Revenge is a dish best served cold, apparently. The "R" word was banded about with
glee by the media prior to Sunday's fixture, despite the fairly unconvincing
assertion from the England management that the term certainly wasn't on English
minds. But for many, the wound of the 30
– 3 humiliation in Cardiff is still fresh.
A time when, in the eyes of Welsh coach Warren Gatland, the Welsh 'men'
walked all over the English 'boys'. It
was a game which turned certain players from guaranteed Lions starters to extended
summer holiday-makers. Revenge was very
much in the hearts and minds of everyone in white on Sunday at Twickenham, as
their nemeses arrived in West London.
The arriving Welsh certainly looked – on paper – no less
formidable than they did 12 months ago.
The starting line-up alone contained 12 Test Lions, 11 of whom had been
capped on the tour to Australia last season.
This was a side who could, with sincerity, put forward at least 5
players with a realistic shot at making it into a "World XV" –
probably the only Northern Hemisphere nation to do so. However, there were cracks beginning to
emerge. An unconvincing win at home
against Italy, a thrashing in Dublin and a win against an abysmal French outfit
raised more questions than answers and demonstrated that perhaps teams were
becoming accustomed to Warren Gatland's never-wavering tactics of sending big
runners into the heart of teams defences.
England meanwhile, have played with promise and verve and,
despite a freak opening loss to France, have looked a far more rounded and
confident side than they did 12 months ago.
With everybody's favourite chav, Mike Brown, in the form of his life and
the likes of Danny Care, Joe Launchbury and Chris Robshaw putting in
consistently strong displays, there was an argument that they were the form
team in the tournament. Gatland,
however, cast doubt prior to the game on whether these boys really had become
men in the last 12 months.
It was England, though, who made the first statement in the glorious March sunshine. After the hosts conceded an early penalty at the scrum, Rhys Webb fired a poor pass to Jamie Roberts and Mike Brown countered, beating 3 defenders from deep. Danny Care then took a quick tap from a penalty to build momentum before big prop David Wilson barrelled onto Billy Twelvetrees’ pass, breaking through the tackles of Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins and offloading to Chris Robshaw, with the England captain getting to within 3 metres of the line before being hauled down by Sam Warburton. Despite failing to score with a gaping overlap on the right, after an offside Richard Hibbard had blocked the pass, England were awarded a penalty for their troubles. The Welsh pack turned their back and walked back to the line, awaiting the inevitable 3 points from the boot of Owen Farrell. Instead, they were met by the sound of Twickenham roaring its approval as Danny Care spotted the easy opportunity to tap, dart, and score. It was quick thinking by England’s 9 but abysmal stuff from the Welsh. In front of Care, 3 Test Lions – Lydiate, Faletau and Hibbard – were walking back to their line with their backs to the scrum half: not only was this a basic mistake you get drilled out of you by gruff, moustached coaches at school level, this was just plain thick by the trio. It effectively invited a 5 pointer for the Harlequins man, that soon became 7, after Farrell’s conversion.
The reigning Champions, though, are full of experienced,
winning players, and sought to strike back immediately. They got their chance when Lawes was pinged
for getting back to his feet after a tackle as England looked to run the ball
out of defence. Leigh Halfpenny slotted
the 3 points, but it was England and, most notably and almost predictably, Mike
Brown who were causing all the headaches, dancing through tackles and crunching
over the gainline. Wales, on the other
hand, were having trouble putting together phases without making mistakes under
pressure, but when they managed it they at least looked dangerous. A Jonathan Davies step and offload found
George North, and the big winger ignored the free Lydiate outside of him to try
and chip ahead. It was a bizarre
decision for someone of North’s ability, and as Farrell watched the ball bounce
harmlessly into touch, you wondered how significant that miss might be.
Farrell soon punished the Welsh wastefulness with a
well-struck kick from 42 metres after Gethin Jenkins was penalised for driving
in at an angle at a scrum, before Halfpenny responded in kind after England
were pinged at a ruck. Barely 20 minutes
were gone, and the score was already 10 – 6 and, although the points may have
been struck in a to-and-fro manner, it was the English who were looking in
control of proceedings, despite allowing Halfpenny to keep his side in touching
distance. The kicking game, in
particular, was one-sided, with Priestland especially guilty of handing the
ball back to the dangerous England back 3 with next to no chasers following up,
whilst Farrell, Brown and even Nowell were finding field position and touch
with some absolute pearlers out of hand.
Farrell took advantage with another penalty after Webb was penalised for
not rolling away, but once again Halfpenny struck back with his own penalty
after good work by Jenkins at the ruck.
That came after Webb had put Roberts into a gap for a promising break,
only for Davies to hopelessly miscue another attempted kick into English hands.
