England on the brink of 'greatness'
It began with a humdinger of a test match on Friday night and ended with a quite dazzling attacking display on Saturday evening. England may have already won the championship with a week to spare, but they won't be resting on their laurels, as a much bigger prize awaits them in Dublin on Saturday.
First of all, let's reflect on an incredibly intense match that we were treated to at the Principality Stadium. The pressure was heaped upon Wales, they were staring right in the face of a third successive Six Nations defeat, with the expectation of their passionate and patriotic supporters weighing more heavily on their shoulders than ever before. With many questioning Rob Howley's credentials as head coach and calls for wholesale changes, the stage was set for a spectacular fall for this well-established side.
This unchanged Welsh team repaid Howley's faith in them, by pulling out their best performance in recent memory. If anyone was wondering whether the game would live up to the pre-match atmosphere, their questions were answered in the first 20 minutes. As they looked to stamp their authority on the game, both sides put in huge hits; epitomised by George North who steamrolled over full back Rob Kearney in the opening exchanges. North had been put under pressure to hit form in the build up, the contribution of two tries has firmly put him back in the Lions selection picture - his first effort could be voted as one of the 'tries of the championship'. A busting break by Scott Williams saw him link up with Rhys Webb, who had the vision to pick out the supporting Halfpenny with a perfectly-weighted lofted pass. Halfpenny didn't have to break stride, and knowing that he had one of the worlds best finishers outside him, he didn't hesitate in shifting the ball into North's hands. George still had plenty to do, but by cutting back inside and using his raw power to crash over, he reminded the Welsh supporters of what they've been missing.
Wales certainly didn't have it all their own way, on a few occasions Dan Biggar threw loose passes which Johnny Sexton gratefully plucked out of the air. Luckily for Biggar the stray passes didn't prove to be disastrous, how different the result of the game could have been if just one of them lead to a break-away try.
Ireland will be left wondering what might have been, had their rhythm not been disrupted by the loss of both of their generals. Johnny Sexton was sent to the sin bin and later went off for an HIA, and the influential scrum half Conor Murray was lost due to injury. Despite all of this, they could have stolen the game in the final 10 minutes, but Robbie Henshaw was deemed to have blocked Rory Best's route to the line following a strong driving maul. Instead it was Wales who claimed the spoils, as Jamie Roberts collected Sexton's charged down kick to score under the posts, and send the home supporters partying into the Cardiff night.
With Ireland's title challenge now gone, England had an opportunity to claim the Six Nations crown at Twickenham. An easy task for the hosts you might have thought if you looked at the recent history books, yet England have stuttered to victory in the opening three rounds, and Scotland were arriving at HQ with bags of confidence. Now would be the perfect time for this squad to deliver the 80 minute performance that Eddie Jones has been secretly designing at Pennyhill Park.
How they delivered! England attacked the opening half like a side frustrated, a side who hasn't yet expressed themselves, a side that hasn't displayed their full potential. They found themselves thirty points up by the interval, with some superb running lines from their back-line. If Owen Farrell plays this well after taking knocks at training, then he should get dead legs more often! His link play with George Ford was out of this world. The Ford/Farrell axis at 10-12 is now crucial to England's attacking structures, their timing of pass and angles of running created huge gaps for Jonathan Joseph. After being dropped for the Italy game, Joseph wasted no time in taking advantage of the holes that were being created for him, claiming a second international hat trick. England's second try was a thing of beauty, as JJ linked up seamlessly with the returning Anthony Watson.
Before Saturday, England had put short periods of fluid attacking play together. However this time, they displayed a ruthless streak that they will need to consistently deliver if they want to be the 'number one side in the world'; that sound bite that we continually hear in post match interviews.
Scottish captain John Barclay described his side as 'useless' following the 61-21 defeat. They weren't helped by the early injury of Stuart Hogg, their most potent attacking weapon, and Fraser Brown's yellow card for his dangerous tackle on Eliot Daly, provided a terrible start for the visitors. That aside, when Saturday afternoon's running lines, timing and accuracy were to the standard they were, how many sides would have been able to defend some of the tries scored? Some may even say it was All-Black-esque, the side that every international side bench marks itself against. Are England there yet, only time will tell and they still have plenty of chinks in their armour. Scotland still managed to score three tries, and yet again George Ford's defence was identified as a weakness as they sent Alex Dunbar down his channel. Ford continues to do just about enough to withstand these onslaughts, and his attacking prowess more than outweighs any perceived defensive frailties. If England are to beat New Zealand's unbeaten run and clinch the grand slam, then they will need to squeeze out every ounce of Ford's talent to win on Saturday.
Dylan Hartley and his team will have to play to this standard again and probably exceed it, to overcome a hurting Ireland side who will want to end their campaign on a high. It's guaranteed be a passionate Aviva Stadium, and a game that will test the mental strength of this England side. Eddie Jones has already backed his side to win their 'world cup final' and go on to achieve 'greatness'; is this English arrogance or just down right confidence in his team's abilities? Whatever your opinion, if they are to become the world's top ranked side and a team for the All Blacks to fear, then these are the games that just have to be won.
