Ireland and England don't do things by halves. One is always on a winning streak - think of the men in green continuously ransacking Twickenham from 2004 onwards, with the notable exception of 2008, an anomaly if you will; tomorrow's hosts racked up 7 wins out of 8 encounters with the current Championship leaders, England. They were a bogey team. But so often one game can change the sway of things - a Manu Tuilagi-inspired England cruised to a win at the Aviva Stadium in a World Cup warm up game, and then went to work on the men from across the Irish sea in proper fashion, racking up three consecutive wins, including a brutal arm-wrestle at Twickenham last year. Yep, from being Ireland's 'banker' fixture of late, they've now gone 4 games and 4 years without beating their bitter rivals.
Joe Schmidt's side though will take comfort in knowing that despite all that, they are reigning Champions and, despite only operating in third gear (at best), they are still two from two and on course for a grand slam. They can also take comfort from the fact that they are back playing in front of the Dublin faithful - and that in itself can stir levels of performance that simply can't be matched by their rivals. Think of Croke Park in 2007, or the Aviva in 2011. England left with their tails between their legs, and the men in green will be wanting more of that local witch-craft once again.
But this is a different England side, as they showed with their gritty - and yet enterprising - win over Wales in Cardiff. With his hand forced by injury in some cases, Stuart Lancaster has stumbled across a side that can threaten with both power and creativity and, most importantly, a side that does not hang too much on previous defeats. They know they face an Ireland side who will be aggressive and physical, with one of the world's best generals steering the ship in Johnny Sexton, but they also know that they have shown vulnerability in their opening two games. This England side is excited, not scared, about this fixture.
The Aviva Stadium on Sunday afternoon will be the setting for the most eagerly-awaited match of the tournament so far, and it is all set to be the most brutal and tightly contested as well. As I said, they don't do things by half.
Ireland Team News
Jordi Murphy replaces the injured Jamie Heaslip at number
eight in Ireland's sole change to the starting XV to face England, with the Leinster man sidelined thanks to impromptu and ill-advised attempt at a highland fling by Pascal Pape, which connected with Heaslip's back a fortnight ago. Tommy O'Donnell and Eoin Reddan replace Murphy and Isaac Boss respectively on
the bench.
Devin Toner. Eclipsing everyone as the tallest man on the park, Toner has previously struck me as a bit of a beanpole with questionable hand-eye co-ordination, resembling Bambi on ice in his earlier years. But the Leinster lock has certainly hardened into a formidable operator in the heart of the Irish pack - but, although he is a force at the breakdown and in defence (especially adept at the old 'choke' tackle), Toner's biggest role will be in the lineout. Hartley has not looked as unshakeable as usual with his throws and Toner will know there is an opportunity to use his huge frame to make a nuisance of himself - and in a game where territory and set-piece are expected to be crucial, that could be a game-changer.
England Team News
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has made two changes from the side that
beat Italy last time out. Alex Goode is in at full-back for the concussed Mike Brown, while winger
Jonny May makes way for Jack Nowell, the Gloucester flyer paying for butchering several try-scoring opportunities and impersonating a wet-flannel with an attempted tackle last time out against Italy, resulting in a try.
Alex Goode. Poor bloke, if it wasn't bad enough sharing a surname with possibly the least athletic fly half of all time (I still love you, Andy), the Saracens man has been subjected to a barrage of unjustified criticism following his return to the England team - it's fair to say that his return isn't the most universally popular of calls by Stuart Lancaster. But Goode has been in sparkling form for Saracens, and although he may lack the explosiveness and power of Brown, he does have strengths which may suit the way Ireland play - he is strong under the high ball, an intelligent footballer and a great kicker, which will be critical in the battle for territory. He may not be as exciting as Israel Dagg, but do not write Goode off just yet.
Key Battle
Johnny Sexton v George Ford. Another test of George Ford's maturity has been preceded by gushing references to one another's ability by both fly halves, but rest assured that this will be one of the most high-pressure battles on the pitch. Sexton has forged a reputation as probably the best tactical fly-half in world rugby, with the ability to dictate where his side plays with faultless decision making and sublime execution. Ford has similar abilities in his armoury but the mental side of his game - the ability to make the right decisions, and kick his goals, under pressure - still comes under scrutiny. I expect England to have the upper hand in the scrum and on the carry and Ford simply has to do what Sexton would do and turn those small advantages into big gains - otherwise, the Leinster-bound 10 will find a way to claw his side to victory.
Prediction
It's another brutally hard one to call, which is not surprising considering that I expect this game to be arguably the most physical of the championship. Last year's game at Twickenham was a full-on war but Ireland haven't really hit those heights yet this season. They have struggled for fluency and invention and England, more than their hosts, have their tails up. I expect the visitors to get the nudge on in the scrums and potentially break the gainline more than their opponents, but so much depends on how Sexton is managed. The fly half is still, realistically, finding his way back to match fitness so, if England can apply enough pressure, I'll think they'll sneak a win. England by 3.
From looking comfy up at the top, all is not quite as rosy
as it once was in the garden of the West Country.A loss to Saracens and a tricky fixture list
containing the likes of Exeter at Sandy Park over the coming weeks has put the
men from the Rec in touching distance of a chasing pack that is split by all of
about 2 points.Their home game against
top-of-the-table Saints, then, held extra importance not just in terms of
securing a home quarter final spot, but also in terms of actually staying
inside the top 4.
Mike Ford would have made sure his troop knew this and
Bath blasted out of the blocks, moving ahead inside two minutes - although only
at the second time of asking.England
wing Semesa Rokoduguni should have scored in the corner after being freed
following a sharp break by centre Kyle Eastmond, but he was pulled down short
of the line by opposite number Jamie Elliott.Rokoduguni, since his injury, just hasn't looked the same for me.At the beginning of the season, he would have
strolled in, Elliot would have been eating turf, but he looked about as quick
as tortoise with bad arthritis in this instance.
But just when the chance looked to have gone, Bath moved
possession to the other wing, and Ollie Woodburn touched down after collecting Tom
Homer's borderline-forward pass on the bounce and tip-toeing down the
touchline. Homer converted from the touchline after the video ref had given the
all clear.
