The Breakdown - The Sneaky Scrum-half Snipe

Well, the dust has settled on another eventful weekend in the Six Nations and we can reflect on a round that showcased Irish power, Scottish mud and French whatever-you-call-it in abundance.  Of course, it wasn’t just the Scottish mud that led to the 20 point humbling at the hands of the English, but rather a very promising display from the visitors’ forwards and the back 3 in particular, and that’s reflected in my Six Nations Team of the Week, which can be found on The Rugby Blog.

However, one particular moment which caught my eye at the weekend was Luther Burrell’s try against Scotland, which went to demonstrate why I think – in the modern game – it is essential to have a scrum half who can provide a running threat.  And Danny Care, despite having limitations in other parts of his game (which, to be fair, he has evidently worked on), is one of the best of this breed.

Take the classic situation below.  England were mauling Scotland’s pack backwards before it stalled 5 metres out.  Care (white 9) had his backline outside him, with the Scots marking man for man and all looking fairly comfortable.  Dave Denton (blue 8), the powerful back rower, was the only guard by the side of the maul, watching for the scrum half snipe.  All in all, a pretty solid set up by the defence, right?

 

 

Wrong.  Where Care is so good – and Ben Youngs, too, when on his game – is with the darting lateral runs he makes to create uncertainty amongst defenders.  Some people say that it eats up space for those outside the 9, but as long as you have a runner charging from out to in, into the holes created, it can be absolutely lethal.  In this pre-planned move, Care will dart across into Duncan Weir’s (blue 10) channel, with big Luther Burrell (white 13) hitting a short line on Weir’s outside shoulder.  Owen Farrell (white 10) and Billy Twelvetrees (white 12) will be drifting wider to make the defence wonder if Burrell is just a decoy.

For the defence, this is a nightmare.  Denton is no slouch, but Care is undoubtedly quicker, and this causes Weir to question whether or not he should continue to drift wide to mark Farrell, as he’s worried that Care will slip through the gap between him Denton. So, he makes the decision to step in – or at least hesitate with his drift – and this opens up a huge gap.  Matt Scott (blue 12), doing the right thing, is keeping an eye on Farrell and Twelvetrees as they drift wide, and isn’t close enough to get drawn in by Care’s run.

 

 

The end result is Burrell as a Dawn French sized space to aim for between Weir and Scott, and a well timed pass from Care is enough to get him through it with the ball. 

 

 

 

So how, as a defence, do you stop that from happening?  You can't just carry on with your drift and ignore the 9's run, as they might sneak through themselves.  Well, the answer is simple.  If you don't have a seriously quick flanker who can handle the pace, you'll need to place two guards by the ruck, clogging up the channel which the speedy 9 wants to attack.  Of course, this may leave you short of numbers at the breakdown, but when you’re facing a rapid 9 like Care, you have to take the necessary precautions.

Six Nations Review - Scotland 0 - 20 England

In this day and age of media-induced hysteria, we are used to having everything blown way out of proportion and ludicrously dramatised by the TV and papers prior to a sports event.  An annual league match between Arsenal and Liverpool is a life-and-death scenario which will probably determine the destiny of the human race, if Sky Sports are to be believed with their advertising.  The Ireland v Wales game was, in fact, a battle-for-honour grudge match between Brian O’Driscoll and Warren Gatland after the latter dropped the former for the last Test of the Lions tour, despite both men saying that it was water under the bridge and all they cared about was getting on with the game.  Yes, if the media can find a way to turn a rugby match into an episode of Eastenders, they’ll shove it right in your face.  And we love it.

Perhaps it was slightly unusual, then, that the match that can so easily be dramatised and hyped up out of proportion – Scotland v England – was not subjected to the usual pre-match obsession with the history of Anglo-oppression, but instead the focus was squarely on parasitic worms.  Yes, that’s right, parasitic worms.  The beasties that, as of last Autumn, said “no” to the Atkins diet and started greedily devouring the grass roots of the usually pristine Murrayfield pitch.  The result?  A mud bath.  I have to admit that this whole situation confused me a fair bit.  Why, if the Scottish RFU knew about this issue last Autumn, was a new ground not arranged to take this international – for example, Hampden Park in Glasgow.  It was mystifying.  The furore over the pitch even managed to overshadow Scottish coach Scott Johnson’s contentious decision to drop captain and talisman Kelly Brown in favour of a debutant, Chris Fusaro.  It was a move which smacked of a desperation to find a winning formula which could finally see the Scottish pack hit the vaunted reputation of their packs of old.  And where better to prove themselves, then at Murrayfield, in the mud, against England – at the very least, passion wouldn’t be a problem.

From the off, though, England seemed the more aggressive and accurate, although they weren’t immediately able to convert this into points, with Farrell missing a straightforward penalty on 3 minutes after his planting foot seemed to sink into the treacle-like surface of the Murrayfield pitch.  Perhaps the simple miss created a lack of confidence in the Saracens man, as at the next half-opportunity, Danny Care snapped a superbly taken drop goal himself from a rolling maul to give the visitors the lead their territory deserved.

It clearly was a difficult day for the place-kickers as the equally-reliable Greig Laidlaw hooked a shot wide after Dylan Hartley had been penalised for diving off his feet at a ruck, and things soon got worse for the hosts and England scored the game’s first try.  Once again, the rolling maul was catalyst, driving the men in white (well, muddy white) up to the 5 metre line before Danny Care darted, drew in Duncan Weir and created a hole for Luther Burrell to blast through and touch down for his second try in as many Tests.  Farrell nailed the conversion, and suddenly England looked very comfortable with a 10-0 cushion. 

It was a scrappy old contest, and after Laidlaw and Farrell had missed another penalty each, the Scots enjoyed a decent spell of possession.  The problem was, as is so often the case with Scotland, that they looked about as threatening as a bag of kittens, with Duncan Weir standing far too deep and with limited options on either side, with only Dave Denton offering any sort of thrust in attack.  It all resulted in Stuart Hogg kicking the ball away, allowing England to retain possession and gain territory via a couple of smart kicks by Care and a good turnover by Dan Cole.  The pressure ‘forced’ another penalty – although Jim Hamilton perhaps didn’t have to be so blatant in going off his feet  - that Farrell, this time, knocked over. 