Finally, though, the hosts found the breathing space their
play had deserved. After Farrell had
planted a delightful kick into the Welsh corner, the men in red made a hash of
the lineout and, after Johnny May had stepped inside and charged to within 5
metres of the line, Twelvetrees threaded a delightful kick through for Luther
Burrell to gather and touch down for his third try in just his fourth
international. I, along with several
others – including Mike Brown – found myself shouting “Why?!” as the
curly-locked centre put boot to ball so close to the line, but the Gloucester
man answered with a resoundingly and deservedly smug “That’s why”, with a
perfectly weighted grubber. If you're
going to kick that close to the try-line, that's the way to do it. Farrell nailed the conversion from out wide,
and suddenly England had an 11 point cushion.
Was this going to be a perfect reverse of that emphatic Cardiff
scoreline?
Unfortunately, the men in white let themselves down in the
last 5 minutes of the half as they tried to see the game out to half time, when
they had no need to do so, by conceding two penalties for the faultless
Halfpenny to convert. They were both
conceded by Dylan Hartley – the first a completely brainless dive off his feet
in a ruck when his side were comfortably dealing with the Welsh attack, and the
second a slightly unlucky offside call for catching a ball following a knock on
by May, who had spilt the ball under huge pressure from Roberts. It was disappointing by the England hooker,
and disappointing for England, who must have felt like they should have been
further ahead as the sides went in for half time. Instead this Welsh side had showed guts, even
if not inventiveness nor execution, and coolness personified in the shape of
Leigh Halfpenny, to keep themselves very much in the game at 20 – 15.
And it looked as if England's first-half indiscipline may
cost them early on in the second period, as the visitors finally put George
North into space – the big winger powered passed Nowell but his inside pass
failed to find Leigh Halfpenny, who in any event, was well marked. It was a warning though, and England
responded in the best possible way, winning a penalty at the scrum after Rhys Priestland
had dropped a high ball under minimal pressure.
Once again, Jenkins was the guilty party, with Roman Poite deeming him
to be driving in at an angle, and captain Sam Warburton received a stern
warning about the Blues' prop's future conduct.
Farrell was once again in perfect form with the boot to add another long
range penalty to extend England's lead.
Wales were now looking bereft of ideas. After 50 minutes Cuthbert and Faletau finally
got their hands on the ball and made an immediate impact, leading a charge up
the middle of the field with Priestland and Halfpenny in support. But the hosts' defence was so quick to
realign, so calm under the relative pressure, that when the ball came out to
renowned runner Jamie Roberts, his first decision was to attempt a
"Twelvetrees", grubbering the kick through behind the English
defence. Unfortunately for the men in
red, the attempted grubber was about as subtle as Roberts' jawline, and Farrell
read and dealt with the kick through with real ease.
England, meanwhile, despite not enjoying the possession or
territory they had in the first half, still looked the more threatening side,
and when Jack Nowell broke free from a ruck and charged up field, there was a
moment when you wondered whether the England winger should have backed himself
in a footrace with Alex Cuthbert, instead of stepping inside. The move broke down but, after Wales had
knocked the ball on, Jenkins was penalised yet again for driving in sideways
and was sent to the bin for his troubles.
How Jenkins could look as incredulous as he did is beyond me – even whilst
taking into account the fact that he usually looks angry – as this was one of
the most obvious scrum-based yellow cards I've seen, driving in at 90 degrees
before the ball was even put in. It was
another example of a senior player losing their cool. Farrell, however, was certainly not losing
his, and slammed over his 4th penalty to take the score to 26 – 15.
Halfpenny – a shining light in otherwise error-strewn
backline – responded in kind with his 6th penalty after Hartley had been
penalised yet again, this time for a tackle in the air. It was the 3rd kickable penalty the Saints
captain had conceded, and none of them could be deemed as forced. Once again, however, it was tit-for-tat as
Farrell stroked over another 3 points as Jonathan Davies was penalised for
using his hands in a ruck.
The last quarter of the match may have passed without a
further score, but it certainly didn't pass without incident. England continued to look comfortable with
Wales' attacking game, and one turnover nearly led to one of the tries of the
tournament, with Twelvetrees setting Burrell, Nowell and then Lawes free on the
right, with the England second row providing a glorious offload to Burrell to
give his Northampton teammate a run to the corner. It looked for all the money in the world that
he would get in for his 4th try in his 4th game, but he was undone by heroic
defence by Halfpenny, who clattered him into touch a metre from the line. The Welsh fullback unfortunately dislocated
his shoulder in the process – another example of the smallest man of the team
putting his body on the line for his side's cause.
