This means that for all their bustle and hustle near the gain line, and their
ability to bump and go or cut back into traffic, they essentially do not
offer the outside break of an out-and-out 13.
Against the France of old this would have seriously limited attacking options.
The master of the outside break was Jeremy Guscott, and he always did well
against the defensive system France used to run.
Les Bleus would have three in midfield and drop wingers deep, freeing up space
for someone with real pace to attack their outside shoulder.
Today France do things differently. They cram the midfield, put scrum-halves
in the line, and push wingers up flat.
Their plan is to shut down real estate with big lumps, and their selection of
large men, as disappointing as this is for a lover of the French flair and
running rugby, points to their defensive plan.
This helps England’s backline. It means the French are vulnerable to a
cross-field kick, which England have exploited in the past, allowing them to
push and pull the defensive line and create space up the middle as cracks
appear.
At the same time, England’s centres are at their best when they are working in
tight spaces and heavy traffic. Cramped spaces suit them.
This is something that is often overlooked when we talk about Billy
Twelvetrees and the urge to turn him almost immediately into the complete
centre package.
There is no doubt he is a smart rugby player, and I love the fact that his
head is always up, constantly, watching the game, assessing his options. He
has a nice passing game, even if he is better from right to left; the ball
can drift off line when going back the other way.
Twelvetrees also kicks well enough to be an option for his nine, 10 and 15,
giving them an opportunity to move the point of attack and ease pressure.
His kicking and distribution are what got him selected, but he is also a
handful when he decides to run hard. Against Munster he looked very strong,
demanding the ball and taking on the opposition.
Rugby is about going forward and this is the key role for a 12. If you are in
doubt, then run a straight line, make some yards and start all over again.
Don’t drift, fuddle, or get caught in two minds. Especially when you have
someone winning their first cap outside of you.
Luther Burrell should have started a game in the autumn, and this would have
given him a chance to get used to international rugby in his more usual
position with a genuine 13 outside of him.
But hindsight is a wonderful thing for a pundit and it is better to deal with
the reality of today’s match. Burrell is the most dynamic gain line 12
England have; off the top line-outs, back on the angles from his fly half,
the bump and run style of 12; he is happy to take the space, ready and set
the frame, offset the tackler, nudge, win the initial hit, and dart away
using a shoulder or hand off to get momentum. That is what he does best, and
this is a classic 12’s role.
Burrell can make an outside shoulder break, however, it comes much tighter in
and is more physical than gliding. He is not great at the longer outside
arc, the chance for which comes after decoys and angled inside runners hold
the defence, allowing a player to float into the wider channels without ever
looking for contact.
Only by doing this can a team start asking questions of the defenders in the
wider channels, allowing your wings and full back to come alive as support
runners. Conrad Smith is outstanding at this, Jonathan Davies a class act,
Brian O’Driscoll was magnificent in his pomp.
England do not have the classic centres for this match. And yet this does not
mean that they do not have players with this skill elsewhere on the pitch.
They do. It is just that using them will require a willingness to adapt that
may not come very easily to a group of three-quarters many of whom are
getting their first taste of international rugby.
Early caps are often about survival, of getting used to the new pace and the
new intensity. Early on in their career, players can genuinely be blind to a
teammate’s issues during a match.
It is often a very personal experience. You want to make your mum and family
proud. You are desperate for air in your lungs, to make your first tackle,
execute your first carry. What the heck the guys next to you want or need
can be irrelevant.
If England’s new back line is to fire well from the get go, then they will
need to get on the same wavelength very quickly, and be very aware of each
other’s strengths and weaknesses.
At the same time they will have to adapt and shift on the move if they best
want to exploit all the skills and abilities they have on offer. When on the
offensive it will help England if their 12 and 13 ignore the numbers on
their backs.
Basically you want Burrell running and Twelvetrees passing. In attack they can
start wherever they want but as they approach the gain line Luther must find
himself closer to the big lads and Billy sliding in behind him as the option
to then release the width.
Another option would be Burrell coming from out wide to in, picking up the
inside shoulder straight off Owen Farrell. What England want to do is make
France deal with the unexpected.
Blend the charge up the middle and the use of width, mix up the combinations
of the players, play to strengths and understand weaknesses. Conserve the
space in the wide channels with the heavy threats, and fill the space late
with back three runners moving off decoys and physical threats.
England will need to find things that France will not have trained for and
play to England’s strengths. Early on in the game it would be fantastic if
the French midfield looked up and saw Twelvetrees at 10, Farrell at 12, Mike
Brown at 13, with Burrell tucked in behind. Their weeks of analysis would
suddenly look a bit thin.
Even if it does not work perfectly first time, England would have sowed the
seeds of doubt and anything that unsettles the opposition could prove to be
the deciding factor in Saturday’s match, opening up gaps and stretching
defences.
With his selections, Lancaster has proven he is not afraid to gamble.
His team now have to respond by being brave enough to go all in and make sure
that the feeling of shock does not just end with the team announcement but
carries all the way through the game.
Will
Greenwood’s Six Nations webchat, live at 4pm
Six Nations 2014: England"s bold backline selection against France born out of ...
No comments:
Post a Comment