Henry Slade’s versatility, the impeccable lineout work of Charlie Ewels and Sam Simmonds’ sharp footwork are all likely to have caught the England coach’s eyeStarted like a steam train against Samoa, perhaps with a point to prove after it seemed to be made clear he was making his first England start by default, following an injury to Nathan Hughes, and the absence of any other options. It may be that his international future is not at No8 but the physical challenges do not come much greater than Samoa and he took it in his stride. He has sharp footwork which makes him elusive – as demonstrated by the 95 metres he made – and while he faded in the second...
England coach’s pre-match charm offensive towards referee Ben O’Keeffe looks a canny move after five tight decisions against Australia favour his sideAn hour after the match, Eddie Jones snapped. Four questions into his press conference, Jones was asked how he felt about the marginal calls made by the referee, Ben O’Keeffe, and whether he felt England had been lucky to get the better of them. It was a fair question, but it set off Jones’s hair-trigger temper. “Why do we have a referee? Why do we have TMOs? I don’t understand the question,” Jones said. “How were we lucky? Ten replays of the video and they make a decision. This is the best referee in the world for today, they...
Skill at ‘seeing space and putting ball over the top’ is his finest attribute and he could make his case with Eddie Jones in Saturday’s game against SamoaDanny Care is one of the best running scrum‑halves in the world but I was really pleased with how he contributed in different ways against Australia. He is obviously a good mate of mine. I played alongside him for a long time and now coach him at Harlequins and what we saw at Twickenham were the fruits of Danny maturing as a player as he has got older.He has worked really hard on seeing the space in behind and when the opportunities are there in the big games, he really nails it. A...
England still not the finished article while TMO controversy continues; gap between New Zealand and rest is closing, and the second tier show improvementEngland will finish the year on a winning note unless Samoa, vanquished by Romania in Bucharest on Saturday, produce the result of the decade. Unbeaten in their first year under Eddie Jones, they have lost only against Ireland in 2017 without, Scotland at home apart, producing an entirely compelling performance. Jones will not mind, counting down as he is to the 2019 World Cup; he is completing a jigsaw puzzle, adding pieces each game. Against Argentina, England were largely on the front foot, building patiently, if unspectacularly, almost rigid in their approach. On Saturday, they played more...
Wallabies captain picked up record eighth yellow card of his Test career and had a try disallowed as tourists endured miserable day at the office against EnglandLast week’s abiding rugby image was of a smiling Kurtley Beale, clad only in his budgie smugglers, standing next to Prince William. Seven days on, it was a story of canary yellow and pursed lips. Australia and Beale had their moments, but the loss of two key players to the sin-bin and some desperately tight refereeing calls ultimately denied the visitors another victory party.Had they kept 15 men on the field throughout, who knows? While England looked far more lively, particularly after Maro Itoje’s introduction, they were up against opponents who, on a drier...