The first half at Twickenham was unconventional in the extreme and Eddie Jones may wonder when his starters are going to outperform his lauded finishersIt had the fingerprints of Brendan Venter, the Italy defence coach who was brought to Saracens by Eddie Jones in 2009, all over it – and it worked a treat. Italy’s tactic of refusing to engage in rucks after tackling their opponent meant there was no offside line when the ball came back and it baffled Jones’s team. Time and again the England players could be heard remonstrating with the referee, Romain Poite, but as he correctly and continually pointed out, that is the law. Danny Care was among the most frustrated of England’s players while...
England have harnessed the power of their squad as they close on the All Blacks record and it may come down to Scotland to halt their grand slam chargeEddie Jones will soon have a bigger record collection than the late John Peel. If England beat Italy at Twickenham next Sunday, and it is all but a case of when, it would be their 10th consecutive Six Nations victory and would equal the longest winning run in the tournament’s 134-year history.The Tasmanian has added devil to England since taking over as head coach 14 months ago but the transformation from World Cup laughing stock to a side that are two home wins away from equalling New Zealand’s record of 18 successive...
Leigh Halfpenny looks in the mood to give England a kicking, Italy’s discipline will be tested by Ireland and France know they must not lose to ScotlandThere were times during the autumn when one could not help but feel for Leigh Halfpenny. It used to be the case that anything in the opposition half was within his kicking range but it seemed his lengthy troubles might have changed that for good. And as an attacking threat he was a fair way below the level he showed with the Lions four years ago; all the while Liam Williams was continuing to shine. Against Italy, however, Halfpenny was one of Wales’s brightest players and his kicking was also on the money. Shaun...
Having won on two of their last three Six Nations visits to Cardiff, the champions are hardly going to be all aquiver when they cross the Severn BridgeEddie Jones said this week England were petrified of playing in Wales, citing what he described as their horrendous record in the country of 21 victories, four draws and 36 defeats in 135 years of travelling across the Severn. Related: Ben Te’o enjoys bumping around with England – next stop North Korea? Related: Sam Davies’ verve and vision evokes golden era of Wales fly-half wizards | Gerard Meagher Continue reading...
England were a rabble – but a winning one – Scotland’s pack has given them composure and Wales have injury worries aheadA 15th successive win is an all-time record for England and another undefeated grand slam campaign would enable them to overtake New Zealand’s world record for Tier One nations of 18 straight victories. They will have to improve significantly on this display to extend their unprecedented run but their fitness levels and bench reserves are making them a tough bunch to overcome in the final quarter of games. If they can start as well as they finish, they will fancy notching up victory number 16 in Cardiff on Saturday. Robert Kitson Related: England 19-16 France: how the players rated...