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Why England are in dire need of greater competition at scrum-half

By Josh Raisey
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

During the first two years of Eddie Jones’ time in charge of England, the scrum-half position was one of many strengths. Fast-forward a couple of years and it is now the area of most concern for so many. 

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In 2016 and 2017, England would get 60 minutes from Ben Youngs before Danny Care was unleashed on the opposition, upping the tempo and causing havoc. In fact, Care’s name is one of the first that spring to mind when thinking of Jones’ ‘finishers’. 

The rivalry between those two scrum-halves seemed to spur them on and the fact that they were so stylistically different was integral to the coach’s game plan. Such competition is often the bedrock upon which great teams are formed, but England have lost out in that department at No9. 

Over the past year, Jones hasn’t shown trust in another scrum-half other than Youngs. Wasps’ Dan Robson was sparingly used during the 2019 Six Nations and was subsequently overlooked for the World Cup where Jones went for just two nines. 

Gloucester’s Willi Heinz was used as Youngs’ deputy in Japan, with Ben Spencer joining late on in the tournament after an injury to the New Zealand-born player. 

(Continue reading below…)

Freddie Burns discusses the selection issues England have faced this week

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There have been calls for other nines to be selected over the past few weeks, as many feel Leicester Tigers’ Youngs’ form has dipped. Although it looks as though Care’s Test career may have come to an end, he still is a popular option for many fans. 

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Heinz starts in Scotland this weekend after Youngs’ tricky afternoon in Paris, but few see him as the long term solution at scrum-half. After all, he is three years the elder of the 98-cap international. However, he did look more impressive at the Stade de France, posing a greater threat at the fringes of the breakdown. 

Even so, Heinz is fairly similar in style to Youngs, or certainly compared to Care, which is why Jones has probably opted for him. But there has been a move away from the ‘finisher’ style which was once endorsed.  

Youngs has performed best for England where there has been a high level of competition for his place, but Jones has drained that out of the team over the past twelve months. 

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While there are younger players coming through, namely Alex Mitchell and Harry Randall, the Australian has been reluctant to trust younger players, which is in stark contrast to most other positions on the field  where many emerging players have been backed. 

The No8 position is maybe the only position other than scrum-half where the coach is perhaps not creating a rivalry for places. 

Anyone only needs to look how Jones has managed his locks – Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, George Kruis and Joe Launchbury – to see how to get the best out of players when there is competition for places. 

Youngs will bounce back from being dropped, but at no point over the past year would he have felt under the illusion that he would lose his place if he performed badly. 

A decent showing from Heinz at Murrayfield would force him to try and regain the standard which has made him one of England’s great scrum-halves. 

WATCH: Jim Hamilton previews Scotland’s clash with England in this weekend’s Six Nations

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Jon 5 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 8 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.

32 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 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

32 Go to comments
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