England will supply the bulk of the Lions: 5 things we learned from Twickenham
England are odds on to win the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup after dismantling Ireland 18-7. Here the PA news agency examines five things we learned from a one-sided clash at Twickenham.
Battle of the finishers
Two superb tries by Jonny May – the second among the very best seen at Twickenham – lifted the electric wing to joint second in England’s all-time scoring list, just 18 behind Rory Underwood. They share similar strike rates of around a score every two games and at 30 years old, May has every chance of chasing down his predecessor in the number 11 jersey if he avoids serious injury.
The white wall
England turned defence into a offensive weapon through the sustained ferocity of their tackling. The statistics are remarkable – they made 238 hits to Ireland’s 72, with seven of them categorised as dominant. Irish runners made few dents on the line strung out before them and despite controlling territory and possession, they never looked remotely capable of winning. England have raised this element of their game to a new level.
Advantage Maro
Leading that staggering defensive effort was Maro Itoje, who made 24 tackles alone to edge May for the man-of-the-match award. The Saracens second row is always in the eye of the storm, his strength and high work rate marking him out as a player of towering influence. Once his leading rival for next year’s Lions series, James Ryan was mastered at Twickenham and the next assignment is Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones. Week by week Itoje mounts a compelling case to travel to South Africa as captain.
England building for Lions and World Cup
On current evidence England will provide the bulk of Warren Gatland’s tour party. Even with an entire Six Nations to be completed before selection is made, Jones’ team is populated with outstanding options at a time when the other home unions are in the doldrums. And England’s head coach will be looking towards the 2023 World Cup with confidence knowing that foundations for a strong challenge are already in place.
Uncertain times
Travelling in the opposite direction to the Six Nations champions are Ireland, a side in transition who fought manfully at Twickenham and finished strongly, but had already been beaten out of sight by the time they came alive in the final quarter. It has been a tough start to Andy Farrell’s reign as he rebuilds a team that bombed at last year’s World Cup. He says they are on a “completely different journey” to England and it is one that might take time to yield the desired results.
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Hi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
Go to commentsIn the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
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