U20s World Championship: Will Parkin on England’s ‘Battlezone Attack’ ahead of must-win clash against Australia

England U20s backs coach Will Parkin is clear about the task ahead. With one game remaining in the pool stages of the World Rugby U20 Championship, England sit second in their group on five points.  

Following a strong opening win against Scotland and a narrow defeat to South Africa, the focus now shifts to a must-win clash against Australia in Verona on Wednesday. 

A bonus point win could see them progress as the best second-placed team across the three pools, depending on other results. 

Parkin, who is new to the U20s setup for this tournament after previously working with younger age groups in the pathway, has brought a clear focus to the team’s attacking game.  

Battlezone Attack

His influence has already been felt, particularly in how England operate in the middle area of the pitch, an area he refers to as the “Battlezone Attack”. 

“For us as a coaching group, I’m new in for this tournament having not done the Six Nations,” Parkin explained.  

“We have spent a lot of time in the ‘Battlezone Attack’, which is between the 22s. Specifically from a backs point of view, we have gone harder FBA, which is ‘four backs attached’, in an attempt to try and move the ball more.” 

Giving a brief description of what FBA entails, he said it is, “Making sure that at every stage we can, there are four backs able to link the ball, whether that is through forwards or straight to the backs.”

That approach has produced promising signs. England currently lead the tournament for entries into the opposition’s 22 and for line breaks.  

Parkin sees this as evidence that the attacking structure is working but admits that converting those entries into points has been a key area for improvement following the 32-22 loss to South Africa. 

“(In the) Second half of Scotland and a number of periods in the South Africa game we weren’t good enough in the 22, converting the scores and that’s what we’ve gone after this week,” Parkin said.  

“Hopefully we’ll start to see a better conversion rate.” 

Converting Chances

That inability to finish chances against South Africa could prove costly in a tightly contested pool stage.  

England created 16 entries into the 22, a strong number, but they left too many opportunities behind. 

Parkin admitted that there were times when they could have taken the points but insisted that it is key to player development that they make those decisions themselves. 

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “There were times when we, as coaches, could have run the kicking tee on and gone for three points. 

“And yes, we want to win the World Cup, but it’s also about these boys developing and learning. So, if they think that going for the corner is the right thing to do, we have to back them.” 

He went on to speak about his desire for the backs to be proactive and take risks, particularly when it comes to getting on the ball. 

“Get your hands on the ball and go and make the most of it,” Parkin said.  

“They could easily stand on the wing and get through 80 minutes and be safe. I’d much rather them go and work off their wing. Even if they get 20 touches of the ball and make ten errors, go and do something with it the other ten times.” 

Team News

Wednesday’s game will also see some changes to the starting lineup. Wingers Tyler Offiah and Noah Caluori have both been brought into the side, with Parkin excited to see what they can offer. 

“We have made a few changes and were always going to have to with the short turnaround and the demands that this level brings. Tyler and Noah coming onto the wings will be very exciting to see,” he said.  

“Both are extremely dangerous in space. Their high-ball work is some of the best I’ve seen over the seven or eight years of working in this age group.” 

Offiah, who only turned 19 last week and is the son of legendary rugby league player Martin, has only made one appearance at this level to date.  

Parkin hopes that England’s improved ball movement will give both wingers opportunities to showcase what they can do. 

Wingers in space

“Hopefully, with the way the lads have been moving the ball, we can build on that and feed Noah and Tyler with some ball in space,” he said. 

“They will be able to show you what they have shown us over the course of the last three years.” 

Despite the pressure to get five points against Australia, Parkin sees it as a valuable experience for the players, many of whom will return to the Premiership and face high-stakes fixtures in their future careers. 

“We’ve had that this week, a shorter turnaround, a bit of pressure to get five points but all we’ve got to do is focus on ourselves,” Parkin said. 

“If these boys go and put our game on the pitch against anyone, they are capable of scoring plus four tries and getting five points.” 

By Charlie Elliott

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