The only regret, though, for England, was that they failed
to add further gloss to the scoreline, as they fluffed two opportunities close
to the Welsh line in the dying minutes after substitute Mako Vunipola had made
good yardage. The Welsh tried running
the ball from deep, but were met with ferocious defence to the end – from man
of the match Lawes and substitute Tom Youngs in particular – and the final
whistle blew with the score settled at 29 – 18.
Score settled being an appropriate term to use, as a year of hurt
following their humiliation in Cardiff finally left the shoulders of the
English players.
If anything, the margin of that victory, although
comfortable, should have been greater.
But England will rue that another day, because for now the focus was on
another great Twickenham win against another strong crowd. The teams had been evenly split in terms of
possession, but the hosts made 45% more metres with the ball in hand than their
counterparts (596 to 430) – a statistic indicative of a poor Welsh kicking game
which allowed runners to carry the ball back without pressure, and one that
echoed the dominance the men in white enjoyed in the contact area. The visitors remain a team stuffed full with
talent and experience – this loss doesn't change that – but what this loss does
highlight is the fact that their kicking game is sub-par, and has been for a
while, and that there is a limited ability to change tactics when "Plan
A" doesn't work.
England, though, can reflect on another performance full of
promise. They showed they have the
ability and the confidence to play an all court game, and with the likes of Dan
Cole, Geoff Parling, Billy Vunipola, Tom Croft, Manu Tuilagi, Christian Wade
and Marland Yarde all still to come back to full fitness – and all players who,
if form permits, can only add to the strength of the squad. This is an exciting time for English rugby; a
time where lessons almost a decade old appear to have been learned.
What Sunday told us though, is that revenge is actually a
dish best served in pleasantly warm spring sunshine.
Mike Brown – 8 – Once again the Quins man was England’s most
dangerous runner, constantly making yards and kicking intelligently as
well. Best fullback in Europe at the
moment? Definitely, on this evidence.
Jack Nowell – 7 – His best game in an England jersey. Kicked with far more precision and made one
great break. Dealt with North pretty
well overall but will be disappointed with one missed tackle.
Luther Burrell – 8 – Arguably should have scored in the
second half but his awareness for the first try was top notch. Displayed lovely hands and tackled hard
thoughout. Growing in confidence with
every game.
Billy Twelvetrees – 8 – Another to have his best game in a
white shirt. His passing was very slick
and his kicking game, after the first quarter, was accurate. Defensively superb as well, rushing up and
hitting Roberts early every time.
Johnny May – 6 – I just can’t make my mind up about
him. The headless chicken act often
creates space, but also often lands him in trouble. Needs to have conviction in his abilities and
decisions.
Owen Farrell – 8 – Again, arguably his best display. His kicking from hand and from the tee was
almost flawless, and he varied the attack nicely as well. Growing into a real “Test match animal”.
Danny Care – 8 – Scored from the equivalent of an open goal
situation in the first 5 minutes, but his awareness and speed of thought
injects real pace into the England attack.
Passing game greatly improved as well.
Joe Marler – 7 – A sweet day for the Harlequins prop, as he
just about shaded a scrum battle with Adam Jones, who destroyed him last
year. A big defensive input as well.
Dylan Hartley – 5 – To my mind, the only bloke to finish
with a black mark by his name. He was
responsible for 9 of Wales’ 15 points and most of them were fairly brainless
penalties to give away. Didn’t see him
carrying at all, either.
David Wilson – 7 – Stayed straight in the scrum and forced
Jenkins to come in at an angle, which gave England the upper hand in the set
piece. Great trundle in the first half,
too.
Joe Launchbury – 8 – His work the at the breakdown was
superb and the amount the amount of ground he covered in defence was
astonishing. Just an absolute workhorse.
Courtney Lawes – 9 – A near perfect display. Strong in the lineout, rib-crackingly tough
in defence, quick out of the line and even surprisingly deft with the ball in
hand, Lawes cemented his reputation as a world-class lock. Man of the match.
Tom Wood – 8 – His best display of the Six Nations. He was everywhere in defence, topping the
England tackle charts and was a constant pest at the breakdown. I like his new beard, too.
Chris Robshaw – 7 – Not at his most impressive, but the
England captain still led by example by playing with energy and intelligence
throughout. Never gave the Welsh
breakdown a chance to settle.
Ben Morgan – 8 – On first viewing I thought he was merely
solid, but then I watched again and realised that the Gloucester man was a key
link in the England attack, passing like a centre and making yards when
required. His control at the back of the
scrum and work in defence was exemplary, as well.
Subs Used
Tom Youngs – 6 – An impressive cameo, making a couple of
huge hits in defence as the game wore on.
Mako Vunipola – 6 – Like Youngs, made a positive impact
during the short time he was on, despite struggling in the first scrum. Carried strongly.
