Autumn Internationals Week 2
What do England do differently to close out these tight games?
Look, I think whoever won that game (England vs New Zealand) was deserving of winning the game.
I don't think it was pretty. The All Blacks looked a little bit off the boil. England looked far more assertive.
It was a weird one. The All Blacks didn't have much ball, did they? England defended really well, but the door only needs a crack in it for the All Blacks to bust it wide open, and that’s what the All Blacks did with a bit of individual brilliance from Mark Telea and a couple of nice breaks.
I didn't think New Zealand looked overly threatening in general play, England had them contained for the most, but the sheer class and execution of taking their moments when on offer shows what a great side they are. Both teams were there or thereabouts, which is why the scoreline is fairly reflective of the performances.
I thought a draw would have been a fair result. But look, if England had kicked that goal at the end to secure the win, I think it would have been a huge result in terms of character as England stayed in the touch via the kicking tee which was a direct result of putting the all blacks under pressure with their defensive efforts.
Can England close out these tight games? Yes they can. The margins at the top of the game are so tight right now. That said, a positive way to look at not winning these close encounters is that in the timeline of progression these experiences are there to learn from to become a winning team. I know the team look at these types of experiences, learn as to why they’re on the wrong side of the result and how they can implement and improve to make sure it doesn’t happen again – It’s frustrating as a supporter because you want your team to win the whole time, right? if Ford doesn’t hit the sticks and nails the 3.. I wouldn’t have to write this last paragraph!
I think a win over New Zealand could have papered over a few cracks. I think there's still some big growth in the learning of the team and it will keep the team’s feet firmly on the ground knowing that they need to improve and be better.
What are the cracks you think that they need to fix then?
The intensity for 80 minutes. You need to recognise that the All Blacks weren't at their best, but the couple of chances that they had, they were very clinical.
And there's little things like when we're attacking, 22 meters out from their line and after five meters it got disbanded and turned over. Those are sort of moments when you work so hard to get into that point scoring zone and you come away with nothing without even putting a string of phases together or keeping the ball and building pressure and momentum. Those are small things we can work on.The losscan't be pinned on George Ford for hitting the sticks, but then the rugby gods smile favourably, and they give them a second chance to win the game in the form of the scrum under the sticks. That's where a really experienced or mature team would be able to close that game out.
You've literally got one shot at the end of the game, and you need to score a try or kick a goal or keep the ball long enough to build pressure and force the All Blacks to infringe to give away a penalty.
Then you've got a free shot at goal and three points guaranteed off the tee. I think that lack of composure, the scrum was under pressure, Harry Randall was under pressure, and it was almost, you know, shit slides downhill from that point..
I think they did everything they needed to do on the day and were a bit unlucky. It was also their first game, and they haven't played a season like the All Blacks have against teams like South Africa, Australia, Argentina.That was their first hit out, and I think they were at the races mentally and physically, which is typically a challenge in your opening game. The intensity was there.
We should never be happy with losing, but when the team apply themselves like they did, while playing with an inspiring intent and were ultimatley competitive. On another day it goes the other way. We have to keep the faith and enjoy the journey this young team are on.
Thoughts on England front row - now with Joe Marler retiring?
I love that! It's in true, classic Marler style his retirement. He’s gone out with a bang. He leaves camp, fires a few grenades at the media with his haka comments and essentially writes the cheques that the boys had to cash against the All Blacks, which I think is very Joe Marler.
He’s a great personality, a great character. He’s a very committed team mate.
He went in true Joe fashion, and he’s ever the entertainer. Obviously, there’s the other side to him, the hard competitor, the good team man. He’s a good man for the team environment, and he has contributed a hell of a lot to English rugby.
He’s a great character who is very much himself as well, which from day dot he overtly showed us.
I think there’s lots more to come from Joe after international rugby and what he can offer the game as a personality. Congratulations to Joe.
Any thoughts about the prospects of the England front row at the minute? We obviously saw Scrum struggle a little bit in the second half.
Yeah, but again, it's the progression of the team. Ellis Genge steps into that elder sort of statesman role, who's your starter. Then you're getting someone like a Fin Baxter. You're getting his game time. You're getting him exposed to the environment. You're getting him understanding what this is all about. At some point he'll push an Ellis Genge out the door and he'll become that guy.
It's happened a lot throughout the years. The progression of Joe Marler, Ellis Genge, there’s a lovely conveyor belt of talent that we keep bringing through. You've got Mani Iyogun at Northampton, he'll be knocking on that door at some point.
There's a lovely treadmill of talent that we've always had, and I think it's one of the best things about English rugby. We've got such depth of talent and the resource to develop that talent.
We all get frustrated because we want our favourite players playing. That’s why someone like a Joe Marler is pretty special because he’s got in and stayed there when there's always another player coming through. That’s a credit to his durability, I suppose, physically and mentally. Joe's been pretty open about the mental side of the game and for someone to just keep coming back and doing what he did. He's seen it all.
He will leave a hole in the squad, but it’s a brilliant opportunity for someone to step up and step into that void.
Who impressed?
There's a couple that stood out. There's the blockbuster stuff from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Chandler Cunningham South
George Martin will never get any headlines. He quietly just went about his work.
Praise to Maro Itoje, and it's been a while. There was a huge amount of hype (rightly so) on Maro for years, right? He's typically world class every week. I felt like Maro slipped into the background for a bit and became just an everyday sort of operator, still playing 7,8 out of 10 performances but as he become targeted and opposition aware, his performances were not as talked about. Against the All Blacks, I felt like Maro was back to being that Maro we talked about a few years ago.
He was menacing. He was physical. He was annoying. He got his hands on the ball. You don't see Maro with his hands on the ball too often. He had a measurable impact on the game So for an old horse within that group he had a spring in his step and played like the true leader he is.
Do you give Australia a chance on Saturday? What do you expect from them and how important is it they are competitive with Lions next year?
You can’t write off Aussie. They're competitive people. They're always going to compete.
In England, Australia is a pretty good sporting rivalry, right? So, you know it's going to be feisty and it's going to be good. You know the athlete that they field regardless of selection is going to be good.
They're going through a transition, but I think they're in a real good place. They've obviously been through some choppy seas, but smooth seas didn't make a good sailor.
I see them as a team. They've got a bit more stability.
Looking back at their results as well, lost to Argentina, lost to New Zealand, lost to South Africa. Then they beat Argentina, and they pushed New Zealand close. They've not been playing easy games.
If experience is a good teacher, then Aussie have been through a pretty hard school in the last few months building up to this.
I don’t think England are huge favourites here. I think this will be close. They battle hard and are ready to roll.
They've had lots of learnings, so they're chasing it. They're trying to improve every week and they're having hard games.
I reckon its set up for a pretty big game. I think everyone's been kicking Aussie rugby for the last few years. They haven't been as competitive as when I grew up. They were the old enemy for the All Blacks and it was fairly competitive.
For Aussie rugby, for the fair-weather supporter, I think they need reminding of how dangerous and how good Australia are. This tour is an opportunity for them to display they are no mugs, and they can still compete and knock a few people off.
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