1. Even when Dan Biggar is bad, he’s good
Dan Biggar squandered, by some distance, three of the easiest kicks of his career, he missed tackles and his service was poor at times but on Sunday night he was a shining example of how a player should react when important facets of their game are failing.
After a first half that saw Biggar miss more kicks than he converted, the Welsh fly-half came out after half time and proved why he is viewed by many as world class. His attitude and game management never faltered and a nonchalantly-chipped drop goal off the side of his boot effectively finished the game as a contest.
Statistically, his figures have been damaged and there is no way that he should have been given the MOM award from a rather sycophantic commentator but he always looked in control of the game and the situation as the game drew to a close.
2. Maro Itoje is ready for the big time
21 years old, 6’ 5”, 18 stone, has captained a Junior World Championship-winning team and can pick up Louis Picamoles like a rag doll.
Let’s be honest though, he can play rugby to international standard and drags player’s performances up to that level with him.
He has repeatedly been touted as a future England captain and you can see why after this performance. The only worry is that he is not settled into one position and allowed to concentrate on being the best in the world in that position. Predominantly he is used as a second row and that is where he should stay.
He can play on the blindside flank but if you look at the best young second rows in the World right now, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager for example, they have added the attributes of a modern day flanker to their skill set which has allowed them to improve their overall game.
3. Jamie Heaslip needs to watch his back – there’s a newly-qualified South African in town
For the last eight years Jamie Heaslip has been one of the first names on the Irish team sheet but CJ Stander, the South African-born Number 8 from Munster, is on the look out to change this.
At 25, Stander has been made captain of Munster in Peter O’Mahony’s injury absence and is turning in Man of the Match performances in both the Pro12 and now the European Cup.
After three years in the red of Munster, the man from George in the Western Cape is now eligible to play for Joe Schimdt’s Ireland.
Heaslip is Ireland’s captain elect but his insipid performance against Wasps will not have helped the euphoria that surrounds every one of Stander’s performances via social media and, if as expected, Stander declares his allegiance to Ireland then Schmidt may just have to wait a little bit longer to make that decision.
4. English teams are on the offensive
It was a weekend that saw the Aviva Premiership contingent of teams set their stall out and go on the attack in both the Champions and Challenge Cup. They scored a total of 33 tries over the two competitions and it could and should have been a lot more. They didn’t win every game and some of the performances were lack lustre but the Premiership has been relatively low scoring this year and the change in style of play was refreshing.
Saracens were untouchable in their first half display against Toulouse. Toulouse, understandably, may not have been as mentally prepared as they usually would be for a Champions Cup game but everything Saracens threw at them in attack was clinical, accurate and done at great pace.
Harlequins and Leicester both started slowly against their French opponents on Thursday and Friday night respectively but soon reverted to an all-out attacking style of play which could not be handled by their opponents. London Irish were top scorers with eight tries against Agen and it is clear that the teams from the Premiership are going to attack.
5. The incoming England Coach needs a close relationship with Premiership Clubs
We don’t know who this is yet but the weekend has highlighted that the synergy between club coaches and the England coaching set-up is not as cohesive as we are being lead to believe.
Selection is the one of keys to success in international rugby so having more than a handful of regular internationals playing in differing positions week in, week out will affect the make-up of the national team.
Tow Wood played at openside flanker, albeit with a man of the match performance, when he usually plays on the blindside, Anthony Watson was due to start at Full Back for Bath where he occupies the wing for England and the same can be said of Jack Nowell who looked extremely out of his comfort zone on Sunday night trying to field high balls and counter attack in the fifteen shirt.
As mentioned earlier, if Maro Itoje is managed in the same way then what message is this sending to the players? James Gaskell is the perfect example. Undoubtedly a fine athlete and ball player but he has never really nailed down a position that he has been allowed to develop.
A player having a broader skill set is a very positive attribute but not allowing them to strive to be the best in their chosen position in the global arena is at the detriment of the National game.
