and especially against England.
If one looks at the options Cheika now has at lock, there is an outside chance Skelton will be one of the nine players not to make the final squad.
Brave call you might say, but looking at the competition I have to ask, “Does Will Skelton’s obvious strengths get outweighed by his clear limitations at Test level?”
We saw against the Crusaders, who outplayed the Waratahs at the set piece, that despite his size, Skelton doesn’t give you any real advantage at scrum time that another big lock couldn’t just as equally provide.
Is his ball-carrying prowess and physicality in the contact area enough at Test level?
Are they skills that someone else like Rory Arnold and an Adam Coleman can bring, but with more strings to their bow?
Interestingly, despite his age, English lock Maro Itoje is already being hailed by former South African hooker and Saracens teammate Schalk Brits as “the total package” and as already “world-class.”
Not bad praise coming from guy who has played alongside Victor Matfield.
The Australian tour will either cement that accolade, or bring it into question, but he is, without doubt, a natural athlete, powerful ball carrier, very physical in defence, and was a revelation in the Six Nations.
Rory Arnold could be a good counter at lock if selected. He is physical, and at Super Rugby level has proved a very good lineout operator, with the raw ingredients any coach needs in a lock in the tight five.
He would be my pick to pair with Rob Simmons. Simmons’ lineout ability and handy back row skills give him the nod over his competitors. He will need to become the caller as well.
If chosen, they will both need to be on their game against the English incumbents.
The Saracen pair are backed up by the experienced Joe Launchbury, who would be giving the English selectors food for thought after his superb man-of-the-match performance against Wales.
Then there is the two-metre-tall Courtney Laws who can also play in the back row at Number 8. England have great depth at lock, and they come wanting to be very physical in their tight five.
George Kruis has already indicated exactly what he thinks about the strength of the current English pack, proclaiming, “If you look at the team we’ve got it’s a pretty big, confrontational pack. We want to get back to that gnarly, brutal English pack. It’s the way forward for us.”
Despite what some may argue, and I can understand this point of view, I actually don’t believe there will be too much between the English and Australian front rows in this Test series. England arrive with plenty of Test game time under their belt and this could be important, especially in the first Test.
The game against Wales also produced some periods of high tempo rugby, more in line with the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in the second half, and England stood up well.
Whether they can go the distance at that pace for 80 minutes remains to be seen.
But England are past masters at slowing the game down for a breather. Jones does seem to have them on a fitness regime, though.
Let’s hope so, or eighty minutes could become a long played out hundred.
Also evident in the pre-tour game was England’s use of the backs, who demonstrated that despite the injury to Manu Tuilagi, they have plenty of firepower in the centres in players like Luther Burrell.
Originally a surprise, even controversial omission from the touring squad, the big, hard-running Northampton centre made the side to Australia after Tuilagi was in doubt with injury. After his performance against Wales, Eddie Jones must be thankful he is now in the touring side.
Though he very good at getting over the gain line and, as he demonstrated against Wales, is lethal near the line, Burrell is not a natural distributor.
This is why Owen Farrell is preferred at 12 in the run-on side. He was used there throughout the Six Nations with George Ford at ten. Farrell plays a similar role to the one Kurtley Beale may have been going to perform for the Wallabies had he not got injured.
Though more noted for his position at fly-half, twelve is a position Farrell has become familiar with over his career. His distribution skills and tactical kicking make him ideal for this position. At 91 kilos, he is not much heavier than Kurtley Beale, but unlike Beale, Farrell has earned a good reputation as a pretty decent defender in recent years.
Whether he remains there for the Australian tour or moves back to ten remains to be seen, but Eddie Jones likes Ford at ten because he is more spontaneous and possesses a high-class tactical kicking game.
Mathew Bourke has already mentioned in that the pace of the England wingers is one area that England have the edge on Australia, stating, “What the Aussies lack, though, is genuine speed on the wings. England have superstar finishers that can be game changers.”
He makes a very valid point.
