Picking a more adventurous fly-half opens up the chance to find a new gear in attack that’s needed to match the world’s bestSteve Borthwick is not a coach who makes statements or grand gestures for the sake of it. He is always someone who leads with his actions rather than his words. But his team selection against France gives off a clear message. It is an acknowledgment that the game we have seen England developing in this Six Nations is not enough to win a World Cup.It is not enough, either, to beat the teams ranked second and first in the world. A solid set piece, a solid defence and kicking gameplan is all well and good. But that does...
A team has been picked with Les Bleus in mind – opponents who have not won a Six Nations match in London since 2005This already has the feel of a vintage Six Nations season and the next two weekends could be similarly memorable. Even at a grey, deserted Twickenham, as England’s players huddled tight in their final eve-of-game training session, there was a sense of anticipation in the chilly air. If France are to win a championship game in London for the first time since 2005 they are going to have to earn it.Because, in all sorts of ways, this is a game England have been waiting for. The frantic early weeks of Steve Borthwick’s regime have been replaced by...
Everybody knows the playmaker is first among equals but perceptions change and the position is an indicator of intentIt has been the same for as long as the game has been played. Talk up a fly-half for his dash and vision and someone with big hands and a crooked nose will take a long sip from his pint before putting you straight. Back in the day the words “fancy dan” or “luxury item” might have been used. Now it will be “game plan” or “defensive solidity” or some other mood-dousing excuse why talent, on its own, is not to be trusted.In the late 70s and early 80s in Ireland, for example, you were either a Tony Ward or an Ollie...
Six Nations opponents will feature with South Africa in a daunting pool in France but this jeopardy is no bad thingWith Ireland potentially able to clinch the Six Nations title and Scotland targeting the triple crown, there is enough riding on next weekend’s fixture at Murrayfield without the need to add to the narrative. Still, the subsequent meeting between the two sides on the horizon – in Pool B of the 2023 World Cup in October – is unmissable.Given Scotland’s upward trajectory, Ireland’s unerring consistency and South Africa’s enduring pedigree, not to mention Tonga’s ability to ruffle feathers, that particular pool is increasingly looking shark-infested. As this Six Nations has worn on, there have been numerous suggestions that it is...
The world’s top rugby union teams at the moment are those who can strike the right balance between risk and rewardEven when they lose England’s cricketers are making everyone sit up and pay attention. Their one-run second Test defeat in New Zealand after enforcing the follow-on is merely the latest compelling example of their determination, win or lose, to make things happen. How good it is to watch international players exhibiting so little fear, trusting their instincts and, where possible, having some fun.In rugby union, the same is presently true of Finn Russell and the now-injured Ange Capuozzo but not a whole heap of others. The orthodoxy, as underlined by the Wales v England game in Cardiff at the weekend,...