Australia can be stopped at Twickenham only if a reshuffle by the hosts brings dynamism to a team so ponderous against ArgentinaTo say the weekend’s other games in Cardiff, Dublin and Paris put England’s opening autumn effort into sharp perspective is the understatement of the season. When Eddie Jones called it “a grindathon” he was being generous and the contest with Australia on Saturday will end unhappily unless his team show more dynamism up front and locate some rhythm behind. The frustrated head coach’s blunt second-half outburst – “How fucking stupid are we?” – did not bode well, either.As anyone who stayed awake long enough will testify there was, literally, a yawning gap between England’s pre‑match rhetoric and what they...
Bath’s No7 looked the real deal for his country on his debut at Twickenham with some huge early hits but Eddie Jones will want more from him at the breakdownA cold, sorry November Saturday, and at Twickenham a first gathering of the clan since the Six Nations, and that 13-9 defeat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. The crowd’s enthusiasm was unaffected by the late morning weather, a steady, dismal drizzle, the kind that soaks you through without you even really noticing that you’re getting wet.All the talk around the ground, now, speculation about exactly where England stand, back-and-forths over whether Dylan Hartley should still be skipper or Jamie George starting at hooker instead, who should play at lock, and...
Northern hemisphere countries hold the early cards but an almost-full-strength Australia will be confident having recently defeated New ZealandWith an experimental All Blacks side, a Jekyll and Hyde South Africa and a poor Argentina team it is fair to say Australia have breathed some much-needed life into the autumn internationals. Their recent win over New Zealand is a huge shot in the arm for them and it means their game at Twickenham is the pick of the whole autumn, though England and Ireland have every right to be confident of going unbeaten through November.The British & Irish Lions’ success in drawing their summer series is a big factor in that – of course, so is the fact that neither side...
Can Wales beat All Blacks for the first time since 1953, will Eddie Jones continue to work his magic at Twickenham and how heavy will injury toll be for the competing nations?The last time it happened was in 1953, so don’t hold your breath. But Warren Gatland’s Lions have given everyone hope by losing only one of their three summer Tests and Wales, at the very least, should be fresh and competitive. Do not underestimate Shaun Edwards’s motivational influence when he has a point to prove. Related: Ellis Genge at home with England as face-off with Wales declared ‘a draw’ Keep an eye on Scotland v Australia. Scotland beat the Wallabies in Sydney in June and will be up for...
The end-of-year internationals were once viewed in isolation but these days every match is a station on a train trip that ends at the 2019 World CupPossession is once again nine 10ths of the score. A decade that started with teams scared of being caught in possession has relented: the ball is spending more time in hands than in the air and fireworks this November should explode beyond the fifth of the month.Rugby moves in cycles with fashions not so much changing as re-emerging after a vacation. When Eddie Jones was in charge of Australia in the 2000s, they were the masters of taking play through any number of phases, 30 or 40 at a time, waiting for the opposition...