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.

For France the Spoils, for Wales the Insurgency

The Six Nations would be poorer without any of its constituent parts but perhaps most of all without Wales. Like all teams, they have drifted in and out of form – and are we not grateful that the traditional Gallic indifference now includes some of that traditional Gallic flair – but by Jove, they make a game of it. Scotland looked to be heading for an impressive victory two weeks ago, leading by ten points with fifteen minutes remaining. That was plenty of time for Wales though, and Leigh Halfpenny and Shane Williams ran in tries to stun Cardiff with a 31-24 victory.

Alas, they left it too late and gave away too big a lead against France in a perfomance that will have infuriated Warren Gatland and yet made the whole country strangely proud. Going into the game with the untested Richie Rees at scrum half didn’t help Wales, but it was James Hook – having a variable Championship at outside centre – who really summed up his side’s fortunes. In the opening six minutes of the first half he was at fault in defence, coming up too quickly and allowing France to go wide, and attack, throwing a careless pass to the lingering Alexis Palisson.

France have uncharacteristically become a team based on solid defence and a smarter, technical approach to the breakdown. Wales, despite having the larger pack, seemed strangely unable to clear out rucks and their scrum faltered – perhaps a sign of the unpredictability with which the set piece is refereed these days. The home side was also guilty of over-enthusiasm, committing too many players to rucks and trying to force the offload without going forward first.

And yet, it was symbolic that the two French tries came from intercepted passes, while Wales struggled to make the most of their opportunities. The much feted Matthieu Bastereaud had no great game – his significance is the way he changes the atmosphere when he receives the ball, pushing defenders to panic stations in the same way Jonah Lomu did for New Zealand. But France have plenty of pace in the three-quarters, and it is on the counter-attack that they really threaten.

It will be interesting to see how France come off against England. On this evidence, Jonny Wilkinson will have a very hard time of it. It was to Stephen Jones’ credit that he made space to run at the French defence – notably on a looping move straight off the training ground. To kick deep with France is not the right tactic, which leaves England with few ideas left.

Wales came close through the sheer pace of Leigh Halfpenny and Shane Williams.  The former can pick a great line even through midfield, and the latter’s sidesteps led to his fiftieth and one of his best Welsh tries.

England will use their forwards to make ground more than Wales, but having Matthew Tait at full stretch will be a neat asset. If that is to happen it is at inside centre that England will have to be creative. Wales barely used Jamie Roberts yesterday – arguably, they didn’t need to – but Flutey or Flood (whoever plays), will have to draw defenders for England’s three-quarters to be released through a long pass or quick ball. Today’s game will give an indication of whether that will be beyond them or not.

Highlights

Second Chances

The Test Team for the Lions’ Second Test against South Africa has just been released, with five changes in total.  Scrum coach Graham Rowntree has almost made good on his threat to make changes in all three rows of the scrum, but McGeechan has restricted himself to two changes in the front-row, which will now be all-Welsh, and the introduction of Simon Shaw into the second.  While Matthew Rees and Adam Jones will add a technical dimension, Shaw’s inclusion is evidently all about ballast.  Hopefully the Boks will find it much more difficult to shift their maul with the twenty-stone, seven-foot giant pushing the other way.

Rob Kearney has come in for Lee Byrne, a shame for the latter, but not a particularly profound change.  However, Kearney will have to be very careful about kicking, or run the ball more than he is used to if he is going to prevent Steyn and Habana exerting pressure on the Lions.  There is still no certainty that Ronan O’Gara fits into the Lions ethos – unless Stephen Jones has a really poor game, I expect him to stay on the bench once again.  Replacing Monye with Luke Fitzgerard was not exactly an expected move, but it is a less risky decision than including Shane Williams from the start.  Fitzgerald is perfectly competent going forward and will link up well with Bowe if either come off their line.  However, I worry that he might struggle defending against Habana, who will, no doubt, be a stiffer challenge he was than last Saturday.  

Williams has achieved a victory of sorts in gaining a spot on the bench for the Test after a sodden game against the Emerging Springboks which yielded a poverty of chances.  In the First Test, Williams might have provided a real spark.  In those desperate last five minutes, it seemed that the Test could go either way.  While Monye doesn’t deserve blame for the teams failure to finish – Morne Steyn did exceptionally by any measure to deny him – having Shane Williams in the arsenal does put the Lions more in charge of their own destiny, provided that the score is still close and Roberts and O’Driscoll continue their practically legendary dismantling of the South African defence.

If only all that was needed was a more perfect run-through of the First Test!  Instead, the Lions will have to cope with a more alert and fitter defence, not to mention the most dominating pack in world rugby.  Some South African commentators considered the first half performance by the Springboks to be one of the most perfect in history.  I certainly agree with regard to John Smit’s try.  If the Lions have to face those waves of attacks over the course of eighty minutes, they will lose.  If however, they can control the game by winning their set-pieces, keeping the ball in the tackle (which they did brilliantly in the First Test) and putting points on the board, they have every chance to win.

 

O.D.:  Here’s something I just learnt about Simon Shaw – he is the only lock in the history of the English Premiership to score a drop goal (against Bath in 2000).  Jeremy Guscott considers him one of the best locks currently playing.  Putting two and two together, you get one million; that Shaw will repeat Guscott’s feat of twelve years ago, winning the Second Lions Test against South Africa with a drop goal.  At least, I reckon the odds are a million to one!