Bath had made their intentions clear and dominated the
opening exchanges, but Northampton soon settled into the contest, and they
tested their opponents defensively through some quality phase-play.A Homer penalty sent Bath 10 points clear,
yet Northampton hit back 12 minutes before the break after Myler had missed an
absolute gimme of a penalty chance.
Saints stretched Bath into both corners before James
Wilson touched down under huge pressure from an Ollie Devoto tackle, but the
try was only awarded following lengthy deliberation between referee Greg Garner
and television match official Keith Lewis.It was touch and go whether or not the Saints' man had a big toe scraping
the white-wash, but after one 50-50 call had already gone in favour of the
hosts, a try was probably a fair call.Credit, though, had to go to Tom Stephenson, who made a sharp outside
break outside Eastmond, of all people, to release the kiwi full back for the
score.
Myler sent the touchline conversion attempt wide, yet
Saints were back in business, having weathered a considerable storm, and they
went ahead following another spell of pressure highlighted by slick handling
between backs and forwards.On this
occasion, it was Haywood who went over for the try, with Myler's conversion
hoisting Northampton into a 12-10 interval lead, having been 10 points down
with 30 minutes played.It was some
turnaround.
Saints were good value for their slender advantage, and
they increased it seven minutes into the second period when Myler landed a
penalty after Rokoduguni, who carried possession into touch five metres from
his own line, recklessly threw the ball away.Having seen Scottish Dougie Fife pretty much cost his side the game in
Paris, it was a brainless thing to do – and with Northampton's forwards
starting to gain an upper hand, Bath had it all to do in their quest to close
the gap on Saints at the Premiership summit.
Another Myler penalty made it 18-10, before Homer found
the target from 15 metres out, cutting Bath's deficit as a hard-fought tussle
move towards its closing stages.Bath
boss Mike Ford and his opposite number Jim Mallinder both made full use of
their replacements' benches, but Saints continued to show impressive composure,
patiently building through the phases and retaining a territorial stranglehold.
Myler completed his penalty hat-trick to put Northampton
further clear, and Homer's inaccuracy off the tee was underlined when he missed
another penalty opportunity after Saints centre George Pisi was yellow-carded
for an aerial challenge on Rokoduguni.
That was the end of matters for Bath as Northampton
comfortably closed out the game to continue their relentless march in pursuit
of back-to-back Premiership titles.As
wobbly as Bath look without their international contingent, that is as
ominously good as Saints look right now.Even at 10 points down, they did not look in trouble – they looked in
control, efficient and powerful.
Top of the table clashes are never easy to call at the best
of times.But chuck in some significant
injuries to key players and international call ups, and the whole thing becomes
muddled with unknown factors.Seriously –
nobody ever thinks of the poor amateur blogger when determining international
windows.It’s a travesty.
The hosts are recently discovering why being at the top can
have negative repercussions for a side – with a Bath backline that has being
tearing sides from all over the continent to shreds at various points, the West
Country outfit have seen their lynchpins pinched – and subsequently starring –
for the national side.It’s given their
backline a sort of cobbled-together feel, but with the likes of Eastmond,
Burgess and Rokoduguni there, there’s still plenty of talent and speed.However, it’s in the pack – which has in
previous seasons been a bit of an Achilles heel at the Rec – where Bath have
really made strides this year.With a
back row of Garvey, Fearns and Louw, they have a trio of loose forwards capable
of outmuscling anyone in the league.
Conversely, it’s the pack where the visitors are suffering
the most – and in an area of traditional strength for them.With skipper Dylan Hartley away with England,
and Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes injured, and Alex Corbisiero still not firing
on all cylinders, the East midlanders have lost the nucleus of the most
physical pack in the Premiership, even if the likes of Manoa and Clark are
still thundering around.The backline
does look more settled at first, but injuries to Ben Foden and George North,
coupled with the international selection of Luther Burrell, means that even in
a line-up as exciting as Saints’, there are some big holes to fill.
It is an odd set of circumstances that the absence of so
many big names actually adds to the tension, to the uncertainty, but that’s
what’s happened here.I might as well
give up now.
Bath Team News
Bath's new signing Tom Homer makes his home debut as
Northampton visit for the meeting of the Premiership's top two.The home side, beaten 34-24 at Saracens last
Sunday, are also strengthened by the return of Wales prop Paul James.
Francois Louw.He
was, in my view, the player of the year in 2013 and although injury has
scuppered his chances of replicating that form over the last 12 months, he is
starting to emerge as a dominant figure at the breakdown once again.He has all the characteristics of a classic
openside – aggressive, powerful and with great technique over the ball, his
ability to disrupt Saints’ ball with his canny and timely interventions is
probably Bath’s best hope of disrupting that often relentless momentum
generated by the Northampton pack.
Northampton Team
News
Leaders Northampton have England scrum-half Lee Dickson back
from international duty to captain the side. Prop Gareth Denman and lock James Craig also
come in at The Rec as Saints make three changes from the side that beat London
Irish 15-9 last Friday night. Denman
replaces Australia international prop Salesi Ma'afu, who incurred his second
ban of the season for striking London Irish's Tom Court, while Craig's return
is accommodated by Samu Manoa's switch to the blindside flank.
Starting
Line-up:Wilson; K Pisi, G Pisi,
Stephenson, Elliott; Myler, Dickson (capt); Waller, Haywood, Denman, Craig,
Day, Manoa, Clark, Dickinson.
Samu Manoa.What a
loss the giant American will be when he heads to the sunny south of France with
Toulon next year.Bath’s backrow – in fact
the whole pack – does not lack for physicality, unlike in previous years, and
they will be more than happy to take the Saints on in a heavyweight slugfest.But Manoa does have that x-factor that nobody
can teach, the ability to make jaw-breakingly big hits that can swing the
momentum of a game in a moment.Saints
players and fans will be looking to him for inspiration on Saturday.