The game trundled towards half time with the hosts enjoying slightly more possession, but they were struggling badly in the lineout with Ross Ford showing bad inaccuracy, and the English looked both comfortable in defence and far more dangerous in attack, with Chris Robshaw, Dylan Hartley and Billy Vunipola carrying strongly.  They nearly had another try on the cusp of half time as Farrell – a much more threatening presence at 10 this season – scythed through the Scottish defence and released Burrell, only for the Saints man to be hauled down superbly by Sean Lamont just 2 metres out.   The big winger then did just enough to kill the ball and the teams went into half-time with England leading by ‘only’ 13 points to nil.

If the first half had been a stodgy, error-ridden affair, hopes can’t have been high for the second period, but England came out firing, with Hartley, Burrell and Johnny May making good ground before Farrell’s crossfield kick went too far.  Scotland then responded in kind, with Matt Scott and Ryan Wilson carrying hard in the tight to build momentum before substitute Alisdair Dickinson spilt a simple pass.  In a game where scrummaging was creating a churned up crater of mud in the appalling Murrayfield surface, it was a relief both sides playing with renewed intent, although it was once again the visitors who looked by far the most dangerous.  May was growing into the game and a searing break after some marvellous footwork brought England close once again and earning Farrell another penalty shot, which he once again hooked wide.   The visitors were back hammering away immediately though, as a delightful Vunipola offload gave the visitors front foot ball before a fizzing pass from Billy Twelvetrees unleashed May once again.  Alex Dunbar made a superb last ditch tackle – as he had on May just moments earlier – but this time failed to roll away and received a yellow card for his troubles.

However, despite being a man down, the Scottish defence – especially in the pack – stood up and showed real aggression in the contact area, frustrating the English who tried time and again to maul their way over from close range.  It was only a matter of time though.  Mike Brown, who 5 minutes earlier had made a superb bust up the middle of the pitch, found himself wide on the left when Jack Nowell skipped out of Matt Scott’s tackle before drawing Stuart Hogg and releasing the Harlequins man in for a score.  It was all that Brown’s play had deserved, although his gloating at Duncan Weir as he plunged over was unnecessary and pointless.   Farrell’s conversion from almost right in front gave England a 20 – 0 lead that, in all honesty, was flattering on Scotland.

As the game meandered towards a conclusion, England remained camped in and around the Scottish 22, but the Scottish defence repelled the attackers from adding further gloss to the scoreline.  A slight sense of frustration, perhaps, for the men in white, but that couldn’t overcome the main sensation of satisfaction that they had got their Six Nations campaign back on track. 

A dominant display by the English, one that tees up a mouth-watering clash with in-form Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.  For the Scots though, it was brave, dedicated, but ultimately clueless.  At no time did they even look like coming close to threatening the England line. It’s sad to say, but the only thing in a bigger mess than the Murrayfield pitch right now is Scottish rugby itself.  And the latter may take a lot longer and prove to be even more troublesome to fix. 

 

Scotland Player Ratings

Stuart Hogg – 6 – Well marshalled and had little opportunity to shine.  At least looked positive with the ball in hand and kicked well.

Tommy Seymour – 5 – I saw him chasing a kick, once.  That was the extent of his contribution in an almost invisible display.

Alex Dunbar – 7 – I’m going to ignore the fact he got a yellow card because he had no choice at that point and saved a certain try.  Tackled himself to a standstill and made two crucial hits on May to prevent scores.

Matt Scott – 4 – Not the return the big centre would have wanted.  Couldn’t get into the game in attack and missed a basic tackle on Nowell in the build up to Mike Brown’s score.

Sean Lamont – 5 – A great tackle on Burrell to save a try in the first half was his main contribution, aside from a couple of brainless penalties which allowed the opposition to build pressure.

Duncan Weir – 3 – I like the kid, but his tactical kicking was awful and he stood far too deep in attack.  It’s difficult when your pack are second best but he really didn’t help the cause.

Greig Laidlaw – 4 – As a leader he should have been making the right decisions for his team but all too often he kicked the ball aimlessly away.  Was off target from the tee as well.

Ryan Grant – 6 – Acquitted himself well in the loose although he was second best against Cole in the scrum.  The conditions meant that it didn’t become too much of a problem, though, with neither side able to grip on the drive.

Ross Ford – 3 – What has happened to him?  He used to be an accurate set-piece operator with energy around the park – now he looks cumbersome in the loose and woefully out of sorts in the lineout.

Moray Low – 4 – Struggled in the scrum and didn’t contribute much in the loose, giving away needless penalties.

Jim Hamilton – 4 – Struggled to impose himself physically in the game and looked slow throughout the game, giving away the standard penalties he always does.

Tim Swinson – 5 – Bested in the lineout and lacked the power to resist the England pack when they sent their runners into him, but did win a good turnover in the second half.

Ryan Wilson – 4 – I do not understand why he would start ahead of Kelly Brown.  He lacked the physical strength to keep England’s runners at bay and was not a force at the breakdown.

Chris Fusaro – 6 – An awful game in which to make a debut but he did nothing wrong.  He got stuck in, made his tackles and covered the ground – although he failed to have the desired impact on the breakdown battle.

Dave Denton – 7 – An ever willing carrier, he was about the only runner that the English defence afforded respect to.  A mystery as to why he was taken off.

Subs Used

Scott Lawson – 5 – The lineout didn’t improve but acquitted himself well in the loose, which was an improvement from Ford.

Alasdair Dicksonson – 4 – Continued Scottish struggles in the scrum and his first contribution was to knock on in Scotland’s only promising attack of the second half.

Geoff Cross – No time to have an impact.

Jonny Gray – No time to have an impact.

Johnnie Beattie – 6 – Mobile and aggressive, he made some inroads when he came on and looked up for the scrap.  Shouldn’t have come on for Denton though.

Chris Cusiter – 5 – Did nothing wrong, but was stuck defending for the entire time he was on.

