A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME
How has the world of rugby become so predictable that you can almost guess that somewhere there will be a game that raises more questions than answers.
I say this, because last week we had two occasions where teams looked really off the pace – England against the All Blacks for the vast majority of the game and, before them, Wales lost to lowly Georgia.
The England game was an example of a referee dictating the final result by awarding and disallowing tries that could have gone either way, but in the end gave England a draw they really didn't deserve.
Eddie Jones's comments that the All Blacks were there for the taking very nearly came back to bite him as they stormed off the blocks and rushed to an early lead.
Virtually every part of England's game failed to deliver as their scrum was taken apart and the inexperienced scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet was pressured into a number of errors including passing straight to New Zealand's Dalton Papali'i who ran in the first try after just four minutes.
Jones's first choice forwards were outplayed and the scrum was exposed as both props failed to match their opponents, putting more pressure on van Poortvliet.
Even when England managed to finally get back into the game it wasn't really by their own efforts but rather the actions of the French referee Mathieu Raynal, who had been constantly booed for virtually every decision he made, until he seemed to suddenly change direction and gave England the benefit of the doubt in the 50/50 decisions.
Even England's hero of the match, replacement tighthead Will Stuart, whose two tries (making him the first England prop to score twice in the same game) were subject to an inordinately long review by the TMO and referee with the crowd constantly trying to influence the decision.
I know this sounds like a ‘not like it was in my day' type of comment, but I honestly can't ever remember a Twickenham crowd being so vocal in attacking a referee's decision which could have influenced his sudden change of heart in the last 10 minutes.
Jones, in his post match review, tried to make excuses for England's poor start by claiming he had never seen New Zealand play so well in the opening stages of a game, which seemed more than a little pathetic, particularly as he had stated before the game that his England team were seeking to take the game to them with pace and power.
That said, a draw is a draw which, even though the All Blacks haven't been at their best, was a step forward for the team as they prepare for the World Cup.
Leading into this weekend, I was intrigued to see what difference that result would make to the game against South Africa, especially given the fact that the Boks are a weakened team, with a number of players not released by their English and French clubs as this game is outside the international window.
This begs the question: why? It is a simple answer. This game is a money maker for the RFU who pay the clubs for the release of their players outside the international window, whereas the South African Rugby Union do not.
If the clubs were to release those players there would be no reason for the RFU to pay the clubs for player release. What this means is that every time England play a fourth Autumn International they go into that game with an advantage which should make them odds on for a win.
As the last set of Autumn Internationals before the World Cup, it was the last chance for England to make a statement of intent against their southern hemisphere rivals. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
Meanwhile, Wales lost to Georgia in what could be described as a ‘good old fashioned' non-boring game, with the Georgian scrum not just beating the Welsh scrum, but using it to dominate the late stages of the game which led to them winning a penalty that replacement fly-half Luka Matkava, right, a 21-year-old playing only his second international game, kicked from close to halfway to secure the victory.
That victory and their previous one against Italy will once again spark calls for a promotion and relegation system for the Six Nations to allow teams like Georgia to have regular games against the Tier 1 nations.
Although there is much to be said for a way in which rugby's major tournament could be more inclusive and allow for a wide participation of nations, one or two wins is not enough to change the rugby world.
As good as the Georgia result was, it will probably be reversed when Wales meet them in a game that counts at the World Cup. Unfortunately, when Tier 1 teams play those from Tier 2 there is always a difficulty as a player, getting yourself mentally up for the confrontation that you are supposed to win easily, which could be a mistake.
For the Tier 2 nations these games are like their World Cup final, the chance to show the world just how good they are but reality will soon surface as every Tier 1 nation will now take them as serious opponents.
Their win earlier this year over Italy was their first ever win over a Tier 1 nation and now they have their second, but it may be some time before they get their third.
