Plodding England can still strike quickly
TWO WEEKS ago France beat Ireland in Paris by 33 points to 10. Two years ago England beat Ireland in London by 33 points to 10. From the outset of this Six Nations I have felt that, bar the All Blacks, tomorrow is the real test of this Irish side. And that was before the French game – as a loss to England would be far more damaging. Ireland have a great record in London and, man for man, possess far more natural ability; so why the concern?
The English press have turned on Martin Johnson’s team, making him the culprit for loyalty to Jonny Wilkinson and the old ways. They would have us believe their end is nigh. But, lest we forget, England came joint second with France and Wales on six points last year. All three were a long way behind Ireland on 10. However, England scored the most tries and had the best points differential, and had that one-point Irish victory been in England’s favour they would have won the Championship. Tomorrow they are playing for the Grand Slam.
Why are we fooled? At times the English can be like an Italian soccer team away from home, settling for the nil-all draw. Along the way they play terrible rugby, with some lumbering players in key positions, such as number eight Nick Easter and hooker Dylan Hartley. But then, like the Italians, life can spring forth, and when it does it is devastating. The English back line is very dangerous, particularly with their big decoy runners in midfield. In a tight game all they’ll need is a couple of openings.
With Riki Flutey at first centre their season can change for the better. Not because he is better than Gordon D’Arcy, but for what he’ll bring to Wilkinson. Flutey can straighten the line and create offload opportunities for his big ball-carrying outside backs. There is activity around his zone – not all the time, but his team-mates are alive to his potential.
Easter is the least athletic number eight in the Six Nations, but he does pop up at times, as do the wingers.
The English get their defence set up quickly off first-phase play, especially on the far side of the ruck. They are especially good at balancing the personnel: fatties on the inside and speedies on the outside. So it is difficult to isolate forwards.
Ireland can counter this with plenty of activity from Geordan Murphy down the blindside. Welsh tighthead Adam Jones scored a cracker on Mark Cueto’s right wing. But where was Cueto? Wales had a scrum seven metres out and 20 metres from the left touchline. Jamie Roberts carried into midfield and the ball was rewound immediately through Alun Wyn Jones to Adam Jones: try. The Welsh had stacked right and the English marked it by leaving tighthead David Wilson and backrower James Haskell protecting the blindside.
To create this, quick ball is crucial. Rob Kearney scored a wonderful team try in Twickenham two years ago, before the English pace of play (not skill) left Ireland reeling. With defence in mind, Ireland will adapt theirs to suit the English, be it an aggressive strike runner or not.
However, over the months this Irish side have been slow to rearrange their midfield on the hoof. In times past, Irish frontrow forwards were left badly exposed. This happened in Stade de France. As the pace of the game lifts along with the phases, Irish forwards and backs have a nasty habit of being sucked into the breakdown, leaving space out wide. England will want to create this imbalance with rumbles around the side and close targets off Danny Care. Ireland must remain patient and not over-commit.
In a sense, Ireland are at their most vulnerable when the opposition move away from first-phase into a fast-paced game. England can be limited in their ambition, but watch the pace of the ball. Count the seconds before Care gets his hands on it. If it’s less than five seconds Ireland are in trouble.
Compare that to the service Tomás O’Leary gets. Force yourself to count. Try to keep a close eye on the clock.
Johnson has many detractors, but watch England around the championship minutes, especially around half-time. Their bulk can ensure one-man clear-outs to Ireland’s four or five. Advantage England.
The English secondrow pair, with captain Steve Borthwick, don’t get the respect they deserve. They are much stronger and more effective than the press make out. He’s not pretty, but Borthwick does untold work around the fringes. His lineout is under-rated, as he damages the maul. His steal at a Welsh breakdown inside his half led to the Care try.
Ireland, in beating England 43-13 in that famous Croke Park fixture, managed a quality of play that was extraordinary. Time and again Shane Horgan and others got on the ball with so many options and decoy runners fixing English defenders and causing mayhem. The challenge is to not over-commit in defence and to run decoys around the ball-carrier. Jonny Sexton should force more activity around him.
I do feel for Leo Cullen. He and Donncha O’Callaghan are very different players. The Munster man fits into the high-tempo, high-pressure game of last season’s Six Nations campaign. But Cullen’s lineout management is every bit as good as Paul O’Connell’s. It is no accident Cullen stole so much in the past two internationals.
Finally, French tighthead Nicolas Mas was brutally clairvoyant two weeks ago when he predicted the end of an era: “When I saw him leaving the field so early, the one who I always saw do the 80 minutes of rugby, I thought an Irish monument is leaving. That will hurt their morale.â€
John Hayes will reach 100 caps tomorrow and enter the Irish pantheon. He has been extraordinary. Last year, in Croke Park’s victory over England, he was my man of the match. How many posters adorn public places with O’Connell high in the air? Who do you think put the Lions captain there?
See you tonight in The Stoop . . . Legends!