Duncan Taylor – No time to have an impact.

Max Evans – 5 – See entry for Chris Cusiter.

 

England Player Ratings

Mike Brown – 8 – As usual, a reliable presence under the high ball but it was his attacking play in terrible conditions that really caught the eye.  Very impressive – loses a point for unnecessary gloat at Weir when scoring.

Jack Nowell – 6 – A very quiet first half but became more involved in the second, showing good footwork and strength to set up Brown’s score.  Butchered an overlap moments before, though.

Luther Burrell – 6 – A very well-taken try and a great line for the second week in succession.  Was fairly quiet outside of that though, and will be disappointed with a couple of handling mistakes.

Billy Twelvetrees – 7 – I thought he had an average game before watching again.  He straightened the line well and some of his distribution – in the second half – caused all sorts of problems for Scotland.

Johnny May – 7 – Very quiet in the first period but came to life in the second 40 with a couple of searing breaks that justified his retention in the side.

Owen Farrell – 7 – Despite a disappointing showing with the boot, he had a very impressive day with the ball in hand.  He kicked well tactically and showed plenty of awareness of his attacking options.  Still unnecessarily petulant at times, though.

Danny Care – 7 – He had a great first half with his dart setting up Burrell’s try, a snap drop goal and some great touch-finders.  Faded in the second 40 though and some dodgy distribution ruined a couple of good chances for his side.

Joe Marler – 6 – Not as conspicuous as usual in the loose but a very solid showing nonetheless, getting on top in the scrum, too.

Dylan Hartley – 8 – Another excellent performance from the hooker, running a perfect lineout and hitting rucks with customary vigour.

Dan Cole – 7 – Had the upper hand in the tight and grabbed a couple of trademark turnovers, too.  Will be disappointed with a missed tackle of Beattie, though.

Joe Launchbury – 7 – Quietly effective once again, he was effective on the clearout although we haven’t seen him get his hands on the ball as much as he would like.

Courtney Lawes – 9 – A magnificent display from the Saints man.  Carried with purpose, ruled the lineout and caused all sorts of problems for the Scots in their set piece.  Defensively impressive, too.  Man of the Match.

Tom Wood – 6 – A quiet afternoon for the flanker, where he did a lot of the dirty work but couldn’t impose himself as much as he would like.

Chris Robshaw – 8 – Did everything, once again, and did it all very well indeed.  His awareness with and without the ball is remarkable.

Billy Vunipola – 8 – With an ever improving work rate, he is getting more and more impressive.  Always a willing ball carrier; always breaks the gainline.

Subs used

Tom Youngs – No time to have an impact (although the lineout did wobble after his introduction).

Mako Vunipola – 6 – Carried well and kept on with Marler’s good work in the set piece.

Henry Thomas – No time to have an impact.

Dave Attwood – 6 – Contributed well to a dominant forward display in the final quarter.

Ben Morgan – No time to have an impact.

Lee Dickson – No time to have an impact (although some poor service was noted).

Brad Barritt – No time to have an impact.

Alex Goode – No time to have an impact.

 

What else was happening in the Six Nations this weekend?

Ireland 26 – 3 Wales:  A Johnny Sexton tactical masterclass and a rampant Irish rolling maul helped make it 2 from 2 for the men in green.  Tries from Chris Henry and Paddy Jackson were the crown jewels in a high-class display that sees Wales’ hopes for a 3^rd consecutive title hanging in the balance.

France 30 – 10 Italy:  A 10 minute second-half blitz was enough for Les Bleus to take the game away from a plucky Italian side, with Louis Picamoles, Wesley Fofana and Hugo Bonneval crossing for the hosts.  Winger Tommaso Iannone grabbed a consolation for the Azzurri in a match which saw props Rabah Slimani and Michele Rizzo red carded for head-butting one another.  Typical props

It was also an eventful weekend in the Premiership.  Here’s a roundup of the weekend’s scores:

Sale Sharks 24 – 19 Gloucester:  The Sharks won a gritty encounter in Salford by 5 points and picked up a bonus point, with scores from Rob Miller(2) and Daniel Braid (2) proving too much for the Cherry and Whites, who crossed through Martyn Thomas and Charlie Sharples.

Worcester Warriors 22 – 23 Leicester Tigers:  The Warriors slipped to an agonising one point loss to the reigning champions despite a superb performance from Chris Pennell.  The hosts scored through Josh Drauniniu with the Tigers grabbing a couple through wing Niki Goneva.

Saracens 13 – 22 London Irish:  Irish sprang a huge shock by turning over top of the table Sarries on their home ground.  Marcelo Bosch and Shalk Brits scored for the home side, with Matt Parr, Alex Lewington and George Skivington touching down for the visitors.

Exeter Chiefs 16 – 19 Northampton Saints:  Saints picked up an important win away at the Chiefs to go top of the table.  Scrum half Dave Lewis scored the hosts’ only try with James Wilson, Samu Manoa and George Pisi responding for the East Midlanders.

Bath 24 – 6 Newcastle Falcons:  Bath claimed a solid win against Newcastle but will be frustrated that they didn’t pick up a bonus point.  The Falcons could only muster two penalties from Phil Godman, with Horacio Agulla, Leroy Houston and Francois Louw scoring for the West Country outfit.

Harlequins 11 – 10 London Wasps:  Harlequins snuck past Wasps in a tight encounter at the Stoop, relying on a late score from Sam Smith to take the game away from their London rivals, who had claimed a penalty try earlier.

 

Six Nations Preview - Scotland v England

Something bizarre is happening up in Scotland.  Things we have taken for granted in the past are now no longer certainties.  It was long said that Murrayfield was one of the finest playing surfaces in world rugby, and with good cause too – the pitch effectively doubled as the world’s largest and most boring (i.e. flattest) putting green.  Now, however, a cheeky outbreak of greedy microscopic worms have ensured that this once magnificent surface will now resemble a pile of mashed up haggis after just five minutes of play.  Worse still, it could end up resembling the pitch at the Millennium Stadium, if weather predictions of wind and rain are to be believed.  But, if this has dominated the build up during the week, the other big shock – announced yesterday – is that Scott Johnson (AKA The Penguin) has made the huge call to drop captain and renowned-grafter Kelly Brown from not just the starting line up, but the entire squad.

