Boom or bust for Jones' bold England selection against Ireland in the Six Nations
Head coach Eddie Jones has named his England team to play Ireland in the Guinness Six Nations on Sunday and it’s not one that leaves much leeway for error or adaptation.
Jones has gone heavy in the second row, with Courtney Lawes starting at six alongside Maro Itoje and George Kruis in the engine room. They are supported from the bench by Joe Launchbury and Charlie Ewels in a 6-2 split.
The Australian has also opted for Jonathan Joseph on the wing, with Manu Tuilagi resuming his role in the midfield and Henry Slade taking up the final spot on the bench. With Elliot Daly at full-back and the bench back options consisting of just Slade and Willi Heinz, Jonny May is the only recognised wing in the 23, albeit with Daly providing cover should Slade be able to fill in at 15.
It’s a bold selection and one which does not leave England much wriggle room, should the wheels show signs of coming off at Twickenham. Ben Earl offers another back row option should the combination of Lawes, Sam Underhill and Tom Curry not prove to be fruitful, though with Launchbury and Ewels also taking up two spots, England are built for fresh legs and like-for-like replacements in the second row, rather than adding new dimensions to their back row.
If England don’t win the physical battle up front and the chess match at the set-piece, something that their selection is admittedly built to do, their ability to adapt and counter is limited. There will be a big onus on Itoje, Kruis and Lawes to establish that dominance from the get-go, with Launchbury and Ewels then able to spell them from a position of strength. On a side note, after the monsoon in Edinburgh, Jamie George must feel like all his set-piece Christmases have come at once.
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Watch: Don’t Mess with Jim – England vs Ireland preview
England’s options in the back line are similarly limited, with Joseph, Tuilagi and Slade, all outside centres at their clubs, in place in the 23. If Joseph struggles on the wing, something which could occur despite his undeniable ability in the midfield, Jones would likely have to move Daly to the wing and then deploy Slade at full-back, a position which he is relatively unaccustomed to playing at outside of training sessions.
There is no doubt that Jones is comfortable with the selection and he has faith in the players and their ability to take on irregular roles if necessary, though that doesn’t take away from what a very specifically tailored selection this is. If Jones and the players have got it right, they will hit Ireland with a ferocious one-two punch. If they’ve got it wrong, it will be a challenge to alter events at Twickenham against a fired-up Irish side chasing a Grand Slam.
Andy Farrell forced into a change https://t.co/zwk1P65zYm
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 21, 2020
A penny for the thoughts of Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley, where long-time centre Joseph has been preferred to him, as well as physically-dynamic back rower Lewis Ludlam, whose violent ball-carrying could yet be missed at Twickenham on Sunday. With three players capable of playing lock in the starting XV alone and two outside centres on the pitch, both Thorley and Ludlam are unlucky to miss out on bench spots at the very least.
It’s hard to imagine that Ireland won’t attempt to target Joseph on the wing with their kicking game. At outside centre, he is frequently required to make one-on-one tackles and excel with his decision-making, though that does not mean he will similarly flourish with his defensive positioning and attempts to win the contested aerial battles. They might not be specialist positions in the same way the front row are, but the muscle memory, feel for the position and comfort executing game plans from unusual spots on the pitch all may as well make them so.
One thing Jones will be hoping doesn’t manifest itself once again is a lack of front-foot ball, something which plagued England against France, when his side was built around a similar composition to this one. With the Vunipola brothers missing, a lot will be asked of Itoje, George and Kyle Sinckler as ball-carriers, not to mention the timing of the introductions of Earl and Ellis Genge also being particularly key. If the pack carries strongly and over the gain-line, England inevitably win. The back line is built to be running on to quick ball and if Ireland stymie that, they stymie England.
Eddie names his team. #ENGvIRE ?????????https://t.co/K9KG5PpQwv
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 21, 2020
It’s a boom or bust selection, with little in the way of contingency plans. There’s a simplicity and faith from the coaching staff in that that England fans should find encouraging, as Jones does not fear that his approach to this game will fail. We can critique the selection, but only that coaching staff will have seen them throughout the two weeks of preparation building up to this game.
And this is a game for England to re-establish themselves and show that there are a number of reasons why they made it to the Rugby World Cup final last year. The loss to France was highly disappointing and the win over Scotland was tenacious, if not emphatic in part due to the inclement conditions, and this game, their first at Twickenham since before the Rugby World Cup, is an opportunity to rebuild that feel good factor that English rugby has recently frittered away on and off the pitch.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
69 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments