Rugby World Cup 2011 – Week 2

Last week I wrote that the World Cup has not really begun until we get our first look at the All Blacks in action. Sure enough, the buzz is still about how much easier a New Zealand victory over Australia appears this year than last. The fact that the third match of the Tri-Nations was being held in New Zealand is almost immaterial – the All Blacks may have to travel shortly, but it is to New Zealand that the rest of the world will have to come this September.

Holding the World Cup in New Zealand has led the jersey designers to make a series of appallingly bad jokes. First, England revealed that their change kit would be black. Next, today’s opponents, Wales, announced that the return match at the Millennium Stadium would be a black and white affair. Such is the arbitrariness of rugby marketing; teams have to play their home matches in their away kits to ensure that they are even noticed. Rumour has it that even Harlequins have a change kit to avoid a colour clash, presumably when training in old-fashioned sweet shops.

Too Many All Blacks

If rugby’s sartorial side is the biggest talking point pre-match, you start to wonder about where the national side has its heart. Post-match, you really start to worry.

Of course, there were some worthwhile talking points from England’s victory over Wales. About four players in the English team were guaranteed a place on the plane to New Zealand, although many more are likely to go. This uncertainty, added to the Welsh determination to cause an upset and the weeks of preparation for both sides gave rise to a fast-paced game, full of aggression and excitement. That was just as well, because England’s long spells of dominance yielded little fruit and allowed Wales back into the game.

Young Manu Tuilagi lived up to the hype, picking perhaps the one intelligent line from phase play to slice through the Welsh defence and score England’s second try. Jonny Wilkinson appeared a more versatile general of the back line than ever before, while Delon Armitage showed flashes of the inspiration that saw him light up the Six Nations three years ago.

In the forwards, Matt Stevens gave the ballast in the scrum and maturity in the loose. A big heave on the five-metre line in the first half, when England were dominant, saw James Haskell stroll over for the first try of the game. In Haskell and Tom Croft, England have the weaponry to keep defences guessing, although the brute force of Nick Easter is more suited to England’s limited game plan. Croft was quiet in any case, while Haskell failed to pick up on a run from Sam Warburton that would have led to a try but for a superb covering tackle by Delon Armitage.

Almost a truism in modern rugby, England’s malaise owed a great deal to their ineffectiveness at the breakdown. Time and again a few yards were made by one of the big back-rowers, and the first wave of forwards would drive over the ball, leaving it, or Danny Care, if he got there in time, painfully exposed. Care went into the game as second choice scrum half but may have ended it by gifting Richard Wigglesworth a chance to impress, assuming the latter starts next week. Slow around the pitch, passing way behind the gain line and over-enthusiastic in some of his decision making, the link between the forwards and the backs would probably never have been established had Wilkinson not learned in France that there was more to life than drop goals (only two yesterday, but that’s what the crowds were there to see). Matt Phillips, who still tends to overestimate his size, put in a much more convincing performance, while his outside half, Rhys Priestland, looked every inch a Welsh fly half on his fourth cap and having moved from full back when Stephen Jones pulled a calf muscle in the warm up.

The Welsh are determined to go into this World Cup with a different mentality to the one that saw them humiliated by Fiji four years ago. Two training camps in Poland and back-to-back games against England appear to have them relatively fired up, while their collective fitness was impressive. But while they showed flashes of flair and scored three tries after drawing in England’s defence, they conspicuously failed to dominate possession in almost any period and squandered a great opportunity (one of the worst tap kicks you’ll see) with ten minutes to go – which could have made for a more interesting finale. In Cardiff they will be a threat so long as they put out a strong team but it may take more than an expensive incentive to get them past their distinctly physical group.

Festivities in Edinburgh

England have to face Scotland in New Zealand, which may have become a slightly more exciting match up after the latter’s rare victory over Ireland at Murrayfield. The Scots do know how to squeeze the life out of a match, mostly to their own disadvantage. Nonetheless, there is the growing sense that they are capable of a slightly more inventive approach with a decent crop of three-quarters and the ‘Killer B’s’ in the back row. Georgia and Romania may be the only teams to offer a less stern challenge than a distinctly unfamiliar Irish team, however.

There is a sense that the Northern Hemisphere is cobbling together teams at the last minute while New Zealand and Australia submit their long-established thoroughbreds to a tournament that has a history of tough games. Both sets of teams are alike, however, in building their preparations on old rivalries and that is at least giving us something to gloat about, now that we’re all All Blacks.

South Africa return to haunt emerging England

England 11 South Africa 21

England ended the November internationals against South Africa just as they began against New Zealand, ambitious but outplayed, showing touches of class, but lacking possession, unable to take their chances and lacking someone who could take the game by the scruff of the neck and lead them back into the game.

The rivalry between South Africa and England is one of the biggest in the game, as befits two of the historically great rugby nations. The Springboks have won the past seven games against England now, obliterating the memory of that nightmarish 53-3 encounter at Twickenham in 2003, when coach Rudolph Straeuli and captain Corne Krige represented a brutish and unedifying period in South African rugby, including a 42-6 drubbing that put a brake on Danny Cipriani’s England career.

South Africa’s more recent history would have been another motivation. Had they lost to England, this would have equalled their worst seasons in recent memory. Peter de Villiers, the current coach, has just about avoided that ignominy, though he has never convinced the South African public. However, despite last year’s successes in the Tri-Nations and against the British and Irish Lions, he will have to win a World Cup to outdo his predecessor, Jake White.

Martin Johnson’s England have come close in this autumn’s tests to building a team that can approach the World Cup with confidence. In 2007, only player power and a conscious change of style was enough to beat France and Australia to set up a tight finale against the Springboks. Since then, they have struggled to pick off the odd Southern Hemisphere scalp and hold their own in the Six Nations. The last two years have produced better results but media pressure has led to the loss of their captain, Steve Borthwick and the determination to play a more open game.

Borthwick has arguably been no loss, as Courtney Lawes and Tom Palmer come into their own in the second row and Lewis Moody leads by example. England have also become a more disciplined and confident side – fewer games decided by penalties conceded, more offloads in the tackle and a decent try count, culminating in the 35-18 victory over Australia.

The odds on England beating South Africa would have been short after the latter’s defeat to Scotland last week, but in truth there was still a mountain to climb. Nonetheless, there was plenty of ambition on show from early on when Nick Easter tore the ball from a South African forward in his own twenty-two and ran the ball, fixing his man before unleashing Croft for a forty-metre sprint from which England won their first three points.

Morne Steyn had a poor day at the office, missing two kicks and a drop goal in the first half and thus leading England to believe that they might be more in control than they were (Frans Steyn also missed a fifty-metre kick in a performance where his bravado did not match up with the results). The ‘Boks were faultless in the lineout and exerted pressure in the scrum, winning a couple of free-kicks without much effort before Andrew Sheridan’s failure to bind gave them a kickable penalty.

Another South African having an uncharacteristically bad day was Victor Matfield, making a record-breaking one hundred-and-fourth appearance in the second row, Naturally, Matfield was imperious in the air, but his work in the loose left something to be desired as he squandered two try-scoring opportunities in the first half. The first owed something to the desperate last-ditch hit of Lawes and an incredible diving tackle from Ben Youngs that dislodged the ball from his giant hands as they reached over the try line. Then, just before half-time, Matfield bizarrely failed to catch the ball with an overlap outside him.

England had chances of their own, or at least spells of possession in the opposition twenty-two – twice, in fact, before half time. The lack of penetration will be a serious worry to Martin Johnson, especially as England were lacking in opportunities in the second half. Against New Zealand, Dylan Hartley scored from a run-up of about sixteen yards, whereas today England’s forwards were completely static when they received the ball. And unlike the victory against Australia and the defeat to New Zealand, England’s attempts to run the ball from their own twenty-two were utterly predictable and Toby Flood was caught too flat, leading to South Africa’s second penalty.

Hartley was the villain in the second half today, giving away two penalties and occasionally misjudging his lineout throws, allowing South Africa something of an easy ride. Once the Springboks have edged in front thanks to Morne Steyn’s boot they find their legs and today was much the same. Pierre Spies, the gigantic number eight took the ball at pace from a lineout and punched a hole in the English defence before slipping the ball inside for the replacement flanker Willem Alberts to race over.

England had little left to offer. Tom Croft and Toby Flood had both departed with injuries in the first half and though their replacements, Hendrie Fourie and Charlie Hodgson, both performed capably, South Africa came off the better in a highly physical contest. Aside from a trademark Hodgson-Cueto crossfield-kick, England were preoccupied with protecting their own ball at the breakdown and containing South Africa.

The ‘Boks put the match beyond doubt with about ten minutes left when Lwazi Mvovo stepped inside and shrugged off three tackles. The try might have owed something to Chris Ashton knocking himself unconscious in the first half against Victor Matfield’s backside, but it served to illustrate the physical gulf between the two sides.

England grabbed a late try when the classy Ben Foden intercepted and raced the length of the field. Mike Tindall, who has so often done the right thing for England this year, missed the dropped conversion from in front of the posts.

South Africa remain an unknown property going into next year’s World Cup, but if John Smit is fit and Morne Steyn is on form, you would back them against pretty much any team in the world. England do not have players with the same talismanic qualities and though Johnson is right to suggest that they can match teams like South Africa for grinding victories to an extent, the flashes of brilliance will not come as easily as they do for New Zealand or even Australia. Will Greenwood, in a column before the Australia match two weeks ago, recounted how Sir Clive Woodward encouraged his players to try to surprise the opposition with a view to putting them on the back foot. England don’t set out to dominate teams in the same way any more, but their little insurgencies may gather strength in the 2011 Six Nations.

Mike Catt on a sobering physical battle

England Endeavour But Fail To Conquer Everest

England 16 New Zealand 26

England have seen brave new dawns before. In 2005, two years before the World Cup, the All Blacks came to Twickenham and only just won their third straight test against England, 23-19. The following year it was back to business as was becoming usual – a twenty-point drubbing repeated three times before last year’s cagey 6-19 match at Twickenham. A second decent showing is therefore a good measure of progress, though neither would fetch a bonus point in many competitions.

Today’s England are talking up the unity of their current team. Injuries have hit the elite squad less hard than in previous years, although Jonny Wilkinson was again missing. There is less talk of players being slung out of the team when they fail to produce the miraculous – as Ben Kay said earlier this week. Toby Flood even went so far as to call some of the greener English backs ‘game-breakers’. And yet, for all that talk, yesterday’s test against the All Blacks showed just how far behind the ideal England are.

New Zealand are blessed with rugby players who seem capable of endlessly varied moves. When Dan Carter, who has personified the All Blacks for much of England’s losing streak, receives the ball defenders are hardly able to guess whether he will shimmy, pass or kick – and perhaps Carter doesn’t know himself. All it took was a slight drift after getting clean lineout ball and suddenly the former New Zealand rugby international Sonny Bill Williams came from outside centre, stepped inside Shontayne Hape and unleashed the loose forward Jerome Kaino in the England twenty-two. Horsea Gear’s finish was questionable but the gulf in understanding was underlined.

New Zealand’s second try came not long after and was a masterpiece of calm and quick execution. A a poorly fielded kick saw Chris Ashton carry the ball back into the dead ball area and New Zealand has an attacking scrum. England heaved like it was the end of the world and as bodies flew off and the Kiwi front row inched backwards, a lesser team might back buckled. New Zealand didn’t. Kieran Read picked up the ball and passed to the scrum half, Alby Matthewson who drove towards the line. Read, following up, finished the move for a fourteen-point lead.

England never matched New Zealand for creativity (thankfully, because then it would be back to the drawing board to find a cliché to replace ‘a team in Martin Johnson’s image’). Part of the mix of Martin Johnson’s teams these days is the way the folly of youth is compounded by the determination of players like Lewis “mad-eye” Moody and Nick Easter. It was thanks to those two and to the similarly direct but predictable Mike Tindall that England lumbered time and time again over the game-line, five metres here and two there.

Not until a rare mistake from Mils Muliaina – a loose-kick that gave England a lineout just on New Zealand’s twenty-two – did the cloak of invincibility fall, however. When it did so, England were in a frenzy and nearly did the unthinkable by coming within a few metres of the try-line. The chance was squandered when Andrew Sheridan missed an overlap, but in truth the decision to keep the ball tight suggested a lack of direction by fly half Toby Flood (one of his few deficiencies these days). Ben Foden almost threatened to blast away the stuffy image with a searching dart from outside the twenty-two but was unfortunate to be held up over the line on half time.

At half time, England were clearly the more intrepid team but the opening minutes of the second half merely gave way to misplaced enthusiasm as each side added two penalties. Then another New Zealand three-quarter, this time Joe Rockococo, made an inexplicable decision to kick ahead while another was penalised. Chris Ashton, scenting adventure, took a tap from inside his twenty-two and Toby Flood kicked ahead. Ashton, chasing, dribbled a bit further and dived on the ball, while Flood acted scrum half for a hastily arriving Dylan Hartley to drive at the line. The New Zealand-born hooker was as fortunate as New Zealand were for their first try in that he appeared to have been stopped dead in his tracks, but he was not penalised for a double movement and put England back in the game with an outstretched arm.

New Zealand still had not the wherewithal to reset themselves and suffered from a new wave of English dynamism. England came again and again and were close to narrowing the gap to three points when the ball was worked wide for Shontayne Hape to dive over in the corner. The former NZRL teammate of Sonny Bill Williams didn’t steady himself against Isaia Toeva’s desperate shoulder-charge and dropped the ball over the line. It was a fair summary of an English performance that at times struggled to overcome some crucial refereeing decisions, but more importantly lacked nous and finishing ability.