First of all, let's reflect on an incredibly intense match that we were treated to at the Principality Stadium. The pressure was heaped upon Wales, they were staring right in the face of a third successive Six Nations defeat, with the expectation of their passionate and patriotic supporters weighing more heavily on their shoulders than ever before. With many questioning Rob Howley's credentials as head coach and calls for wholesale changes, the stage was set for a spectacular fall for this well-established side.
This unchanged Welsh team repaid Howley's faith in them, by pulling out their best performance in recent memory. If anyone was wondering whether the game would live up to the pre-match atmosphere, their questions were answered in the first 20 minutes. As they looked to stamp their authority on the game, both sides put in huge hits; epitomised by George North who steamrolled over full back Rob Kearney in the opening exchanges. North had been put under pressure to hit form in the build up, the contribution of two tries has firmly put him back in the Lions selection picture - his first effort could be voted as one of the 'tries of the championship'. A busting break by Scott Williams saw him link up with Rhys Webb, who had the vision to pick out the supporting Halfpenny with a perfectly-weighted lofted pass. Halfpenny didn't have to break stride, and knowing that he had one of the worlds best finishers outside him, he didn't hesitate in shifting the ball into North's hands. George still had plenty to do, but by cutting back inside and using his raw power to crash over, he reminded the Welsh supporters of what they've been missing.
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| George North scores |
Ireland will be left wondering what might have been, had their rhythm not been disrupted by the loss of both of their generals. Johnny Sexton was sent to the sin bin and later went off for an HIA, and the influential scrum half Conor Murray was lost due to injury. Despite all of this, they could have stolen the game in the final 10 minutes, but Robbie Henshaw was deemed to have blocked Rory Best's route to the line following a strong driving maul. Instead it was Wales who claimed the spoils, as Jamie Roberts collected Sexton's charged down kick to score under the posts, and send the home supporters partying into the Cardiff night.
With Ireland's title challenge now gone, England had an opportunity to claim the Six Nations crown at Twickenham. An easy task for the hosts you might have thought if you looked at the recent history books, yet England have stuttered to victory in the opening three rounds, and Scotland were arriving at HQ with bags of confidence. Now would be the perfect time for this squad to deliver the 80 minute performance that Eddie Jones has been secretly designing at Pennyhill Park.
How they delivered! England attacked the opening half like a side frustrated, a side who hasn't yet expressed themselves, a side that hasn't displayed their full potential. They found themselves thirty points up by the interval, with some superb running lines from their back-line. If Owen Farrell plays this well after taking knocks at training, then he should get dead legs more often! His link play with George Ford was out of this world. The Ford/Farrell axis at 10-12 is now crucial to England's attacking structures, their timing of pass and angles of running created huge gaps for Jonathan Joseph. After being dropped for the Italy game, Joseph wasted no time in taking advantage of the holes that were being created for him, claiming a second international hat trick. England's second try was a thing of beauty, as JJ linked up seamlessly with the returning Anthony Watson.
 |
| Hat-trick hero - Jonathan Joseph |
Before Saturday, England had put short periods of fluid attacking play together. However this time, they displayed a ruthless streak that they will need to consistently deliver if they want to be the 'number one side in the world'; that sound bite that we continually hear in post match interviews.
Scottish captain John Barclay described his side as 'useless' following the 61-21 defeat. They weren't helped by the early injury of Stuart Hogg, their most potent attacking weapon, and Fraser Brown's yellow card for his dangerous tackle on Eliot Daly, provided a terrible start for the visitors. That aside, when Saturday afternoon's running lines, timing and accuracy were to the standard they were, how many sides would have been able to defend some of the tries scored? Some may even say it was All-Black-esque, the side that every international side bench marks itself against. Are England there yet, only time will tell and they still have plenty of chinks in their armour. Scotland still managed to score three tries, and yet again George Ford's defence was identified as a weakness as they sent Alex Dunbar down his channel. Ford continues to do just about enough to withstand these onslaughts, and his attacking prowess more than outweighs any perceived defensive frailties. If England are to beat New Zealand's unbeaten run and clinch the grand slam, then they will need to squeeze out every ounce of Ford's talent to win on Saturday.
Dylan Hartley and his team will have to play to this standard again and probably exceed it, to overcome a hurting Ireland side who will want to end their campaign on a high. It's guaranteed be a passionate Aviva Stadium, and a game that will test the mental strength of this England side. Eddie Jones has already backed his side to win their 'world cup final' and go on to achieve 'greatness'; is this English arrogance or just down right confidence in his team's abilities? Whatever your opinion, if they are to become the world's top ranked side and a team for the All Blacks to fear, then these are the games that just have to be won.
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