Key Battle
Sam Burgess v George Pisi.I said it before he moved, but I’m a bit worried about Burgess’
potential in union.I don’t know if he
has the pace or footwork to operate at international level in the centres, and
I think he may have moved too late to pick up the nuances of playing in the
back row, to where he’s physically probably more suited.That said, he is improving with every game
and it is of course still early days – but a game against Pisi will test his
defensive abilities to the limit.Pisi
is one of the best in the league at isolating his man and standing him up with
fleet footed acceleration.It will be
fascinating to see how Burgess fares and how much space Pisi can find.
Prediction
I’m pretty crap at predictions anyway, but it’s even tougher
during an international window.Neither
side particularly impressed last week but they’ll certainly raise their game
for a top of the table clash – and I think home advantage will be the deciding
factor.Bath haven’t lost at home this
season and their pack is relatively unaffected by injuries and/or international
call ups.The backline does not look as
settled as Northampton’s but there is still talent and speed in abundance, and I
have the feeling that the loss of Wood, Hartley and Lawes will hurt the
visitors.Bath by 4.
I don’t know anyone who enjoys hangovers, but I am
especially pathetic at dealing with them.Loud complaining, guzzling two litres of cola at a time and getting
oddly emotional when watching daytime documentaries such as ‘Animal Cops
Houston’ are all traits of mine.But
none of that would have been as bad as the hangover the Twickenham faithful
would have feared following that epic night in Cardiff last Friday – a loss
against a heavily unfancied Italian side would have set Stuart Lancaster’s side
back beyond square one.But, reading the
press in the build up, a page had been turned – this would be an easy victory
for a superior and confident side, with no chance of a repeat of a
nerve-wracking 18 – 11 England win two years previously, let alone a full-blown
Italian upset.
It didn’t start that way though.Despite promising bursts from Billy Vunipola
and Mike Brown and a couple of well-snaffled Italian lineouts, England’s own
lineout also malfunctioned and, off the back of that, the visitors struck
first.Luca Morisi surged down the left,
hand side, swatting away weak tackles from Anthony Watson and Dave Attwood, and
– after the ball was recycled a couple of times – Sergio Parisse (who else?)
threw a dummy and crashed over for the opening score inside 3 minutes.The imposing figure of Kelly Haimona was less
intimidating with the boot, scuffing his conversion, but Twickenham was
stunned.
And they were soon worried – after England had been
penalised twice, the Azzurri built good field position and a smart chip by Haimona
for Andrea Masi almost put the Italians in again, but the ball was spilled
forward.The upshot of it all was the
even more worrying sight of Mike Brown completely out cold having collided
brutally with Masi’s shoulder, and the Harlequins man was forced off to be
replaced by Billy Twelvetrees, prompting a backline reshuffle.
The tension wasn’t eased by a couple more hairy moments for
the hosts – after Anthony Watson had broken free, Luther Burrell threw a poor
pass that was intercepted and it was only good covering work by George Ford
(and the agricultural left boot of George Kruis) which prevented another score.As it transpired, the penalties began to be
blown in favour of the men in white and, after Ford slotted 3 points for a
breakdown infringement, he found a good touch from another blast of the referee’s
whistle.Vunipola peeled round the front
of the lineout to crash forward – with the help of James Haskell – but it
looked as though Eduardo Gori had done in enough to keep the comically huge
number 8 off the ground.One video
referee later, though, and England had 5 points on the board – Vunipola avoiding
touch by lying on top of Gori and forcing the ball down.It seemed harsh at the time but, on second
viewing, it was probably the right call.Ford missed the conversion, but finally England had some momentum.
And it showed in spectacular fashion as Chris Robshaw forced
a turnover in the middle of the pitch, and from that England got the ball into
the hands of Jonathan Joseph, who skipped past Haimona and – through the force
of having the ball in two hands – bamboozled the covering Leonardo Sarto, who
was left trailing in his week.It was a
spectacular solo score for the Bath man, and further evidence of why he must be
the man to fill the 13 shirt for England in the World Cup.Perhaps alongside Tuilagi? Who knows.Ford added a conversion, and England had a 15
– 5 lead with 30 minutes played.
There were no points in the remainder of the first half but
England continued to threaten, despite substitute Samuele Vunisa trampling Ben
Youngs into the ground and Haimona missing two further penalty attempts with
commendable ineptitude.The hosts, though,
should have had another try following a break from Youngs and Vunipola, but
Jonny May managed to somehow butcher a clear three on one.
Ford got the second half underway with another three points
but, once again, it was the Italians who started with the greater conviction
despite English endeavour.Sarto
executed a chip and chase to perfection and, although he was hauled down, the
ball was flung wide to the impressive Morisi, who scooted between Attwood and
Marler and evaded despairing tackles from Haskell and Watson to dive over for a
superb score.Haimona, predictably,
missed the straightforward conversion. 18 – 10.
The Italian score seemed to jolt the English side into life –
especially Ben Youngs, who made the most of a napping Italian pack after the
visitors were penalised at a scrum (thanks to good work by Joe Marler) close to
their own line, tapping and scooting over from 5 metres for the ultimate
opportunist try. A further conversion and a penalty from Ford made the
situation very comfortable for the men in white, with 20 minutes still to play.
And it heralded a 10-minute purple patch, much to the
delight of the Twickenham crowd.Firstly, that rarest of sights – a first phase score from an English
backline (you read that correctly).Off
the back of a scrum, Ford popped up in the midfield and, after faking a long
pass to split the centres, he popped a delightful ball into the hands of the
onrushing Joseph just off his shoulder, and the Bath man cruised over for his
second score.It would prove to be Ford’s
last intervention, but his replacement Danny Cipiani (making his first
Twickenham appearance for 7 years) didn’t do too badly with his first one,
feeding turnover ball to May, who scorched past his man on the outside before
feeding Cipriani again for the try.Not
a bad re-introduction by any means.Nick
Easter – another returnee - then rounded
off the rout with a well-worked lineout drive, plonking over from under a pile
of bodies.
The danger was now that the Italians would be put to the
sword, but instead, to their credit, they fought back with real tenacity,
perhaps inspired by the introduction of Tomaso Allan, and they were rewarded
with the final try of the game – although it came from yet more poor
defence.Giulio Besigni first cruised
through the English backline before the ball worked its way to Morisi who held
off a pretty wet Jonny May tackle to score in the corner for the second try he
deserved.It made the final score 47 –
15.Comfortable? Yes.Emphatic?Not quite.