Next week England face Australia, whose flame is burning as brightly as ever before in the post-Stirling Mortlock era. What the Wallabies have lost in physicality seemed to have been adequately substituted for raw pace against the All Blacks and Wales over the past two weeks. It is not often you seen Shane Williams left in someone’s wake, so England will have to be sure that their defence does not rush up too quickly and leave O’Conner space next week. That said, if rugby was an eighty-minute scrum, not only would Brian Moore have something positive to say, but Australia would be in for a kicking each week. England should be able to boss the breakdown and suck in defenders for the backs or Toby Flood’s boot to have a greater influence so long as they stifle Australian attacks early.

South Africa will be a bigger challenge – literally. A year ago, South Africa were the dominant team in world rugby after winning the World Cup, the Lions Tour and the Tri-Nations. Such are the psychological effects of those repeated battles that the Southern Hemisphere gives out all-or-nothing reputations and the ‘Boks are bottom of the pile. They still put down Ireland using the driving maul and the sharp running of Gio Aplan, not to mention Morne Steyn’s forty-eighth consecutive successful place kick (he later ended that run). At their best, South Africa could nullify England in almost every area. Then again, England could turn Twickenham to their advantage but it would help if Toby Flood was prepare to get a bit more involved in shaking up the running lines and the two rambunctious hookers would throw straight.

Johnno’s England – Not For Want of Trying

Last year England finished second in Martin Johnson’s first Six Nations, well in keeping with their habit of finishing more strongly than they seem capable of, but widely considered a travesty. Since then the England manager has been continually criticised for his selection policy, the lack of fluency in England’s attack and his inability to communicate with the media, much of which is justified.

Johnson’s inexperience has certainly contrived to give the impression of a bunker mentality; a mix of ‘don’t you know there’s a war on?’ and ‘we’ll come right in the end,’ but he has been up against a media, which if not quite on a witch-hunt, has certainly been extreme in its views. It is surprising then, to see Eddie Butler soberly concluding on the general hysteria at the end of this Six Nations. I look forward to Stuart Barnes’ confession that England missed Steve Borthwick at the lineout in Paris, but I’m not holding my breath.

There is little denying that England have been unimpressive this season. They managed just five turnovers and six tries, in contrast to the sixteen racked up last year. Facing Scotland and France (both rejuvenated this year) away has presented a considerable challenge, and yet both should have been despatched.

One of the most severe criticisms levelled at Johnson is that his selection policy favours defensive players and more sinisterly, the old-guard who were playing in 2003. Actually, Johnson has been dealt a cruel hand by the injuries to Tom Croft and Tom Rees, while James Haskell has been off the boil since his two tries against Wales a month ago. Lewis Moody and Joe Worsely are conservative choices, notable for their tackling rather than their scavenging on the floor, so it is something of a mystery why Steffon Armitage hasn’t been given an opportunity at 7, especially when Nick Easter could make way for Worsely or Haskell.

In the front row, perhaps the most vulnerable position for the inexperienced player, Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole are slightly more mobile props who let England down in France but have otherwise been relatively solid. Hartley in particular looks like a prospect but is still young and hotheaded. In contrast to the back row, injuries have prevented Johnson from falling back on the old guard in the front row.

Outside of the backs, it is the second row that has met with most criticism. Steve Borthwick’s has been hounded throughout his captaincy, probably as much as a result of his lack of passion in post match interviews as his lack of ground made in the loose. The fact that England’s set-piece has at least been relatively solid is a small mercy, however, and it is more that the absence of Simon Shaw has exposed the lack of impact Louis Deacon makes. Again, a good case can be made for Courtney Lawes but Tom Palmer also seemed to serve the pack well against France.

Then there’s Jonny. Wilkinson bore the cost of a stultified backs division by being dropped for only the third time in his England career but England still have no strategy for their number 10 spot. Arguably, Toby Flood and Shane Geraghty battle it out as Danny Cipriani heads Down Under. Flood has enough in defence to please Johnson and while he doesn’t have Geraghty’s pace or inside ball, he knows where an overlap is possible and takes some wrestling to get thrown to the floor. In contrast, Wilkinson’s reputation for taking contact is hiding his unwillingness to run with the ball and when he came on against France he tended to kick possession away.

The niggling doubt that Flood or Geraghty will be found out plagues the England management, as does the thought of playing a World Cup in eighteen months without a team that is used to each other. Danny Care has been given an extended run at scrum half after Paul Hodgson and Harry Ellis had similar opportunities and has certainly not disgraced himself. Ben Foden has eventually been rewarded for his performances from the bench and Delon Armitage given some competition.