England posses players like Anthony Watson from Bath, who can play wing or fullback and is good under the high ball. Slippery Jack Nowell, who plays on the wing with Exeter Chiefs and is aptly nicknamed “the Fish,” has a brilliant step off both feet in traffic. Then comes the express pace of Marland Yarde from the Harlequins who can make the kind of runs that constantly cause havoc for defences.
All three have the extra ingredient of excellent acceleration. Watson and Nowell will probably start.
Marland Yarde has had an indifferent season at Harlequins. Chris Ashton has been in much better form for the Saracens, but recently received a controversial ten-week ban for eye gouging even though the video replay didn’t exactly show he was intentionally trying to gouge anyone’s eyes out.
Even so, and to the shock of the English rugby media, Eddie Jones had already selected Yard over Ashton in the touring squad.
After his excellent performance against Wales, where his game seemed to rise to the occasion, Yard demonstrated that at his best, he is a seriously dangerous attacking winger who is no slouch in defence either.
He may yet just get the nod over the Jack Nowell in the first Test.
Rob Horne is a fine and versatile player, but he is not an out-and-out winger with explosive pace. This is a position where Australia has had depth issues before, and injuries to genuine wingers like Joe Tomane, and Henry Speight going to sevens, has only made things worse.
It is certainly an area Cheika will need to look closely at because Bourke is right. If a player like Marland Yarde or Anthony Watson gets going with their express pace and acceleration, they could cause havoc out wide. They both certainly did against Wales, and Marland Yard has caused problems against the All Blacks in the past.
Cheika has brought in former Waratahs powerhouse winger Taqele Naiyaravoro giving Australia the definite edge in size and power in their backline, but the problem with Naiyaravoro is his defence, and he is no genuine high ball specialist either.
There have been some mutterings about him being likened (like so many recent big quick wingers it would seem) to Jonah Lomu, but for me this is off mark except for his size and perhaps his fend. Lomu at his peak, let’s not forget, could run the 100 metres in 10.65 seconds which means he would probably qualify for the Olympics.
Naiyaravoro, though quick for such a very big unit, and clearly a big threat out wide, has simply never had that kind of gas. I worry about one of the English centres or wingers kicking in behind him or creating an overlap – if he starts, of course.
For this reason, I would have Israel Folau on one wing, and Karmichael Hunt on the other. If Cheika wants to blood Karmichael Hunt in the Test squad, then a pivotal role like the centres is not the place to do it, especially not against a clever and experienced Test footballer like Owen Farrell. This also gives Cheika two wingers who can also handle high balls in defence and the chase.
Neither Folau or Hunt can be described as express, but both have enough skill and speed to counter England’s advantage out wide, and it is an advantage that will almost certainly cause defensive problems. Shrewd Eddie Jones will be only too aware of this.
Folau can still get involved in the backline on the wing where he was very good during the 2014 Lions tour, and he can always shift to centre or fullback at any point in the game depending on how the tussle is going.
On Rugby 360 both Greg Martin and Rod Kafer agreed that they believed Dane Haylett-Petty from the Force is currently the best fullback in Australian rugby, and both backed him strongly under the high ball. He has certainly been in fantastic form this season for an underwhelming Western Force.
With Dane Haylett-Petty at fullback, I would then have Tevita Kuridrani at 12 where he has already been seen training in the Gold Coast, with Samu Kerevi at outside centre. If Cheika prefers a more natural distributor at 12, Christian Lealiifano is the obvious choice with Kerevi going to the bench.
England also posses the much-improved Bath centre Jonathan Joseph. At just 25, he has at last reached the potential he showed in his very early days as a player. He is not a big centre by today’s standards, but is very quick and strong in the tackle.
Joseph comes with an array of deft kicking skills like the grubber kick and chip over the top which he has a knack of chasing down to great effect. He should not be underestimated by any stretch of the imagination and, despite his size, he is gutsy in defence – though he can get bulldozed by much bigger men on occasion in the front-on tackle.