This was a tricky game to analyse for England, despite the
fact they won.Lancaster will not be
overly chuffed with some parts of play – especially in defence – but the form
and vision of many of his key charges will have him quietly satisfied, even if
the intensity didn’t reach the levels shown in Cardiff.Yes, it may have been a lose-lose game, but
the Six Nations stats show win-win, and that’s all that matters.
ENGLAND PLAYER
RATINGS
15.Mike Brown:6.A couple of lively early
touches, a rare missed tackle and then out for the count in one of the most
brutal KOs I’ve seen.Good to see him up
and about afterwards, though.
14.Anthony Watson:7.Some
more promise from the Bath man, who filled in at full back for much of the
game.Perhaps not as involved as he
would have liked but some good takes of the high ball and a couple of sharp breaks
caught the eye.
13.Jonathan Joseph:9.What
can’t he do at the moment?A threat with
every touch of the ball, Joseph has that electric ability which makes him
ludicrously hard to defend.His second
try was a very well-executed line break, but his first was just individual
brilliance.Man of the match.
12.Luther Burrell:6.A
solid display from Burrell but we didn’t see a whole lot of him.He helped make some important choke tackles
in the middle but he still misses too many in open play for my liking.Is he just keeping the shirt warm for Manu?
11.Johnny May:5.A bit disappointing – this
was his chance to shine after such a promising autumn.One moment of pure class to set up Danny
Cipriani aside, May’s display was more memorable for his mistakes – butchering an
overlap and failing to smash his man into touch for Italy’s third try.
10.George Ford:8.His place kicking looks
pretty assured at the moment but his decision making and execution in open play
is really impressive as well.The dummy
long pass and soft pop to Joseph for the centre’s second score was rugby poetry
in motion.
9.Ben Youngs:6.A bit of a mixed bag
really – some dodgy passes and unlucky bounces on kicks blotted his copybook,
but otherwise his service and kicking game was solid and he made some sharp
breaks and good decisions...none more so than his smart quick tap to score by
the posts.
1.Joe Marler:8.A very impressive display
from the Quins man who just seems to get better with every game in
international colours.Had
Castrogiovanni in trouble for much of the game and tackled with superb
physicality – although he was partly to blame for Italy’s second score.
2.Dylan Hartley:6.Perhaps
the man who should be most nervous about his spot in the side.The lineout wobbled badly at first (although
it did recover) and he doesn’t seem as prominent around the pitch as usual.
3.Dan Cole:6.Not as dominant as last
week but still was on top in the set piece and chipped in with his mandatory
couple of turnovers.He still looks like
a class act though despite so long out of the game.
4.Dave Attwood:5.Another to slightly
disappoint, especially after such a good showing last week.He was impressive in the lineout and had a
couple of decent carries, but he was also disappointingly fragile in defence,
missing 3 of an attempted 8 tackles.For
an enforcer, that’s not good enough.
5.George Kruis:6.The Saracens man continues
to impress in some aspects – ferociously physical at the breakdown and around
the park, he has proven to be a real source of energy for the pack.However, he will be disappointed with his
missed tackle count, too, and he could do with showing more with the ball in
hand.
6.James Haskell:7.Not
quite as impressive as last week, but it was still an all action display from
Haskell. He made plenty of tackles and
carried hard all game, but he was penalised twice by the referee for silly offences.Good support work for Vunipola’s try.
7.Chris Robshaw:8.The
usual consistent excellence from the England skipper.He topped the tackle charts once again with
19, and chipped in with another couple of turnovers – including one which set
up Joseph’s first try.
8.Billy Vunipola:8.Arguably
his most impressive display for England.Some barnstorming runs with huge leg drives caught the eye and he did
very well to say in field for his try.17 tackles made as well shows his appetite for the game and his fitness
is improving.
Replacements:7.Twelvetrees
was on for much of the game and showed some nice touches with the ball in hand
but missed far too many tackles.It was
good to see Easter and Croft back at Twickenham too, with both delivering
impressive cameos and Easter snaffling a try, whilst the headline went to Danny
Cipriani, who looked lively and set-up and scored a try with his first and
second touches.
ITALY PLAYER RATINGS
15. Luke McLean: 6.Used more as a kicker than a
counter-attacker – and he was effective in that role – but we didn’t see him
attacking from deep or joining the line as we have seen previously for Italy,
or for Sale.
14. Leonardo Sarto: 6.Some good moments, such as swift
hands for Parisse’s try and a smart chip and gather in the second half, but
they were flashes.Caught out with his
defensive positioning more than once – glaringly for Joseph’s first try.
13. Luca Morisi: 8. May have been man of the match if he wasn’t
turned over for Joseph’s try.His strong
run set up Parisse’s score and then he grabbed two himself – the first by
spotting a gap and showing great pace to get through it, the second with superb
leg strength to stay in field under pressure.Fine performance.
12. Andrea Masi: 5. The Wasps man was kept pretty quiet as his
centre partner stole the glory. We’re used to seeing Masi carry with real
aggression but we didn’t really see that on Saturday.
11. Giovambattista
Venditti: 5.A big powerful winger,
but he had little involvement in the game.Only three carries for a man of his ability was a disappointment.
10. Kelly Haimona: 4.Some smooth touches in the opening
exchanges were misleading.Haimona loves
contact and is clearly a passionate player, but he lacks the vision to unleash
some of the genuine talent Italy now have out wide.Missed 6 tackles too, which was frankly
appalling.
9. Edoardo Gori: 5.To be fair to Gori, it must be tough
playing with the world’s first crash-ball fly-half outside him, with a pack
going backwards. But we didn’t see any
of the invention which has stood Gori out in recent years.
1. Alberto di Marchi:
6. Just about held his own against
Cole but couldn’t get involved in the attack.Impressive in defence though, making 9 hits.
