Six Nations Breakdown - Round 3

Well, another round down, and another step towards the Grand Slam for England, another skip towards redemption for the Welsh and the Scots, and another leap into a parallel universe for Saint-Andre's tactical decision making.  The three matches over the weekend had it all - blood (in the shape of Manu Tuilagi's semi-detached ear), sweat (all that hair from Castrogionvanni and Jones in the Italian-Welsh scrum must get stifling) and tears (from any French supporter as Frederic Michalak replaced Francois Trinh-Duc).

 

So, before we are deafened by the sound of French wailing, let's take a look at who flopped and who came up trumps this weekend...

 

Italy

What happened?

Everyone was wandering if we were going to see the Italian side from the first week or the second week against Wales and, unfortunately for the home fans, it was the latter.  The Italians seem to have lost some confidence and struggled in horrendous conditions in Rome, playing without pace – drifting sideways with a flat attacking line that was about as threatening as wet sponge.  Even in the set piece, where the Azzurri would have hoped to have gained the upper hand, they were under the cosh.  Although they ended up with an even count of scrum penalties, don't let that fool you – Wales were dominant, with Lo Cicero enduring a torrid time on his 101st cap and Castrogiovanni not faring much better, receiving a yellow card for his efforts.  In the backs, fly half Kris Burton looked lost at times, but in fairness he was given very few options by his centres or back row.  The positives?  Defensively the Italians were largely solid, but they themselves were rarely threatened it monsoon-like conditions that stifled any thoughts of attacking rugby.

The Winners

·         Andrea Masi – once again the pick of the backs for the Italians.  Aggressive and direct, he made yards whenever he had the ball and played with passion throughout.

·         Manoa Vosawai – the big number 8 had some big shoes to fill in Parisse's absence, but gave a strong account of himself with a number of strong carries, despite his handling not being quite up to scratch.

The Losers

·         Andrea Lo Cicero – The veteran prop was smashed in the scrum in a way he probably hasn't experienced since he was a teenager.  Maybe age is finally catching up with him.

·         Kris Burton – Although not helped by those outside him, Burton cut a striking resemblance to a rabbit in headlights against Wales, not knowing when to kick or when to prance around in front of an onrushing defence

·         Sergio Parisse – The inspirational captain was a huge loss to the Italians after he was caught swearing at the referee (allegedly) in English during a Top 14 game – see below.  He may have to learn Swahili if he doesn't want to get noticed in the future.

What's Next?

The Italian Job doesn't get any easier as they travel to Twickenham to take on an England side who have got into the habit of winning.  There won't be a huge amount of expectation within the team, but hopefully coach Jacques Brunel will use this as an opportunity for the Italians to try and be more adventurous.  Their defence was reasonably solid against the Welsh – one fluke try and another conceded when down to 14 men were their only line breaches – but it was their attack that let them down.  Once again, as against Scotland, they had the lion's share of possession (56%) and territory (58%) but didn't do anything useful with it, drifting laterally on slow ball.  Against England the back row needs to be far more aggressive on the clear out to ensure quick ball and, when they have that, they may as well chuck it about a bit – they have nothing to lose, and who knows, they might stumble on a winning formula, especially with the likes of Masi, Benvenutti and Venditti lurking out wide, just waiting to get the ball into space.

Wales

What happened?

Well, it wasn’t the scintillating display of “total rugby” that Welsh fans may have been hoping for, following their pressure-releasing victory over France – but it was a win.  The fact that barely 3 passes were strung together before someone dropped it or fell over was both irrelevant and understandable, given that conditions in Rome were less Mediterranean and more Merthyr Tydfil.  In one sense, that should have helped the visitors, but there were plenty of positives regardless of the handling problems for the men in red – the scrum was surprisingly dominant, the defence was rock solid and their kicking game was, for the most part, very accurate.  And in conditions like that, they were three very important positives to take.  Although they created little, aside from a well-worked try for Alex Cuthbert, it’s difficult to point it out as a negative as flinging the ball about in that rain would have been as helpful as installing a condom machine in the Vatican.

