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The three players poised to cause the most grief for the All Blacks

By Online Editors
Farrell and Tuilagi during the England training session held at Pennyhill Park in 2018. (Getty Images)

NZ Herald

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Eddie Jones staked his England tenure on the midfield of Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade and it was a decision that paid off handsomely in Oita.

I must admit that I was one of those who was surprised he had dropped George Ford but there is now no question this trio must start against the All Blacks next Saturday. They functioned extremely well, dovetailing and marrying their varied skill-set in a dynamic and powerful performance that was too good for Australia.

The key question for any coach is which combination your opponents would least like to face and after watching them play I have no doubt New Zealand would be delighted if Ford was recalled at 10 with Farrell and Tuilagi outside him.

That’s not because Ford is a bad player – in fact, I consider him to be an exceptional one – but the unit as a whole seems to have a better balance when Farrell, Tuilagi and Slade are in tandem. The key reason for that is Farrell appears to feel far more at home in the No 10 shirt than at inside centre. His performances in the pool stage had been underwhelming, and it seemed to me that he was slightly unsure of whether or not he should be taking control. Having two playmakers can be useful but there are times when you don’t know which of them has the hand on the tiller. When Farrell is at 12 he sometimes seems a little inhibited, a little unsure of himself – particularly when Ford is playing as well as he has done so far.

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That was certainly not the case against the Wallabies. Farrell was commanding, directing operations with clarity and intelligence. He knew when to pass and when to kick and rarely chose the wrong option.

He was helped by those outside him. Tuilagi is not subtle but there is no doubt he is extremely effective at what he does. I was pitchside in Oita and what struck me was how a Tuilagi carry sounds compared to almost anyone else. There is a power and a noise when he goes into contact that genuinely takes your breath away and makes you wince. If he calls for the ball you give it to him because it takes at least two men, and often a lot more, to bring him down.

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At outside centre I thought Slade showed his character. His start was underwhelming and after playing such little rugby recently I feared for him slightly. I was wrong to do so because he was exceptional after that early wobble, with his break and brilliant kick ahead for Jonny May’s second score a moment of true class, while his mighty boot was also effective.

And while we know their qualities going forward, what also impressed me was their steadfastness in defence. Ford is much improved as a defender but if he plays he will be targeted by teams who see a potential weakness. With Farrell in that position and Tuilagi outside him that weakness does not exist and teams have to vary their game to find space.

To be fair to them Australia had moments of real joy – one hand-off by Samu Kerevi on Tuilagi sticks in the mind, while Slade was caught out for Marika Koroibete’s try – but overall this was a relatively solid defensive performance by a unit that will only improve from time playing together.

If there is a concern it is that channel between Slade and his winger. That space is often called the corner of the defence because the winger is not up in the defensive line but sits slightly back to cover any potential kicks. A good 13 must be able to read the game and react to any possible threat because they have to cover a big area. You would expect Beauden Barrett, in particular, to test England in that area.

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But New Zealand will be just as worried at the prospect of facing Tuilagi. They will remember what he did to them in 2012, and he looks as fit now as he has at pretty much any point since that day.

Jones will also have been encouraged by how Ford, and indeed all the replacements, did after coming on. You might expect a slight drop in intensity when the substitutes arrive but at pitch side you could tell that wasn’t the case. Instead Ford just slotted seamlessly in, ensuring Australia didn’t have a sniff of getting back into the match.

It was a highly impressive midfield performance and one which will have pleased Jones immensely. Having staked so much on his three chosen men he will now be looking forward with real excitement to see what damage they can inflict on the All Blacks.

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Eddie Jones was in a jovial mood after England ended Australia’s World Cup hopes:

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Jon 3 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 6 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 8 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

28 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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