2. Leonardo
Ghiraldini: 5.I’m a big fan of
Ghiraldini, but the lineout wobbles early on hurt Italy and, despite lots of
endeavour, he was surprisingly (and unusually) ineffective on the carry for
once.
3. Martin
Castrogiovanni: 5.Poor Castro.The heart is still there, as he showed with
10 tackles – none missed – to lead his side’s tackle charts, but the body is
fading.Lost out badly to Marler in the
scrum and gave away far too many penalties.
4. George Biagi: 6.The rangy lock made some eye catching runs
but was under lots of pressure in the set piece.Still, a positive display within the Italian
pack – which was a rarity on the day.
5. Marco Bortolami: 5.
Lots of hard work at the breakdown,
but for me he is just too old now.He
doesn’t carry the aura that he used to and is now targeted as a potential weak
link in the defensive line.
6. Francesco Minto: 5.Far too quiet.I know that blindside flankers are supposed
to do the unseen work, but I actually forgot he was on the pitch at one stage. Ineffectual on the carry.
7. Mauro Bergamasco:
5.He looked knackered before the
game had even started.His passion is
still there but, simply put, 1 carry and 7 tackles is not enough of an output
for any international flanker.Compare
his stats to Robshaw’s for example.
8. Sergio Parisse: 8.Almost tedious predictability, the best
of the Italian forwards.Great awareness
and dummy for his try, carried hard and tackled relentlessly throughout the
game.A true great of Italian rugby.
Replacements: 7.Tommaso Allan and Samuele Vunisa both
caught the eye on their introductions.Allan was lively out wide and Vunisa using Ben Youngs as a doormat got
the Italian fans very excited.Both
surely have to start next round.Bisegni
also made a lovely clean break with his first touch.
Valentines Day.A
day of profound statements of love, extravagant purchases in bids to win
affections and forcing singletons to contemplate their very existence.Or, in my personal view, the biggest, most
commercialised pile of tripe since the Crazy Frog song.My girlfriend is a lucky lady (although I am
taking her to the cinema to see some mainstream pornography, apparently).Of course, love will be far from the minds of
England and Italy's starting XVs by the time that kick off comes around at
Twickenham.You would hope so, anyway.
These two sides approach this game from completely
opposite ends of the expectation spectrum.The hosts, England, are now being prematurely hailed as world beaters
after a fine victory in Cardiff, arguably their best Six Nations display for a
decade, given the circumstances.With
the back-row earning particular praise for an all action display, the losses of
Tom Wood and Ben Morgan feel slightly less significant than before, and trio
were ably supported by strong showings from Jonathan Joseph, George Ford, Ben
Youngs and Mike Brown.All players in
key positions, and it bodes well for England that they are starting to
click.Of particular note was the way
the forward runners manage to integrate themselves into the attack of the
shoulders of Youngs and Ford.Previously, far too often, we have seen the forwards rumble around
slowly and then the backs spin it wide and end up nowhere.Here, England played at a high tempo and with
Youngs and Ford playing flat, the runners were able to pick dangerous holes of
their shoulders – Lancaster will want more of the same this weekend.
Italy, of course, went into last weekend's game against
Ireland as underdogs despite beating the Emerald Isle there in 2013.The sad fact is that the Azzurri have
regressed since that heady day, and won just one match in 2014, at home against
Samoa – a run which included away losses against the Samoans, Fiji and
Japan.There are talented players within
their ranks, of course, legends such as Parisse, Castrogiovanni and Bortolami,
but the same old positions come back as problems for the men in blue.The half backs remain unconvincing, with 28
year-old Kiwi Kelly Haimona looking like a physical presence with relatively
little in the way of creative spark, and the centres look shorn of class –
particularly now youngster Michele Campagnaro has been ruled out with a knee
injury.Of course, they managed to
frustrate Ireland for large portions of the game – their defence was stifling
and aggressive, their set piece solid – but in terms of a tangible threat they
seem to be sorely lacking in invention.And Twickenham is not a place to come and chance your arm in that
respect.
Yes, England have been overhyped since that superb win in
Cardiff, and in many ways the Italian game is a lose-lose situation; unless
they win by a cricket score, their performance will be picked apart by the
media.And with rain forecast, there is
a chance that the Italians will succeed in turning the game into an
arm-wrestle.But the fact is, England
will – well, they should – have too much in the locker for the Azzurri.
It may be Valentines Day, but an upset is out of the
question for the rugby romantic.
England Team
News
England are unchanged from the side that beat Wales last
weekend. Stuart Lancaster had hoped to
pick Geoff Parling among the replacements but the Leicester lock is yet to recover
from a knee injury, and George Kruis and Jonathan Joseph make their first
Twickenham starts.
Ben Youngs.The
Leicester man had a superb outing against Wales and, in my view, should have
been handed the man of the match award.His ability to snipe past tight 5 forwards and create confusion was the
key behind England's improved attack after the break and reminded us of that
spark when he broke onto the scene in 2010.The problem with Youngs though is that he has been infuriatingly
inconsistent in previous seasons gone – brilliant one match, abysmal the
next.But the captaincy at Leicester has
done him the world of good – his form has been building all year and, now he
has his tail up, it is his job to keep the tempo up and ensure England aren't
dragged into an arm wrestle by Italians.
Italy Team News
Italy make four changes from the side beaten by Ireland
with Mauro Bergamasco and Marco Bortolami returning to the pack along with prop
Alberto De Marchi. Giovanbattista
Venditti starts at left wing, Luke McLean goes to full-back and Andrea Masi
moves to inside centre.
Kelly Haimona.The
new fly half did a solid job in the autumn internationals and certainly wasn't
poor against Ireland, but 'not poor' is not really what the Italians need.Haimona is a big unit for a fly half and can
certainly offer some ballast, but that won't worry strong defences like
England's – the Azzurri need creativity and tactical awareness.If Italy are to have a sniff in this game he
will need to play an astute tactical game – getting his side into the right
areas with the boot.If he can do that,
then the men in white will become frustrated, the home crowd will grow
restless, and the visitors will be in with shout.