Kuridrani or Kerevi will test him in that department, but that goes both ways in Joseph’s case because he is a very nippy player off the mark and can get past a defender in a flash.
At fullback, Mike Brown has long been a genuine world-class player, and an international fullback with all the skills that the position demands, but after returning from a five-month layoff to recover from a very nasty concussion, he was way below his best at the 2015 World Cup. He is slowly getting back to his best form but faces a serious challenge from current incumbent fullback from the Saracens Alex Goode.
Goode has a long raking boot that is particularly handy considering England’s lineout dominance over most of it opponents. He doesn’t quite have Mike Brown’s ability under the high ball, but you wouldn’t call it a weakness either.
Though attacking the line from the deep is not his go-to game plan, Goode has made some scintillating runs for his club, and in his 20 caps for England. He is also in a rich vein of form. He provides a good goal kicking option as well.
The halfback position could be one of the most intriguing of all in terms of contest depending on who Cheika starts with.
Like Australia, in Danny Care and Ben Youngs, England have two very capable scrum-halves in their squad. At 28 years of age, Danny Care is the starting scrum-half and is in career-best form.
Arguably the fastest scrum half in the global game, Care is a dangerous sniper. He loves to take lightning quick taps for penalties close to the line, and gets through defences before they have time to adjust. His pass is pretty to decent both sides of the ruck, and he is quick to the breakdown.
Like other scrum halves going around, Care sometimes takes a few seconds too long to distribute the ball. But under Jones, he has certainly improved this aspect of his game. His box kicking is also reasonable, but it is his explosive running game that causes defences huge problems.
He will need to be closely watched from anywhere. Going down a very tight blindside is one his favourite plays – he has been known to dash trough a gap in the lineout instead of passing it, catching defenders off guard. He is a clever player and is playing some excellent football at the moment.
England must win the first Test to have any chance of winning the series.
This will give them enormous confidence to add to the poise that has come to the side very quickly under Jones. It will also put Cheika and the Wallabies under enormous pressure in the second and third Tests.
And this England side are capable of doing this.
The first Test will tell us a lot of things about both Australia and England post-World Cup.
England are currently unbeaten under Eddie Jones which is a great place to start any overseas tour, while Cheika and his charges are yet to play a Test. And the first Test is always a little rusty for any side.
Whatever anyone thinks the final outcome may be, (I think 2-1 to Australia) Eddie Jones means serious business, and the England squad are a far cry mentally, tactically, and structurally from the side Australia humiliated in their own backyard at the 2015 World Cup.
Jones knows what he is trying to bring back, and add to the makeup of England.
His opinion of the Wallabies is very clear:
“Michael Cheika has turned Australia from being a joke side as they were 18 months ago when they were dropping Tests left, right and centre…and put together a hard-working, aggressive and physically competent team…That’s how you win rugby games.
“It’s not magic. If you watch New Zealand play, they’re physically aggressive but they have plus skills. We want our physical aggression to be the absolute base of our game, which is what England sides previously had in the 1990’s and up to 2003. I do not know why it was lost, but we are not going to lose it now.”
A great contest is coming up on the field with the always-entertaining Eddie Jones in town to juice things up off it. Honestly, the guy could sell tickets to his press conferences he’s that good.
Let’s hope the Test matches are all sold out because this will be a cracker of a series.
Ah yes, something wicked this way comes indeed.
Fox
Roar Guru
Yep agree Rugby fan that Clifford would be a great guy to have on he bench because of his versatility but I think he has the X-factor that means he should start but will he? Maybe I a big fan Ben Morgan - great ball carrier and very physical and faster than Vunipola but plagued by injury. Sad he missed the squad because of this. He could have made a real impact.