6. There is such a thing as too much rugby
After the tragic events in Paris on Friday night, quite rightfully all of the scheduled European games in France were postponed as a mark of respect to the victims and their families. There is a backlog of matches that Bath’s owner, Bruce Craig, says cannot be played.
Bath do not have a free weekend now to replay their fixture against Toulon and the suggestion of a midweek game is not viable. Playing three matches at the highest domestic level in seven days, including the travel abroad, would put any team at a disadvantage and EPCR and the national governing bodies need to take a long hard look at the scheduling.
There are many reasons that games could be called off and there has to be contingency in place. We have just come out of a World Cup and there are summer tours at the end of the season that need to be taken into account so please can we start balancing the commercial aspects of the game with player welfare and ensuring full strength teams for the paying public to watch?
By Andy Daniel (@scrum5ive)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
Agree on letting Maro Itoje concentrate on one position, but think it should be 6 not lock. We have an abundance of talented locks (Launchbury, Lawes, Kruis, Atwood and Slater), what we are really lacking is a world class 6. Itoje does everything Wood can do (nuisance at the breakdown, good jumper in the lineout, leadership qualities) but he also tackles and carries like a train. The complete 6 package. Would mean we don’t have to keep yo-yoing between players like Wood and Haskell depending on what we want (i.e. carrying vs lineout). Get him fixed there for Sarries, let him master the position and England will finally have the world class flanker the haven’t had since an injury-free Croft in about 2009.
Agree in theory. England are certainly more in need of a 6 than a lock (although a good case could be made for Ewers). However, I think the real question should be; what is Itoje’s best position?
Ultimately, if he is better suited to being a lock then he should be played there. Him and Launchbury seem to be a pretty perfect blend at lock. Itoje can call the line outs (no more need to shoehorn Parling in) and Launchbury brings ballast, breakdown expertise and a great pair of hands. Lawes is a perfect impact sub.
Absolutely agree with that Jacob. Personally I think Itoje is a better lock than flanker, and agree about him and Launchbury being a perfect combination. I would also say he’s more likely to get game time at lock for Sarries, when they have a host of people to cover the 6 shirt.
Also let’s not forget that both Launchbury and Lawes played quite a lot at 6 for their respective clubs and it didn’t do them any harm.
Itoje and Kruis were a very lively combination on Saturday night, and both were making some big hits, and good carries.
I am slightly biased, but having watched Itoje for a few years as he’s developed, I would say pick him now as the England captain, and build the team around him. Bring in Ewers at 6, and with Kvesic or Fraser at 7, big Billy V at 8, and you have a very good, mobile, hard working second and back row to your pack. I won’t talk about the front row, as I think that’s a discussion for another post, but that to me looks like a balanced combination.
Completely agree with getting him in the side but I do think the captaincy is too much. The media in this country would hound the poor kid, scrutinising everything he does. You can guarantee he’ll have a bad game early on (as any kid making his first test starts would) and he’d be slated. The old mantra of “he’s only in the team because he’s captain” will come out and cause problems.
Personally, and this is now maybe my bias coming out, I’d give the captaincy to Launchbury. One of the only players England have the should be sure to start. Even his bad games are very good and he is now (relatively) experienced at test level. He appears to be growing into a real leader at Wasps too.
However, we shouldn’t be afraid to shift the captaincy to Itoje in a year or two if he is a more suitable candidate.
My main reason for having Itoje as the captain is that he has experience at being captain, whereas someone like Launchbury (to my knowledge) hasn’t regularly, if at all, captained his club.
Itoje has captained the England U20’s to a World Cup victory, a young Sarries side to A league and LV Cup victory, which to me makes him the most qualified player we have to be captain.
Definitely agree, and as I mentioned, I’d be quite happy to see him made captain a year or two down the line. I just think it is a problem waiting to happen if you throw someone the captaincy at the age of 21 on debut.
Maybe Ben Youngs would be a decent stop-gap captain if not Launchbury? Loads of experience and captains his club.