It’s a massive call to make before a Calcutta cup game.  Kelly Brown and the two pet slugs that he calls his eyebrows are a mainstay of the national side and he represents the trademark qualities of all great Scottish teams – utter commitment, physicality and fearlessness.  Yes, he may not be the quickest or a scavenging 7 in the traditional mould, but he’s a hell of a leader to leave out of the side.  And, call me a traditionalist, but I’ve always thought that when you pick a captain he should be one that will be the first name on your teamsheet for the foreseeable future, and not someone who you drop after one loss to be replaced by a debutant.  It paints a picture of disarray in the Scottish camp.

Of course, his replacement, Chris Fusaro, is a fine player in his own right but he lacks experience of Test match intensity.  That said, he is a jackal over the ball and Scott Johnson will be demanding that he slows down and frustrates England’s game – which is based on quick recycling – as much as possible.  But it will take much more than an impressive debutant to get the Scots to improve on their disappointing showing in Dublin – once again, they had the Lions share of possession but failed to generate enough quality ball to make the most of it...and they are also lacking real class out wide, with one notable exception.  Stuart Hogg, as usual, looks like one of the most dangerous runners in Northern Hemisphere rugby, and is as refreshing to Scottish fans as a Highland breeze up the kilt.  Simply put, they need to get this man the ball in space as often as possible.

England, visiting a ground which has not always provided happy memories, have backline concerns of their own.  With their first choice wingers and outside centre injured, the team has a mix’n’match feel to it despite holding its own for 75 minutes against France in Paris last weekend.  Stuart Lancaster has resisted the urge to ‘get free’, unlike his Scottish counterpart and has stuck with the entire same squad.  This is great for continuity, but once again attention does end up on the substitutes bench, and you wonder whether the likes of Ben Youngs, Kyle Eastmond and Anthony Watson would be better options for injecting some pace in the game in order to pull away from the opposition or to claw their side back into the game than the current selection of Lee Dickson, Brad Barritt and Alex Goode.

A stat that has been thrown at me this week is that Scotland have won only 3 of their last 25 matches against England.  Well, another stat is that England have won only once in their last 4 visits to Murrayfield – in 2012, having lost in 2006 and 2008 and drawn in 2010.  They will be well aware that they need to show up ready for war on Saturday evening.  To do that, they’ll need to channel the aggression and frustration that came about from losing a game that they had in the bag last week.  The forwards, in particular, must be seething having bullied their counterparts in the loose for 60 minutes – and, although they had set piece issues against the world’s best scrummaging front row, it’s hard to see that they’ll have the same problems against a Scottish unit that struggled against the Irish 6 ago.  It is usually the Scottish forwards who are fired up for the Calcutta cup match and they often catch their English counterparts by surprise, but I get the feeling that – this time – the boot may be on the other foot.  Another bizarre happening in Scotland.

But rest assured that some things won’t change.  The weather will be cold, it will rain, the fireworks will burn bright and the Calcutta cup will once again serve up a bloodied arm-wrestle of a game.  The fans somehow can shout 10% louder; the players can hit 10% harder.  This one will not be fought with fancy hands or quick feet, it will be fought with hard yards and nerves of steel, with hugely physical contests between the back rows around the fringes and a battle of the boots between the half backs.  The clash with the Auld Enemy will be ugly, brutal, and utterly compelling.  Not much has changed there, then.

Scotland Team News

Coach Scott Johnson has dropped a bombshell by axing Captain Kelly Brown from the Scotland squad for the Calcutta Cup match against England.  He is replaced in the back row by Chris Fusaro, who will earn his first cap at open-side flanker.   Matt Scott replaces Duncan Taylor at centre, with wing Tommy Seymour coming in for the injured Sean Maitland.  Richie Gray, who was on the bench in the opening Six Nations defeat by Ireland, also drops out of the squad ahead of the Murrayfield clash.  Edinburgh scrum-half Greig Laidlaw takes over the captaincy in Brown's absence.

Starting Line up:  Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour, Alex Dunbar, Matt Scott, Sean Lamont, Duncan Weir, Greig Laidlaw (captain), Ryan Grant, Ross Ford, Moray Low, Tim Swinson, Jim Hamilton, Ryan Wilson, Chris Fusaro, David Denton

Subs: Scott Lawson, Alasdair Dickinson, Geoff Cross, Jonny Gray, Johnnie Beattie, Chris Cusiter, Duncan Taylor, Max Evans

Key Player

Chris Fusaro.  Well, it has to be, hasn't it?  You can't just waltz into the starting line-up for your first cap in your country's biggest game of the championship (replacing the national captain in the process) and expect to get away with no extra attention.  Clearly, Scott Johnson has a plan in mind when dropping as quality a player as Brown, and it will be interesting to see what that is.  Fusaro is more of a scavenging 7 of the classic mould, rather than a physical work-horse like Brown, or Wood or Robshaw for that matter.  One of England's little problems in Paris was that they were occasionally half a step too slow in hitting the rucks, allowing the likes of Bastareaud and Nyanga to claim turnovers at key times.  Perhaps the idea is that Fusaro will be charged solely with getting to the contact area first and latching on to the ball at every opportunity, stifling England's momentum and giving his side the holy grail of attacking rugby – turnover ball.

 

England Team News

England head coach Stuart Lancaster has kept faith with the side which lost to France and named an unchanged line-up for Saturday's match against Scotland.   Gloucester's Jonny May starts on the wing despite breaking his nose nine minutes into the 26-24 loss in Paris.  Courtney Lawes will be in the second row after his cheekbone bruising eased, while Danny Care and Owen Farrell form the half-back partnership.