Henry Thomas – Not enough time to make an impact.
Dave Attwood – Not enough time to make an impact.
Tom Johnson – Not enough time to make an impact.
Lee Dickson – Not enough time to make an impact.
George Ford – Not enough time to make an impact.
Alex Goode – Not enough time to make an impact.
Leigh Halfpenny – 8 – Wales’ best back by a long
stretch. Outplayed in an attacking sense
by his opposite number but his goalkicking was flawless and defence was heroic
to the point it was detrimental to his health.
Alex Cuthbert – 5 – Was anonymous in the first half and a
couple of half-breaks in the second period couldn’t hide a quiet day at the
office. Misses too many tackles for a
big guy too.
Jonathan Davies – 6 – The Lions centre was undoubtedly
rusty, and a couple of handling errors showed he wasn’t quite up to the
pace. A couple of moments of class,
including one offload to North, still showed his worth to the side.
Jamie Roberts – 5 – Two words – shut down. Didn’t get a metre’s space and ruined a great
attacking opportunity with a poorly struck grubber kick.
George North – 5 – Really hit and miss from the big
winger. A couple of powerful runs
demonstrated his ability but decision making and handling at crucial times let
him down. Owes Dan Lydiate several beers
after failing to put his flanker in for a try.
Rhys Priestland – 3 – A very difficult day for the Scarlets
man. His kicking from hand was appalling
and sat far too deep to offer the gainline threat he is renowned for.
Rhys Webb – 6 – Webb took a lot of stick for poor passes,
and some aimless kicks, but I’ve given him credit for at least trying to make
something happen. He was one of the few
players in red who offered a genuine threat to Wales around the fringes.
Gethin Jenkins – 5 – How he can complain about his yellow
card is beyond me. He failed to stay
straight in the scrum but was industrious in defence at least.
Richard Hibbard – 6 – Ran a solid lineout but was rarely
seen rampaging forwards, which is such a key aspect of Wales’ gameplan. Chucked in some customary thumping hits,
though.
Adam Jones – 5 – Unable to put Marler under pressure as he
did in the previous encounter and he offered very little else over the
park. A waning force.
Jake Ball – 7 – Wales’ best forward, and a silver lining to
a poor performance. Ball hit hard in the
tackle and looked like the only man who get match Englands’ intensity in the
contact area. A promising discovery for
the men in red.
Alun Wyn Jones – 5 – I wonder if he was still feeling the
effects of his illness, because he didn’t look match fit. Unusually slow, he toiled with usual grit but
he fell off a surprising amount of tackles.
Dan Lydiate – 5 – Almost invisible at times. He couldn’t get stuck into the England
breakdown and offered nothing of note in attack, although he put in another big
shift on the tackling front.
Sam Warburton – 6 – Out foxed by the opposition back row,
but he still worked his socks off to the end.
Usually sniffing for opportunities around the breakdown but nothing
seemed to go his way.
Toby Faletau – 6 – Barely carried the ball in the first
half, but looked promising when he did in the second. Was prone to fading in and out of the game.
Subs Used
Ken Owens – 6 – Owens impresses me with his athleticism
around the park and his accuracy at the set piece, and it was more of the same
here.
Samson Lee – No time to make an impact.
Andrew Coombs – No time to make an impact.
Justin Tipuric – No time to make an impact.
Mike Phillips – 4 – Spend most of his time dithering, whinging or kicking poorly. Did not help his side’s cause.
Dan Biggar – 5 – Did nothing wrong but could do nothing to steady a sinking ship.
Liam Williams – No time to make an impact, aside from a late one on Mike Brown’s chest...
What else was happening in the Six Nations this weekend?
Ireland 46 – 7
Italy: Brian O'Driscoll got the best
possible Dublin send off after playing a starring role in his last home
appearance for his country. Italy
managed one try by Leonardo Sarto in a cagey first half where Ireland grabbed 2
through Johnny Sexton and Andrew Trimble, but the hosts cut loose against a
tiring Italian side in the second half, scoring through Cian Healy, Sexton,
Sean Cronin, Fergus McFadden and Jack McGrath.
The big win also puts a big points advantage in Ireland's favour ahead of
the Championship decider in Paris.
Scotland 17 – 19
France: Scotland suffered heartbreak
at home as they somehow contrived to lose against an appalling French
side. Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour had
scored first half tries for the hosts, before Duncan Weir through a ridiculous
miss-pass that was picked off by Yoann Huget in his own 22, allowing the French
winger to touch down for a score. A late
penalty by Jean-Marc Doussain sealed the Scots' fate and, unbelievably, put the
French in still with a shout to win the tournament in Paris next weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share your views