'I am struggling to think of a test match contest that could be more physical in 2019'
Former captain Nick Easter is billing England’s battle with Grand Slam champions Ireland in Dublin on Saturday as the most ferocious rugby clash anyone will witness in 2019 – including the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Easter knows all about being mugged by the Irish having lost the chance of Slam glory when he led England in Dublin in 2011 and had to endure a solemn title celebration after a thumping 24-8 loss. The Irish destroyed Eddie Jones’s Slam attempt in 2017 and ended England’s World record attempt leaving them tied with New Zealand on 18 successive wins after triumphing 13-9.
Now, it is the Irish who are billed as favourites and Easter expects England to rise to the physical challenge thanks to the return of Mako and Billy Vunipola, Joe Launchbury and Manu Tuilagi to the squad.
He also wants to see former Harlequins teammate Mike Brown chosen at fullback ahead of Elliot Daly, of Wasps who had the role during the November tests to defuse the bombs that will arrive via the boots of Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray.
Easter, who has just been appointed as coaching consultant for the Durban based Sharks in Super Rugby, said; “I am struggling to think of a test match contest that could be more physical in the whole of 2019 including the World Cup compared to what will happen in Dublin on Saturday. Given the anticipation, history and fervour that will be whipped up and how fresh the two squads are feeling after a couple of weeks off means it is going to be a ferocious battle. England will know what is coming and for the first time Ireland are odds on favourites.
“I would go with Mike Brown at full back and, arguably, we would have won if he had been playing in 2015. The game is now much more a case of horses for courses and if one player suits an opposition more than it is a case of using a better strategy. If the Irish pack is going well then it makes the kicking game so much easier but I believe Owen Farrell is just as good as Johnny Sexton at putting the ball on a sixpence. I think Ben Youngs at scrumhalf needs to find a bit of form and he is going to be vital for England if they get some dominance which they are capable of achieving.
“Youngs is England’s most important player on Saturday and his box kicking and decision making has to be on the money. If Dan Robson had played the games in November then you start thinking about him starting but that wasn’t the case and I expect Youngs to be picked.
“In 2011 the senior players in the England squad in Dublin knew that facing a team with Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll it was going to be a very hard game. We just couldn’t get the emotional level to where it needed to be to deal with their passion and quality of play. We were chasing the game after 20 minutes.
“In 2015 I was on the bench and I remember their aerial threat with England missing Brown who had been concussed against Italy. They just peppered us and George Ford was in the back field and we probably should have moved things around. There was a complete lack of discipline and we just didn’t deal with the kicking game that we knew was coming. Ireland may use two or three phase plays from Joe Schmidt on Saturday but England know what is coming and it is a question of can you stop them? It is like facing Leinster and Munster and they have phenomenal strength in depth at the moment.
“They know exactly what they want to achieve and are very comfortable with their game, however, England have the Vunipola brothers back along with Joe Launchbury and Manu Tuilagi. Those guys can make a real difference in terms of X-factor and changing a game while adding a lot of physicality to proceedings. It’s a back to the walls situation for England and it comes down to are we one game shy of having the necessary cohesion. That is the only question because there is no doubt England have the quality of player to beat the Irish.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Can’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
1 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to comments