Five winners and five losers from Saturday's World Cup warm-ups
The warm-up games are well and truly in the swing of things now, with each match affording fans and coaches glimpses of the big picture – both good and bad.
We take a look at the winners and losers from Scotland v France and England v Ireland.
Winner: England’s attack
This is the eighth time in ten games that England have scored 32 or more points (the two exceptions being away to Wales in Cardiff). Eddie Jones has always been keen for them to score off first phase ball and they did, three times. He has wanted them to use their power runners to create space, and they did, with Manu Tuilagi in particular causing havoc in Ireland’s defensive line. And he has emphasised the need for pace in the back three in Japanese conditions, which England have shown in abundance. There’s still plenty to work on for England but the attack is looking in very good shape.
Loser: the mounting injury lists
The warm-up games are an obvious Catch 22 for coaches, fans, and players – you can’t truly replicate match conditions in training so you can’t fully test fitness, systems, or partnerships. But an injury picked up in these games can rule you out of the world cup. We’ve already seen a number of high-profile players go down and this round of games added Cian Healy, Conor Murray, Tommy Seymour, Sam Skinner, Blade Thomson, and Mako Vunipola to the list of doubts. It’s a hard circle to square but that doesn’t make it any easier for the players who miss out.
Winner: hopes for a Scottish Plan B
It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t enough to ease the fears that have developed over the past 12 months or so. Scotland again conceded in the first two minutes, for the third game in a row. But they showed some dog, improved at the scrum and the breakdown, and got their defence going eventually. Hamish Watson was superb, deservedly winning Man of the Match, and he was ably assisted by the pugnacious Ryan Wilson. It might not be a Plan B yet but there were signs of the bark Scotland will need to go far in Japan.
Loser: Ireland
In the last round, there were no real positives for Scotland to take away. This round, Ireland were the team to finish their match without much optimism. They are a week behind in their warm-up schedule and they looked rusty, as you’d expect, but this was more than just rust. The lineout was woeful, there was no aggression in defence (they missed 34 tackles), and, yet again, they had no answer when they came up against a team who kept the ball away from them. A side further from the team who swept all before them in 2018 is hard to imagine. There’s plenty of time for Joe Schmidt to right the ship but it looks to be listing.
Continue reading below
Winner: Maro Itoje
He came storming out of the blocks and maintained his intensity throughout. As usual, he was a pest on the floor and a threat at the lineout, used his athleticism around the field, and ran a lovely line for his try. His stats showed three defenders beaten, three offloads, two turnovers, five lineouts taken, three disrupted or stolen, 39 metres made, and 14 tackles completed – That’s some showing.
Loser: Ben Youngs
His England teammate, however, did not have a day to look back on fondly. In fact, he was the only England starter who didn’t impress. Youngs is not everyone’s idea of the perfect scrum-half but, when he’s in form, he does exactly want Jones wants, especially with his contestable kicks. This was not one of those days. Every facet of Youngs’ game was poor and an attempted miss-pass that went both forward and out on the full summed up a frustrating afternoon for him. England’s dominance was such that it didn’t matter and Jones’ has trusted him throughout his regime but Youngs will want to make significant improvements.
Winner: Damian Penaud
France might not have won the return fixture but Penaud impressed on the wing again. He bagged a brace, including a 50-m run-in following an intercept. He couldn’t keep it up in the second-half, as Scotland tightened up, but it was his second impressive showing in a week. He had a blistering season for Clermont and was of the highlights of France’s underwhelming Six Nations campaign and looks like he will head into the world cup as a winger to be reckoned with.
Loser: Peter Horne
In the week that Horne expressed some frustration that he continues to be considered second-choice for Scotland, and as competition among the centres in the Scottish squad heats up, throwing yet another intercepted pass was not what he needed. There is no doubt that Horne brings intelligence, versatility, and a huge work-ethic, but that may no longer be enough. Outside him, Chris Harris had a strong game and has been impressive in camp. Rory Hutchinson covers 10, 12, and 13, Duncan Taylor is finally back from injury, Huw Jones may well be deemed to offer enough in attack to make up for his defensive weaknesses, and Sam Johnson offers a physicality that Scotland could do with. There are still two games left for Horne to show his worth but time is running out.
Winner: Ireland’s underdog status
It’s a slim silver lining but it’s worth remembering that Ireland have never seemed truly comfortable with the favourite’s tag. Their record loss to England at Twickenham has prompted another shuffle of the rankings and Ireland are now in fourth. Two potentially difficult games against Wales, home and away, remain and they could slip further still. By the time they kick off in Japan, Schmidt’s men could have a very serious point to prove. For all they’ve disappointed this year, a snarling Irish pack should still be a very alarming prospect. Schmidt says their confidence isn’t dented but it may be that they find they still relish the underdog tag.
Loser: concussion protocols
After failing an HIA, Murray came back on the field for a few minutes before half-time, with Schmidt later blaming a breakdown in communication. With the (necessary) increased focus on concussion protocol and player safety, that is a worrying event. At Murrayfield, Seymour continued to play for six or seven minutes before the medical officers removed him from the field. He too failed his HIA. The world cup is an opportunity to set the standard in this area to a huge audience and officials need to be sharper.
Comments on RugbyPass
Totally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
1 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
36 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
36 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut 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.
36 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
36 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks 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
36 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
36 Go to comments