What we learned from the June Internationals
Ireland came away with a historic 2-1 away series victory over the Wallabies, the All Blacks swept France 3-0 and the Springboks came alive to beat England 2-1 under new coach Rassie Erasmus. The rest of the Celtic nations took turns beating on the hapless Argentina and Fiji won the Pacific Nations Cup.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the month of international rugby.
Ireland are the All Blacks’ biggest threat
Ireland fought a close series with Australia that swung on the slimmest of margins. It wasn’t a dominant display of power like the All Blacks’ dismissal of France, but it showed that Ireland is prepared to play smart rugby and grind out wins.
Ireland’s second test blueprint is exactly what they need to bring when they play the All Blacks in Dublin later this year. They starved Australia of possession for near on sixty minutes while accumulating enough points to put the game out of reach.
France looked good when they were able to hold the ball for extended periods against the All Blacks, but their lack of composure and execution meant they couldn’t keep it quite long enough. Ireland, however, are a far better side when it comes to controlling the ball and the clock, with a zero offload policy and clinical recycling.
The best way to stay in the game against the All Blacks is to retain the ball and play ‘keep away’. England’s defensive kicking will play into the hands of the All Blacks, while Ireland’s possession-based game will match up far better.
Referees are making too many headlines
The officiating has grabbed way too many headlines in this international period, taking away the gloss from some of the fascinating contests. From the Grosso tackle, the Fall and Folau cards and a new take on obstruction, the referees have left too many fans scratching their heads.
In the lead up to the under-20 World Championship, RugbyPass highlighted the dangers of aerial contests and the murky rules regarding their policing. That proved to be timely as the June internationals were dogged by controversial calls around the jump ball area on both sides of the ditch.
Then there was the downright bizarre, with McKenzie’s first try in the third test standing after being reviewed by both the referee and the TMO for obstruction. The referee clearly influenced the play by obstructing Baptiste Serin from making a tackle attempt. The worrying outcome here is this try was reviewed and still awarded.
When players lose trust in referees then we have a serious problem and who could blame the French for losing faith in the officials? Unfortunately, the run of bad calls against them takes away from the fact that they were well and truly beaten by the better side.
Springbok resurgence a nice start
Rassie Erasmus has made a statement in his first test series in charge of the Springboks, downing England 2-1 at home. While this is a great start and gives hope to the Springboks for next year, it is too small a sample size to derive any meaning from.
South Africa have always been tough at home, regardless of who is coaching. Under the guidance of Allister Coetzee they lost by a point to the All Blacks in Newlands last year. What matters more is how they follow up in the Rugby Championship, on the road, against New Zealand and Australia.
The return of overseas stars Willie le Roux, Faf De Klerk and Duane Vermeulen certainly made a big difference and if they can grow around this core the Springboks will be a serious World Cup contender.
The Wallabies will be quarter-finalists at the RWC
This is a bold prediction but after another series loss, the Wallabies are no more than pretenders.
Chieka’s win percentage against Tier One nations outside of Italy and Argentina since the last World Cup is now around 35%. They can compete in games and stay close but aren’t smart enough to close them out consistently. This has been proven conclusively over the last three years as his sides have failed time and time again.
Having a passenger as an international 10 just doesn’t work – having Will Genia and Kurtley Beale compensate for Foley is not a proven formula for success. The problem is there is no other option for the Wallabies unless Beale plays flyhalf.
Argentina is heading back to Tier 2 status, fast
The worrying slide of Argentina continued with embarrassing defeats against Wales and Scotland. On the face of it, losing to those two countries is not so bad, only for the fact that Scotland lost to the USA a week ago.
Since the 2015 World Cup, Argentina have been a doormat in the Rugby Championship, winning one game in 2016 and none last year. The vast majority of their side make up the Jaguares Super Rugby team, who conversely are enjoying their most successful season yet.
They are stuck between club success and international failure at the moment and have seemingly been left behind as the game evolves. Their head coach will step down but they have limited time to turn things around before next year’s World Cup.
Now what, Eddie?
Eddie Jones may have saved his job by avoiding a three-nil sweep in South Africa, but now there are glaringly obvious flaws to fix before the end of year All Blacks test. His players will get a summer break and refresh before Premiership rugby restarts, which should help rejuvenate his squad.
He needs to find an attack coach and figure out how to play more than one game plan, as he recently found out that if you don’t adjust it can lead to big problems.
With the All Blacks starting Damian McKenzie for the first time, everything from exit plays to pattern plays were changed to suit his game. When Beauden Barrett is at 10 the All Blacks adjust everything once again to suit.
Having Cipriani in the mix long-term will require suitable changes to enable him to flourish, rather than squashing his strengths by forcing him into Jones’ current game plan. If they can figure that out, England will be a contender next year. If not, history will repeat.
Comments on RugbyPass
Not sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
1 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to comments