Starting Line up:  Mike Brown, Jack Nowell, Luther Burrell, Billy Twelvetrees, Jonny May, Owen Farrell, Danny Care; Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw (captain), Billy Vunipola

Subs: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Henry Thomas, Dave Attwood, Ben Morgan, Lee Dickson, Brad Barritt, Alex Goode

Key Player

Jonny May.  The winger was deemed fit to play after spending the majority of Saturday wearing an angry dog's muzzle, but he will need to put any discomfort to the back of his mind when lining up at Murrayfield.  With conditions expected to be as welcoming as the home crowd and the pitch condition rapidly deteriorating, it's unlikely he'll be able to showcase his pace and footwork this weekend.  Instead, I suspect his main job will be to remain solid under high bombs launched into winter evening by Duncan Weir – a job made all the more difficult by the fact that there will be at least 2 very angry Scottish players hurtling after him.  If he has any sort of nerves about playing so soon after breaking his nose (and having done it myself, it is very tender), it will be ruthlessly exploited by the smart Scottish half backs.

Key Battle

Dave Denton v Billy Vunipola.  Dave Denton, the South African born Scottish number 8, holds the rare honour for a Scottish player of being applauded by fans of all the home nations, including England.  The incident in question occurred when then the big man charged straight into Richie McCaw and left the All Blacks captain on his backside – a pleasing sight for everybody outside of New Zealand.  He will be required to bring that level of physicality and explosiveness to the game on Saturday evening, as on a wet and windy night with a pitch providing the consistency of rice-pudding, the game is likely to descend into an arm wrestle.  Here, the bulldozing short carries, upper-body strength and leg drive are likely to be key as each side tries to claw their way forward, and both number 8s will be central to that effort.  Denton can be a beast but it is a sporadic ability as we saw with his quiet display in Dublin last weekend, whilst big Billy Vunipola needs to kick on from where he left off last Saturday.  The youngster was irresistible with the ball in hand and crashed through defenders on a regular basis, but – thanks to the conditions – he won't be able to build up the same speed in Edinburgh as he did in Paris.  The battle for the hard yards will be pivotal to the outcome, and these two giants are the key players.

Prediction

As disappointing as Scotland were last week, it’s hard to see them being as poor at home this time around, even if their experienced captain has been replaced by a debutant.  With the weather set to be at its hospitable best, England will have dark memories of 2000, 2006 and 2008 as they were turned over in an arm wrestle in the rain – and this Saturday could be set to be even more scrappy, with the usually fantastic Murrayfield pitch still in a bad way after a parasite infestation led to the whole ground being sprayed with garlic.  But despite recent results and the fact that the pitch might smell like a Frenchman’s burp, England shouldn’t be too intimidated.  I think that their back is bigger, more mobile and more physical than the Scots, and if they use their frustrations of last weekend to spur them on, it should be enough to overcome the ‘anti-England’ factor that so often spurs on the men in blue.  Owen Farrell also showed impressive game management in the second half of the France game and I think that if he continues that and kicks his goals, the visitors should win a tense encounter in the final quarter as the Scottish pack tires.  England by 9 points.

 

What else is happening in the second weekend of the Six Nations?

Ireland v Wales – In the game of the weekend, the press is doing their very best to turn it into a personal duel between Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll and Welsh coach Warren Gatland, after the New Zealander ensured he was removed from every Irishman’s Christmas card list by dropping the centre for the final Lions Test in Australia.  I expect this one to be a bit sparky between two sides who have enjoyed a great rivalry of late, but I can see the Welsh just pipping it with superior firepower out wide.  Wales by 3.

France v Italy:  Embarrassed by Italy last year, Les Bleus will be in no mood to let the same result happen again.  The Azzurri were impressive in their narrow defeat to the Welsh last week, but I get the impression that confidence for the hosts will be high after sneaking a sensational win over England, and I think they should win comfortably.  France by 11.

Aviva Premiership

Alas, as I am a mere mortal with one set of hands (and I type slower than my grandmother - who doesn't have a computer) and a full time job, I don't have time to bash out a full preview, but here's a whizz through the weekend's action:

Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers:  Worcester are still looking for their first win but I don't think it will come against a Tigers side fired up by poor run of form and boosted by England half-backs Ben Youngs and Toby Flood.  Tigers by 10.

Sale Sharks v Gloucester:  I can't see the Cherry and Whites turning around their disappointing season in Salford on a Friday night.  The Sharks look confident and that should show.  Sale by 9.

Bath v Newcastle Falcons:  Bath are relatively free of international call ups and should have no problems dispatching the Falcons, despite the Geordies' physicality up front.  Bath by 19.

Saracens v London Irish:  Sarries still look the team to beat at Allianz Park and despite London Irish certainly looking an improved force, I can't see them coming close on Saturday, even with the hosts missing big names.  Sarries by 15.

Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints:  In the game of the weekend, a severely depleted Saints side will take on the Chiefs at Sandy Park.  I can see the hosts nicking this one as the visitors struggle for continuity having lost so many to international duty.  Chiefs by 3.

Harlequins v London Wasps:  This London derby should be an entertaining one with lots of tries on show, as long as the weather holds out.  Despite the loss of the captain and their talismanic scrum half, the hosts should have enough about them for the win.  Quins by 5. 

 

 

The Breakdown - To Step in or Not to Step in...That is the Question

Right, it’s been ages since I’ve done one of these, but that fantastic, gut-wrenching French try at the end of Le Crunch got me picking my brains at how England could have shut the move down.  I used to have an Irish rugby coach whose views on rugby bordered somewhere between madness and ground-breaking, but one of his favourite sayings was “If you haven’t got the ball, you’ve got f*ck all”.  Except he didn’t just say it, he’d scream it in your face.  I think his point was, unless somebody is committed to the ball carrier in defence, there’s no point in marking the outside support runner.  It all comes down to knowing when to drift, and mark the runners, and when to step in and hit the man.  And, unfortunately for England, we saw two examples in the same move of the men in white getting it wrong as Gael Fickou glided over for a superb score.

