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It’s a case of square England pegs in round holes again from Eddie Jones and it might just work against Australia, but Manu Tuilagi won’t be playing on the wing against the Springboks. It isn’t just Tuilagi being shifted out one either – Jones has an openside at No8, a second row at blindside, a fly-half at centre and two No8 number eights on the bench as well.
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Picking players outside of their usual position is something the coach has a history of. Tuilagi on the wing isn’t necessarily a selection I would have gone with but Jones isn’t trying to kid anyone, you can see the logic behind trying to get all of your best players on the field and he will be judged on the end result as always.
One thing I’m not sure about is Jones’ comments that he has seen enough of Tuilagi playing on the wing in the past. He did start one Test on the wing against the All Blacks back in 2014 but I doubt Jones was watching when he played there for Leicester against Aironi in 2011 or made his first couple of Premiership starts in that position.
We will find out next week but I just don’t think there is any way Jones would have picked Tuilagi to start on the England wing if South Africa, with their kicking game, had been the opposition. As it is, the Wallabies don’t usually kick very much and it may well prove to be a shrewd choice.
Tuilagi is going to have to cover a lot of metres because I imagine he will be on the open wing in defence as much as possible, or lining up at centre with Henry Slade pushed out one, so that it is Freddie Steward or Jonny May under any high ball that might be sent up. Steward may still be just 20 years of age and facing a top nation for the first time himself but the fact that he is so good aerially must have been a factor in Jones feeling confident enough to pick Tuilagi on the wing.
Eddie Jones has explained why Manu Tuilagi has surprisingly been picked to start on the England wing for the first time since 2014#England #ENGvAUS #AutumnNationsSeries #Wallabies
https://t.co/Ei4THvKUni— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 11, 2021
In attack, it is great that Marcus Smith has all the big weapons at his disposal having been given the keys to drive things from the No10 jersey and he will hopefully be allowed to do just that. The reason for the selection, of course, is the Owen Farrell conundrum. Jones wants to get his skipper in the side and the thinking is that he will help to guide Smith in his first Test against significant opposition as well.
I said it last week but Tuilagi and Slade is England’s best centre combination and Australia may be relieved to not have to face them but the key for them is to get the balance of their game right rather than trying to target Tuilagi on the wing. They made a fair few errors against Scotland last week and the last thing they need is a load of scrums with James Slipper switching from loosehead to tighthead and Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou both out with a concussion.
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One thing that shouldn’t be lost in all this is how unlucky Adam Radwan is to be left out completely. The players who are playing might be taking the headlines but he was very impressive last week and he will hopefully be back in an England shirt very soon.
It will be great to see youngsters Raffi Quirke and Bevan Rodd make their debuts, but the latter is an interesting selection ahead of Mako Vunipola, with many thinking it spells the end of the Saracens player’s international career.
That depends on his contract situation and whether he chooses to head to France but his clubmate Jamie George knows only too well that things can change quickly. As Friday showed with Rodd dramatically getting promoted to the starting XV after Ellis Genge pulled out, we are only a twist or two away from Mako starting against the Springboks next week really.
People can debate Jones’ selections but one thing you can’t argue with is his record against Australia. He has won all seven Tests against them as England head coach and has more than earned the right to make these calls. We will find out on Saturday and with selection next week whether Tuilagi is an international winger moving forwards but, looking at the two teams on paper, I’m expecting at least a ten-point victory for England.
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Kiwi and Aussie partnerships of old in the conversation as England insist Smith/Farrell at 10/12 is the real deal…#England #ENGvAUS #AutumnNationsSeries #Wallabieshttps://t.co/7en473mqWI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 12, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Did the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
16 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to comments