Love him or loathe him, Jones played the perfect hand against Australia
It is fair to say there were plenty of raised eyebrows when Eddie Jones announced his England team to play Australia, as in-form fly-half George Ford found himself relegated to the bench and Henry Slade, who had just 11 minutes of rugby under his belt since coming back from injury, was promoted to the starting XV.
It broke up England’s dual-playmaker – and dual-kicking threat – of Ford and Owen Farrell at the heart of the midfield, as Farrell moved inside to 10 and Manu Tuilagi also shuffled along the line, coming in from outside centre to inside centre. For a team that had kicked from hand more than any other side at the Rugby World Cup, the move was an interesting one.
Despite registering a morale-boosting 40-16 victory, a typically prickly Jones was still in bullish form over the selection at the post-match press conference. When asked if the ‘dropping’ of Ford was vindicated by the result and performance, Jones replied that Ford had not been benched or dropped, simply that his role had been changed for the contest and that rugby is now a 23-man game. It was a more than fair point from the Australian and though we can all debate the terminology, the performance clearly was a vindication of the coach’s decision.
Having averaged 29 kicks from hand per game in their first three games of the Rugby World Cup, they recorded just 20 against Australia in Oita on Saturday. With the Wallabies bossing possession and territory in the game, enjoying 64% and 62% respectively, England’s defensively shored up midfield had to deal with 13 carries from powerhouse Samu Kerevi and deal with him they did.
The Queensland Red had run riot through defences throughout the pool stage, however against England he was marshalled. He had gain-line success and did break a number of tackles, though not with the proclivity that he revelled in against other teams earlier in the competition. Both Farrell and Tuilagi held up well to his physicality and frequently one of the Mordor Two, Sam Underhill or Tom Curry, was on hand to help.
Curry and Underhill. pic.twitter.com/n4FpExQqzJ
— Max Lahiff (@LahiffMax) October 19, 2019
In fact, where Australia had more joy was with Jordan Petaia at outside centre, with the 19-year-old regularly able to find space outside of Slade and punish any sort of disconnect in England’s defensive line. He was contained then at the second level of the defence and for the most part, Jones’ move to bolster the inside of his midfield defensively was richly rewarded on Saturday.
When Ford arrived in the second half for Slade, and England reverted to their previously seen combination of Ford-Farrell-Tuilagi, the Leicester Tigers playmaker was able to bring some extra control and find space in the backfield with his cultured boot. Soak up pressure, nullify the dangerman and then exploit a tired team. Jones’ plan worked to perfection.
The other two selections which were under the microscope were those of Mako Vunipola, who was returning from injury, and Courtney Lawes, who was replacing George Kruis, a man whose chemistry with Maro Itoje and Jamie George is beyond question at this point.
After coming under pressure at the first couple of scrums, Vunipola rebounded and repaid all faith that Jones had in him. The set-piece then evened out – before England took control later in the game – and the loosehead put in an incredible shift in the loose, particularly when you take into account the lack of top-level rugby he has had in recent months. He combined with Underhill to make a game-high 20 tackles, although his impact went beyond that figure, with a number of dominant tackles and precise clear-outs that provided England with quick and clean ball.
Similarly, Lawes excelled on the defensive side of the ball as Australia dominated possession, particularly in the first half. The Northampton Saints lock delivered a masterclass of tackling on a number of Australia’s power carriers, stopping them dead in their tracks. He was also efficient in his technique, frequently leading the defensive line and going low and chopping down Wallabies, rather than risk missing or being penalised on a higher hit.
Neither Lawes nor Vunipola had the attacking influence that both players are capable of, but they did the job that was asked of them with aplomb. They took the life out of the legs of the Australian pack and their energy, along with that of the flank pairing and Itoje, was perfectly suited to chasing down and containing the eager-to-run Wallabies.
Australian rugby's day just got bleaker as Japan overtakes them in the World Rugby rankings.??#gomenasai #ENGvAUS #RSAvJPN #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/2sV9vnYcUg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2019
And then we come to that flank pairing. It may not have been a selection which was questioned, such have been their performances alongside one another over the last couple of months, but this game was a huge test for Curry and Underhill, as they went up against two of the very best flankers in the world in Michael Hooper and David Pocock, players who have become masters of their craft.
Impossible to completely contain, Pocock had one or two moments of fetching brilliance, though the physicality and mobility that England’s flanks brought was impressive throughout their time on the pitch. They were part of that all-energy English defensive performance in the first 50 minutes that nullified Australia, as well as interspersing their tackling and contact area work with a couple of moments of class, such as Curry’s draw and give for Jonny May’s first try and Underhill’s athletic aerial take when under pressure from multiple gold-cladded jumpers.
Whether you love him or loathe him, there’s no denying that Jones got his tactics and approach to the game with the Wallabies spot on. His selections countered Australia’s strengths and though it was far from the most ‘flashy’ of English attacking performances, it was ruthlessly clinical, the one thing which you could have argued England were missing in their admittedly one-sided wins over Tonga, USA and Argentina.
Continue reading below…
Watch: Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell face the press in Oita after qualifying for the semi-finals
A new challenge looms on the horizon, though, and it is one which looks to be a perilous one.
As good as England’s performance against Australia was, the All Blacks blew it out of the water with their 46-14 dismantling of Ireland. It was not an outing befitting of Joe Schmidt’s last game in charge of the northern hemisphere side, as Ireland struggled to generate any sort of continuity in possession, but it was also a masterclass all-round performance from New Zealand.
The question now is what aces, if any, does Jones have up his sleeve for the unique challenge that New Zealand will pose? They will undoubtedly go hard at England early, just as Australia did, but they are unlikely to punch themselves out in the same fashion. If England opt to try and weather that early storm, rather than attempting to force their own style of play on the game, they risk giving the All Blacks an unassailable lead. New Zealand will, almost without a shadow of doubt, prove to be more clinical in attack than Australia were.
Consider those bridges burned Michael. #RWC2019 https://t.co/LKL3fQswQZ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 20, 2019
Jones could return to his combination of Ben Youngs, Ford and Farrell and attempt to control field position and make sure that if the All Blacks are going to get over the try line, they’ll have to go that bit further to get there. It also returns Tuilagi to perhaps his most potent offensive position on the pitch at outside centre, a man that New Zealand are very wary of and will pay particular attention to.
Or he can continue as he did against Australia, with that threat of Ford – and the subsequent change in style – available off the bench if needed. He may not pack quite the punch that Kerevi does, but Anton Lienert-Brown is no lightweight carrier in that 12 channel and Farrell and Tuilagi have shown their value as a defensive pairing. If that combination is retained, Jonathan Joseph offers an intriguing variable, with his lateral mobility and defensive nous welcome in the 13 jersey, a position where Petaia exploited England on a number of occasions.
Regardless, these are the decisions that make or break coaches and although the All Blacks represent arguably the best team in world rugby at the moment, this is a scenario that Jones would have bitten your hand off for had it been offered to him prior to the Rugby World Cup. It’s the biggest game that Jones has coached since the 2003 Rugby World Cup final and the biggest England have been involved in since the 2007 final.
Whatever happens on Saturday in Yokohama, Jones will want to ensure his team come off the pitch not wondering about what could have been and confident that they fired all the shots they possibly could have.
Joe Cokanasiga in the 23, anyone?
Watch: Michael Cheika and Michael Hooper face the press after Australia’s quarter-final loss to England
Comments on RugbyPass
> 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.
3 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.
34 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?
5 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.
5 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.
5 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
34 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?
2 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.
34 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.
34 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
34 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.
34 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
3 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
34 Go to comments