The Winners

·         Adam Jones – I’ve been critical of the half man/half yeti, but he turned in a dominant scrummaging performance of old here. Take a look at his dismantling of Lo Cicero below.  Would still like to see him put himself about more in the loose, but certainly made up some ground on Dan Cole on Saturday.

·         Gethin Jenkins – Awesome performance from the Toulon man.  Massive performance against Castrogiovanni, he also helped his side defensively with a couple of technically perfect turnovers

·         Ryan Jones – 6 Months ago, he was nowhere near the Lions plane – now he’s being mentioned as a potential starter.  Nothing flash, just hard graft in the rain.  Made his tackles and safe in the carry; exactly what was needed.

The Losers

·         Jamie Roberts – This was the kind of game that the big man should have excelled in, but it’s hard to recall a moment when he didn’t drop the ball.  A big game from the centre is long overdue.

·         Jonathan Davies – OK, I know he’s not a commentator by trade, he’s an analyst, but I am still in disbelief at how bad he was when he took over from the chunder-struck Andrew Cotter.  Miserable, high-pitched and incredibly, incredibly biased, it was a venomous cocktail for the ears.

What’s next?

With the revival bang on track, the Welsh will head up to Murrayfield with a healthy amount of confidence – but they’ll be facing an equally confident Scottish outfit in what is already looking like it could be a cracker of a match.  Howley has some interesting selection decisions to make – is this the time to bring back Sam Warburton, and what about Alun Wynn Jones?  I would suggest yes to both.  Now confidence is up in the team, it will be easier for Warburton to lead and stamp his undoubted class on proceedings.  Attacking play is also a bit of an unknown – against France, they were stifled by a lack of confidence, and against Italy they were restricted by the weather.  It will be interesting to see what  they can conjure in decent conditions – hopefully they will be able to bring their powerhouse wings, North and Cuthbert, into the game more.

 

England

What happened?

For the first time this championship, England didn’t really play well enough to have the English press gushing with effusive praise.  Instead, now, they are just gushing about how a Grand Slam is now well and truly on the cards and, in doing so, have almost guaranteed a battering at the hands of the Welsh at the Millennium Stadium.  Still, a win is a win, and a decent one considering this was a French side which looked a far coherent and aggressive outfit.  England have been used to beating other sides in the loose through speed and aggression – simply running other sides off the park – but the French fought fire with fire and, for 50 minutes, were probably edging it.  At just 12-10 to England, the game could have gone either way, but Saint Lancaster intervened with some shrewd substitutions and the increased tempo took the game away from Les Bleus, allowing England to come away with a semi-comfortable win.  The positives?  Manu Tuilagi looked back to his best in his first start since the All Blacks game, and Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood seriously underlined their Lions credentials once again.  The main losers are listed underneath, but check out the video below of Tuilagi’s try to see Mike Brown take the semi-loser spot.  Have you ever seen someone look more miserable at seeing a teammate score...I think he may have wanted the ball himself...

The Winners

·         Chris Robshaw – I have watched every game this Six Nations and I cannot recall one mistake.  The dodgy captaincy decisions seem a lifetime ago now.  He a quick thinker and a quiet leader, and has now delivered 3 excellent performances this tournament.

·         Manu Tuilagi – Effectively made Bastareaud his b*tch.  Walked all over him, twice, and then showed great hands to pick up a ball of his boot straps and surprising acceleration to leave Vincent Clerc for dead.

·         Stuart Lancaster – Smart substitutions at smart times.  Has absolute conviction in all that he does.  He made a call starting Lawes at 6 that didn’t work, so he brought Haskell on.  Tom Youngs and Vunipola were particularly impressive when they entered the fray, whilst Danny Care and Toby Flood both came on at the right time to maintain the tempo.  Smooth move, Stu.

The Losers

·         Courtney Lawes – Obviously wanted to make a big impression, but the only impression he did was one of a headless chicken on pro-plus.  Ran around, looking to smash people, and missed most of the time, which gave the French impetus and set Fofana on his way for his try.

·         Chris Ashton – When did he forget how to tackle? I swear he was never this bad before?  His first miss on Fofana was simply down to a lack of commitment.  Has to sit down and revaluate what he wants to prove in an England shirt.

