'England won't concede the yards that Scotland conceded' - Robinson
Wales will cause England problems if they can maintain their performance levels from last weekend’s 34-7 win against Scotland, according to Jason Robinson.
Warren Gatland’s men put on a thrilling display on the opening weekend of the Six Nations, making light of a number of injuries to key players to secure a bonus-point victory in Cardiff.
Wales visit Twickenham on Saturday to take on an England side who kicked off the championship with a 46-15 away win over Italy and are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive title.
World Cup winner Robinson believes the visitors – who have named 10 Scarlets players in an unchanged starting XV – will give Eddie Jones’ side plenty to think about, but he expects England to put up a sterner defence than Scotland could muster.
“If they continue to do that then it will cause England a few problems,” Land Rover ambassador Robinson told Omnisport.
“We saw it against Scotland. When you’re on the back foot, when you’re playing with a lot of tempo, it’s hard to defend against.
“[Gareth] Davies has got some good pace and you saw, because of the pressure they put Scotland under, they were able to pick them off.
“They just seemed comfortable with each other. Obviously most of them play in the same team, but that can make a massive difference. Just knowing players inside out and what they do, styles of play.
“The key thing is being able to deliver. They delivered last week against Scotland, but it’ll be interesting to see what they do when they come up against a better defence.
“England won’t concede the yards that Scotland conceded. They won’t give them that time.
“So it’ll be interesting to see what they then do, if they’re not getting those quick balls.”
https://twitter.com/SixNationsRugby/status/960452462070194177
Robinson identified the ruck as key to Wales’ hopes of victory at Twickenham, commenting: “If any team wants to play a quick game, it’s the breakdown. So there’s obviously going to be a massive scrap around that area for that quick ball.
“England, when you look at the likes of [Joe] Launchbury and [Maro] Itoje, [Chris] Robshaw, [Courtney] Lawes; we’ve got a lot of players who will certainly compete heavily and not give Wales as much time and space on the ball.
“It’s going to be a great game, a huge battle up front, and conditions are going to play a big part.”
Jones has guided England to 23 wins from 24 matches since taking charge after the disastrous 2015 Rugby World Cup and no team in the history of the Six Nations has won three titles on the spin.
“Although it’s not at the forefront of England’s minds, there’s an opportunity this year to create history,” added Robinson.
“They are obviously still continuing that run of 23 games out of 24, which is great, but we know England will have to step it up another gear and it all remains to be seen whether Wales can come out at Twickenham and play in that same vain and that form, with that confidence, because conditions will be different. There’ll be no roof on and they probably won’t have as much time on the ball.
“If they come out and they play with that intensity then they’ll put England under pressure and it’ll be interesting to see how England then answer it. I didn’t expect Wales to be in this position, but it sets it up nicely.”
Jason Robinson is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover has a heritage in rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite, supporting the game for two decades. @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal
Comments on RugbyPass
Did footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to comments