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Nicely written Fox and very instructive to those Antipodes types who cannot afford to keep Rupert the Dirty Digger in penthouses. Admittedly I only saw about 25 minutes of the England vs Wales match via a stream but honestly, apart from BOTH sides were missing a fair few first choice players, the Welsh looked like they didn't want to tackle for fear of injury and missing the NZ tour. If I'm wrong and that was their serious attempts at tackling for the whole game, then we will be seeing cricket scores in NZ. A shame for the fair dinkum NZ rugby fans as who wants to see 85-6 scores. Once is a buzz, 2-3 times is ho-hum! It may have been better for England to tour NZ, so the World Rugger Champs have some decent opposition to smack down (plus we Aussies get to spank an easier opponent so we can also continue to crow). :) Even so, England can only play what's in front of them and in the latest 6N and this hit-out match, they have played good winning rugby and won them all. You can't ask any more than that. Add to that they are now introducing some very good players into their squad so in 2 years time it wouldn't surprise to see England #2 or 3 in the world. Their backs have looked pretty potent at times but its mostly because their forwards have really looked the goods. Apart from wing speed, I don't really put any of the England players/units above their WB counterparts except in the 2nd row. To me, this is where the series can be won or lost. I can't wait to see this new superstar Maro Itoje on the field, he killed them in the 6N match against Wales and could become the best player in the Universe. With England having 4 world-class locks, I can see M.Itoje moved to #6, likely G.Kruis and J.Launchbury with C.Lawes as reserve lock. I don't think the WB will win too many lineouts on England's throw. However its also their running with the ball, ruck work and tackling that makes all four of these locks such a danger, especially M.Itoje. If the WB trot out W.Skelton, then its downhill from there. Bill Willie has his moments, can be lethal in the occasional cleanout and charge but in almost all the Tahs matches he has virtually been a log, a bystander taking up 3 m of space. The Ab locks of the Canterbury match showed up Willie's flaws, just doesn't cover the field very well and usually way too late into the breakdown to be effective. For the WB, I was pushing for R.Simmons and R.Arnold as starters with reserves of J.Horwell and A.Coleman. All good in the lineouts and scrums/mauls and good runners around the field (when compared to W.Skelton). But A.Coleman has been punted and big Willie is still there. I presume coach M.Cheika thinks A.Coleman (as with L.Timani) is too slow or lazy to be in the WB, unlike one W.Skelton.
Rugby Fan
Roar Guru
Clifford can play number eight too, which makes him a handy bench player. I disliked it when Lancaster played Vunipola and Morgan together in a match 23 since it gave us no flexibility with our back row strategy.
Christopher Clarke
Guest
If Eddie employed the Roslin Institute to clone and conflate the attributes of Youngs and Care for a rugby-playing equivalent of Dolly the Sheep then England - not to mention the centres - would be mighty well served. Failing that, I'm bemused why Robson hasn't been called up. With Tuilagi missing, I think Eddie will add to the Aussie influence and play Te'o outside Farrell and relegate Ford to the bench. Burrell is a big unit but - to using a boxing term - punches below his weight. Long-term, Watson is a 15 but I think Eddie will go for Brown for now not least for his combative nature. Goode unlucky to miss out. Haskell and Robshaw as a partnership are on borrowed time. EJ has stated in the past that more pace is needed in the back row. Billy makes yards but he's slower than tectonic plate shifts. If Eddie's not going to shift Itoje to accommodate Launchberry - and I can well understand reticence to do this - then I reckon, unless it goes extremely well, the 1st Test could be the last outing of the (relatively) elder statesmen (Robshaw turned 30 yesterday) and Haskell, 31. I'm pretty sure Clifford will be on the bench in Brisbane. For what it's worth, I think England will win the 1st Test.
Fox
Roar Guru
Fox
Roar Guru
Hi Rugby fan - you make some good points here but the thing I like about Jones over Lancaster is that he learns vert quickly from his mistakes which Lancaster did not. Burgess is a classic example I think. The Robshaw - Haskill- Clifford choice is a tough one but it is hard to deny Clifford's form and the X-Factor he brings to the backrow Nope - Haskill is not going to win the Nobel Prize for Physics any time soon, - but he does bring that in your face muscle. Robshaw will start of course and I think that is a given really. He brings leadership and nous but I think Clifford has a lot more natural talent than either Bradshaw or Haskill but he will no doubt start on the bench. But I would love to see him start against Australia because he brings a much needed extra yard, or even two, of pace to the English backrow. Harrison is no slouch in the backrow pace department either.