One player who has had an ineffective tournament, however, is Riki Flutey. Mike Tindall will take the plaudits for his performance yesterday, and Johnson will be criticised for the strange decision to remove him from play, but it was his man inside, who has so rarely been attacking the gain line as he is supposed to, and who disappeared for large chunks of yesterday that will cause headaches. Will he be back to form for next years Championship? The autumn tour of the Southern Hemisphere is a good place to test him out, but it must be a make or break moment.

Whether Johnson will keep the faith with Matthew Tait, who plays with heart and guile but has little of the power that Tindall, Dan Hipkiss or even Flutey offer is another tough call. Being thrown on yesterday did nothing for him but there remains the chance that he could produce a slashing break out of nothing like he did in the 2007 World Cup Final.

Johnno’s England have been more varied than they have been given credit for, but the time Johnson takes to make decisions is worrying. Personalising the problems has not helped, as it is fair to say that almost all players in the squad offer something. The trouble is that changes in personnel could well be the difference England need to get on the front foot. The forwards need to be rumbling forward or looking for turnovers and we have not yet caught up with the general view of the other five Nations that kicking possession away is not always the best policy. Wilkinson can still rise to a challenge but England’s safety-first approach is in danger of becoming inflexibility. I’m no fan of reckless running rugby (fact is, both Ireland and Wales suffered as a result of it at times). All I am saying, is give Flood a chance.

Six Nations Review – Le Grand Slam

The 2009 Six Nations were a tournament to forget, unless you were Irish. The boys in green won their first grand slam for sixty years, but in the same manner as a player who has just received an interception pass and can’t quite believe he’s clear of the pack. Then there were the games marred by endless full-back to full-back kicking, and navel-gazing that suggested that English rugby was in decline – a powerful impression belied by their second place finish.

Then came the Lions tour – the saving grace of the Northern Hemisphere – and suddenly this year’s Championship is a feast of running rugby. The seventh grand slam in the past decade and France’s third in the same space of time will be remembered as a triumph for Gallic incaution on the part of their three-quarters and the commanding petit general, Morgan Parra (all-running, all-dancing, all-kicking French number 9’s are as much a French tradition as Emperors, African football players and riots). But more importantly it was the year they stopped le tinkerman stopped changing his team, France sorted out their defence and indiscipline and finally out-thought England in the scrum.

Perhaps the momentum afforded by five games instead of four is overwhelming, but once the battle for the Championship was effectively over, the rest of the tournament became far less predictable. Scotland’s late win over Ireland was a triumph for a team reinvigorated by a breath of fresh management but who themselves were turned over by the increasingly tough-minded Italians.

Then there were the Welsh, wholly unpredictable in themselves.  The Welsh have won two Six Nations grand slams, in 2005 and 2008, but have been in indifferent form in 2010. That’s not to say that they aren’t entertaining. In fact, the growth and growth of Stephen Jones as a player (perhaps the Lions influence again) has given them renewed determination to fling the ball around with abandon. After upsetting Scotland at the death and giving France a run for their money (having gifted them an unassailable lead), they routed Italy yesterday. But they also left it to the last game to score their first first-half try, giving the impression that they can’t quite manage temperate. Stragely, given the Lions’ reliance on Jamie Roberts, it appears that his influence is outweiged by James Hook, who along with Shane Williams seems to be at the centre of everything Wales do.

If Stephen Jones was the fly-half of the tournament, Dan Parks and Jonathan Sexton also deserve some commendation. Parks has stepped into the void left by Chris Patterson’s injury and become no less talismanic, winning three Man of the Match awards. It was he who put the final damper on Croke Park with a great tactical kick that forced the penalty he won the match with in the 79th minute. Then there was Jonathan Sexton, whose pace put him into a gap in the first half Ronan O’Gara would probably have kicked into, and led to the first try. It was cruel then, that his placekicking cost Ireland the Triple Crown but he had the bravery to tell ROG to wait on the sidelines until he had improved his percentage. Luckily, he scored.

Italy seem to be settled with Craig Gower in the first receiver position, but England are at a total loss, dropping Jonny Wilkinson for the lack of inspiration in the English backs, only to recall him when five points behind. It speaks volumes that they will fall back on a kicking game, but England looked far more solid with ball in hand. Indeed, it was only the rain that disrupted the game plan and by the final quarter it had eased off.

Championships are often more memorable for the moments provided by flying (or hopeless) backs but this year belonged as much to the back row forwards. France’s tackled everything, Scotland’s seemed to make all the ground and even Ireland’s seemed to come to the fore when all else failed yesterday. England’s were ineffectual – with only five turnovers in the whole tournament, while one of Wales’ was found in a golf buggy on the hard shoulder (offering a joke that denies Sam Warburton an honourable mention).