 

It started as hooker Dimitri Szarzewski (number 16, below), found himself in space with Fickou (23) and Medard (11) outside him.  Chasing him down from the inside was a knackered-looking Joe Launchbury (4) and a relatively fresh Brad Barritt (22).  On his outside defence, was the makeshift winger Luther Burrell, forced into this position following the withdrawal of Jack Nowell.  Szarzewski did brilliantly – creating enough doubt in Burrell’s mind as to whether he would be caught to force the Englishman to step in.  The French hooker timed his pass to Fickou well, and suddenly Launchbury and Barritt, instead of chasing down a hooker in a central channel, were trying to get across to the touchline to cover the 2 quickest men on the pitch.  They were never going to make it.

Yellow line - non-ball carrying movement.  Red line - ball-carrying movement.  Dotted Red Line - Pass.

Burrell had made the decision to step in.  In this case, it was the wrong call, although the communication from the inside defence must take some of the blame too.  Realising that it was just a hooker with the ball, the call should have been for Burrell to stay outside and mark the quick men – Szarzewski, even if it meant that he made more yardage than if Burrell stepped in, would eventually be caught by Barritt or Launchbury or, if they couldn’t get there, by Alex Goode, the last line of defence.  As good a hooker as Szarzewski is, he wouldn’t have the speed to score himself or the hands to release the heavily marked outside men as the cover defence eventually boxed him in.  With England 5 points clear, they could afford for the hooker to make more yards as long as he was eventually brought down – from that situation, they could cynically kill the ball and ensure that the try scoring opportunity was lost, even if it cost them a yellow card.

Allowing Szarzewski to carry on running lets the cover defence deal with him and Burrell block the pass to the wingers

 

After Fickou went clear, however, it was always likely to be a try.  But here Alex Goode (23) was the last defender covering across, and he had a choice again – hit the man, or drift to the support.  It’s a horrible situation to be in, to be fair, but Goode opted to guess that Fickou would pass to his support, and so bought the dummy and headed straight across to Medard, giving Fickou an easy run in under the posts.

Goode passes straight across Fickou to try and hit Medard

It was pretty similar in many ways to the situation that Burrell had just seconds later, but this time the right decision was to hit the man and not, as Goode did, drift wide to the support runners.  As the last line of defence, there is no drift covering your inside – after you, there is only the try line.  So, as a full back in this situation, your job has to be to make scoring a try as difficult as possible or, at the very least, force the try to be scored out wide so that a tricky conversion ensues.  The only way to do that is to hit the ball carrier with everything you have, and Goode should have absolutely creamed Fickou here.  The worst that could have happened is that he passed to Medard who would score slightly further out as the tired legs came across to cut off his route to the posts, whilst Fickou may have tried the dummy and been stopped dead or, even better, thrown a hurried pass to Medard and forcing a turnover.

 

The worst case scenario if Goode hits Fickou - Medard scores out wide due to the cover eventually getting across

Still, coulda shoulda woulda.  It doesn’t detract from a great score from Fickou, but if England want to mix it with the best, they need to ensure that their communication on the drift defence is clear – no matter who is in what position at the time. 

Six Nations Review - France 26 - 24 England

It seems that every year the build-up to the Six Nations gets bigger and bigger.  The more we see in previous seasons, the more we expect from the next.  Except, with an England side packed with newbies and a French side that looks great on paper but has failed to deliver for the last 18 months, nobody really knew what to expect as we approached this one.  Except that, this being Le Crunch, it would be a belter – and they weren't wrong, as the Parisian crowd was treated to one of the compelling opening games in memory.  A game that would, in a way, come down to one substitution call by the England management.  A call that would lead to a heartbreaking defeat for Les Rosbifs and leaving a certain head coach looking like a Yorkshire pudding.  Now, Stuart Lancaster, like any top player, is prone to the odd blunder no matter how competent he usually is, but we've seen it before – the Stade de France is not a forgiving atmosphere for mistakes.

And this was shown with immediate, and spectacular, effect.  Joe Launchbury misjudged the flight of the ball off the kick off and Jack Nowell, backing up, knocked on.  After two phases, France's debutant – Jules Plisson – threaded a grubber through the English defence, taking a slight deflection off Billy Twelvetrees, and into the path of Yuann Huget, who coasted in for the game's opening score.  Mike Brown, usually all-seeing in his full back role, had failed to pick up the onrushing right winger and found himself in no-man's land by the time the ball bounced into the Frenchman's hands.  Despite a missed conversion, it was the perfect start for the hosts.  37 seconds gone.  5 – 0 up.

If England were rattled, though, they didn't show it.  From the returning kick off they charged straight into the French defensive line, with Johnny May and Luther Burrell both making good yardage before the hosts were forced into conceding a penalty on the right.  Owen Farrell stepped up for the penalty – apparently after having a "There's something about Mary" moment in the changing room (I assume it was Vaseline, hanging off his ear and hair) – and smashed over the 3 points.  It had been a frantic start.

It had been an impressive attack from England, but their defence – especially out wide – was all over the place.  Time and again Nowell was being caught too narrow in defence and Plisson was exploiting this with some delightful cross field kicks, nearly creating another score for Huget in the process.  In light of this, England was grateful to concede just 3 points from the boot of Doussain, and were then dealt a further blow when May was forced off with a facial injury, leaving him watching the rest of the match with a Hannibal Lector mask on.

The visitors were trying to get a foothold in the game, and looked to have maybe turned a corner when Courtney Lawes pilfered a lineout and then Jack Nowell forced a turnover with a hammering-tackle on Dulin, but they were caught out by a sucker punch once again.  Yannick Nyanga snatched a quick turnover in the middle of the park and pushed the ball wide to Huget, who skinned Alex Goode – on for May – on the outside before offloading back to Dulin.  The full back chipped over Mike Brown and the ball cruelly bounced back over the backtracking Goode and Nowell and into the arms of that man Huget, who plunged over into the corner for his second.  It was a stark reminder of the potential of turnover ball, which had been kicked away by Twelvetrees for England just minutes earlier, and despite the missed conversion, Les Bleus were well and truly in command.  It felt like Cardiff all over again, especially when Doussain smashed over another 3 points to give the hosts a seemingly insurmountable 16 – 3 lead.