Fox
Roar Guru
And yes I prefer Care to Youngs but it is position of much debate I think between the two and your backline is the one I like a lot as a combination but Eddiie likes Ford at 10 and I can see why to be fair
Fox
Roar Guru
Thanks SDHonetmonster - I like the idea of both Harrison and Clifford together and this will be a combination in the future and it may happen off the bench this series in the final 20 or so. And Haskill has had a pretty good season to be fair to him. I like your backline as well but is Te'o plays inside centre then Farrell has to play 10. His goal kicking skill is just too important
Fox
Roar Guru
Apologies for typos and Farrell with single L was in a rush
Fox
Roar Guru
Also I hope you are right about Youngs getting quicker at the rucks because he allows defenses to get into position and though he does have plenty of tactical nous - some of the best tactical nous for a scrum half is quick ball and the quicker the better. I agree he is better tactical kicker than Care but for me Care has more X-Factor at the ruck and is quicker at cleaning out the ball and for me this will be critical against Australia who have a very good defensive line. They both have strength and weaknesses but Care's pace ( not that Youngs is not nippy as well) is lightning off the mark and this will worry Australia near the lone. But Youngs will probably start but speed at the ruck it so vital in modern game and especially when trying to combat SH sides Care may get the jump on Youngs I think Farrel's defects - and there are not many - at 12 will be fixed by Glen Ella hopefully but he is a genuine world class player and superb goal kicker so he must play But you are right he sometime does counter Josephs effectiveness who I rate as a player who has really come of age. Ella will teach Farrel to gold up the pass and draw players in I am sure. But yes right now Farrel does prevent Joseph's acceleration from having the affect it should at times and he will be targeted by the Wallabies for this reason and because of his size and to stop him linking effectively with England's explosive wingers.
Fox
Roar Guru
Hi Bruce and thinks by the way - yea I tend to think you are right and he is the current first choice and he deserves to be as you rightly point out and why I said he will probably start with Watson But it was pleasing to see Yard show some of what he is capable of against Wales and there must be something Jones saw in him that he liked to pick him in the first place considering his below par form this season. Who knows Jones and Ella may yet bring something special out in Yard only time will tell. But I like England's outside backs. Lots of pace and plenty of talent to go with it if it can be unleashed. I really like the look of Watson - there is something special about him I think and he will only get better
Rugby Fan
Roar Guru
Eddie Jones has certainly had an effect but he really hasn't yet brought any major changes in personnel or strategy. As you say, what he has re-established is confidence and overseen and improvement in execution. Having said that, we almost didn't win a Triple Crown, let alone the Grand Slam. Our match against Wales closely resembled the World Cup pool loss. In fact, we had a bigger lead back in March when Eddie Jones started to make late substitutions. Just like the World Cup horror show, Wales promptly scored, and might even have taken the match, but George North was ruled in touch, when he probably wasn't. It struck many people that England played the 6N tournament much the same way they had done under Lancaster, but this time got the result. Last weekend, Jones said he deliberately held off making substitutions because of the memory of how England's structure had collapsed in the Six Nations fixture. He readily admits he made a mistake, and misread the game. Eddie Jones probably is a superior coach to Stuart Lancaster, yet the main difference between the two men so far, is that the Australian has had better luck. One aspect which interests me is how Jones plans to develop England's leadership group. Against Wales in the Six Nations, he took off both Hartley and Robshaw, and we promptly shipped two tries. Robshaw isn't mentioned much, and I think it's fair to say that a lot of England supporters think he is yesterday's man. He was actually a key player in the Six Nations, cleaning up bad ball, and snuffing out opposition threats before they could develop. His captaincy decision late in matches might have been questionable but he was rarely outplayed during his international career. The World Cup probably saw his worst games in four years. If Robshaw doesn't start against Australia, then there'll be a lot resting on Hartley's shoulders. Itoje is being spoken about as a future captain but he doesn't even lead his club, so there's a steep learning curve ahead. It's also hard to imagine Billy Vunipola stepping up from vice captain, even though that appointment has bolstered his game. James Haskell has bags of experience but may not be our most tactically acute thinker. It's hard to shake the image of him running straight into a goalpost with the line at his mercy, when falling either side of it, or even touching the ball down on the base of the padding, would have seen a score.