France combined a bit of everything good about Northern Hemisphere rugby (have they benefitted from the exodus of English players to France?), and as such are worthy wingers. Most will say so-much-the-better that they did it with a bit of flair, but all-in-all, Northern Hemisphere rugby is once more in rude health and seems to be in the process of rediscovering itself. Unfortunately, only when it comes into direct contact with the South can the improvement be fairly measured. This autumn will therefore be an interesting precursor to the World Cup, at which point, all bets are off.

England Take a Knock, Not a Fatal Blow

These days it is easy to feel as though transportation has been reversed, and England have imported a whole cadre of Southern Hempishere rugby critics. In a rare moment of self reflection, Eddie Butler last week considered that it might be a symptom of rugby’s growing popularity that every performance is examined in its most extreme interpretation. That, or England’s glory years 2001-3 have heightened expectations.

Either way, it would be fair to say that England could have and should have beaten Ireland who equally lacked real control over the game. England started with intent and were inside their opponent’s 22 within minutes. But an English team from time gone by would hardly have screeched to such a halt, or been turned over. It is a credit to Ireland’s experience and self-confidence that without Wales’ skills, when they turn the ball over they know how to stretch a defence and create an overlap – beautifully illustrated by Tommy Bowe’s opener.

Jonny Wilkinson has shouldered more expectation in the past weeks than he has since 2003, given the criticism levelled at his game-management. He seemed concious of this, taking on contact and trying things – some too clever, but notably, offloading to Ricky Flutey just before England’s only try.

For the most part, however, England’s back play was predictable. Matthew Tait may have got more ball than his predecessors at outside centre, but space is the commodity he requires. Instead, England’s best side-step was employed as a battering ram and on several occasions a first-receiver. Ireland’s backs, by contrast, have the confidence to arrange and re-arrange themselves, safely anchored by Brian O’Driscoll. When they were behind, with just seven minutes to go, Tommy Bowe came off his wing at a lineout and zipped through the midfield channel, leaving England looking as though that sort of thing shouldn’t be allowed. Wales, similarly, often have Stephen Jones looping round Jamie Roberts, or Leigh Halfpenny cutting inside. Done well, even simple training ground plays can stretch defences.

On the other hand, England were more than hamstrung by the slowness of the ball that came out of the breakdown. Their lack of momentum is pitiful, and almost completely inexplicable – although they were not helped by the referee, who allowed Jamie Heaslip to come in at the side and lay all over the ball in the final move (Heaslip was awarded Man of the Match for precisely that sort of thing).

The frustration is more potent because England finally seem to have decided on their first XV. Losing Simon Shaw after four minutes was a notable loss, but there were few other players who you would actively want sidelined. England have a strong front-row, second-row, and back-row – Nick Easter and Dylan Hartley carrying, Borthwick catching and Lewis Moody tackling all sound reasonable. Only the two props lack test experience, but the breakdown is a serious hindrance.

Danny Care sometimes seems to struggle with his temprament (albeit, he was unfairly penalised for wanting the ball quickly when England were awarded a penalty), but he has time enough to develop and the enthusiasm required of a scrum-half. Outside him he has pace, but few ideas. The three-quarters need to come into the line more – which only Ben Foden seemed likely to do yesterday. Rickey Flutey will now shoulder the responsibility for creativity given the hopes pinned on his return.

As the responsibility, not to say blame, shifts along, England come closer to the World Cup, next year. Martin Johnson sounded somewhere between tears and bemusement as he tried to fathom the collapse of England when they had so much more ball. As is becoming tradition, Johnno looked on the bright side;

“There are lots of good things we did yesterday, that’s the key thing. We didn’t finish them all off again and that ultimately cost us the game.”

He is largely right. Ireland missed only one tackle and it was ultimately one of those days. The Six Nations is tight this year, and perhaps we have become a little too used to Grand Slams (having had two consecutively). These days, winning doesn’t come easy.

A Makeshift England Makes For A Disappointing Series

Martin Johnson has endured yet another appalling week of press.  Though it would be quite improbable for the RFU to sack him (downgraded from impossible only by the tantalising availability of Ian McGeechan and Jake White), the first calls a coach to be replaced are a step down a road thatno coach wants to be on.

Such is the forensic nature of the coverage that England have been getting – and we really are getting to be like the Kiwis in the pressure we put on our national team – it’s worth reminding ourselves where Martin Johnson is at the moment.  First, there are the seemingly forgotten injuries.  In Ellis, Armitage, Flutey and Flood, England are missing most of the backline that played in the Six Nations.  In the forwards, Simon Shaw has just returned from injury, Phil Vickery, Julian White and Andrew Sheridan are missing up front and Nick East, who though not to everyone’s taste, carries well, is also out.