Key Battle
Billy Vunipola v Sergio Parisse.Two very different number eights but they are
both critical to the way their side plays.It was no coincidence that England's threat grew throughout the game as
Billy Vunipola began to make more yards on the carry.Once he beats the first man, he often sucks
in two or three more defenders and, with quick ball, that creates plenty of
gaps for England to exploit.Parisse, as
is well-known, has been one of the world's best eights for some time and is
altogether more athletic prospect than Vunipola, getting involved in all facets
of the game – carrying, passing and tackling.He was, however, kept quiet against Ireland and his side simply have to
find a way to help get him into the game so he can influence proceedings; you
get the feeling that the man who we so the most of out of these two will decide
whether we have a romp or a nail-biter on our hands.
Prediction
I don't think we'll see the all-singing, all-dancing win
that some sections of the media seem to expect against Italy.Against a side determined to slow the game
down and play with extreme physicality, and with conditions forcast to be wet,
I suspect that we will see a relatively tight game for 50 or so minutes.England though, do have their tails up and
have more than enough class to see off any potential upsets – although they
will be scrutinised more than ever this weekend.England
by 19.
Two years ago, I had just started writing this blog having
become fed up with sitting about watching my old side play, having ruled myself
out for a year with torn knee ligaments.The 2013 Six Nations was mostly a joy to write about as an Englishman,
until the Welsh selfishly decided to ruin it for me in Cardiff on the final
weekend.The nerve.Back on that day in 2013, all sheep jokes
were firmly directed at England as they were timidly sent to the slaughter by a
ravenous Wales side which looked like they were on the cusp of dominating
northern hemisphere rugby up until the next World Cup.They were physically superior, more
aggressive and more accurate.England
wilted under the sheer ferocity of the Welsh physicality and the vocal
er...’enthusiasm’ of their vociferous fans.Since then, England managed to get the one up on their old rivals at
Twickenham but, with an injury list as long as the M4, the memory freshest in
the mind was the 30 – 3 drubbing at the Millennium Stadium.History, according to some, was set to repeat
itself.
The hosts certainly went the extra mile to pile the pressure
on their visitors, with a build up that was almost as intense as the game
itself.First, Warren Gatland named his
side a week early, hammering home the fact that he had a first choice side that
picked itself available, whilst his opposite number, Stuart Lancaster, was
being forced to blood new talent and combinations given the plethora of crocked
key players.Gatland then ‘dared’
England to agree to having the stadium roof closed (a request that was denied),
Shaun Edwards chipped in with a claim that England, more than other sides,
cheat by using ‘blockers’, and the event organisers even ensured that the big
screen above the spot where the England players were warming up was showing
extended (and painful) highlights of their demise on their last visit.To cap it all off, the plan was to have
England emerge into the cold Friday night and sit through 5 minutes of a light
show in what had become Cardiff’s largest disco before the hosts emerged.Captain Chris Robshaw, wisely, held his
ground until the last possible moment.Two things occurred to me whilst all this was happening – firstly, if it
had been the English pulling off all these stunts, the claims of arrogance
would (quite rightly) echo deafeningly in the mouths of the fans and the
scribes of the media and, secondly, the Welsh management would look like plums
if this all backfired.Even if, at this
point, nobody expected it to.
And nothing changed that prediction as Wales started the
game where they had left off two years ago, in rampant control.After winning the ball back from Dan Biggar’s
well-weighted kick off, Johnny May gave away a silly penalty in the tackle area
after just 1 minute to give Leigh Halfpenny a long-range crack at goal.Halfpenny, of course, nailed it – a timely
reminder of his phenomenal ability with the boot.England then tried their turn at attacking
but, although there were a couple of promising moments, they were turned over
when Luther Burrell was isolated in the tackle.A clever kick by Halfpenny later and a knock on 5 metres out by George
Kruis, and the hosts had their first scrum.At first the danger for England seem to have been averted as the front
row marched forwards, but Toby Faletau brilliantly (and arguably illegally)
pulled the ball out of the tunnel, palmed off James Haskell, drew in two
defenders and offloaded superbly for the looping Rhys Webb who ran over for the
opening score.Barely 8 minutes played
and (after the inevitable two points from Halfpenny) Wales were 10 – 0 up.It all looked unnervingly familiar.
But something was different this time – instead of upping
the tempo to frantic levels, throwing hail mary passes and generally
impersonating headless chickens, the visitors went on to continue their
gameplan of attacking the fringes of the Welsh defence, and with real accuracy
and intensity.They also had the upper
hand in the scrum and – after Dan Cole had marmalised Gethin Jenkins on one
engagement (a regular occurance), England set up camp in the hosts’ 22.A half-break by Ben Youngs got the visitors
going forward, before slick hands and a deft grubber from Mike Brown gave
Anthony Watson the chance to pick up and dive over superbly for his first test
try.George Ford hit the sticks with a
difficult conversion, but it was definitely game on.
England were starting to look the more dangerous side
without making any clear inroads, but flashes of fine footwork from the Bath
trio of Ford, Jonathan Joseph and Watson were giving Lancaster and co plenty of
encouragement, and the power game of James Haskell was also beginning to have
an effect with the ball in hand.But
silly mistakes were costing them – such as Hartley getting himself isolated and
turned over by the quick-thinking Dan Lydiate, and then Cole was penalised for
going off his feet in a ruck when there did not seem to be any real
danger.Halfpenny completed the
formalities with another 3 points, but Ford then responded in kind when Jamie
Roberts was penalised for an early tackle on May following another snipe by
Youngs.
Although the Welsh backs were still not clicking, the likes
of Sam Warburton and Faletau were still carrying with athleticism and power and
making some yards, and occasionally causing England problems.Another soft penalty from Cole saw Halfpenny
line up what we all thought was a gimme, but he inexplicably shanked his
effort, but it proved not to matter as Dan Biggar rounded the half off with a
sweetly struck drop goal, giving the hosts a 16 – 8 lead at the break.But, despite the comfortable margin of the
lead, there remained the feeling that England were somehow the ones in control
of the match, and they had been since the opening 10 minutes.