There was me hoping to read an article that didn’t claim Biggar had a good game at the weekend. He was dreadul. His positive (nice drop goal and some brilliant up and unders to himself) didn’t even come close to outweighing his negative (missed kicks at goal, awful kicking from hand, lack of ability to even make us aware he had a backline outside him). I really am at a loss to the hysteria around him.
From an English perspective is was nice to find out that we do have some good rugby players after all. Daly, Yarde, Vunipola, Farrell, Itoje, Launchbury and Ben Youngs all had very good weekends from a mixture of what I watched and have since read.
On the club/country debate in England; the new coach can try all he wants but he can’t change much. The clubs are never going to play ball. Their financially rewarded to getting players in the England EPS. As long as they get in (and those you list will), they are not rewarded or incentivized to play them in positions that suit the England coach. They aren’t centrally contracted, and the clubs have too much money/power to just do it because they’re nice people.
If Biggar was so bad in the first half, how did he get Champions Cup star man this week. I would have thought that Wasps winning by a 27 point margin away to Leinster, and a lot of their players playing consistently well for 80 minutes, one of them would have been picked!?
You obviously missed the memo as I have. It turns out that Biggar is now the best player in the world, so even when he plays terribly he is still better than everyone else in Europe…
1 Marler, Mako, Corbs (if fit)
2 George, Cowan-dickie, Youngs (Hartley out now one chance to many)
3 Cole, Brookes
4 Launchbury, kruis
5 Lawes
6 Itoji, Wood (Either one of these would be captain)
7 Kvesic, Fraser
8 Hughes, Billy V, Morgan
9 Youngs, Care, Simpson
10 Ford, Farrell, Cipriani
11 May, Nowell
12 Slade, Eastmond (only if partnered with JJ), Burell
13 JJ, Manu
14, Wade, Roko
15 Brown, Watson
Watson would train more at fullback as the likely successor to Brown in the future. Nowell would always be on the bench as he is Mr Versatility.
Thoughts? (sorry about spelling)
Nice looking team there. I would swap Itoje to lock, and have Ewers or Robshaw at 6. I would also leave Manu out, as he doesn’t seem like he’s ever going to be fit.
Slade or Burrell at 12, with Daly or JJ at 13. Yarde is also a possibility for the 14 shirt now he’s fit, with Watson at 15.
Can’t believe I forgot Daly. I wrote the name down as well. He’s definitely in.
I’m going against grain again here at saying Hartley walks into the England team. At least on the bench if George’s form edges him; he is far better at being a hooker than LCD or Youngs. 3 yellow cards in 60 odd caps for England doesn’t make him a liability in my book.
O’Connor at Leicester is one I’d like to see more of at 7. He is English qualified (from NZ) and looks like exactly the type of player England are lacking at the moment.
This is the England side I’d like to see in the 6 nations.
Mako, Hartley, Brookes, Itoje, Launchbury, Ewers, O’Connor, Vunipola, Youngs, Ford, May, Slade, JJ, Watson, Brown
George, Corbs, Cole, Lawes, Morgan, Simpson, Farrell, Nowell
Players like Manu and Croft should be in there if fit. And of course Hughes becomes available in June.
Didn’t realise O’Connor was qualified. He certainly looks like a decent player. Personally I think I’d rather have Kvesic or Fraser, as they’ve been showing good form for a few seasons, and only injuries and SL’s inability to give anyone else a chance has hindered them.
My choice for the 6 Nations:
1. M. Vunipola, 2. George, 3. Brookes, 4. Launchbury, 5. Itoje, 6. Ewers, 7. Fraser, 8. B. Vunipola, 9. Youngs, 10. Ford, 11. May, 12. Slade, 13. Daly, 14. Wade, 15. Watson
16. Hartley, 17. Marler, 18. Cole, 19. Lawes (if he finds some form, if not Kruis) 20. Robshaw, 21. Simpson, 22. Farrell, 23. Nowell
Not sure about Robshaw as a sub. His asset is his work rate. The number of tackles he makes and rucks he hits in a game in phenomenal. Is work rate something that’ll make an impact in the last 20? Probably not. Either he starts at 6 or doesn’t feature for me. Maybe Ewers would be a good impact player with Robshaw starting?