This is also a team without the core of leaders who were decisive in the player-power revolution that led to Brian Ashton’s good fortune in the 2007 World Cup.  Corry, Dallaglio, Catt, Robinson, and of course Vickery were just four of the hugely-experienced decision makers on the field that year.

Martin Johnson’s team seem to lack a defined style or strategy, which of course is largely his fault.  Two years from a World Cup, that is a big concern.  But injuries have meant that this series was always going to be a mixture of holding on, and giving younger players an opportunity to gain experience.  On that count, they’ve not done too badly.

That’s why Stephen Jones’ ‘report’ of the game, in which he savages the team, is counter-productive.  England’s problem is that they haven’t begun to gel as a team, that leaders haven’t yet emerged.  Borthwick is a quiet and steady presence, unfavourable for the media, but it is not the captain who makes every decision.  Jones risks stamping on the fragile gains in team spirit that England have made under Johnson.  Of course, when measured against the dynamism of the British Lions, or even of England’s 2007 squad, this team comes up short.  However, compared to the last Six Nations, which seems so long ago, there has been a dramatic improvement.  England are at least a little more consistent, and have ironed out their ruinous ill-discipline.

On the other hand, his incendiary article should probably be posted in the dressing room as an incentive for the team.  What Martin Johnson should be doing is creating a group of thirty players he is likely to take to the World Cup and using the negative coverage to fire them up and create a sense of unity.  He has a number of games left, in which England have to get used to each other.

England 6 New Zealand 19

The All Blacks were supposed to be England’s toughest Test. After each game in this series, it was; ‘We’ll get massacred by New Zealand if we play like that.” As it happens, being the underdogs gave England an opportunity to have a go at the underperforming, but still fearsome Kiwis (though not to the same degree as plucky Scotland, who won a deserved victory over Australia).

The early sparring saw England twice go ahead, 3-0, then 6-3, before Dan Carter levelled each time.  Ugo Monye nearly did the team an even bigger favour, just failing to intercept the ball when he had come off his wing and the All Blacks had decided to run from their 22.  In all, however, it was quite a dull first half, with England holding on and Carter missing the kicks that would have allowed New Zealand the comfort to play their own game.

It was in the second half that England began to exert some pressure of their own, but the game was determined in a ten-minute period starting fifteen minutes into the second half.  First, Wilkinson’s chip into the 22 saw a whole pack of England players bearing down on New Zealand.  The All Blacks, however, were quite content to use the space run it out of their 22.  Nonu’s inside pass releasing Zac Guildford, and Wilkinson had to backtrack thirty metres to dislodge the ball from the winger.

Not long afterwards New Zealand took clean ball from a lineout and as the forwards drove into the England 22, created space on the blindside.  Although Sivivatu was marked by Banahan, he jinked and held the defender in place as Richie McCaw and Jimmy Cowan came round the scrum.  Sivivatu slipped the ball inside, for McCaw to play in Cowan.  It was a devastating display of passing, allowing New Zealand to turn a non-advantage into a decisive overlap.

England found themselves in the All Black’s half several times with options, but frequently took the wrong ones.  Wilkinson’s first option when given the ball on the 22 was to take a drop, highlighting the paucity of England’s ambition.  In response, Mils Muliaina sliced through England’s defence before feeding Conrad Smith, who was forced into touch just yards from the line.

Haskell made a few half-breaks, but it was Tom Croft (on for the injured Joe Worsely after two minutes) who ripped the ball from a New Zealand maul after Wilkinson’s teasing kick, and seemed almost certain to cross but for determined defence.  Duncan Bell picked up and dived for the blindside, but was held up short, and the forwards could not clear the ball.  The resulting scrum proved disastrous, and the put-in was reversed.

Late on, Geraghty’s chip could have found Monye but bounced short and a last minute encampment on the New Zealand line turned to farce.  As has become common, England’s attack had wanted composure and received only individualism.

It is getting easy to forget what England are good at, but the scrum and particularly the lineout were solid.  Wilkinson, Borthwick and Moody typified an almost complete defensive performance, but it is possession that seems to worry England most.  In Haskell, Croft and Hartley, they have plenty of quick forwards who love to run, but no stand-out ball carriers who will break the gain line when defences have re-grouped.  For that, they probably missed Worsley and later, Shaw, but the distribution was also inadequate.  Hodgson seems to get drawn into rucks too easily, and Wilkinson plays too deep to encourage players to run good lines.  England miss Flutey desperately.  Unfortunately, Wilkinson’s defence is just too invaluable, so the first-receiver problem is key.

Fiery Australia disappoint improved England

England 9 Australia 18

England were counting on a victory against Australia today.  Though the hosts were had more than twenty elite squad players sidelined through injuries, the visitors were missing captain, Stirling Mortlock, and had rolled over for both New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations.  England meanwhile were last in action in a Six Nations they were ultimately runners-up in, but were ill disciplined and inconsistent.  A win would give England momentum and start their autumn series with a view to a successful World Cup campaign in two years.

