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The stark Six Nations warning issued by England boss John Mitchell
New England coach John Mitchell has issued a stark warning ahead of next month’s conclusion of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations.
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The English sit on top of the table with two wins from two following Saturday’s 46-10 win over Wales in Bristol and ahead of an April schedule that features fixtures with Scotland and Ireland before a title shootout with France in Bordeaux, he has warned that there is massive growth to come yet in the Red Roses.
“We try and be very, very clear in our strategy, so really it’s around improving,” he explained in the wake of what was England’s 26th successive win in the Six Nations. “I definitely asked the girls to be sharp in their game and build pressure; they did that in both halves.
“We left a couple out there as well but I still think there is massive growth left in us. We look really, really good when we attack together as one team but when we choose to go individual, that compromises us so we have still got a little learning there. But we are certain our game is working and it is the right way.”
England scored eight tries against the Welsh, securing the four-try bonus point in the last play of the first half with a trademark maul try. That lineout drive tactic wasn’t something they leaned on heavily, though, as they focused on mixing up their game better.
“We are very fortunate that we can play three different types of game based on the context of the game,” reckoned Mitchell. “As you saw, we went to the edge early which got us into the game. That is what we are after.
“And there were times where we went to our power game, and times also where we also went to our kick chase which gives us energy. To be a really, really good team and for this team to really grow we have to find ways to score in different ways and you also need to make sure that we can play the game in different ways and be adaptable to that.”
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Skipper Marlie Packer agreed. “For us, it’s about letting the handbrake off. Whether that is set-piece, like one shot one kill – we talk about that in training and just before that break in half time, that is what we talked about in our set-piece and we got that try.
“But also then the way our backs want to play, we want to let the handbrake off and play. Balls will go down at some points in the game because of how we are trying to play but hopefully it’s exciting rugby and we had 19,000 fans here, probably many more on TV, we want them to keep coming back. We want them to see some really good rugby.
“We put a spotlight on ourselves our positive intent. We want to play with tempo, we don’t want to get bogged down with all of that stuff. Let’s just play. We want to put an exciting brand of rugby out on the pitch and to do that we need to bring energy and just play. Not get into the breakdown fight and that kind of stuff. We really did show that.”
Not everything was perfect for England coming out of round two as Mitchell confirmed that outside centre Helena Rowland, who started last weekend against Italy but was absent against the Welsh, will miss the remainder of the championship due to a finger injury.
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“We received the bad news around Helena. It’s a fracture. It will need to be screwed so it’s unfortunate for her, she is going to miss the remainder of the Six Nations.”
Comments on RugbyPass
When you read those facts, you can say safely that the game was handed to the Springboks by the ruling mistakes made by the Referee and TMO. Perhaps that is why South Africans were/are so “noisey” about the win….this behaviour perhaps concealing that they realise luck played a big part in the result. Certainly not a good look for the IRB going forward…pretty shoddy sadly.
52 Go to commentsI must admit to being quite surprised by all the wine-ing and hand wringing from most AB pundits; commentators and the general analysis after a classic and engrossing final. I shudder to think how the pundits would’ve reacted if the AB’s where victors with 1 point on the day.. Most Bok fans pundits; fans and commentators take a loss on the chin; congratulate the winner and move on…and till now the NZ rugby fans where the same.. Naas Botha’s famous quote has never been more apt…. Cowboys don’t cry or make excuses.. STOP IT CRY-BABIES; …..YOU LOST.
52 Go to comments4 out of 8 beats 3 out of 10 cups. Maybe NZ are bad finishers???🤣🤣🤣
52 Go to commentsBokke bokke Bokke
1 Go to commentsThe main thing you need on your side to win a World Cup is luck. ABs had their fair share of it in the 2011 final. One score game in the SF vs Springboks in 2015 means there always things you can look at and say if this thing or that thing happened then SA would/should have won that game. Smith’s try being called back broke protocol, but it was the correct decision, so I don’t have a problem with that. If it was an SA try called back in the same circumstances I don’t think many ABS fans would have a problem with it. Cane’s shot was high, it was the classic thing NZ players have been doing, and getting carded for for years - Walking around bolt upright trying to put a big hit on someone. Stupid play by someone with a poor disciplinary record. The one that was a big problem for me was Etzebeth’s obstruction. The referee just choked on this occasion. Frustrating to have the TMO in his ear all night, apart from at this moment. Minimum yellow card for Etzebeth, but a very strong case for a penalty try also. Despite all that the ABs had the opportunity to be ahead with 3 minutes to play, so it’s hard to point fingers too much. Pollard makes that kick 99/100. JB and RM make it 50/100. That’s what it came down to in the end.