Wade I’m not convinced by, and I’m a Wasps fan. He seems to be a player that just doesn’t have a rugby brain at all. His positioning defensively is awful, whether in tackling to receiving kicks. Personally I’d rather Nowell start, or see Yarde come in over Wade.
Yarde certainly seems to have improved his form in these first few games
In my mind I was thinking I want Ewers in the squad, but I think Jacob is right. He may actually be a better bench option than Morgan as he can cover 6 and 8. Robshaw to start and Ewers on the bench.
As for Wade, it’s a tough one, and I’ve always said his defensive frailties will stop him getting in he EPS. Surely though these are things which can be coached? Nowell is a better bench option because he could cover 13, wing and 15. Yarde is showing some form, but I don’t think any other player can create something from nothing in the way that Wade can.
You’d have thought they can be coached and you can only assume that the coaches at Wasps have been trying for some time now. So god only knows what’s going on
Dave Ewers has to be involved somewhere. He’s monstrous when carrying the ball, has a suprising turn of speed, can off-load and is good over the ball
The Wade thing confuses me, you’d certainly think that the Wasps coaches are working loads with him on positioning. Contrary to what most claim, his tackling isn’t an issue to be honest, he just gets himself is terrible positions. He’s also pretty poor under a high ball and I just think at test level, his frailties would come to light more so than his electric feet.
Ewers definitely needs to be involved. He appears to have everything you want from a 6. What are his lineout stats like? If he was a jumper as well he really would be ideal.
No idea what Ewers is like in the lineout, for sure Exeter use him there occasionally.
Wanting lineout prowess from a 6 is something that is overplayed in my book. So long as they are great at their primary roles, I don’t really care if they’re merely OK come the lineout
I’m not sure the line out skill has to come from a 6. For example, NZ use Kieran Read as a 3rd jumper. Wales use Warburton quite a bit. However, with Morgan/Vunipola/Hughes, none of those can jump. I do feel that at test level that you need a third line out option.
On Wade, I just think if there is someone that is so exposed on his positioning at Prem level, it’ll only get worst at test level. I do agree, his ability with ball in hand is insane, and I’d love to see his ability used for England. However, it is a big risk.
With Wade I would like to try and see rather than speculate on his limitations being ruthlessly exposed. It’s worth the risk. I don’t recall any other English qualified player ever (including Robinson) that can consistently produce the something from nothing tries Wade keeps delivering.
He got capped, delivered one blistering performance (albeit against limited opposition), picked up an injury and never got his chance, players with “the ability to beat the first man” got their chance ahead of “a player with the ability to put the ball down over the line”.
Not progressing on the “coachable” side of his game is frustrating and worrying, but he’s a once in a generation talent that we have to find a way of making full use of.
I’m with Matt on this one. I just think that someone with his talent with ball in hand should be in the England set-up and get some coaching on the things he needs to work on. It could simply be that a different approach is all is needed?!?!
Players like him and Daly who can just wheel round people at will and score fro anywhere should be in there.
Daly absolutely has to be there. There isn’t an obvious fault in his game at all. Add in the fact that he can whack pens over from 60 meters and he is even more useful.
England have plenty of very good players, world cup debacle aside. I think confusion on playing style and subsequent poor selections, plus relying on favorites out of form, has really blighted the squad.
Heartening to see so many players playing well at the weekend.
Some key players to be brought in and developed/welcomed back into the fold due to form – George, Itoje, Fraser, Kvesic, O’Connor (if qualified), Clifford, Yarde, Daly
My preference over style of play would be the way we played against France in the last six nations. Scored a ton of tries. Let in a ton of tries but still a good game. Smart, quick attacking rugby. Fill the whole squad with speedsters and watch them fly. :)
English clubs did well but thought the Welsh ones had a good weekend too!