Loup
Guest
EJ loves his flankers so he probably picks Itoje to take the place of a lock so that he can get one extra flanker on the field. If he was Wallabies coach he would probably play Fardy as a lock.
Loup
Guest
I think the 3 additionals may be because Hunt has been sitting out of some training sessions and Kepu, Lealiifano had (have?) not yet joined the squad, and Cheika's preference is for two sets of 15 for opposed training sessions.
bruce bridges
Roar Rookie
Fox Saker There is no way Yarde will start ahead of Jack Nowell. If they are looking for bulk in the 3/4s Brown/Goode will miss out and Nowell or Wsatson will play full back. Nowell at the moment is playing at level Yarde can only dream of.
bruce bridges
Roar Rookie
This is a good article although it has not covered England's weaknesses and there are several. Despite dominating in terms of possession and territory in the 6Ns they did not score as many tries as they should. There are several reasons for it. When Owen Farrell plays at centre it although there are 2 play makers he keeps defences guessing as to what are plans are running passing or kicking and makes defending difficult. However as he is not a OC normally he does not effectively fix defenders before passing. This cause defenders to drift on Joesph at 13 giving him little space to work with. Some England player's are showing little signs of being able to adapt to a heads up rugby approach. Mike Brown in particular cost England at least 3 tries in the 6Ns against wales (2 chances) and France by not looking for support and then choosing the wrong option. The forwards are big and strong and mobile they seem surprisingly unable to get mauls moving effectively they should be driving over from lineouts in the positions 22 regularly but I can't remember them doing it at all in the 6Ns. Both Youngs and Care need to up their games, England look a more organised side with better and more effective stragies when Youngs plays however he seems to really struggle to keep the tempo high and is often AWOL at rucks causing slow ball and turn over opportunities. He can also take age to move the ball from the ruck and often with inaccurate pass. Care on the hand is much sharper at the ruck but a much poorer kicker and England like to contest High balls as part of their 22 exit strategy. (Watson and Nowell make this a very dangerous tactic as both have spring heels and either pace to burn or are very elusive runners) Care also does not seem have Youings tactical nous either. England's best scrum half is SA with their second team. The most impressive thing about England is this team is young and will improve with more experience because these guys have rugby smarts that is not normally assciated with English players. These guys are young hungry and have a massive point to prove they will be the real deal in 2/3 years. I know many people are drawing parallels with England'd 2003 team don't believe it. That teams was facing its last Hurrah this team will expect to carry on after the 2019 RWC.
Fox
Roar Guru
Yep Dan I agree on your views on the failed Burgess experiment. I am not sure the Eddie Jones effect is overstated when he is unbeaten so far and I think the Australian tour should tell us more probably on that score. I think the new coaching staff he has bought is very good too which he has to be given credit for And I definitely think Care should start over Youngs- just think he has more X-Factor
Timbo
Roar Rookie
I agree. Both that it should be, and that it won't be.