That became increasingly apparent after the break, as the
England pack began to exert complete dominance on their opponents.Once again, Youngs was the catalyst, making
another half break as he sniped his way between Samson Lee and Richard Hibbard
– a bit of go forward ball was all that was needed.Several telling carries later from the likes
of the industrious Chris Robshaw and Haskell, and England were perched on the
Welsh line.Ford almost went through
after picking a smart line off Youngs but, after the ball came back quickly,
Jonathan Joseph stood up his man Dan Biggar with some electric footwork and
wriggled out of a pair of poor tackles from George North and Dan Biggar to dive
over for a try.Ford added the extras,
and England were now within a point.
You could almost physically feel the momentum shift in the
game – suddenly the Welsh lineout, solid in the first half, began to crumble
and the kicking game, in particular from Rhys Webb, fell to pieces, allowing
Mike Brown to counter attack with real verve and to great effect in his best
display since last year’s Six Nations.It led to Ford missing a long range shot to put England in the lead but,
in truth, it felt like it would be sooner rather than later that he would get
another shot at goal.The hosts were
simply unable to generate anything of note themselves, with Robshaw protecting
Ford from the physicality of Roberts and Jonathan Davies and Cole effecting one
key turnover as the Welsh made a rare foray to enemy territory.
The one-way traffic soon told.After a driving maul had made metres and
Luther Burrell had offloaded smartly, Youngs once again scampered off the side
of the ruck and found James Haskell, who stormed through the gap and looked for
all the money like he would score, until a combination of fantastic work from
Alex Cuthbert and the padded rugby post got in his way.It had been a great piece of defensive work
by the winger, but he also (perhaps necessarily) deliberately slowed the ball
down and was shown a yellow card for his troubles.Ford added the extras for 3 and the lead for
the first time – but it should have been 5 or 7.
Wales, to their credit, managed to stem the flow of
penalties and points whilst Cuthbert was off the field, with some sloppy
handling by both sides beginning to creep into the game, but England should
have been home and hosed on the 70 minute mark when Luther Burrell picked up a
loose ball and strode through a gap, only to throw a shocker of a pass to Brown
when, in all likelihood, he (or his support runner) would have scored.With England’s bench adding some serious go
forward in contact – particularly the front row – more opportunities were
presenting themselves, and they thought they had taken one when Dave Attwood
dived over following a big rumble by Keiran Brookes.Jerome Garces though, ruled that there had
been crossing earlier on in the move (as Edwards had foretold) and, once again,
Wales emerged unscathed. It was a marginal call - although Biggar appeared to have decided to hit Easter (the blocker) in any event, the veteran Harlequin was in front of the carrier.
They were now, however, chasing the game and began to run
from deep, desperate to get into the English half where the boot of Halfpenny
could do so much damage.But the defence
was solid, organised and aggressive, with Robshaw, Haskell and George Kruis in
the thick of everything, and when Billy Twelvetrees forced a turnover penalty
within minutes of taking the field, George Ford slammed over the 3 points from
distance and under intense pressure to make the game safe.
Wales tried to run the ball out from deep but, as they had
been for 70 minutes of the game, found themselves hitting a brick wall and, when
Nick Easter (re-emerging from the international wilderness at 36) held up
Davies in the tackle, it was game over.England had waded through the mind games and produced a win of 21 – 16,
and a performance to which the score did not do justice.
For Wales, it was a confusing day at the office.Too much poor kicking, not enough power
runners down Ford’s channel, they seemed unable to cope when their two-out
runners were being hammered behind the gainline, the aggressive defence ruining
the foundations of ‘Warren-ball’.It
would be easy to over-react – but this is still a world class Welsh side
stuffed full of unbelievably talented players; they have the ability to play in
ways to get around aggressive defences like England’s, but they need the
gameplan to execute it.Better find that
out now though, than in the middle of a World Cup.
Speaking of which, is this the first blow with these two
sides meeting in the World Cup September this year?Perhaps.Wales won’t allow the
same mistakes to plague them again, but England have shown they have the depth,
intelligence and ability to defeat a top side in their own backyard.Ford and Youngs clicked superbly, with
Haskell and Vunipola working well off their shoulders right on the gainline,
Jonathan Joseph demonstrated his raw ability and England’s pack is simply up
there with the best in the world when it comes to bruising the life out of the
opposition.
The 2015 World Cup might be a little way away yet, but
Friday night proved one thing – that Cardiff night in 2013 is much, much
further.
WALES PLAYER RATINGS
15.Leigh Halfpenny: 8.Wales’ best back by some distance.As reliable as ever under the high ball and
counter-attacked with real conviction and purpose throughout, even in a turgid
second half for his side.He’ll regret
that one sitter of a missed kick, though.
14.Alex Cuthbert:5.Cuthbert
was largely a spectator for the majority of the game and was brought into
play/got himself involved far too rarely.A superb try-saving tackle on James Haskell was then annulled by the
subsequent yellow card for slowing the ball down.
13.Jonathan Davies:5.Davies
was quiet throughout and looked as rusty as you would expect for a man who is
struggling for first team action in France.A smart tackle on Joseph in the first half aside, he had very little
impact on the rest of the game.
12.Jamie Roberts:5.Much
was made of Roberts’ performance against Burrell at club level a couple of
weeks ago – and rightly so, he was superb.But it took 50 minutes for the big man to be launched down Ford’s
channel, to decent effect too.How much
of this was Roberts’ fault, I don’t know, but we do know he was far too quiet
for ‘Warren-ball’ to work.
11.George North:4.A couple of promising
touches early on faded from memory following his first concussion, a result of
a stray boot from Dave Attwood.From
then on his contribution was minimal aside from missing a howler of a tackle on
Jonathan Joseph for England’s try and suffering another concussion courtesy of
Richard Hibbard’s rather solid bonce.Staggering that he was left on.
10.Dan Biggar:
7.Made good decisions and
executed well when he had the ball, and soldiered on despite an ill-advised
nose-first inspection of Gethin Jenkins’ skull.But his influence faded from the game as his pack imploded and he
couldn’t spark his backline to life.
9.Rhys Webb:6.Started so well with a
smart support line for the try and threatened the fringes, but his kicking game
collapsed as the match wore on and all that did was heap more pressure on his
side.
