The 8 England changes Eddie Jones should make for Italy - Andy Goode
It shouldn’t have taken defeat to Scotland to bring about change but Eddie Jones needs to take the shackles off this England team and make some alterations this weekend. The players are in a straitjacket the way they are playing at the moment. Jones has said this week that there are “five million scenarios in the game” and he says they don’t coach them all but even saying that suggests the players are overcoached.
There really aren’t that many scenarios and you have to think on your feet as a player. As a fly-half who has played the game, it looks to me right now like the players have got the fear of going away from the game plan and what they have been instructed to do.
Obviously, a clip has gone viral after the Calcutta Cup defeat of Owen Farrell kicking the ball through when he had a seven-on-three and Sean Maitland wasn’t even looking at the threat inside him either. To make matters even worse, Jamie George is the only forward among the six players outside him. The others are Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson and Jonny May.
I always joke that I just used to sit back in the pocket and kick to the corners but I’d have been expected to give the pass there. The situation was clearly crying out for the ball to go wide.
You’re not telling me that a man with Farrell’s experience at the top level in different environments for Saracens, England and the Lions doesn’t know that and that was an example of pre-meditated coaching that dictates not to play any rugby in your own half.
“We put 61 points on them at Twickenham a few years ago, we played ball in hand, heads up attack – where has all that gone in England’s performances?"
– Not much love for Eddie Jones on this week's @TheRugbyPod #SixNations #ENGvSCOhttps://t.co/zdEjouVKH6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 10, 2021
That is just one example and some people have used it to criticise Farrell’s decision-making in attack but I reckon George Ford kicks in that situation as well because that is what is drilled into them. A lot of these players play with freedom at club level and are allowed to play heads-up rugby.
There is clearly a step up to international level but it seems that isn’t the case when they put an England shirt on and the responsibility for that has to sit with the head coach. England had won eight straight Tests before Saturday so some people out there will say that any criticism is an overreaction, but there have rightly been question marks over the Jones attack since the World Cup final defeat to South Africa.
It hasn’t always been this way for England under Jones. They scored 61 tries in 15 Tests in 2019, so it’s completely fair to ask the question – where has all that attacking prowess gone? Jones said back in 2016, perhaps inaccurately and almost certainly to create a headline, that Ireland “kick 70 per cent of their ball away. If they want to do that, good luck to them”. He might just have topped the Irish with this England team at the moment.
Wales were also criticised for years under Warren Gatland for playing ‘Warrenball’ and you could certainly level similar criticisms at England nowadays. Players need to shoulder some of the responsibility as well and have the cojones to put their hands up and question what is happening, but they need to be empowered to do so and not suffocated.
Hopefully, the shock of this defeat will bring about some change and, let’s be honest, if you aren’t going to make changes against Italy, you never are. There obviously isn’t any point in just making wholesale changes and then reverting back to the old starting XV for round three versus Wales, but fresh faces have to be given an opportunity because there are a lot of players who are comfortable at the moment.
Jones often talks about picking the best team for a particular game and I can’t think of a better England team to beat Italy and put smiles back on people’s faces than this one.
ANDY GOODE’S ENGLAND STARTING XV (vs Italy, Saturday)
15. Max Malins
14. Paolo Odogwu
13. Henry Slade
12. Ollie Lawrence
11. Jonny May
10. Owen Farrell (capt)
9. Harry Randall
1. Ellis Genge
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Kyle Sinckler
4. Maro Itoje
5. Courtney Lawes
6. Tom Curry
7. Jack Willis
8. Ben Earl
Jones, who will announce his team on Thursday, has been open about the fact he isn’t going to drop his captain and the incumbent centre pairing deserve the chance to actually get their hands on the ball and show what they can do. Aside from them, though, the likes of Randall, Odogwu and Malins in the backs should give England greater impetus and hopefully show that form Premiership players can make the step up to international level.
In the forwards, it would be great to see Cowan-Dickie rewarded with a start and a back row of Curry, Willis and Earl is enough to frighten the life out of any team. Whoever plays against this callow Italian side, which had fewer caps last weekend than any team in the tournament since 1992, should have a field day but changes are needed and picking an England team like that would send a positive message as well.
England can still win the Six Nations just as they did last year after losing their first game, so it’s now over to Jones – will he roll the dice for a game that England can’t lose or is he scared to give a chance to players who may just change the team’s emphasis to a more attack-minded one and give a selection headache going forward?
The Chiefs tighthead won his first cap in 18 months last Saturday at Twickenham, but is now surplus to requirement #SixNations #ENGvSCO #GallagherPremhttps://t.co/gR9DvE9SLK
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 10, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to comments