·         Owen Farrell – Ok, he didn’t play that badly, but I personally hated some of the gobby stuff he got involved with – it just looked pathetic.  People say, “Oo, that’s his competitive edge”.  Jonny Wilkinson in his younger days was probably the most competitive bloke around and he didn’t get involved in any of that – he just smashed the living daylights out of people.  Do that instead, Faz.

What’s next

A home game against Italy should, with all due respect to the Italians, represent their easiest challenge so far.  The Italians don’t travel particularly well but can always make life difficult, so Lancaster will have to ensure his team are ready to fly into the breakdown again with the same intensity of their first two games.  He’ll also have to decide between keeping the bulk of the side the same for continuity, with Wales coming up the following week, or make changes to give the players a rest.  I reckon he should stick with the former, aside from bringing back Ben Morgan if fit and also perhaps giving Twelvetrees and Tuilagi a run out in the centres – Barritt certainly deserves a couple of weeks off after some rock-solid performances.  The key is to keep the side confident and cohesive as they approach the final two games – so expect to see more of the same from England.

France

What happened?

Well, finally Philippe Saint-Andre picked his best players in their best positions and, lo and behold, the French turned in their best performance of the Championship so far.  For the first 50 minutes they matched, if not edged England, in the breakdown and were relentlessly physical.  But then Saint-Andre ruined it all, taking off the excellent Parra, Domingo, Trinh-Duc and Kayser and replacing them with players who just couldn’t maintain the high levels of intensity that had been set.  Coupled to this was the ineffectual way they dealt with slow ball throughout the match – going backwards 20 metres before eventually deciding to kick it – but some aspects did show up well.  Picamoles but in another titanic display whilst Fofana scored a mesmeric try that the great Serge Blanco would have been proud of.  Now Saint-Andre just has to remember to keep his best players on the field...

The Winners

·         Louis Picamoles – epic in defence and attacks.  Some huge carries but also cut several Englishmen in half with massive hits. Good to see him show what he's capable of on the international stage (check out his tribute below).

·         Morgan Parra – the ‘little general’ directed his pack well in the first half and seemed to be having a reasonable day with the boot before Michalak was inexplicably thrust on to take over kicking duties.

·         Wesley Fofana – Although he was mainly quiet, that try was just poor class.  Sure, we can point the finger and some pretty wet tackling, but the shimmy, the acceleration, the hand offs and the pace were a joy to behold.  Jeremy Guscott was positively swooning afterwards.

The Losers

·         Matheiu Bastareaud – Brought in to do a job on Tuilagi, but ended up as a doormat for most of the game.  When he had the ball, he either spilt it or was gang-tackled by group of ravenous English defenders.

·         Philippe Saint-Andre – Again.  I’m not an international coach but can anyone explain what is going through his mind when he brings off the calm Trinh-Duc and excellent front rowers Thomas Domingo and Benjamin Kayser?  They weren’t chasing the game, but by making irrational substitutions, he just caused panic.

·         Morgan Parra – Don't ever, ever dive around on the rugby pitch clutching your face again.  It’s an embarrassment for you and your country.

What’s next?

Well, now the French are on their worst run in the 5/6 Nations since the 50s, they have the small task of going to Dublin to take on the Irish.  It’s difficult to see how the French can bounce back from this, but Saint-Andre could start by picking the same team that pressurised the English and making sure he keeps his best performing players on.  Makes sense, right?  After that, he should just leave it to the players – there is enough class out there to get a win against a fragile Irish side and they will be working on their pressure defence this week – whether the Irish start Jackson or O’Gara, they are both prone to crumbling under the close attentions of hungry back row forwards.

Scotland

What happened?

A victory for the Scots against the Irish in one of the most one-sided contests between two ‘top-tier’ sides in recent memory.  The only problem was that they were the side getting spanked for most of the game.  They ended a first half on just 25% possession and 14% territory, and yet were only 3 points down at the break.  It looked ominous when they conceded a try at the start of the 2^nd half, but somehow, in a tenacious way that the Scots excel at, they dragged themselves back into the game through a potent mixture of powerful forward play, accurate goal kicking and er...Ronan O’Gara, who aided the recovery with some bizarre decision making for the visitors.  The Scottish scramble defence, resilience and forward power later on in the game were all there to view in abundance, but there must be concerns about how little possession and territory the Scottish team has been living off in their first 3 games.  A more clinical side could, potentially, give them the hiding their stats deserve.