1.Gethin Jenkins:4.When
he wasn’t headbutting his own fly-half, the Lions loosehead was getting
marmalised in the scrum.Busy about the
park, but his bread-and-butter should be the set piece and he struggled throughout,
denying his side a platform.
2.Richard Hibbard:5.Another
in the front row to have problems in the set piece, with the lineout wobbling
in the second half at a crucial time.But his contribution in the loose was impressive, weighing in with some
aggressive carries and big hits.
3.Samson Lee:5.His side of the scrum
was relatively even but he struggled to have a tangible impact elsewhere on the
field.A big learning experience for the
talented tighthead with a big future ahead of him.
4.Jake Ball:5.Toiled all evening but
not always to great effect as he was turned over twice, but in defence he did
chip in with some big hits.
5.Alun Wyn-Jones:5.It
may seem like a fairly harsh rating for a player who didn’t make any obvious
mistakes, but a man of Jones’ calibre and experience would be expected to lead
his side out of the trough they found themselves in early in the second
period.Instead, he faded.
6.Dan Lydiate:5.As industrious as you
would want and expect in defence, of course, but there has to be a time when we
ask “what else does he do”?Three
carries for one metre is simply not good enough for a loose forward and 2
penalties he gave away were costly.
7.Sam Warburton: 6.A
brave display but he was clearly outshone by his opposite number.Carried with athleticism and tackled
aggressively all night, but he was unable to have an influence at the breakdown
and found himself going backwards more often than not.
8.Taulupe Faletau:7.Another
to have a solid game, he was one of the few Welsh players who could have
claimed to have matched their opposite number.Great dexterity, strength and awareness to set up the first try but –
like many of his colleagues – was significantly less conspicuous in the second
40.
Replacements:5.We
can of course question how and when they were used, but those that came on were
unable to have any positive effect on the Welsh game or spark a revival.
ENGLAND PLAYER
RATINGS
15.Mike Brown:8.A return to the form from
last year’s Six Nations, as he rediscovered that knack of beating the first man
with seemingly every counter-attack.A
delightfully-weighted grubber for Watson’s try and an inch-perfect touch finder
late on showed how much his game has grown.
14.Anthony Watson:7.Had
some lovely touches in the first half where he showed great ability in the air,
fabulous footwork and good composure to finish for his first test try.Less involved in the second half, but more
promise from the Bath man.
13.Jonathan Joseph:7.Some
players struggle to replicate club form on the international circuit – but not
Joseph.He wasn’t involved in the game a
huge amount but everything he did was top drawer –picking dangerous running
lines, tackling well and, of course, wriggling free for a very well-taken
score.
12.Luther Burrell:6.A
bit of a mixed bag for the Saints centre.He gave some lovely offloads in the second half but also lost the ball
twice in contact, which was disappointing for a man of his stature.Also gave a howler of a pass after a fine
break when Mike Brown might have been in.
11.Johnny May:6.A solid, if unspectacular,
showing from May, but in many ways this was a performance which answered a lot
of critics.After conceding a silly
penalty early on, May didn’t make a mistake – collecting the high ball well and
counter-attacking with purpose instead of floating around laterally.Couldn’t get the space to show off his speed,
though.
10.George Ford:7.Huge credit has to be
given for his ability to bounce back from missing what looked to be a crucial
kick in the second period.He was not
flawless – a couple of charge downs could have been costly – but his game
management and execution was top drawer (as was his nerve for that final kick)
and, crucially, he seems to have a natural understanding with Ben Youngs.
9.Ben Youngs:
9.It was only on second
viewing that I realised in the first half what a fine game the Leicester man
had – probably his best since 2010.His
work around the breakdown and caused no-end of problems for the Welsh defence
throughout the game and he picked his runners superbly.Sharp service and smart management throughout
– man of the match.
1.Joe Marler:6.A solid performance in
the scrum and worked hard around the loose, too, showing good eagerness to get
his mitts on the ball.
2.Dylan Hartley:5.Probably
England’s most disappointing performer.The lineout creaked a couple of times and more than once he foolishly
got himself isolated and turned over.Still a force of nature when it comes to hitting rucks, however, and –
notably – he wasn’t yellow carded.
3.Dan Cole:7.Considering that he hadn’t
played for a month, this was a fine display.He had Jenkins on toast in the scrum, earning a couple of penalties –
although he did give a couple away with lazy work at the breakdown, one of
which was slotted by Halfpenny.But his
work around the rucks was once again exemplary, with one turnover in the second
half, when Wales were building ominously, particularly key.
4.Dave Attwood:7.Attwood seemed to relish
the role as the experienced half of the second row combination and went about
his work with a brutal efficiency.He
was unlucky to be denied a first test try and threw himself about at the breakdown.
5.George Kruis:7.I had my doubts but he
proved me wrong – Kruis looked right at home in the most pressurised of
environments and recovered well from a costly early fumble.A good option in the lineout and his
athleticism was a real bonus for England.
6.James Haskell:8.He
made just two mistakes all game – unfortunately, they were rather
glaring...missing a simple tackle to concede a try and then running into a post
instead of scoring.But aside from that,
he was superb.Relentlessly physical on
the carry, he added a real dynamism to the visitors’ game.
7.Chris Robshaw:8.26
Tackles, 0 missed.That was the
remarkable statistic to emerge from Robshaw’s performance on Friday night in
yet another display that might not have produced the spectacular, but certainly
produced a result.Led from the front
and his refusal to go out and wait in the cold at the beginning of the match
was not only great theatre, it was the right thing to do.
8.Billy Vunipola:7.He
was well-shackled in the first half with chop tackles but his influence grew as
the game went on, making big metres in the heart of the Welsh defence.The good news was that he didn’t seemed to
lose energy as the match progressed, a nod to the hard work he has done with
the conditioning staff at Saracens.
Replacements:7.Everyone
who came on contributed well to the cause, especially Tom Youngs – who made 9
tackles in 24 minutes – and Billy Twelvetrees, who threw his weight around in
the last 5 minutes and won that key penalty late in the game.Great to see Nick Easter back, too.
