Is it time England fans started valuing this 'unfashionable' trio of players?
Dylan Hartley. Mike Brown. Chris Robshaw.
As trios go, these three players take an inordinate amount of flak from rugby fans and even some sections of the media.
Every time they are selected in an England Elite Player Squad their inclusions are treated with indifference, whilst their places in matchday XVs are often bemoaned, with a string of other players regularly offered up as preferred alternatives.
For a myriad of reasons, they have become “unfashionable” players.
And yet, they have been stalwarts of Eddie Jones’ tenure as England head coach, playing integral roles in the 22 victories to have come in the 23 games he has presided over.
Excluding the uncapped match against the Barbarians prior to the summer tour in Argentina, Hartley has been ever-present for England under Jones and Brown has been very close to it, playing 21 of his nation’s 23 matches over the past two years, with injury ruling him out of two contests.
Robshaw’s 16 games are slightly less, but mitigated by the shoulder injury he suffered last season and that ruled him out of the 2017 Six Nations.
All three have been vital to England’s success over the last two years, playing key roles in two Six Nations triumphs – one of which was a Grand Slam – and whitewashes over Argentina and Australia, as well as ending a winless run against South Africa that was closing in on a decade in length.
As England’s fans have gone from seeing their national team’s success as a pleasant surprise after the travails of the 2015 Rugby World Cup to an expected level of performance befitting the number two team in the world, their time for this trio has, seemingly, diminished.
The likes of Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph are rightfully credited with their roles in England’s rise, but captain Hartley and the long-serving Quins pairing of Brown and Robshaw have not been so fortunate.
One of England’s unsung heroes?
Perhaps it is because they are hangovers from previous England eras where success was not as prevalent as it is now.
Or maybe it is because they are all in their 30’s and with the plethora of young talent coming through, people already want to see plans for 2023 and 2027 put into place.
It would be naïve to suggest Hartley’s disciplinary record doesn’t play into it, or that Brown’s passionate temperament on the field, which some consider petulance, isn’t also a factor.
Robshaw probably gets a bye, here. Even among his most ardent critics, the flanker is grudgingly admitted as particularly likeable as a person.
For many, it will be a combination of these factors and it will be something that they can easily hide behind their eulogising of the alternatives as better-suited to taking England forward.
Those arguments won’t lack for merit, in fairness, with a host of players knocking on the door at hooker, flanker and full-back.
The sensational form of British and Irish Lion Jamie George over the last couple of seasons is hard to ignore, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill have risen fast through the ranks, whilst both Itoje and Courtney Lawes have been mooted as potential blindsides with the bottleneck to start at lock becoming ever more competitive.
As for full-back, Brown’s starting back three colleagues from England’s win over Argentina earlier this month, Anthony Watson and Elliot Daly, seem to split the fans’ vote on who should play 15, but both are fervently supported, with Semesa Rokoduguni and Jonny May eagerly backed to take the resulting vacant spot on the wing.
They are all certainly exciting options and that might be the crux of it. They are exciting.
For all the merits of Hartley, Brown and Robshaw, which we will come on to very shortly, they are not the most exciting players in world rugby.
Hartley isn’t built in the mould of Dane Coles, patrolling the wide channels with an offload game that is a threat to release support runners.
Robshaw is not the fleet, contact area-to-contact area jackal that England fans have long expected, perhaps unfairly, him to be.
And Brown isn’t the scintillating counter-attacker that Israel Folau is, with the Australian offering “grab the popcorn” moments almost every time he takes to the field.
What all three are, though, is very good rugby players.
England’s lineout has been an incredibly consistent foundation for them over the last two seasons, something which they have used to launch their dangerous backline and strong maul from. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see the influence Hartley has had in this area.
His captaincy, too, is often overlooked. England weren’t necessarily in dire straits after the 2015 RWC, with plenty of young talent to tap into and the financial muscle to ensure the game can still thrive in the shadow of football, but the mood was dark. Putting the burden of captaincy on his shoulders when the feeling towards the England team was so sombre, was a remarkably difficult challenge and one which he has passed with flying colours.
It’s easy to watch a game and point to a missed tackle or a knock-on, but it’s impossible, unless you’re in the camp, to see what Hartley does on and off the field to lead and galvanise his side.