This England side are made of sterner stuff than in recent years, though.  Gradually they tried to force their way back into the game, with Goode and Brown combining well to go close, but the former knocked on when trying to free his hands for an offload.  One man with no offloading problems, however, was Louise Picamoles, a powerful bust down the left was followed by an outrageous back-door pass to Dulin, who – equally outrageously – volleyed it forward, only to see it bounce out into touch off the corner flag.  France were slugging, but somehow the men in white were still standing.  And they finally landed a left hook of their own when Danny Care executed a trademark tap-and-go from 25 metres out to take him within 5 metres of Les Bleus' line.  A hospital pass from Dylan Hartley didn't help, but Billy Vunipola – relatively quiet in the first half – delayed his pass just long enough to give Brown the room he needed to skip past Huget and touch down through a wall of French bodies.  It was a massive finish and a massive moment for England and for Brown, for whom it was a first test try.  Farrell missed the kick from out wide but, as the halftime whistle went, England felt surprisingly on top considering that they trailed by 16 – 8. 

They came out in the second half with the same vigour which they showed at the end of the first.  The men in white tore into their counterparts with a renewed ferocity, with Robshaw, Hartley, Vunipola and Goode all making powerful carries into the heart of the French defence.  It looked to have paid dividends when Danny Care ignored Vunipola outside of him and scampered underneath the fringe defence to dive for the line, but the TMO showed he had come up just short with his reach.  I have always said that Danny Care has abnormally small limbs, but now it has cost his country.  The men in white had to settle for another penalty from Farrell, but they were back in the game.

They were more than 'in the game' 5 minutes later, when they took the lead for the first time in the match.  Vunipola, who was weighing in with some colossal carries, took a sublimely delayed pass from Farrell to rampage through a gap and draw in 3 tacklers before offloading to the onrushing Burrell, who cruised over for a fantastic debut try.  It was magnificent stuff – with Farrell's conversion, England had the lead.  And they looked good value for it, too, even when the French finally roused themselves to life.  A breakout by Huget and Wesley Fofana looked to have created another score for the French centre, but a magnificent tackle by Billy Twelvetrees cut the dangerman down 10 metres from the line.  A superb Dan Cole turnover – the first of 2 for the Leicester man – claimed possession back for the English and then they were nearly scoring at the other end as Danny Care hacked a looseball ahead but just couldn't gather as the ball failed to kick up for him.

It was all England now as they looked to bury the game.  Good carries from substitute Mako Vunipola and Cole drove the visitors up to the French line and forced a penalty advantage after Nyanga failed to roll away at the tackle but Care, instead of seeking a try, snapped a cheeky drop goal.  Now don't get me wrong, it was a well-taken kick, but from that range Farrell would always knock over the 3 points, so why not use the advantage to go for a try?  As it was, England had now scored 18 unanswered points.

Still they surged forwards, with substitutes Tom Youngs and Ben Morgan crashing forwards and making huge yardage on the carries, whilst Nowell and Farrell both made big line-breaks which England failed to capitalise on.  It was the only downside for the visitors, who were enjoying all the territory and possession, but were failing to pick up the points they deserved.  Key moments were not quite going to plan – a Tom Youngs lineout throw was an inch too high for Lawes, Nowell didn't see Goode on his right when in space and Brown didn't stay on his wing when Farrell made his break, when doing so would surely have meant that the Harlequins man would have been in for his second.

As it were, substitute Maxime Machenaud clawed back 3 points for the hosts after a big scrum (although replays suggested that Forestier was driving in sideways into Cole), before Alex Goode knocked over a penalty in return, with Farrell off the pitch receiving treatment for a severe case of cramp.  Farrell should have been substituted – he was out on his feet – but Stuart Lancaster had made what, in my opinion, was the fateful decision of the game.  He had replaced Jack Nowell with Brad Barritt.  This is nothing against either player – Nowell had grown into the game and Barritt is a very solid centre – but, as a tactical decision, this was bizarre.  I could understand replacing a nervous debutant winger with a more experienced winger, but the introduction of a centre, Barritt, meant that another debutant, Burrell, was forced out onto the wing – a position he had never played before.  So not only did this pointless substitution deny the chance of replacing the injured Farrell, it also meant that instead of having an inexperienced winger on the right wing, England had an inexperienced, out-of-position centre on the right wing.  It would prove to be a critical moment, as France brought on their own centre, youngster Gael Fickou, in place of Matheiu Bastareaud. 

It led to a stunning final five minutes.  Spotting the weakened Farrell on the right, the magnificent Nyanga galloped past him to get his side on the front foot, before the ball was swung left and into the hands of substitute Dimitri Szarzewski.  The hooker found some space and, instead of staying wide and marking the quick men, Burrell instinctively stepped in to make the tackle, allowing Szarzewski to find Fickou in space.  I said before the tournament that he was Les Bleus' secret weapon, and he showed why as he glided down the wing, sold a dummy to Alex Goode – who surely should have targeted the carrier – and coasted round under the posts for a remarkable score.  Machenaud's conversion went over, and the French had a two point lead.

As Nigel Owens – who himself had had a splendid game – blew the final whistle at 26 – 24 to the hosts, there has rarely been a more obvious example of the agony and ecstasy of rugby.  The French, with their backs to the wall for so long, had somehow clawed their way back.  The English, for all their grit and inventiveness, had been left with nothing.  A strong, impressive performance from the visitors, but it was ultimately not enough, thanks to the bounce of a rugby ball and a seemingly innocuous substitution.  Small margins have big consequences in this game.

 

France Player Ratings

Bruce Dulin – 6 – Not involved a whole lot but a couple of sharp breaks reminded us of his talent with the ball in hand.  Put under a lot of pressure with the high ball.

Yoann Huget – 8 – Finally on the wing for France and showed his predatory instincts with two very well taken scores

Matheiu Bastereau – 6 – Kept quiet throughout the game in attack but seems to have picked up some breakdown tips from Toulon teammate Steffon Armitage, nicking the pill on several occasions

Wesley Fofana – 6 – Well marshalled by the England defence and starved of ball.  No chance to show off those dancing feet.