The Winners

·         Ryan Grant – Strong work in the scrum (see below) and massive work in the loose, making a superb 15 tackles, missing none.  Threw his hat into the ring for Lions selection.

·         Kelly Brown – Another powerful performance from the bloodied skipper.  Making 20 tackles, the Scottish captain was a barrier that the Irish just could not break down.  Special mention to big Jim Hamilton as well for an equally big performance.

·         Greg Laidlaw – He might not be flash, but he sure is reliable.  Took the points every time they were on offer, and in this game, that was the key.

The Losers

·         The centres – Not because they necessarily played badly, but because Matt Scott and Sean Lamont barely touched the ball for 80 minutes and must, quite frankly, have got bored.

·         First half Scotland – What a terrible performance.  Not only did they not get out of their own half, but they were just plain lucky that they came up against an Irish side who couldn’t finish a Sunday dinner

What’s next?

A tantalising home tie against the Welsh beckons, and at Murrayfield, the Scots will be quietly confident.  They should, however, be concerned that they don’t seem to be able to maintain any sort of useful possession at the moment, and a lot of their tries have come from breakaways.  Scott Johnson and Dean Ryan have to find away to get their pack more effective on the opposition ball – picking their moments to pile in and secure the turnovers.  At the moment, they seem content to just let the opposition go through the phases, but that won’t work against the more accurate teams.  It still seems a waste for the back 3 that Scotland possess to go without any quick ball – the forwards will need to make sure they work to provide that against Wales.

Ireland

What happened?

This was the question on everyone’s lips after the game at Murrayfield.  How the hell did a side so dominant in terms of possession, territory, line breaks, defenders beaten and metres made get turned over?  It was as if, after making so many breaks in the first 20 minutes, they thought the game was already won, without recalling that you actually have to get the ball over the line for any of your endeavours to count for anything.  Aside from the finishing, the Irish did have some positives – their backplay was finding holes even without Sexton and D’Arcy, the carrying around the fringes was effective and Luke Marshall looks like he could genuinely contend for the green 12 shirt.  All that was not enough though to cover for the fact that their place kicking was poor, their execution and decision making poorer, their set piece unreliable and worst of all, their leaders conspicuous by their absence when they were needed the most.

The Winners

·         Luke Marshall – Decent debut when all is said and done.  A couple of great breaks early on and looked very lively, although his pass to Gilroy butchered a try.

·         Sean O’Brien – A standout in an average Irish pack once more, a great break led to Gilroy’s try; although he needs to curb his lateral running at times

The Losers

·         Rory Best – Struggled in the lineout which cost the men in green valuable position time and again.

·         Paddy Jackson – Harsh on his debut, but in the cold light of day, his missed kicks cost his side dear – and they were ones he would have got for Ulster.

·         Brian O’Driscoll – With two debutants inside him, he should have stepped in when things weren’t going their way.  Instead, he was virtually anonymous and was well shackled throughout.

·         Ronan O’Gara – Absolute madness.  His contribution, when he was required to bring calmness to proceedings, was to scuff a questionable cross field kick 30 metres from his own line straight into the hands of Tim Visser, and then to launch an impossible pass at Luke Marshall when the Irish had a try scoring chance at the death.

What’s Next

The Irish have perhaps the perfect antidote to their blues – Les Bleus.  The French are coming to town in less than a fortnight and coach Declan Kidney will need to ensure that his side work on the basics this week – support play, handling, set piece etc.  Too many times these skills were notably lacking at key times – such as when Keith Earls broke down the left and ignored the open O’Driscoll on his inside shoulder.  Kidney also has several selection dilemmas: with Sexton unlikely to be fit, does he still stick with young Jackson after his shakey start?  O’Gara didn’t suggest he’d be any more solid.  Does he keep O’Callaghan in to combat the feisty French pack?  This may be a game the Munster veteran would excel in, so he can also expect to keep his place.  The Irish coaches will be hoping for accuracy – the Irish fans will just be hoping for a win.