Warren Gatland's relationship with players not what it was - Andy Goode
There’s never been a build-up like it in 142 years of the fixture but England need to show they’ve learned the lessons of just their last two visits to Cardiff if they’re to beat Wales.
All the talk has been about the problems in Welsh rugby and I’m sure that will galvanise the players and fans for a one-off encounter against their biggest rivals and England have failed to deal with the circumstances on their last two trips to the Welsh capital.
It couldn’t have been more different to today a couple of years ago as the game was played behind closed doors but Owen Farrell and England were knocked out of their stride by a couple of questionable decisions from Pascal Gauzere and couldn’t come back.
Four years ago it was Kyle Sinckler’s ill-discipline that cost the visitors in the second half as the atmosphere and opposition got on top of England, something which they didn’t acknowledge at the time but have subsequently admitted.
There is absolutely no doubt that Alun Wyn Jones and co will be looking to deploy similar tactics at times and Steve Borthwick and his coaching team should have been preparing the players for that and ensuring lessons have been learned.
All the focus has been on Wales and that will suit Borthwick down to the ground as he prefers to concentrate on detail rather than drama but the emotional side of the game can’t be ignored when these two lock horns.
Wales still have huge issues moving forward on and off the pitch but, while some have suggested that eyes could have been taken off the ball and they might be drained of emotion, I think it’ll be the opposite and the Welsh will be fuelled by a sense of injustice as well as pride and passion.
The role of Warren Gatland is intriguing, though, as he can’t speak out against the WRU but players do appear to have been rubbed up the wrong way and from what you hear he doesn’t have the same relationship with the players as he used to.
The optics of him being parachuted in suddenly and swiftly on a bumper contract while players’ futures are so up in the air are not good. Money has been a sticking point and it has taken an age to sort out their deal.
Gatland comes with a big profile and pedigree but it’s fair to say that he hasn’t done anything in recent years with a Lions series defeat in South Africa and torrid few years with the Chiefs on his CV.
Both these teams are just a couple of games into new regimes, even if Gatland has been there for years previously, but their approaches in this tournament couldn’t be more different.
Gatland has made nine changes to the starting XV that lost at Murrayfield and is trialling different combinations with an eye unashamedly on the World Cup, whereas Borthwick is barely tinkering at all and focusing on only the next game after years of Eddie Jones talking about nothing other than the World Cup.
Wales have gone for an experienced pack but some raw backs selected for this one, while England will presumably be hoping they don’t get any ball as they continue with their forward oriented approach.
Owen Williams making his first international start at fly half is a great story after he was involved in everything that went on at Worcester and he’ll be looking to get the ball in the hands of a potentially exciting backline.
We haven’t seen much from England in attack in the opening couple of games and the performances have been disappointing but I think this is a different ball game with the result all-important and anything else a bonus.
It’ll be all about the driving lineout game once more and I expect to see a big focus on the kicking game as well as England try to pin them back into their own 22 and put pressure on them to make mistakes by playing from deep.
Farrell has insisted this week that England will relish the fiery and hostile Cardiff atmosphere but you only know how you’re going to react when you’re in the cauldron and it’s likely to be unlike anything they’ve experienced before.
Borthwick will have learned a lot about his players as individuals and as a collective come Saturday night but the result will undoubtedly hinge on how they handle it all and it is something that has caught them out before.
Having said that Wales will be galvanised and ready to go, England look stronger on paper and can’t be concerned with all of the outside noise so I can see them getting a first win in Cardiff for six years by 10 points.
Comments on RugbyPass
pure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
1 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
25 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
25 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
25 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to comments