7:08 Highlights of the Pre-Rugby World Cup Test between England and Ireland from Twickenham
WHAT’S HOT?
Physical carrying game
When this England side are in the groove and generating forward momentum, there are very few sides in Test rugby which will be able to live with them.
Jones’ squad are blessed with an array of dynamic and powerful ball carriers, the likes of which are very difficult to find across other nations. Billy Vunipola, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Manu Tuilagi, and Joe Cokanasiga punch and puncture defensive lines seemingly with every carry.
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Added to that, England have the physical stature of the likes of George Kruis, Jamie George, Joe Marler, and Sam Underhill clearing rucks, while Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly have cultured boots and agility in the carry too.
In terms of pure power and ball carrying, England have proven over the last year to be up there with the best in the world. Stopping them will be some task.
Kamikaze back-row
Jones selected two natural opensides alongside each other in the the same back-row on Saturday in the form of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, and referred to the duo as ‘Kamikaze kids’ in the build-up due to their style of hitting everything.
The risk with pairing the two for England in a back-row alongside Billy Vunipola – who is too heavy to be a viable lineout jumping option – is you lose a specialised lineout element, but on Saturday against Ireland, the lineout thrived, and so did Jones’ two flankers.
The breakdown and ruck area is pivotal in each and every Test, and Jones’ decision to play both Underhill and Curry could prove inspired. Such a tactic has worked handsomely before for Australia with Michael Hooper and David Pocock, while the All Blacks seem to have settled on picking both Sam Cane and Ardie Savea.
At Twickenham, Underhill and Curry were both a bundle of energy, competed hard at the breakdown, and brought pace and verve to open play.
Indeed, the two even combined for a second half try when Underhill seared through the line off a super Sinckler pop pass, and fed Curry on his inside shoulder.
After three years with the openside slot as a problem area for Jones, he now has two in great form and potentially within his strongest starting XV going forward.
Backs interplay
Another facet to Saturday’s enormous victory which will please Jones greatly was the interplay he witnessed between his backs to create tries.
Notwithstanding the fact they were facing an Irish defence which was so lacklustre it verged on the criminal in sporting terms, England broke the line at will, and their offloading and passing was crisp and sharp.
Tuilagi, Farrell, George Ford, and Elliot Daly were at the core of this, while Jones also has the likes of Henry Slade, Jack Nowell, Jonathan Joseph, and Anthony Watson to add into the mix. England have quality in depth.
WHAT’S NOT?
Issues at nine…
If there was one player in the England ranks who didn’t cover himself in glory over the weekend, it was scrum-half Ben Youngs.
The Leicester Tiger kicked out on the full twice, handing Ireland lineout chances near the England 22 which they failed to take advantage of, while his passing was laboured and lacked accuracy.
The scrum-half also displayed a tendency to pick the ball up from the base of the ruck before passing, slowing things down, and attempted to earn a penalty in the first-half from referee Nigel Owens, playing the ball against an Irish runner despite there being no ruck formed – ultimately costing his team huge territory as Ireland counter-attacked.
It was far from impressive from Youngs, and such a display will be exposed against teams in better form. Worryingly for Jones, however, the only other scrum-half option within the squad is 32-year-old Willi Heinz, who only made his Test debut this month.
The decision to ignore Ben Spencer after his wonderful campaign for Saracens, and to a lesser extent the experience of Danny Care, looks more curious by the week.
Plan B…?
While Saturday was a day of undoubted positives for English rugby, the inferiority of the opposition meant that previous issues within games weren’t tested.
As was proved last week in defeat at Cardiff, England struggle to adapt and come up with a second option within Test matches when they find themselves behind or things aren’t going all their way.
In Japan, Jones’ charges will not be playing within the comfort of Twickenham, and the squad will experience moments under huge pressure within games where things appear to be going against them.
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“I have to reiterate the other side of the coin; that England have to be able to handle the momentum-shifting periods of pressure. This game did NOT address those issues,” Sky Sports’ Stuart Barnes wrote this week.
“Eddie Jones’ team were superb in the first two and a half matches of the Six Nations. They were naive and inflexible in the second half against Wales and then Scotland.
“Dazzling as Saturday’s display was, it was only a week after England emptied their bench of some of their best players but failed to find a way through Wales. Maybe they will find the answers, but as a journalist and not a cheerleader, it is important to remember questions remain to be answered.”
Therefore, while Saturday was a huge boost for confidence, it may not truly have been ideal in the context of preparing for the big show in a month’s time.
Selection dilemmas
For the first time since June 2018, Jones went with the Ford-Farrell, 10-12 axis on Saturday.
The side mostly clicked superbly; though, again, it is potentially hard to truly judge the lineup owing to the feebleness of the Ireland defence in their way.
A combination of Ben Te’o’s expulsion from the squad and Henry Slade’s injury saw Jones pair Farrell and Tuilagi in the centre, with Ford remaining at 10, and the backs flourished.
For many, though, England will be at their best and have the best chance of winning the World Cup with Farrell at 10, and during the Six Nations, the midfield selection of Slade and Tuilagi alongside Farrell at 10 worked really well.
Ford is a wonderfully intelligent player, however, and Saturday’s display will have given Jones food for thought.
Not so much a negative as time to get his thinking cap on for the Aussie…
England face Italy in their final Quilter International on Saturday September 6 at St James’ Park in Newcastle, live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm.
Sourse: skysports.com
