Kyle Sinckler summed up the ruthless physicality which proved just too much for Australia to handle as Twickenham witnessed a return to traditional valuesBeneath all the mud and muck, you can just about make out the faded “England 2015” branding the RFU put up around Twickenham for the last World Cup. No doubt they have tried to scrub it out, along with almost everything else that happened in that tournament, but the shadows of the letters are still there along either side of the pitch, a stubborn reminder of how quickly things can fall apart when the heavy pressure comes down. The next tournament is exactly 300 days away. England have come on this autumn, but they look a way...
Bad luck and glimmers of brilliance could not disguise another abject performance at the end of a grim year for the WallabiesThese are grim times for Australia. Outfought and outthought at the fag-end of a trying season, their annus horribilis ended in dismal fashion. The numbers tell the story – six straight defeats by England, nine losses in 2018 and their worst calendar year for more than half a century. Michael Cheika had called for some Aussie swagger but the daggers will be out again after this. Related: Australia’s Michael Cheika fury over ‘ridiculous’ Owen Farrell tackle Related: England 37-18 Australia: how the players rated at Twickenham Continue reading...
When Farrell came off the bench against a dangerous Japan Eddie Jones’s side were given directionEddie Jones recently explained that Owen Farrell is not the kind of player to be wrapped in cotton wool. He may want to think again. If this victory, ultimately comprehensive but anything but comfortable, told us anything it is that England’s reliance on Farrell remains almost total; going into next year’s World Cup without him is unthinkable.It would be harsh on the eye‑catching performances of Kyle Sinckler and Sam Underhill from the bench, perhaps on the endeavour of Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes, too, to say that Farrell swung the match in England’s favour single‑handed but the biggest factor was without doubt his introduction and...
Courtney Lawes took a gamble and lost when he charged down TJ Perenara’s kick against the All Blacks. The referee was correctSam Underhill may be one of England’s youngest, least experienced players but he reacted to one of the biggest disappointments of his senior career with a mature detachment. “If the referee says the grass is pink, then the grass is pink,” he said when asked about his disallowed try five minutes from time against New Zealand when Courtney Lawes was ruled to have been offside when he charged down a kick. Related: Japan captain Leitch says his side will not bow down at Twickenham Related: Rugby union: talking points from the second round of autumn Tests Continue reading...
Hairline TMO decisions such as that which led to Sam Underhill’s try being disallowed against New Zealand risk alienating new audiences and ruining the gamePart of the allure of the ceaseless puzzle that is rugby union lies in its multiple possibilities. Sometimes the laws feel like a giant Rubik’s Cube which very few ever entirely solve. Erno Rubik is 74 now and prefers walking, sailing and gardening but rugby’s quest for structure and simplicity against significant odds would surely strike a chord.Increasingly, though, all the lawbook-related twisting and turning is driving the sport mad. Twice in consecutive weekends the outcome at Twickenham has been definitively shaped by calls that rugby’s governors would probably have preferred to see go the other...