England aren't starting nine forwards versus Georgia, but Eddie Jones has still 'invented' a new position for one player in his XV
Eddie Jones began the latest England Test week by teasing how he might start nine forwards against Georgia and he has now invented new terminology around the position Jonathan Joseph will play at Twickenham on Saturday.
Jones’ ‘start-nine-forwards’ ruse didn’t come to pass when he eventually announced his starting XV on Thursday to begin the four-game Autumn Nations Cup campaign. However, his out-of-the-box thinking instead switched to his commentary surrounding Joseph, the right-winger who is more recognised as a Test level centre with England.
Joseph started at outside centre in the Six Nations title-clinching win over Italy on October 31 but he now moves one position wider to accommodate the inclusion of Ollie Lawrence for his first Test start after debuting off the bench in Rome.
Lawrence will form a midfield partnership with Henry Slade but rather than get hung up on the specific outside and inside positioning, Jones reflected how such descriptions are now obsolete in the modern game and went on to deliver a new hybrid-style description of the role winger Joseph will play in tandem with Lawrence and Slade.
“That old notion of a 12 and 13 is almost a thing of the past,” declared England boss Jones. “You have two centres that are able to play either/or at set-piece which is one-fifth of possession you get when they play 12 and 13. But the rest of the game they are finding their position – from kick return there is no set position.
Here are your teams for Saturday's clash between @GeorgianRugby and @EnglandRugby ? pic.twitter.com/qAi3R81TiN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 12, 2020
“In fact, the 13 generally goes to the wing on kick return. So all of those things are a work in progress and it’s the players’ communication and awareness on the field that gets tested. We are delighted to play JJ on the wing. We saw him get his most run metres on the wing against Ireland where he was absolutely electric – and he will play almost as a floating centre for us. He will be able to go anywhere on the field.”
Jones added how impressed he has been with newcomer Lawrence, adding that the rapport he has already built with Joseph is an encouraging sign for this Saturday and beyond with England. “He [Lawrence] is a different sort of boy, a lot quieter around the group. Very diligent in terms of his analysis, very diligent in terms of wanting feedback on his performance, has established good relationships with his wingers.
“And JJ has been fantastic for him. He has shared a lot of information with him. On Wednesday at training JJ was giving him tips on what he needs to do. That is one of the most impressive things in the camp so far – I have really been delighted about the attitude of the players.
“We have got guys who we know have got 100 caps now and 50 caps and their ability to share information with the younger guys, make sure they are bringing those younger players on, and the younger players understand their responsibility of pushing those older players.
“There is a nice bit of co-operative competition between the squad which has really pleased me. I have loved the attitude of the players at the moment. They are so keen to keep progressing forward and the Georgia game is a good game for us.
“It’s a tough game because all the expectation is for us to win easily. The narrative about the game is it’s supposed to be an entertaining, but we know we are playing against a team that is going to be hell bent on making the game difficult, hell bent on making it a physical wrestle and if you have a physical wrestle it’s hard to move the ball. It’s a tough game for us and I have really been pleased with the way the players have approached the game.”
Jones has made a big deal lately of wanting his England players to expand the traditional horizons of their specific positions. Last weekend he suggested Bern Earl could play in the backline, with Ollie Thorley going in the opposite direction. It’s a desire for flexibility heightened by how Bledisloe IV panned out between Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s experimentation for us,” he said about the hybrid player idea. “We’re looking at how we can best cope to handle difficult situations. In the last two rounds of Test matches, I have seen teams reduced to 13 men which we were against Wales. You saw New Zealand and Australia down to 13 men at various stages, so (you need) the ability to have players who can fill in and execute a particular role that you need at that time.
“There is going to be a continuation with the high tackle law. It’s a very necessary law but it does lead to players being red-carded and yellow-carded because of the way the game is played. Rugby players traditionally drop their body height late.
“Any young rugby player is being taught to do that and at times it is almost impossible for the tackler to adjust their height because of that. That period of time when you have got 14 on 13 is a real possibility and we are trying to create players who can give us what we need in those situations.”
"He's one of the few forwards in English rugby that is good at pick and go so he brings that to the game" ?https://t.co/YapKb0HXd7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 12, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Probably the worst article on a rugby match I have ever read
198 Go to commentsWho hurt this man.. LoL 😭
198 Go to commentsIt unfortunate for the Jaguares that they became formidable just as super rugby as we knew came to an end. However, the idea of bringing them back is nonsensical. While I enjoyed the Jaguares and the South African flavour of the comp, a selling point of this incarnation of super rugby is that all games are on a decent time for an Aussie audience.
2 Go to commentslol that’s your opinion Ben, All Blacks benefited from a forward pass try, SA played 77 min without a recognised hooker, missed a no try conversion and a penalty could have would have but didn’t
198 Go to commentsBrett, from my distant perspective, I hope you get to keep the Rebels. Any ideas of teams from Japan or Argentina are just crazy. Won’t happen. If you look at logistics, it is much easier to get to LA from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney than to Buenos Aires. All with direct non-stop daily flights. You may even get some “gringos” to watch the games, with some younger players compared to Giteau and Nonu who still “play” in the area. I think it is virtually impossible to get a competitive Argie team for SR. All Pumas are in Europe, almost all second tier players are also in Europe. Fringe players are in South American pro rugby tournament (and many still in the MLR!) but these players who might be most interested in joining a new Jaguares do not have the skills to compete. As I have been saying since the Jaguares joined, they should have had TWO teams to make logistics for visiting teams better and Argie player development improved as well. Jaguares/Pumas was not ideal. But this is where Pichot and his cronies did not think long enough. Further the country with he new president “No hay Plata” Milei is in a very difficult situation. Galperin, the richest man in Argentina owns the Miami franchise of MLR. I don’t think you can get him to invest in Argentina. Actually, he played rugby himself. He was a fly half. He is worth around $6 billion!
2 Go to commentsWell done Baby Boks we will take the Draw. No 9 senseless long passes in those conditions. let’s move on and hope for some good weather
4 Go to commentsHow did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
4 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
198 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
198 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
198 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
5 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
5 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
4 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
198 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
198 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
198 Go to comments