When the mist rolled away from England’s Surrey hideaway yesterday on Saturday morning it revealed a team still in a fog about how they should tackle their own World Cup. Friday night provided a win and a bonus point, but it won England few friends or new fans who believe a second world crown is beckoning.
There are issues all over the place for Stuart Lancaster’s side, many of them evident and obviously not addressed in the warm-up Tests or the 12 weeks or so the squad have been together. There were times, even as late as the final quarter against Fiji, when it looked like rugby by numbers.
Forget all the nonsense about the massive strides made by Fiji since the last World Cup. Yes, they are the Pacific Nations champions and yes John McKee, last seen over here running the Cornish Pirates, has added discipline. However, these are not world beaters and I doubt Wales or Australia will fear they are about to confront new demons.
On the other hand, they will have learned even more about England’s predictability – that rugby by numbers thing. Most coaches playing Fiji would seek to engage them early and keep the pressure on. In their warm-up against Canada there had been clear signs that despite having plenty of time together in camp, Fiji legs would go if the big men were worked. That means taking them on, forcing the front five into hard labour at the set piece and in the tackle.
England are best when they are direct. Win the ball, win territory. Pile on the pressure, win the penalties and take the points. On Friday it was almost as though they had forgotten their past. They went wide from the off – the easiest thing to defend. Hardly any of the ball carriers carried the ball and when the precision of the pass – almost inevitably – let England down so did any pretence of pattern to their play.
My guess is that at half-time the coaching team addressed the issue because from the 41st minute suddenly it was pick and go, pick and go until the Fijians caught on to the change. It wasn’t until fresh legs were engaged that England stretched their lead from a precious one score.
Sorry, but 18-11 up after more than three-quarters of the game, and with Fiji’s kickers donating 12 points to the England cause, it is not good enough when Wales and Australia are next up. The problem for Lancaster is: how do England address the problem before next Saturday?
The set piece is still a problem because in shoring up the lineout it appears that the scrum remains an issue. Play Geoff Parling, the self-confessed lineout geek and you make Tom Young’s life a lot easier when the thrower comes to hitting his target. Time and time again on Friday, Parling’s mastery was too good for the Fijians, but the Exeter lock’s lack of weight told when the front rows buckled down to the grunt and shove.
When Joe Launchbury and Maku Vunipola arrived that issue was, in part, resolved. However, England lost three scrums by my reckoning and – even allowing for all the work McKee has done around the set pieces – that should set alarm bells ringing.
So what’s wrong and how do you address it? Unfortunately, England don’t have their main weapon in camp. Dylan Hartley was jettisoned for the latest in a long line of ill-judged disciplinary issues and with him went the best hooker England have. Hartley is better than Youngs and so he should be. He’s been doing the job longer and he’s learned how to be a powerful scrummager as well as a better-than-average thrower, but barring injury to Youngs, Jamie George or Rob Webber he is beyond reach and Lancaster has to make do with what he’s got.
The other issue to be addressed is the breakdown and the 11 turnovers credited to the Fijians. England were outnumbered at the breakdown, but that was due partly to their predictability. If you let the opposition know where you are going to play the game, that’s where they will arrange their defences. Heaven knows what might happen if Wales pick Justin Tipuric and Sam Warburton or Australia go with their double open-side option, Michael Hooper and David Pocock – two guys who are world-class over the ball.
England were poor and things could have been a lot worse, but for the South African axis of referee and TMO that helped keep heads above water when the going started to get rough and Niko Matawalu scorched a path to the corner. The TMO is a valuable addition, but the referee controls the game and if he says it’s a try then that’s that and no amount of whispering in the ear should make it otherwise.
