1) Left-field use of resources creates multiple options
Eddie Jones is making maximum use of his resources this series and it is reaching the point where it is difficult to guess his selection. His decision to field Elliot Daly on the left wing was left-field and after the match England’s head coach talked about the centre as a future full‑back. The Australian crammed another player into his second-row cupboard by giving Charlie Ewels a first cap from the bench, and in England’s past three Tests he has fielded six wings with three different open-sides starting the past four. Jones is using the bench to provide different options: Fiji were thrown on to the ropes by England’s speed of thought, hand and foot, and knocked out when the heavyweights Nathan Hughes and Ben Te’o were brought on. England are becoming a team for all seasons.
2) Home side mix it up to highlight versatility
England might have been expected to take on Fiji up front, dominate the set-pieces and command territory, but they took them on at their own game, keeping the ball in hand (they kicked just 19 times) and moving around opponents who like to tackle runners head-on. Fiji contained Billy Vunipola reasonably effectively but were uncomfortable when ball-carriers went past their outside shoulder. Rather than going to ground, England enjoyed continuity, beating defenders with the timing of their passes, seeking space rather than contact. The prop Mako Vunipolawas involved in two tries, first with a sidestep and then with a delayed pass, while his front‑row colleague Dan Cole rather more prosaically set up one with a clear-out. The Fiji head coach, John McKee, was asked after the game what he felt was the difference about England since the World Cup. He used the words clinical and clarity, adding they now mixed up their game. They make opponents think.
3) Intensity levels kindle All Black comparisons
Watching Wales labour this month, moving slow ball and struggling to create space, is to see how far and quickly England have progressed. They have come to appreciate the value of quick possession at the breakdown; Ben Youngs arrives quickly, there are no heavy forwards acting as first receiver to carry the ball a few centimetres, flop to the ground and slowly recycle. Billy Vunipola is used to make ground and George Ford to create width. The stamina of opponents is tested and Jones has succeeded in raising the intensity levels of his players. New Zealand have been some way ahead of the rest for so long partly because of their ability to see off teams who have stayed close to them in a few lung-busting passages of play. England are moving in that direction.
4) Pacific nations hurt by spread of Fijian wings
There were nine wings on international duty at the weekend all of whom were Fijian: three at Twickenham, five in Paris where Australia defeated France and one on the New Zealand bench in Dublin. The World Rugby vice-chairman, Agustin Pichot, wants the residential rules on international qualification changed, making it harder for adult players to treat Test rugby like the club game and qualify for a country they may have no link with by living there for three years. Fiji, like Samoa and Tonga, are unable to offer players a means of making a living out of the game in their countries. They move abroad, some at a young age, and many forge international careers in their new homes. It is happening to South Africa too, which may help Pichot because any reform will need the support of some of the major unions: was it good for the game on Saturday that many of Fiji’s best players were wearing overseas jerseys?
5) Month of firsts shows less could offer everyone more
It has been a month of firsts: Ireland recorded their maiden victory over New Zealand, Italy broke their duck against South Africa and Japan were within 15 seconds of avoiding defeat against Wales in Cardiff for the first time. The major southern hemisphere nations have rarely looked more vulnerable and Argentina were muted by their standards against Wales and Scotland. The extended season in the south, with the expansion of Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship, and the extra long-distance travelling this demands, is having an impact. As talks over the global calendar reach a crucial point, the merit of tours at the end of a long season in June and November is being questioned. Player welfare is a concern, as is value for money for spectators who pay high prices for tickets. Less is sometimes more.