Moving on to Brown and with the absence of the ever-polarising James Haskell, the full-back seems to have become the player that England fans love to hate, but it is an unwarranted accolade.
World rugby is full of passionate individuals who play with their hearts on their sleeves. Brown’s teammate Farrell is one, Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony another and few can match the on-field commitment and dedication to the jersey of Sergio Parisse or Mamuka Gorgodze. They all display it on the pitch and it can lead to them shouting and remonstrating with teammates, the opposition and even the referee, but they are all praised for their passion, whilst Brown is not.
For some reason, when he does it, it is deemed petulance.
It’s not as if he’s off throwing cheap shots at players behind their back or pulling the old “99” call and running, like JPR Williams, over 30 metres to get into a scrap. It’s playing right on that line of being emotionally-driven and all the physical benefits that can bring, but still being able to consciously control it.
Unfortunately, our schema is that when we see players we like act instinctively and emotionally, we call it passion, but when we see a player we don’t like doing it, we call it petulance.
Brown’s issues are PR-related, not rugby related
As for his technical ability on the field, he is the best English-qualified full-back in Jones’ eyes and it is hard to dispute that assertion.
With the amount of kicking that teams do from hand in the modern game and the strictness of the laws surrounding the competition for the ball in the air, having a full-back that can diffuse the aerial bombs is paramount to any side hoping to be the best team in the world. Look closely at some of the best sides in Test rugby, both New Zealand and Ireland, as well as England themselves, and you’ll see sides that kick to put pressure on the opposition, rather than simply kicking to clear.
It is because of this that you need a full-back like Brown.
His consistency and bravery in the aerial game is unmatched in English rugby. That’s your starting point for building your back three and then you work outward from that.
He showed in Argentina this summer, too, a new level of awareness in his counter-attacking, playing with the ball in two hands, drawing men and making passes. He gets hammered by critics when he doesn’t do that, but there are times in a game when a full-back does just need to put his head down and run straight. It can’t be length of the field magic every time.
Lastly, we come to Robshaw.
The former England captain is yet to lose under Jones, having missed the loss to Ireland in Dublin due to injury, and is on a 16-match international win streak. He invariably plays the full 80 minutes, tackling, carrying and rucking with the same industrious efficiency in the final 10 minutes, as he does in the first.
He may no longer be captain, but he is another leader on the pitch, just as Brown is, and both complement Hartley’s captaincy, rather than detracting from it.
Robshaw’s quiet leadership has benefited England
The success of the past two years makes it easy to forget that England are still a young team and whilst they have emerging leaders in the forms of Farrell, Itoje and Joseph, having those veteran influences is invaluable, especially in tight contests.
Between them, the trio account for 209 caps and bring a great wealth of experience to the team. The only other players in the regular England starting XV with over 50 caps are Farrell, Lawes, Dan Cole and Ben Youngs.
There should not be an eagerness to discard such wisdom from a side that is winning games. If England were struggling and the wheels looked to be coming off Jones’ revolution, then the calls would be understandable, but except for a fired-up Ireland side on St Patrick’s Day weekend, this England side have met – and passed – every challenge that has been presented to them thus far.
And this is what Hartley, Brown and Robshaw are. They are winners.
It is easy to identify technical and physical traits in players, but it is a lot harder, at least without knowing the individuals yourself, to see those mental traits and the influence that they can have on the pitch.
The trio’s passion, dedication and unwillingness to accept defeat has been a significant factor in England’s rise to prominence and it is something which should be recognised alongside the impacts of the newer and younger players on the squad.
If there is one thing England should take from New Zealand, it is that they don’t allow consistent success to bore them and make them yearn for change. The All Blacks’ two most recent World Cup-winning sides were packed with experienced players, who knew their roles and executed them to a high standard.
The quality and quantity of talented young players in England has never been better and they will get their opportunities. Some will be ready now, some will be involved after the RWC, but if England’s goal is to win their second Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in two years’ time, it’s probably best to put the grumbling on ice for a couple of years.
Hartley, Brown and Robshaw have been invaluable to England since 2015 and until their form in a white jersey drops, they will continue to be so.
Comments on RugbyPass
Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
224 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to comments