The coach has named a strong, pacy side to take on his native country but can he get Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith to gel?If there is one nation Eddie Jones hugely enjoys pitting his wits against it is his native Australia. There are good reasons why England have beaten the Wallabies seven times in succession since 2016 and high on the list is Jones’s instinctive grasp, both psychologically and selectorially, of which specific buttons to push.Not only does he understand exactly how the Aussies feel when they catch a glimpse of a white shirt but he also knows what they hate most about playing the Poms. Hence the announcement of an England side with Marcus Smith at No 10,...
The England captain will not care about his critics but his performance against France was a reminder of his qualitiesHard as everyone else has been on Owen Farrell these past few weeks, you had best believe that they weren’t nearly as tough as he was on himself. Not that it makes much difference to him what anyone else says about how he is playing. There are not many sportspeople who hold such obvious disdain for other people’s views, and beyond a small circle of his coaches and a handful of trusted teammates, the only opinion Farrell really seems to value is his own. His teammates talk with awe about the standards he sets in training, the demands he makes on...
A vicious wind and a howling reception greeted Murrayfield’s visitors but they will feel stronger for coming through bothThe forecast was that bad that on the trains north on Saturday morning they were warning passengers to abandon any plans to travel back that way on Sunday. By the time the service reached Peterborough they were promising free passage back to London for anyone who wanted to turn tail already. A couple of England fans on a corporate freebie sitting near me made it as far as York before they gave up. Even the England team rearranged their schedule so they could fly out later Saturday night, as soon as they had done what they had to do. It was one...
England will rely on Owen Farrell’s pragmatism to topple Beauden Barrett’s New Zealand while Wales flanker Justin Tipuric will be out to stop flying Bok wing Makazole MapimpiIt can all be cart before the horse in the days preceding such big games as we await the World Cup semi-finals in Japan. Coaches take to front and centre – some by choice, others by the path of convention and process. Perhaps it’s mindgames to distract their opponents or perhaps to allow players the shelter before the show. However, if those coaches have got their planning and peaking right then they will slowly step back into the shadows and it will be their players that step into the limelight. Related: South Africa’s...
Owen Farrell’s kicking game was not enough in Cardiff and Eddie Jones missed a trick in ignoring the Leicester fly-halfEngland had a plan B against Wales – the problem was it stayed on the bench. Owen Farrell is one of the best fly-halves in the world, if not the best, but everyone has off days and he just did not seem to have a feel for the game. We did not see adaptability from England – if one thing is not working, then try something else – and George Ford could have made all the difference.Do not get me wrong, England have a very strong game-plan. It is based around kicking, it suits the way they play, it suits their...