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Why England boss Jones isn't smiling about Prem's high try count

By Stefan Frost
(Photo by David Rogers/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

The towering try counts which continue to mark out this season’s Gallagher Premiership might just be irking England boss Eddie Jones. Just over a week ago, a grand total of 417 points were scored across six games in round three. That was the second highest tally ever recorded in the league – the final round of the 1998/99 campaign still tops the charts – and included a mouth-watering 56 tries, the fourth highest ever scored in a single round.

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In response to the watershed weekend, the England head coach blasted the lukewarm approach to defence on offer and gave words of warning to prospective players, advising them to commit to tackling if want to play international rugby.

His comments became even more prescient following the completion of round four where just five games were played but the try-line was breached a staggering 42 times. Leaky defence does not sit well with Jones, who used the recent Rugby Championship as a case in point for why tackling remains an important facet of international rugby.

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“The commitment to make a tackle is important in rugby and the players that we select will have to be committed to making them. Players that don’t won’t get picked,” Jones said. “You saw how important it was in the Rugby Championship and on the summer tours, especially now that the ball is spread more than two passes only 30 per cent of the time.

“The ability to make an effective tackle not only stops the opposition going forward, but also creates a transition opportunity or a turnover opportunity, so backs who can take the legs away from the opposition are so important. We will be looking for players that are productive with the ball and without the ball.”

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At the moment teams seem to be much more productive with the ball in hand. This was evident throughout round four whereby at least nine tries were scored in three different games. The pick of the bunch was the showdown between London Irish and Bath, which finished 47-38 in favour of the Londoners.

Fans visiting the Gtech Community Stadium were dished up an encounter to remember, as a monstrous 13 tries were converted across the 80 minutes. Irish wingers Ollie Hassell-Collins and Ben Loader both bagged hat-tricks, while the visitors managed to claim six of their own and a losing bonus-point as a commiseration prize.

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An equally absorbing try-fest took place at the StoneX as Saracens and Leicester Tigers faced off in a repeat of last season’s Premiership final. The men in black, having lost that previous encounter, quickly cemented their title credentials by blowing apart the reigning champions, crossing the line seven times.

Player of the match Theo McFarland was among the scorers and consistently used his aerial handling ability to disrupt the opposition’s lineout, helping Mark McCall’s men cruise to a 51-18 win.

Harlequins claimed the final big win of the weekend after they scored six against Northampton Saints. The Londoners nabbed their fifth of the afternoon when winger Cadan Murley expertly evaded the tackle of Tommy Freeman and acrobatically finished in the corner.

However, they did ease off the accelerator in the final quarter and allowed Saints back in the game but did just enough to hold out, winning 35-29 in yet another high-scoring Premiership match.

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For spectators, this high-octane attacking rugby might be thrilling to watch but for England coach Jones, it signposts weakness in defence and it doesn’t stack up well with what’s happening in Test rugby.

In England’s summer series win over Australia, they conceded 2.33 tries a game, a telling stat and one that no doubt helped see the men in white emerge victorious. In round four of the Gallagher Premiership, the sides involved conceded an average of 4.2 tries a game.

Defence will be at the front of Jones’ mind when he picks his England squad for the upcoming Autumn Nations Series against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.

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Trevor 2 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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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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