Though the lust for victory was plain to see, England faltered yet again.  Australia, for their part, did not let themselves down.  While England dominated the first half, Australia got the only try.  And when Australia had the opportunity to dictate the pace of the game in the second half, they did so beyond England’s capacity to absorb it.

England looked a more comfortable outfit in the first half than they had done in the two years since the World Cup final.  They didn’t concede turnovers, nor many penalties, and moreover, were dominant in the set-piece.  Steve Borthwick, in particular, was imperious in either side’s lineout and Jordan Crane made his mark early on with five carries within as many minutes of the game starting. 

Indeed, England were off the mark after only two minutes, as Jonny Wilkinson dropped a goal following good progress by the forwards.  Not long afterwards, the rejuvenated fly half had added another three-points from a penalty and hit the post from forty metres.

Wilkinson was a joy to watch, tackling everything that came his way, and running the ball menacingly at the Australian defence.  What was even better, however, was that the combination of Wilkinson and Geraghty, the form fly half in the Guinness Premiership, worked wonderfully.  With Wilkinson operating at first tackle and Geraghty with his superior pass and sidestep as first-receiver capable of mis-matching forwards against weak tacklers, England looked worthy of the quick ball Danny Care provided. 

Another positive was the willingness of England’s back three to run the ball.  Monye is continuing the form that saw him selected for the Lions, and the addition of a competent kicking game makes him a suitable fullback.  That said, he needs to stay on his feet more if he is to create genuine scoring-opportunities.  Banahan and Cueto on the wings offered both pace and brute force, and their height gives them an advantage when it comes to cross-field kicks.

That said, England scored no tries, and their best sustained pressure came from forward play.  Danny Hipkiss always seems to break the game line, but Ayoola Erinle seemed more capable of offloading.  All in all, no one seemed to be running the lines to take advantage of Geraghty’s awareness of what was on.

Australia were quite the opposite.  Their backs attacked at pace and were rewarded by breaking the gain line.  The fly half-centre axis of Matt Giteau and Quade Cooper was almost impossible to second-guess, so that England’s resolute defence nevertheless was always in reverse. 

After a poor decision from the touch judge gifted Australia an attacking lineout, the visitors broke into the 22, and from five metres out, the scrum half, Will Genia picked up, sold Louis Deacon the dummy and scampered around the ruck to score their first half try.  Nonetheless, Wilkinson kicked a penalty to give England a first half lead.

England never regained the upper-hand that they had enjoyed.  Too frequently the ball was knocked on after promising starts – as with a weaving run by James Haskell and a chip and chase by Monye.  They also surrendered their advantage in the set-piece by failing to contest the scrum or lineout effectively.  The most disappointing moment of the second half saw Australian fullback drive twenty metres for a try, with Monye and Cueto unable to bring him down.

One Step Forward, Two Back

The new-look England team, however long it lasts, is a leaner, faster one. The bulkier three-quarters, quick back row and Dylan Hartley at hooker offer ball-carriers all over the field.  Geraghty looks like the play-making stand-off England have been crying out for, without being the loose cannon that Cipriani proved. 

However, there is a long way to go.  Experience should help settle a back line that is not used to playing together.  Nevertheless, backs coach, Brian Smith (who did so much to increase London Irish’s attacking potential), has his work cut out.  England have not begun to ape the Lions formula of dynamic supporting runners.  Whether Hipkiss would be better utilised at inside centre and Geraghty at ten is a question that will not get asked as long as Wilkinson is around, but the existing arrangements will have to be made a lot less static.

The statistics will probably not be too harsh on England.  They missed relatively few tackles, but were still unable to halt Australian advances.  This bodes poorly for when England have to face more physical opponents, which they will in the next few weeks.  They may be able to maul, but will need to focus on the tackle area, from both an attacking and a defensive perspective.

Martin Johnson would not, in an ideal world, have used this series to experiment.  He sees it as far too late and in a way is right.  Injuries present immediate and long-term problems.  Does he ignore the opportunities presented by this exciting team of rookies and draft the regulars back in? 

Andrew Sheridan and Julian White will not be left out (neither, unfortunately, will Vickery, in all probability).  Simon Shaw and Joe Worsely are probably too strong and experienced defensively not to be included.  Paul Hodgson played well when he came on, but the scrum half position will not be crucial. Mike Tindall should not be required, but the centres are still a problem area.

These autumn internationals will therefore be critical to England’s development under Martin Johnson, and unless they can win one or two against the odds, the pressure will mount. That is why a good performance was not good enough.