At the risk of being labelled an arrogant Englishman, this group is primed to inspire a new generation - Andy Goode
At the risk of being labelled an arrogant Englishman, this group of England players look primed to inspire the next generation of rugby players in their country. We have all seen the drive on social media and elsewhere for people to go and watch the World Cup final at a local rugby club in England and victory would leave a lasting legacy.
The triumph of Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson and co in 2003 did make a real difference, including influencing many of those taking part in this final, and a second World Cup win 16 years on would be huge for the country.
Eddie Jones told us all four years ago to judge him on the World Cup and there have been some bumps along the way, with poor form last year and some questionable comments in the media in particular, but it looks like he has got his planning spot on for this tournament.
South Africa are the sizeable hurdle that stand in the way of him and his goal and they will present a different test to the All Blacks. There is no disguising the way they play – it’s going to be a huge physical confrontation and England will have to match them up front.
England have bullied Ireland physically in the recent past and they have the power to combat what is coming but that gain line battle will be key in determining who comes out on top.
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Finals are normally cagey affairs and the kicking game is clearly going to be important. The Springboks kicked the ball 37 times in open play against Wales last Sunday and Handre Pollard was superb marshalling his troops.
Faf de Klerk loves a box kick, too, so we can expect a fair few aerial contests. Neither Elliot Daly nor Willie le Roux are what you would describe as commanding full-backs under the high ball so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in their head-to-head.
George Ford has retained his place at fly-half and he was outstanding against New Zealand, as he has been throughout the tournament. There would have been a temptation to bring Henry Slade in, as they did for the quarter-final versus Australia, with Damian de Allende posing a similar physical threat to Samu Kerevi. But Ford’s kicking out of hand will be vital.
Tom Curry and Sam Underhill have rightly received rave reviews and their battle against Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi in the back row will be fascinating. I just hope referee Jerome Garces doesn’t have too big an effect on the game because there won’t be any communication at the breakdown, so who adapts best to him will have an advantage.
I can’t wait to see the battle between my old team-mate Tendai Mtawarira, aka ‘The Beast’, and Kyle Sinckler. The Quins prop has been brilliant thus far but he is in for a real test at scrum time.
There were some concerns about England’s lineout ahead of the semi-final, but Maro Itoje was the man of the match against New Zealand and that wasn’t an issue. But it will be another tough examination up against Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager and co in this one.
Siya Kolisi strikes a chord as he prepares to lead South Africa in their World Cup final versus England in Yokohama https://t.co/iwsx4nUdVH
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 1, 2019
South Africa’s mantra is ‘defence wins championships’ and they might be right – they have only conceded four tries in the whole tournament – but England’s attack can move them around enough to create the holes necessary to win the game.
They don’t play any rugby in their own half and will look to win the territory battle but if England can up the tempo, put width on the ball and run the sort of sharp decoy lines that they have been doing, there is a lot of space to be had out wide.
The Springboks are the ultimate pragmatists and the last thing England will want is for the game to be slowed down at every opportunity and for it to turn into a purely physical battle of muscle.
Are the bookies on the England hype train?? South Africa +6 in a World Cup final ? #RugbyWorldCup #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/nQ7d1Vk0Uc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 1, 2019
Cheslin Kolbe’s return is massive as he is the one real spark who can offer the Boks something truly different and special. He’s a jack in the box and if you kick loosely to him, you will be punished. When South Africa have beaten New Zealand in the recent past he has often been the x-factor.
He is up against Jonny May, who has the chicken voice in his head and has the capacity to do the unpredictable as well, so their match-up could be fun.
Kolbe has been nominated for World Rugby player of the year, which should tell you all you need to know, but the list is a bit of a strange one with Curry the only England nominee. That just shows how balanced England have been across the board, though.
George Kruis is ready to fight for England in their battle with South Africa's physical forwards https://t.co/XJ0W4CfUEN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 1, 2019
England fans won’t want to read that this World Cup has been a huge success whether they win or lose in the final, but it has really been a success given the way they have played and the fact that almost all of the squad should be available in four years’ time.
Jones put his neck on the line when he asked to be judged on the World Cup and he has come good so far. One more step and the knighthood will be on its way!
If they achieve his ultimate goal and win the World Cup, the effect will be enormous. Kids across the country will be taking up rugby in even greater numbers and desperate to become the next Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola, Manu Tuilagi and others.
The players won’t be thinking about that or the life-changing opportunities that will come along with it for them personally, nor should they. But the impact would be huge and far-reaching. The world is at their feet and they look primed to take their chance.
WATCH: Former World Cup winner Neil Back sits down with RugbyPass to recall England’s 2003 triumph in Australia
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe 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….
84 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!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 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
13 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.
13 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.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 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?
13 Go to comments