OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
The relevance of England's game against the Barbarians is that it was an opportunity for England to put systems together before the tour to Australia, so it is a bit disingenuous for Eddie Jones to suggest that it has no bearing on the immediate future.
The other important factor is that if players who were selected against the Barbarians did not do well – and that must have been a significant number given that they were beaten by a long way by a scratch side which was reduced to 14 men – it is unlikely that they will be picked for the First Test against the Wallabies.
However, it will be what happens to the tour party from now on in Australia that will ultimately define the relevance of the 50-point defeat at Twickenham. What we do know is that the buck stops with Eddie as head coach, and it is his job to get the England squad firing and proving that they are good players, and part of a good team, with a good head coach.
The real issue is how good are England now, not how good they could be. After their recent record in the Six Nations they have to reboot, and this is their chance to do so by either winning the series, or coming incredibly close to doing so.
England selection is game by game, but we've usually known with Jones that certain players will be picked – but this is a key tour, and some of them, like Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs, Henry Slade, Anthony Watson, Alex Dombrandt, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler and Sam Simmonds are unavailable due to injury.
That changes the options for Test selection, and it also raises important issues leading into the 2023 World Cup. One of the biggest of these is whether Eddie will stick with Owen Farrell.
Let me start by saying that I don't think you can leave Marcus Smith out at fly-half, because he is the catalyst of this England attack and, although we are still waiting for it to catch alight properly, he is the player who provides the spark.
Most people agree that Farrell is a big presence in any team, and is a force of nature, and therefore that if he is not at 10 he moves to insidecentre, but there is another picture to be taken into account. For instance, technically, and statistically, Owen is not a great tackler – and if he is asked to make a lot of tackles at inside-centre, it could be a very difficult situation for him. It could also be one in which he is targeted, because if the Aussie backs recognise he has a weakness then you can be absolutely sure that they will run at him repeatedly.
The attack in rugby union is defined more by quick ball than it is by smoke and mirrors passing moves, many of which have been brought in from rugby league. However, if you catch and draw, and keep your depth and width while putting the ball through your hands, it is still devastatingly effective.
Sometimes I believe there is an over-emphasis on rugby league moves, whereas if you look at Harlequins they play the fast attack game I've described here, which is especially effective from phase play – although we are still waiting for it to catch fire for England. However, maybe our expectations of England players have become too great, because I can't think of many right now that would be in a World XV.
“Eddie Jones will be emphasising it is ‘us against the world' and the stakes are high”
That's why our expectations of England should probably be of a mediocre result in this series in Australia.
In my experience Australia have always been a very structured side, but have also had individual players who can do something special, and even though they now have a Kiwi coach, Dave Rennie, you cannot change a playing culture very easily.
That also means that how you beat the Wallabies has not changed very much. It starts with very good defence, applying pressure, kicking your goals, and getting them to chase the game. When that happens, they are more likely to make mistakes, and that's when you turn them into points.
England are still capable of winning this series, despite not having the best record over the last two years. I've been part of a few teams which have been massive underdogs, and it's a huge motivation, especially with the vitriol that will come their way from the Aussie media. Jones will be emphasising that it is ‘us against the world', and the stakes are high because if England lose it is almost back to the drawing board.
The tour also provides the chance to find threats other than Manu Tuilagi, and Jones needs to adopt a mindset that Tuilagi's fitness should not be all-important. That's one of the reasons why I would have loved to see Joe Cokanasiga really bouncing players off during that Barbarians game, by bringing him onto the ball at every opportunity.
In Australia there are plenty of aggressive runners who will hurt people by running hard, and that is what Joe has to learn to do – run hard and don't be afraid to hurt the opposition.
The First Test on Saturday in Perth will be intriguing, and it will tell us whether this England squad are going to improve and put a marker down, or whether they are going to get worse before that happens.
After the disappointment of the 2019 World Cup final, and the end of the lockdown period, England got things together against Australia and South Africa last autumn – but it was no surprise that after France and Ireland were victorious against New Zealand they were the teams to beat, and after finishing top of the Six Nations they are now clear of the rest.
Ireland are in New Zealand and I hope they make the southern hemisphere think twice about having it all their own way at the World Cup.
As for England, they are going to Australia to find themselves. If every one of those players plays to full capacity – like a rampaging Cokanasiga, a 10/10 Maro Itoje, and Billy Vunipola, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill at their best – they will be a handful for anyone.
However, at the moment they just have not clicked. I don't like watching England struggle, but somehow, some way, they have got to rediscover how to start firing. They are professionals in terms of training, and analysis, so it has to be something to do with the mental process that has to click.
