3 hours ago
5
During their 12-match winning run, when England were at the peak of their powers, they were setting the bar when it came to the kicking game. Steve Borthwick’s side adapted fastest to the law changes around escorting and reaped the rewards as a result. There are plenty of reasons why that winning run has come to an end in spectacular fashion but the fact that other nations have caught up and overtaken England is a significant one.
Part of the problem is personnel. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s absence is a huge blow in this championship and for all Henry Arundell’s qualities, he does not have the same aerial prowess. Tom Roebuck has been in and out, coming back from an injury, so England just haven’t had the same cattle. But it’s clear to me that their rivals have put in the work to get up to speed and are reaping the rewards.
France are the best at it. They’re the best at most things, they’ve scored eight tries from their own half, the most from first phase and have developed into the leading nation when it comes to the aerial contest. It’s important to remember that we’re not just talking about winning the ball cleanly in the air.
What France have done so well is the deliberate placement of their “slip catchers”, sending runners beyond the ball and ready to pounce on it if it has been tapped back by the defending team. Think Henry Pollock’s try against Australia in the autumn – it’s something that France are now the masters of. I’ve used a cricket term to describe it but in football parlance, it’s all about winning the second ball. For Italy, Louis Lynagh has been exceptional in the air so far so England must be on their mettle on Saturday.
England have not been able to develop or evolve their kicking game from the autumn and it’s tempting to say that they haven’t adapted in the Six Nations and moved away from it when it’s been ineffective. With Borthwick ringing the changes this week for a must-win match against Italy, you wonder if there will be a change in gameplan. But then, can we really say what England’s gameplan has been in the last two matches? I’m not sure we’ve seen it because they’ve found themselves under the pump and chasing the match so early on.
If Italy can turn the screw and make England chase the game again, there is every chance they will expose some scar tissue. Ellis Genge said after the Ireland match that Andy Farrell’s men had done exactly that and there are a few players in this England team who are not all that familiar with the pressure cooker of Test match rugby. As a result, it is so important that England start fast and build their way into a lead in Rome.
It’s so hard to identify the key factors behind a fast start – if you could, you would bottle it and be a rich man. I’ve been in dressing rooms where the mood just felt right, the tone of everything was spot on and you take to the field and nothing goes as planned. And, similarly, the opposite can happen. Everything feels out of kilter but as soon as the whistle goes, it all just clicks. If I were to really simplify it, I would look at what Dan Sheehan said after Ireland’s performance at Twickenham. Essentially, you’ve got to get into fifth gear as quickly as possible and stay there for as long as you physically can.
It’s a challenge I know these England players will be looking forward to because these two weeks will have been so difficult. Actually getting out on to the pitch again will feel like a relief. They will have gone home for a few days after the Ireland defeat to chew on things but you never really process it until you’re back together, conducting the inquest. And you’ll never be able to move forward unless you are brutally honest. I remember going into meetings fully expecting to be called out but you have to be that forthright and honest if you’re going to develop.
Clearly those conversations have been had and clearly Borthwick has seen fit to make sweeping changes. I like the fact that he has done so – I even suggested that after the Ireland loss he should change every position in the backline and that’s precisely what he’s done. You can call it a risk, to change so many players all at once, but to be frank, it would have been more of a risk to stand by those who have evidently underperformed.
Finally, I just want to set the record straight. I was at last week’s World Rugby, Shape of the Game meeting and it’s important to make clear that at no point were there discussions about “depowering the scrum” or anything like that.
Claims emerged in the French press, quoting the former referee Mathieu Raynal, that it was the case and the narrative has developed that France and South Africa are defending the traditional values of the game while Australia and New Zealand want something akin to rugby league. There were three areas for discussion: the scrum, the maul and the TMO. In all discussions, the consequence of any potential law tweak or law introduction was never to in any way depower the scrum.
I just can’t get my head around Raynal’s decision to speak out of class. Those meetings were supposed to be a forum to be open for robust discussions. I’m a big fan of Raynal, he was a brilliant referee, but I just couldn’t believe that.
