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Renowned rugby guru says England 'need huge improvement' to beat Wallabies

By Kim Ekin
(Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)

Renowned rugby thinker Laurie Fisher believes England will have to improve massively if they are to beat the Wallabies at the Suncorp in Brisbane on Saturday.

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A 14-man Wallabies side roared back in the second half to claim a rousing 30-28 victory in the first Test in Perth.

Despite a numerical disadvantage, it was a game in which the Wallabies were the dominant force on the deck with skipper Michael Hooper proving a huge problem for Eddie Jones’ men.

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Brumbies guru Fisher – often credited as one of the sport’s brightest thinkers – believes that England’s sloppiness at the breakdown cost them and they need huge improvement on this area if they are to win and save the series.

“Thought England Rugby’s attention to detail around primary support, groundwork and clean out was lacklustre at best. Will need huge improvement to beat the Wallabies,” wrote the former Munster coach.

It’s a view which was echoed by Sam Underhill, who replaces the injured Tom Curry in the starting XV this week.

“We controlled areas of the game pretty well for a decent chunk of the game but ultimately penalties and discipline cost us,” Underhill said. “Whether the breakdown was more competitive than we thought it would be or not, we didn’t adapt to the interpretation at the breakdown.

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“Hooper is obviously a big breakdown threat. It’s not a case of man-marking him but as a team you are acutely aware that if he’s around the breakdown it’s highly likely he’ll be competing. You have to shift him early because he’s good over the ball.”

The second rugby Test has been spiced up by the return of new father Taniela Tupou from injury to face seasoned prop Ellis Genge.

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Jordan Petaia’s move to fullback for the first time in Wallabies gold, thanks to injuries to Tom Banks and Andrew Kellaway, will also be closely watched ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Both men bring game-changing ability but after a 30-28 win in Perth snapped an eight-game losing streak against the English they are just sub-plots to Hooper’s wishes on Saturday night.

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“It’s confirmation we’re on the right track, some of the things we’re putting in place are working,” he said of their win in Perth that came despite a first-half red card to Darcy Swain.

“We are doing some really good things, but saw last week there’s plenty of examples to get better.”

“It’d be pleasing (to go up 2-0). We’ve ta lked about where we want to go and within that is starting to win games consistently.

“It’d be a step towards that, but it’s something we can talk about at a later date.”

Perhaps the only place the Wallabies have found consistency in recent history has been Suncorp Stadium, where they’ve won 10 straight Tests since England beat them in 2016.

Hooper has great seats to watch Tupou clash with Genge, while he expects Petaia, the 22-year-old who has played across the backline but never in the No.15, to flourish.

“That’s been the big one, getting his body right so he can put back-to-back performances together,” Hooper said.

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“Physically he’s outstanding … quite a rangy mover which makes him difficult to tackle, a turn of pace and all the tricks in the tool kit as well.

“He’s a complete package. One of the best things is getting time on the paddock so with that he’ll go strength to strength.”

Petaia’s Queensland Reds teammate Hunter Pai sami will return to the side for the injured Len Ikit au at outside centre, forming a powerful combination with former Reds captain Samu Kerevi.

Matt Philip will come in for the suspended Swain too, but Hooper said the mix-and-match nature of their training in the build-up to Perth meant the bulk changes weren’t a factor.

additional reporting AAP

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This 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”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But 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.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks 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

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