52 Go to commentsBOKS had a great side in 2011 and were in kicked out by a NZ ref and Nz were very lucky to win in final against France.
52 Go to commentsBarrett's try came from a forward pass, and perhaps the Bok game plan would have been different had the ABs remained with 15 on the pitch. We will never know. But if we are living in a world if what if's, then go back to the France v Bok game. France dominated the WC, and had they gotten past the boks, would have easily beaten the ABs in the Final
52 Go to commentsRehashed articles. But this piece does not do justice to how good the Boks had to be to win that tournament, and how immense some of their players were in that final. Peter Stef du Toit played one of the greatest games by a loose forward ever. All Blacks played well but not well enough and came up short. There are a million ‘if’s’ and none of the ‘if’s’ that don’t happen will win you a footy match.
52 Go to commentsSour grapes/ face it the allblacks aren't that good anymore LoL!!!
52 Go to commentsDear Internet, This is what sour grapes look like… It wont make any difference in down playing the SA win. The scoreboard is the ultimate statistic. I agree with Johnz, I would have liked a full 15vs15 for the whole game. Could have been even better or worse. What we as rugby supporters got, was a fantastic game where the result could have gone either way. It was great.
52 Go to commentsben loser smith. I haven't read the article. Just saw the headline and knew it was him. Rugbypass surely you can do better than this clickbate loser.
52 Go to commentsIf if if….If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle
52 Go to commentsBen is right, the RWC should be taken from SA and awarded to NZ. Rugby matches from now on will not be decided on points but rather on who deserved to win the most. This will be decided by 1 journalist sitting in a bunker.
52 Go to commentsThat's quite a wind up Ben. I'm an all black fan, and admittedly the loss felt a little hollow, given how well the boys played once Cane left the field. But that's finals footy, sometimes it's cruel. Let's look at the reality though. This was a team that spent an entire year thinking about how to beat Ireland, and did so magnificently. Come final time, they started the match looking overawed, fearful and unprepared. This led them to getting behind on the scoreboard, and chasing the game, which is never a good position to be in a final. SA started better, were confident and assured. That, in the end, was the game. The comeback led by Savea was phenomenal, but not quite enough. That's how comebacks often go. The real questions should be why they looked so unprepared? Why we needed to get behind and lose our so called leader to start playing? And why the best player against SA from a month or two before wasn't even in the team? Plus give some credit where it's due, PSD was quite phenomenal and instrumental in keeping SA ahead, a performance for the ages.
52 Go to commentsMy only response is “Check the Scoreboard” nothing else matters. Ben you will not wind me up pal. Boks are 4 times RWC Champions.
52 Go to commentsThere is no place to hide in the front row. You win or lose each time and it selects for hard men/women and those who enjoy combat
7 Go to commentsThey might have won several different areas on the field but the one that ultimately counts is on the scoreboard. Ben Smith’s nonsense is still shown up for what it is following criticisings by his team’s coach claiming similar nonsenses and several other players as well. I am not an expert but I know All Blacks know that the game is won by the team with more points on the board than the opposition. Also the red card on Sam Cane is entirely his own fault. If they were aggrieved for having one less player on the pitch, that was their own fault, their own captain who possibly in a moment of forgetfulness tackled too high but either way it is a RWC Final, you cannot be having lapses of forgetfulness in a match like that. The fact that they were down a man for 64 minutes was their fault. And even if they did dominate the second half for 35 minutes, they had crossed the whitewash twice, they had several kicks at goal, the fact is they didn't maximize on all the opportunities they were given. The one try was disallowed, the two kicks at goal were missed, the opportunities not taken. Every tackle was made by the Springboks with so much more fervour than anyone had seen even in the Semi Final the week previously. Whatever Ben Smith says, most of what he says can be chalked down to a spoiled sport who has nothing better to say than whine and moan because ultimately the team he supports lost when it mattered most.
52 Go to commentsThere’s plenty I could write on this, I won’t stop if I really get going, so i’ll make just 2 important points. Don’t forget that SA didn’t have a hooker, don’t discount that fact. I would have taken MBONAMBI fit for the game over a yellow to Frizelle. Also you forget that NZ had the luxury of playing without pressure once the red came. Noone expected them to win and they could always fall back on 14 men if they lost. I’d also have taken 15 men NZ and MBONAMBI on the field over what transpired.
52 Go to commentsSome people in France say that JB Lafont have some problems with alcohol….
2 Go to commentsThis is awesome news. I hope he goes well.
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