Goode: Don't expect a different result, England will bully Ireland again
England have bullied Ireland in their last three meetings and I can only see more of the same in the Autumn Nations Cup with a 15-point win for the home side.
Ireland have been at close to full strength in those past few games and just haven’t been able to measure up physically. Now they’re missing Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose among others, so it could be a tough day at the office.
It should’ve been a much bigger margin of victory that 12 points, if truth be told, when the sides met at Twickenham in February and I don’t see much changing with the way England apply pressure and suffocate the opposition.
There’s the romantic in everyone that wants to see an all-court performance and England throwing the ball around a bit but that isn’t the way Eddie Jones coaches. He’s results driven and he’s getting results with this England team playing a certain way so he’s going to continue doing it.
They’re very different situations but you can see what’s happening to Wales at the moment with Wayne Pivac trying to change the way they’re playing from the old ‘Warrenball’ game plan, as it was often known.
England reached a World Cup final with this power game and it isn’t always pretty to watch but it’s bloody effective. I think that final defeat is still nagging at Eddie because we saw his team do things in that game that they wouldn’t normally do and now we’re back to the tried and trusted approach.
There’s been more mind games from him this week as well when he said that Ireland were “the strongest poaching team in the world”. They’ve picked Peter O’Mahony at openside when he’s been dropped recently and is more used to being on the blindside.
In contrast, England have dropped arguably the most prolific poacher in the world at the moment in Jack Willis but still have a pair of top class opensides in Tom Curry and Sam Underhill in the side, so that can only be to divert attention or even to get in the referee’s head a bit.
The decision not to pick Willis for this one was to be expected and there are those who will argue he couldn’t have done much more last week but it’s just a reality that this back row took England to a World Cup final and he’ll just have to keep banging the door down and he’ll get more chances.
Ireland’s team selection is more interesting. Ross Byrne had a bit of a nightmare at Twickenham in his only previous Test start just before the World Cup and he’ll be put under pressure again.
He’s a talented player but I can’t pin my hat on any one thing that he necessarily excels at. He’s not a guy who dominates a game and manipulates a team around the field like Sexton at the moment or runs it tactically or offers a huge attacking threat at the line.
He’s got a massive centre pairing outside him in Bundee Aki and Chris Farrell but I think England and Ollie Lawrence would be more worried about having to defend against the pace and elusiveness of Ringrose than them.
James Lowe will be the big threat that England have to watch out for and if he comes off his wing looking for work, that could be something to be wary of but I don’t see a huge amount else that will be causing concern.
Ireland will have to front up physically a hell of a lot more than they have done in the previous few meetings and they know that but I just think England will pin them back with the kicking game that they’ve used so much against Italy and Georgia when it wasn’t really necessary.
Another one of Eddie’s soundbites was that those two games haven’t really prepared his team for this challenge and it’s like going from playing Kei Nishikori to Novak Djokovic.
I think a boxing analogy works better than a tennis one and England have had this Ireland team on the ropes for the vast majority of the last three meetings. They won’t change the way they plan, will pin them back again and look to dominate physically and I can only see the same result.
Comments on RugbyPass
9 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
12 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.
8 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.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 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?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to comments