England captain’s strident approach to the referee Roman Poite contrasted with the cool mien of South Africa’s Siya KolisiLeadership is one of sport’s intangibles. Eddie Jones caused a stir when he made Dylan Hartley his first captain, given the hooker’s less than exemplary disciplinary record, but it was an astute choice as England’s problems without him emphasise.England’s 2015 World Cup had ended after they had failed to engage with the French referees in their matches against Wales and Australia and one of Hartley’s qualities was getting officials to listen to him and he was always unfailingly polite and deferential. Owen Farrell was in one sense a natural successor to Hartley, a player who makes himself heard, but they are contrasting leaders....
Brad Shields has a chance to make his mark in the No 6 jersey, while Maro Itoje could benefit with guidance from Ben YoungsPaul Gustard put on a brave face when addressing the fact that 14 tries have been conceded in the past two matches by claiming that more are being scored at international level and pointing out how England themselves have scored 11. Of more concern will be the 53 missed tackles across both matches. Gustard is a proud coach and certainly the defea last week will have hurt but it seems obvious that his imminent departure to join Harlequins has had an effect on the national squad. Gustard’s career highlight with England remains the second Test in the...
South Africa defeat exposes what Eddie Jones already knows: that rugby is faster and more fluid at international levelWhen the Premiership clubs raise the issue of Eddie Jones’s national squad training sessions this summer, bristling at a high attrition rate, Twickenham should show a video of England’s latest defeat against a nascent South Africa side who were able to recover from an appalling start because of an ability, honed in Super Rugby, to play at sustained pace.It was a Premiership player, the Sale scrum-half Faf de Klerk, who was his side’s catalyst, but the difference was at forward, where the Springboks retained their shape in the loose when a crazy game was at its most frenetic. England took an early...
Southern hemisphere sides dominated the 2015 World Cup in England but since then three out of the four have struggledMaro Itoje was in reflective mood as he sprawled himself in a chair that struggled to contain his 6ft 6in frame at England’s Bagshot base. “I have been in camp for only two days but you get the feeling something big is about to happen,” said the Lions and Saracens second‑row before Eddie Jones’s squad flew out to South Africa.He was talking about England’s odyssey but his words apply also to international rugby’s changing landscape. The last World Cup not only saw England become the first hosts to fail to make the knockout stage but, for the first time, the semi-finalists...
Paul Gustard’s departure little more than a year before the World Cup illustrates that all is not well at TwickenhamAt first glance the story sounds entirely straightforward: England defence coach takes new job at Harlequins. Paul Gustard is perfectly entitled to seek work wherever he wishes and moving to Quins allows him to be the boss rather than a mere assistant. Nothing to see here has been the message from the Rugby Football Union, Gustard’s present employers.Fans of Sherlock Holmes will already have spotted the nagging flaw in this supposedly mundane piece of employment news. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story Silver Blaze it is the dog’s curious failure to bark in the night-time that ultimately solves the mystery. Related:...