JEFF PROBYN
A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME
Going to a full Twickenham stadium last Saturday after virtually a two year break was something special.
The hullabaloo of an excited crowd all arriving early to grab a bit of the atmosphere of the day infected the stadium with all the bars and food areas packed full in anticipation of a great afternoon.
The game, however, failed to live up to those expectations with the amount of breaks in the first half of the game stretching even the most ardent of fan's patience.
Despite that, the majority of the crowd left Twickenham happy to be back at the heart of the game with the England team getting the win at home that was so desperately wanted and needed.
Wales must feel disappointed that they didn't get the reward for their efforts with England scoring one try to their three with the referee seeming to favour England in a number of areas, particularly in that first half.
In a game where both teams conceded the same number of penalties, which amounted to 13 by the end of the game, England had the early advantage enabling them to put the points on the board which necessitated the need for Wales to score tries rather than kick goals.
Also, it must be said that a number of decisions made by Scottish referee Mike Adamson caused confusion not just among players but fans as well, as a protracted first half seemed to drag on and on.
Two big decisions clearly favoured England. First, Maro Itoje's interference with Welsh jumper Adam Beard in the lineout which lead to Dombrandt's try.
Despite a number of protests from the Welsh players, the referee decided not to call on his TMO to check.
And later, with Wales in possession nearing the end of the game, Courtney Lawes deliberately knocked on to stop a Wales attack receiving just a penalty but no yellow card, the standard punishment for a deliberate act of foul play.
With Luke Cowan-Dickie yellow carded and a penalty try awarded in the game against Scotland still a painfully recent memory, we have to ask: Where is the consistency and why was Lawes allowed to escape punishment and England keep 15 players on the field?
As an England fan obviously I was pleased but baffled, as consistency in the application of the laws in refereeing decisions is vital for the continuity of the game and is in part why the TMO was created.
Eddie Jones says his players fully believe and support his ‘New England' ideal and are making ‘incremental progress' towards the 2023 World Cup.
As for the players' collective belief in his ‘New England' I doubt it's true but feel it is the usual fear that players have that knowingly drags them into agreement with whatever the coach says.
“You would expect players to know plans A to D without need for updates during the game”
The fear is that any disagreement will put them on the long list of Eddie's players who dared to disagree with him and then never get another cap.
Sadly, watching Eddie's ‘New England' it seems to me that while they are making ‘incremental progress' they are actually going in the wrong direction.
When Jones took over England there had been a record equalling run of straight victories before he had time to make any changes (even in selection) to the work that had been achieved by Stuart Lancaster.
Since those glory days it has been a slow but steady decline in the performances of the team with the odd spark to brighten the darkness.
However, the smoke and mirrors of building towards the next World Cup and the pressure of the pandemic has actually given Jones some breathing space. It probably saved him, not least because RWC23 is now too close for him to be replaced without another Brian Ashtontype fiasco as in 2007, when Ashton was bought in as a ‘temporary' measure for the World Cup.
One aspect of last Saturday that I found completely frustrating was how it appears Jones is somehow failing to get his message across in training and is apparently reliant on updating players during the game.
One obvious sign of this was the water carrier who walked onto the pitch, placed his water bottle on the ground and then walked off to various players to pass on commands and instruc-tions from above.
Given the vast sum the RFU pays the Premiership clubs for Jones to have extra time with his players outside the international windows, you would expect the players to know plans A to D without the need for continual updates during the game.
Last week's win wasn't unexpected given the history and how both teams are currently playing, but if England want to be in with a shout of this year's Six Nations they are going to have to improve by more than a few incremental steps to beat a high flying Ireland next week.
Congratulations must be made to Ben Youngs, left, on reaching 115 caps despite him putting his family first on more than a few occasions missing games and caps. With a World Cup beckoning, and if England and Ben can go all the way, he may well be the first player to reach 200 caps.
