England's Australian test will dictate the mood heading into 2019 and improvement is needed
If you were looking for a word to sum up how Eddie Jones and England fans are feeling about the national side’s autumn so far, you could be reaching if you opted for anything more positive than ‘content’.
Against South Africa, England got a result without a performance. There were great moments of resiliency and an impressive powerplay in the 20 minutes after half time, but it was a game where luck and Springbok deficiencies, as much as anything else, handed the game to England. That’s fine, England hadn’t played a game since their victory over the Springboks in Cape Town during the summer, whilst South Africa had competed in The Rugby Championship and had far fewer excuses for rust and errors than England did.
Then came the formidable challenge of the All Blacks, which proved to be almost the polar opposite of the win against South Africa, with England providing an impressive performance but without the steely edge required at the end of both halves to secure a win. There were flashes of brilliance from a side bereft of many key starters and for all the agony of the tight loss, in review and retrospect it should provide those players involved with a belief that they can match anyone in the world.
Neither result seemed to fill fans with great enthusiasm, but it showed, at the least, that England haven’t fallen far from that top tier of teams in international rugby, despite strong indications to the contrary earlier in 2018.
Ironically, England’s biggest win of the autumn so far, a 35-15 victory over Japan, probably brought the least celebration, with the Cherry Blossoms showing all the guile and ingenuity in the first half that they did against the Springboks in 2015, and England fans would have been nervous of another giant killing when Japan took a 15-10 lead into the second half.
Enter, Captain Farrell.
The arrival of the playmaker in the second half brought a clear improvement in the cohesiveness of the side, both offensively and defensively, and England were able to finish strongly at Twickenham, scoring 25 unanswered points.
Not bad, but not particularly good, either, and that’s why there is now such importance on England ending the autumn on a real high note against Australia, with games running out before the beginning of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Continue reading below…
Watch: Eddie Jones and George Ford dissect England’s performance against Japan.
England are on a five-match win streak against the Wallabies, retaining the Cook Cup for an extended period after their last loss to Australia, the result which denied them passage to the quarter-finals at the 2015 RWC. In fact, England have won nine of the last 11 games in this historic rivalry, and if there is a psychological advantage in the contest, it belongs to the side hosting at Twickenham on Saturday.
That advantage, no matter how great or small it may be, is not something England will be keen to relinquish anytime soon, especially as they seek to exorcise their RWC ghosts next year.
If Jones can get his side to combine the positive elements of the matches against South Africa and New Zealand, bringing together resiliency with overall performance, and extend that winning streak over Australia to six games, things will be looking much rosier for England heading into 2019.
Given Australia’s performances over the last couple of weeks, it’s a victory which England should be expected to notch up.
If the defining word of England’s autumn so far is ‘content’, then the most suitable for the Wallabies and Michael Cheika would ‘underachievement’.
Australia fell to a 9-6 loss to Wales in the opening match of their tour, which ended a 13-match win streak against Wales that had lasted for just shy of 10 years, and then backed that it up with a far from convincing 26-7 victory over Italy. Nevertheless, it will have provided Cheika’s men with some much-needed momentum going into the clash at Twickenham.
There are certainly positives for Australia to take from that contest with Italy, not least so the success Samu Kerevi – whose RugbyPass Index score rose to 81 as a result – had against the Italian midfield, which is the one area where England felt defensively fragile against both South Africa and New Zealand. The quartet of Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue all caused England problems in the channel between 12 and 13 and it’s something Kerevi is more than capable of doing, too, especially outside of the effervescent talents of Kurtley Beale.
During that period, Ben Te’o has seen his RPI dip to 56 – the lowest mark in the England squad – and Henry Slade’s has fallen to 80, from a mark of 84 with Exeter before the international window.
For all the successes that England have had under Jones, the recent low times, the injuries and the enviable player pool he has at his disposal, the in-flux nature of the side’s midfield might be the biggest indictment of his tenure. Less than 12 months out from a RWC, it seems almost impossible to predict, barring injury, what England’s starting 12 and 13 combination will be at the tournament.
You simply cannot say the same about other genuine contenders.
If everyone is fit, Ireland will probably have Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose in the box-seat, South Africa will likely have the aforementioned de Allende and Kriel and then New Zealand look at least set with Goodhue at 13, with a little more uncertainty at 12 given Sonny Bill Williams’ injury problems.
Beale and Kerevi are a fine combination for the Wallabies, Huw Jones has cemented himself in for Scotland and Jonathan Davies has done likewise for Wales, with Hadleigh Parkes looking every bit the suitable complement inside him.
As for England, there has been constant change and a constant lack of cohesion since the successes of Farrell and Jonathan Joseph in Jones’ first season in charge. With Farrell now seemingly the favoured 10, an understandable call given that it is his best position, at least half of that combination may be off the board come the RWC, whilst Joseph continues his rehabilitation from injury and should be available for the upcoming Six Nations.
It’s difficult to underestimate how much England have missed Joseph. He grabbed the spotlight in 2016 for the audacious attacking ability he brought to a side enjoying a plethora of front-foot ball, but it was the quiet, understated defensive excellence he offered that really helped shape England into a world beater that year.
The 13 channel is as difficult an area of the rugby pitch to defend as there is, with players having to be exceptionally mobile, make quick and smart decisions and often make and complete one-on-one tackles on players that, if unsuccessful, could leave your full-back as the last defender capable of stopping the attacking movement.
Joseph excels in all of those facets and whilst Slade, Te’o and Jack Nowell have all brought plenty of positive attributes to the role, none have been able to match that defensive security that Joseph has provided.
Jones has now said that he sees Manu Tuilagi as a 13, rather than a 12, so that is potentially another option to add to the mix should he be able to stay fit, but anyone, possibly including Jones, who tell you they know what England’s midfield will look like at the RWC is lying. Both positions seem to be up for grabs now that Farrell has been moved inside to 10 and time is running out to find the right combination and build a decent level of cohesion before the side jets off to Japan next year.
In addition to meeting and overcoming the challenge of Australia this weekend, finding out more answers about his midfield will probably be very close to the top of Jones’ wishlist. Given that the next fixture in England’s calendar is a trip to Dublin to take on a surging Ireland side in the Six Nations, Jones and his side need a fillip going into what will be a testing 2019.
A performance, a result and midfield answers would be the perfect early Christmas present for England on Saturday.
You may also like: Adam Ashley-Cooper speaks about his Wallabies return.
Comments on RugbyPass
Brayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf 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.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to comments