Wales will be put under plenty of pressure but if they can limit New Zealand to one or two tries they have a chance of causing an upsetDespite everything that has been said in the past few weeks, and everything written in Warren Gatland’s book, the Wales manager needs to park the British & Irish Lions on Saturday. He has to stick to his guns in terms of what he is trying to do with this Wales side and continue to show ambition. The biggest question will be: when the pressure comes on from the All Blacks, will he revert to type? Related: Wales seek to invoke spirit of 1953 for new coronation against New Zealand | Paul Rees Related:...
The All Blacks are in transition and appear vulnerable after a long, hard year but Wales have yet to show they can marry ambition with poiseWarren Gatland talked about weight this week after picking a three-quarter line that is more heady than heavy but will it be enough to end the wait for victory over New Zealand? The last time Wales defeated the All Blacks was 1953, the year of the coronation of the Queen, who this week became the world’s oldest head of state.Only one of the Wales team from that day 64 years ago is alive, Courtney Meredith. One of the New Zealand second rows that December afternoon, Nelson Dalzell, the heaviest player in the New Zealand squad...
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...
Eddie Jones missed his pillar players against Argentina, while Wales got off to a typically slow start and Scotland showed the risks attached to their open rugbyOwen Farrell will return to the England team against Australia on Saturday; the question is where. Eddie Jones played Henry Slade at 12 against Argentina but with a lack of quick ball, the Exeter centre was a marginal figure. The head coach has the option of restoring Farrell to inside-centre and moving Slade to 13, where he has excelled for the Chiefs this season, or putting Farrell at 10 in place of George Ford, who is not at his most effective when weighed down with slow possession. The decision should be made in conjunction...
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...