England have made a promising start to this year’s RBS Six Nations under Eddie Jones, the first foreign head coach of the England Rugby Union team. There were many disgruntled pundits and fans alike when Jones took up the position. Many thought that we should not look overseas for a head coach with so much home-grown talent in the Premiership, however it seems as though this appointment was the right one, for now at least.
One thing that Jones has introduced to the England camp is a much more relaxed atmosphere. Contrary to Lancaster’s no alcohol policy, Jones encourages it within reason. The players are allowed a celebratory beer or two after the match, and Jones encourages them to socialise with a couple of beers from time to time. As a result the players get to know each other better, not just as rugby players, but as friends and they seem a much happier bunch.
The players are playing with much more freedom yet still with a structure. Jack Nowell’s try against Scotland was a prime example of the heads up rugby that England are now playing. They are not calling set plays every time they get the ball, but instead looking at what is in front of them, seeing the gaps, and scoring tries. England have now scored 9 tries in 3 matches, 4 more than France, Wales and Scotland, 5 more than Italy, and 7 more than Ireland. And although they are far from the attacking southern hemisphere sides that graced the WC, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
After his man of the match performance against Ireland last Saturday, Billy Vunipola stated that he feels more comfortable just being able to go out and play instead of following strict guidelines, and boy does it seem to work. Credit is due to Lancaster for nurturing Vunipola into the international scene, but Jones is getting the very best out of him. Appointing Vunipola vice-captain has given the shy Number 8 a lot more confidence. He is fitter, quicker and more powerful than ever before picking up 2 MOTM awards from 3 games, and arguably could have won the third. From his 17 carries against Ireland, he gained a total 94 metres, more than the whole Irish pack. He is a game changer and quickly becoming one of the best 8s in the world. He is the type of player you can build a team around, and considering he is only 23 years old, he couldbe around for the next decade.
But it’s not just Vunipola who has shone under Jones. George Kruis has been seriously impressive and the stand out lock in this year’s tournament so far. He has excelled in the lineout and high work rate in the loose means that he is now one of the first names on the team sheet. Hartley too is thriving. He appears to be a changed man, managing to control his anger while retaining the ruthlessness and aggression. Having said that, Jamie George is pushing him hard for a starting spot with strong performances off the bench. Itoje is living up to the hype following comparisons to the legendary Martin Johnson and Paul O’Connell. It is still early days but the young Saracen has handled the pressure well with a fantastic cameo off the bench in the Italy match winning two turnovers, as well as impressing in his first start at Twickenham with 16 tackles and a lineout steal. The fact that he has made his debut a year younger than both Johnson and O’Connell will give England fans hope and great expectation for his future.
So it seems as though this England team has turned a corner, yet there is still much to work on. They still have disciplinary issues, a trait that plagued the Johnson and Lancaster eras, they still make too many errors to be a world class team, and they still make things harder than they should be.
Jones stated in his post-match interview that his team “probably left 10-15 points out there”. Having dominated Ireland in the first half with 60% possession and 72% territory, the half time score was only 6-3. In the second half however, they had only 29% possession, 27% territory as well as playing 20 minutes with 14 men, yet they were able to outscore their opponents 15-7. While this seems an impressive feat, the wasted chances in the first half meant that the game wasn’t dead and buried when it should have been. Furthermore, Ireland had England on the ropes throughout the second half and the result could have been very different had it not been for a superb try-saving tackle from Nowell on Henshaw, and Daly and Kruiss’ attempt on Standers resulting in the TMO not awarding a try late on. Those are the sort of tackles that win matches and are sometimes more important than scoring a try. They certainly won the game for England at the weekend.
Wales will pose a different challenge for Jones and Englandwhen they return to the scene of the crime when English hearts were broken during the World Cup just six months ago. England will have to improve if they are to win and head to Paris with the Grand Slam still for the taking. Will England be able to handle the pressure and the painful memories? All we know is that it will be an enthralling 80 minutes of rugby and another epic between the two.
Written by Tom Lowndes
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