Maxime Medard – 5 – Pretty anonymous throughout.  You expect a player of his calibre to pop up all over the park.

Jules Plisson – 8 – A very handy debut indeed.  Dealt well with pressure and his intelligent kicks caused England all sorts of problems.  Made mistakes but played without fear.

Jean-Marc Doussain – 6 – Shackled well around the fringes but service was always reliable.

Thomas Domingo – 7 – Had the upper hand on Cole in the scrum and carried with some gusto, but wasn't involved as much as he would like.

Benjamin Kayser – 6 – Lineout was a bit of a mixed bag but otherwise a decent showing from the hard-working hooker

Nicolas Mas – 6 – Was part of a dominant scrummaging effort but couldn't offer anything of note elsewhere

Alexandre Flanquart – 5 – Unable to make yardage in the tackle and perhaps wasn't as physical around the fringes as Saint-Andre would have hoped

Pascal Pape – 6 – A solid display without being spectacular.  Willing to do the hard yards when the play started to get a little loose

Yannick Nyanga – 9 – A fantastic display.  Relentlessly physical and athletic, he forced turnovers and made 3 telling line-breaks – one of which set up the last try.

Bernard Le Roux – 6 – Was kept quiet throughout the game and was mostly outshone by his teammate flanker and Chris Robshaw

Louis Picamoles – 7 – Strong as always, often taking in 2 or 3 defenders to bring him down.  No 'hollywood' momoments but always a handful.

Subs Used

Dimiti Szarzewski – 7 – A very impressive cameo from the gloriously-haired hooker.  Wonderfully timed run and pass gave Fickou all the space he needed.

Yannick Forestier – 6 – Didn't enjoy the same level of scrum dominance as Domingo but was a presence in the loose

Rabah Slimani – 5 – Solid in the scrum without gaining the upper hand but was quiet elsewhere

Yoann Maestri – 7 – The big man made his claim for a starting spot by adding weight and punch to the French forward effort

Antoine Burban – 6 – Couldn't improve on Le Roux's showing and was mostly bettered at the breakdown by his opposite numbers

Damien Choully – Not enough time to have an impact

Maxime Machenaud – 7 – Kicked coolly under pressure and was a reassuring pressure as the French came under the cosh in the second half

Gael Fickou – 8 – A five minute cameo, and what an impact.  His raw pace and vision was too much for a tiring defence to handle and he took his try with aplomb.

 

England Player Ratings

Mike Brown – 7 – Always beat the first man, and finished superbly for his try, but was caught out positionally for France’s first score.

Jack Nowell – 6 – A real mixed bag, a nightmare start and some dodgy positioning was followed by some powerful runs and sharp breaks

Luther Burrell – 6 – A good, solid debut.  Finished well for his try and was a rock in defence until the odd decision to move him out onto the wing.

Billy Twelvetrees – 6 – After some suspect passes he kicked on well, dominating the midfield collisions and organising the defence and forward runners with authority

Johnny May – No time to make an impact.

Owen Farrell – 8 – After a mixed start he kicked well and attacked the gainline with a reassuring inventiveness, delightfully delaying a pass for Burrell’s try.  Can’t be blamed for missing Nyanga late on as he played on one leg.

Danny Care – 7 – Smart tap and go set up England’s first try and attacked the fringes well as well smashing a well-taken drop-goal, but his box-kicking was very average and often put his side under pressure.

Joe Marler – 6 – Didn’t have a great time in the scrum but his carrying was as impressive as always, as was his defence.

Dylan Hartley – 8 – Pretty good in the lineout but it was his aggression and eagerness in the loose that really impressed.  Is a renewed force this season.

Dan Cole – 6 – Like his fellow prop, was under the cosh in the scrum but his breakdown work was very impressive and made some decent carries too.

Joe Launchbury – 6 – Not the standard we’ve been used to of late, but not a bad display.  Mistake on the opening kickoff contributed to Huget’s first score.

Courtney Lawes – 8 – Another big display from the human missile.  Weighed in with some hits and strong carries.  Worked well in the lineout, too.

Tom Wood – 7 – Not all that conspicuous but more often than not appeared at a crucial time to do the dirty work, making big clearouts and covering tackles.

Chris Robshaw – 8 – As impressive as ever, the England skipper made plenty of carries and was everywhere at the ruck time.  Didn’t deserve to captain the losing side.

Billy Vunipola – 8 – Really grew into the game.  Quiet to begin with but one huge hit on Nyanga and a brilliant carry for Burrell’s try cemented his claim as England’s premier 8.

Subs Used

Tom Youngs – 7 – Missed one lineout but was otherwise solid, but his carrying was colossal, making a positive impact as England tried to shut down the second half

Mako Vunipola – 6 – Struggled in the scrum at times like Marler, but his work outside the set piece was excellent, making impressive yardage with the ball in hand.

Dave Attwood – No time to have an impact

Ben Morgan – 8 – Weighed in with some monumental carries to keep applying the pressure to Vunipola.  What a great battle we have there.

Lee Dickson – 5 – Didn’t dictate play as he would have liked, but to be fair was probably brought on at the wrong time.  Box-kicking needs work.

Brad Barritt – No time to have an impact, but shouldn’t have been brought on for Nowell

Alex Goode – 5 – Solid under the high ball on the whole, but was skinned in the build-up to France’s second try and didn’t provide much penetration in attack


What else happened in the opening round of the Six Nations?

Wales 23 - 15 Italy:  Wales stuttered to victory over a gutsy Italian side, despite taking a commanding first half lead through tries from Scott Williams and Alex Cuthburt.  The Azzuri struck back in the second half with young centre and man-of-the-match Michele Campagnaro grabbing a well-taken double to haul his team back into things.  The boot of Leigh Halfpenny though ensured that there was to be no shock result this weekend.

Ireland 28 - 6 Scotland:  The Irish cruised past a limp Scottish outfit on Sunday, scoring 3 tries in the process.  Trimble scored at the end of a tight first half to set his side on their way before Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney powered over in the second half to take the game away from the visitors.