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Don't bet against another series whitewash down under - Andy Goode
England’s second consecutive poor Six Nations has lowered expectations and meant hardly anyone is predicting a 3-0 whitewash like they achieved in Australia in 2016 but I think lightning might just strike twice.
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England will have to start this series a lot better than they did the latest Six Nations where some poor decision-making against Scotland, mainly from the head coach, cost them dearly but Eddie Jones’ team selection for the first Test is certainly an exciting one.
Much of it does pick itself with Jonny May ruled out and the likes of Henry Slade, Anthony Watson, Manu Tuilagi, Alex Dombrandt, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler and Joe Marler not on tour but recalls for Billy Vunipola and Danny Care, in particular, suggest Jones has decided to swallow his pride and that can only be a good thing for England.
In the case of the younger Vunipola brother, he has more than earned his selection and Eddie will no doubt claim it as a masterstroke if he excels but who knows if he would’ve been picked had Dombrandt and Simmonds been available.
Care’s call-up is far more significant, though, as we know there was a falling out there and the Harlequins man has been the form scrum half in the Premiership for the past couple of seasons.
This is his first Test for almost four years since the autumn of 2018 against Japan. He scored a try a couple of minutes into that game and if he can inject the kind of pace he does for Quins, whilst also helping Marcus Smith because of the relationship they have at club level, it might just provide the spark that England’s attack has been sadly lacking.
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Care’s addition should help and the return of Owen Farrell will add more leadership and nous to the midfield, as well as the other qualities he brings, but Smith has to be allowed to drive the team forwards rather than being asked to fit into a system that doesn’t suit him.
I also like the fact that Farrell hasn’t just been handed the captaincy straight back. He may well get it back during this series or over the course of next season but it’s fair to say he doesn’t have the best relationship with referees and Courtney Lawes has the respect of everyone so it seems to be another smart call from Jones at least in the short term.
There’s also a chance that the England head coach might have taken at least a slightly dim view of Farrell’s decision to go for posts five minutes from the end of the Premiership final. It’s easy to say with hindsight but Saracens should be backing themselves to score a try nine times out of 10 from that position on the field and it was conservative at best.
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Joe Cokanasiga is another returning man. He played against USA and Canada last summer but he hasn’t featured since the 2019 World Cup and Jones likes his size, having picked a big team generally.
Australia will look at that and try to keep the ball in hand and move England around with Cokanasiga’s positional ability being tested but they aren’t a team who kick very much at all compared to most international sides so he might not be as exposed in that respect.
He might not be the best in the game defensively but he offers a point of difference and the fact that he’s scored eight tries in his last four Test starts for England tells you he’ll be a threat in attack.
The likes of Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman are a bit unlucky not to make the match day 23 but Guy Porter has just won the Premiership and offers a lot of versatility, while everyone is excited to see what Henry Arundell can do off the bench against a tiring defence.
Clearly, the result of this series is massively important, as it always is, and momentum is a huge factor in sport. England desperately need some of that but we also need to see evidence of how they are trying to play in attack after scoring just eight tries in five games during the Six Nations.
Australia’s front five isn’t the strongest or most experienced and, of course, England are going to take them on up front but Smith needs to be given the freedom to play his own game and exploit the spaces off the back of that.
The talent is there to win this series 3-0 and if England can get off to a winning start this weekend, even if they have to grind it out, we might just see the more expansive attacking game that Eddie has been promising finally delivered on the hard, flat tracks down under.
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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….
75 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