SDHoneymonster
Guest
There were only five players in the England starting XV that had actually played any rugby since the end of the Premiership season, which ended on the same weekend as the Pro 12 - this idea that they were less rusty than the Welsh is a bit off the mark. The game itself was encouraging on the whole, but the performances of Youngs and Ford, the two likely starting half-backs, were a significant caveat for me. Ford's woes from the kicking tee have been well documented but it does seem to have overshadowed the rest of his game, which was actually pretty decent - certainly nowhere near his best, but that was mainly down to Youngs inside him, who remains indecisive and at times lackadaisical, and it's consistently putting Ford under huge pressure as he receives hospital pass after hospital pass and moves are breaking down because of it. His try showed the best of him but it's surely time after this tour to start looking at a third scrum half option to put pressure on Youngs and Care - both have 50+ caps but have never truly nailed down the starting jerse, always tailing off after a few games safe in the knowledge that even if they're dropped they'll be back in the side soon enough. Was disappointed not to see Robson on the tour and he and Simpson have to come in the frame come the new season. As for the rest of the team, I have the feeling that Jones is going to go for the 6N XV for the first Test, which is understandable given there'll only have been a week or so of training with the entire squad beforehand but disappointingly safe and probably likely to lose. I thought Clifford and Harrison both outshone Haskell in the Wales game, who looks in need of a rest, and would give England far more firepower and pace in the backrow to compete with Hooper & Pocock (backed up by Itoje and Kruis, who play like extra flankers in the loose anyway, particularly Maro, who turns over as much ball as some opensides!) I'd love to see them both starting but I can see one starting with the other on the bench. A growing elephant in the room will be Hartley too - yes he's captain, but he's keeping George, the better all round player nowadays, out of the team. As for the back-line, I'd take an in-form Ford over Farrell any day but he's just not in good enough form to justify picking at the moment - Farrell has taken huge steps forward in his attacking game over the course of the season and is no longer just a rock solid goal kicker and tackler, so you wouldn't lose much in attack. If he sticks with the 6N midfield then I can see Yarde starting over Nowell, as the backline lacks a bit of physicality and someone who can make some hard Yardes (sorry!) otherwise, as well as being dangerous in space. I'd bring in Te'o or Burrell at 12 though and bring Goode in at 15 - he's not as abrasive or quick as Brown but he's a better attacking player and can act as that second playmaker and decision-maker that you'd lose by playing a ball carrier rather than ball player at 12. Anyway, after all that waffling, the team I'd pick (not the one Jones will pick) would be: Vunipola George Cole Itoje Kruis Clifford Harrison Vunipola Care Farrell Nowell Te'o Joseph Watson Goode Bench: Cowan-Dickie, Mullan, Hill, Launchbury, Haskell, Youngs, Slade, Daly (thinking is that Slade covers 10/12/13 and Daly covers 13 and the back three if required). Anyway, thanks for a good in-depth piece, and here's to what hopefully will be a cracking series!
Dan in Devon
Guest
Well the game felt very ant--climatic after the Saracens -Chiefs final and I thought some of the tries were soft. I would not read too much into the game. Likewise, I think the Eddie Jones "effect" has been overstated. England were developing solid foundations under Lancaster but for the idiocy of the Burgess experiment - though Burgess is a fine rugby player, you can imagine the "messages" it must have sent through the squad. That said, Lancaster seemed unable to decide on his preferred centre pairing and Brad Barritt, who is a fine player at premiership level, was not the answer at test level. How much can we read into England's 6N's success? I would say very little, coming as it did so soon after the world cup. England's major change for me has come in defence with its improved line speed and its tactic of blocking the channels. Of course, the addition of Kruis and Itoje has been instrumental but they would have come into the team whether Jones was coaching or not. For me, the decisive difference during the RWC was Hooper and Pocock and Australia's dominance at the breakdown. I was impressed by Pocock's ability to win turnovers and I wonder whether Kruis and Itoje will win as many turnovers in Australia where the breakdown will be more contested - Wales for instance tend to commit less players at the breakdown preferring to strengthen their defensive line. Hooper is simply phenomenal - and only 24! His combination of speed, strength and agility is astonishing. Lastly, i think you are spot on with Care. I am a big fan of his and I hope Jones does not continue to start with Youngs whom I think holds the ball too long and will be targeted by Hooper. Thanks for the article. I enjoyed the read. I guess in a week's time we will all be a little wiser!