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'England will be based around the Saracens machine and that mindset will pay real dividends'

By Chris Jones
Keeping Vunipola fit, fresh and firing will be a priority for England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Saturday night in Paris will see an avalanche of attacking firepower on show in the Top 14 final between Toulouse and Clermont.

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However, when it comes to the Test arena in Japan on October 12, Montpellier backs coach Alex King believes an England team based around the Saracens machine will crucially nullify France in their final Pool C match.

Both Toulouse and Clermont carry potent attacking options for French coach Jacques Brunel, who has yet to decide on his first choice No10 for the tournament in Japan.

The league final at Stade de France offers Clermont’s Camille Lopez and Toulouse’ Antoine Dupont the opportunity to put themselves forward as the answer to a lengthy debate that requires a resolution before a pool campaign in the Far East when France and England will be joined by Argentina, Tonga and USA in one of the toughest pools at the finals.

King has spent the season working out strategies to deal with the best attacking talent in the French league. That list is headed by Clermont wings Damian Penaud and Alivereti Raka along with Lopez, while Toulouse centre Wesley Fofana is playing an exciting brand of attack initiated by Dupont and bringing the best out of a back line that includes Romain Ntamack, Maxime Medard,  Thomas Ramos and Yoann Huget. The only consolation for England fans is that Cheslin Kolbe, the brilliant Toulouse wing, is South African.

King expects Clermont and Toulouse to provide the majority of back line options, although he would add Gael Fickou (Stade Francais) as a midfield link with Fofana, keep Racing’s Teddy Thomas as a wing option, ensure Toulon’s Anthony Belleau is in the mix at No10 and have Morgan Parra (Clermont) and Maxime Machenaud (Racing) as contenders at scrum-half.

“England will be favourites to qualify from the pool because they have great strength in depth and can muscle up when they want to and also move to a wider game,” suggested King to RugbyPass. The former England, Wasps, Northampton and Clermont No10 is waiting to discover what incoming Montpellier head coach Xavier Garbajosa plans to do with the existing coaching set-up at the club.

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“They are also going to be based around the Saracens machine and that mindset will pay real dividends, with Exeter also showing the right mentality. The Premiership is really strong at the moment.

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Alex King believes the trophy-winning Saracens machine holds the key for England at the 2019 World Cup (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

“Toulouse have been fantastic this season and try to give the ball as often as possible to Kolbe who is one of the quickest players in the Top14.

“The two teams in the final will make up the basis of the French back line at the World Cup with Parra, Fofana, Penaud, Raka plus Lopez for Clermont, and Toulouse featuring Ramos, Ntamack, Dupont, Huget and Medard. If you then add in a few more players from other clubs it’s a formidable line up of talent.

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“The No10 role for France is such a tough one and he [Lopez] always seems to get dropped when they lose. It’s a reality of rugby life over here and you just hope that Brunel gives someone a run in the position to build partnerships. If you keep on reacting to losses like that you will never get growth,” continued King, the 44-year-old who was the Wales attack coach during their 2017 Six Nations campaign when boss Warren Gatland was on a Lions sabbatical.

“For France to be a real threat to England they have to get their selection and coaching right because as we have seen from Toulouse, they excel off turnover ball, playing unstructured rugby.

“In the final, the kicking game will be key because you cannot just hand back ball to guys like Ramos, Kolbe, Penaud and Raka. France are fortunate to have so many good players in form heading into a World Cup.

“Against England in the Six Nations they picked the wrong No15, and got found out and there are question marks over Raka and Penaud defending kicks – they can be susceptible.”

Alex King, who worked with the Barbarians in 2017, is still waiting for confirmation on his future at Montpellier (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images For Barbarians)

King confirmed there is “no sharing of tactical ideas” between the Top 14 club coaches and the French international set-up under Brunel, which creates uncertainty over selection and tactics.

Besides England facing threats from French players in the Top 14, King also pinpointed key players from Argentina who have impressed this season in Europe and can be added to the Pumas squad for the finals.

“Nicolas Sanchez has had really good season at No10 for Stade. Juan Imhoff from Racing is very dangerous and always scores tries, while Facundo Isa has done well at Toulon. You also have Bordeaux-bound Santiago Cordero at Exeter.”

WATCH: Episode six of Don’t Mess with Jim, the weekly RugbyPass series hosted by former Scotland international Hamilton

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j
john 47 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

14 Go to comments
A
Adrian 2 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

14 Go to comments
T
Trevor 5 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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