The priority for every club will, of course, be silverware but they will also
be thinking: ‘Are we putting the right blocks in place to put our potential England
players into the squad?’
As for you the spectator, I am sure that every game you watch from now when
there are potential World Cup players involved, you will already be making
an assessment about where you think they are. Stuart Lancaster, as head
coach of the host side, will be watching all of this intently. It is a year
to go and in preparation terms for him it is about marrying everything so
that in the first match against Fiji on Sept 18 next year the selection and
pecking order are completely sorted.
But what is so good for him is that there is currently the strongest
relationship between the club directors of rugby and the England coach that
there has ever been. Two years ago Lancaster would never have got away with
delaying the naming of his Elite Player Squad until October, as he is doing
now. It shows what a good working relationship he has built up and the trust
involved on both sides.
There will be times when England players need resting, outside of the EPS
agreement, and, with the relationship there is, you suspect that will happen
without any problems.
The likes of Mark McCall at Saracens and Conor O’Shea at Harlequins are
already excellent at this.
But if England are to do well at the World Cup that relationship between the
DORs and Lancaster is critical. The delayed naming of that EPS squad means
that Lancaster has got the rare chance to look at players’ early-season form
and make some crucial decisions. It is the start of the process that will
end with World Cup selection.
There are some absorbing dilemmas. There are now five options at fly-half. A
year ago no one was sure who the backup could be to Owen Farrell. Now you
have Danny Cipriani, Freddie Burns, George Ford and Stephen Myler all
pushing.
Farrell is undoubtedly the No 1, but it will be intriguing to see whether as
backup Lancaster goes for someone similar in being able to control the game
– Myler or Ford – or someone who can change a game, such as Cipriani or
Burns.
It is going to be fascinating to see what happens at inside centre. Manu
Tuilagi will probably be at 13 but in a World Cup context Billy Twelvetrees
has still got to show that he can do it on the big occasion and on a regular
basis. Then you have got Luther Burrell, who plays at 12 for Northampton but
played at 13 for England last season. And do not forget Brad Barritt, who
has significant experience at 12.
It is a question of asking ‘who puts our game on the field in the best way?’
And that game is not merely about copying New Zealand. It is no good saying
that the team is not fit enough to play New Zealand at their game.
You just have to be really assured about the game you play. If you get that
right, then, whoever you play, you will be a problem for them. It is about
not falling into a trap, as England did in the 1991 World Cup final of
playing a game that does not suit you.
The wing places are up for grabs, too. I like Marland Yarde at Harlequins,
even if he has to improve his defensive awareness. Then you have Anthony
Watson, Chris Ashton, Jack Nowell and Jonny May, all of whom can push their
cases.
Lancaster always pays attention to form and rewards it, and the players know
that.
The other area England need to sort out is the work of the back row at the
breakdown. The fact is that they do not achieve a huge amount of turnovers.
Chris Robshaw tackles and then goes for the ball but just does not get those
turnovers very often.
Should they do what New Zealand and Australia are now doing, which is make
sure that the real challenge for the ball is made by the second man to the
breakdown? What they do is that the first man tries to win the space beyond
the tackle by clearing the man. England do not do this at the moment on a
regular enough basis.
In my view there is no point talking about a scavenging openside flanker these
days. It is a job that has to be done with someone else.
It has to be a hunt done in pairs. New Zealand’s Richie McCaw and Australia’s
Michael Hooper do not get turnovers through their own work, alone. They do
it with another back-rower or another player at contact.
Everybody is talking about Steffon Armitage but most of the turnovers he gets
are when he is out in the backs and he is second man in at the breakdown.
To me Robshaw would be ideal at clearing the man and the space, maybe leaving
Tom Wood to come behind him to contest the ball. With the World Cup looming,
it is something that England must make a decision on quickly.
——————————————————————————————
At long last, I have made my acting debut. It might not quite be Hollywood,
but I was thrilled to be asked to take part in the two-minute film, called
‘Too Big to Miss’, which has been used to begin the World Cup ticketing
campaign. It was filmed at Twickenham and involves some rousing words from
‘Game of Thrones’ actor Charles Dance.
I thought it was very well done. You think it is just a team talk to the
players and then it becomes a talk to everyone who is helping put on the
tournament.
Many of today’s players were involved, including Alex Corbisiero, Dylan
Hartley, Joe Launchbury and Tom Wood from England, George North, Adam and
Alun-Wyn Jones from Wales. But there were also former players such as Martin
Johnson, Will Greenwood, Lawrence Dallaglio and Serge Betsen, plus
groundsmen, kit men, referees, mascots and fans.
It took three days, with different groups coming in on different days. It
certainly fuelled my excitement and apparently it has attracted a huge
number of internet hits.
- Mick
Cleary: Analysing England’s fight for places
- Mick
Cleary: The 10 key questions for the new season
- Austin
Healey: Five big signings who can make a splash
Article source: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/brilliant-ireland-cruise-into-world-cup-semifinals-30495477.html
England still need to master key skills before 2015 Rugby World Cup, says Sir ...
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