Is Brian Smith the man to ignite England’s backs?
Brian Smith has this week publicly admitted that he would be a fool to pass up the opportunity of becoming England’s backs coach. Whilst remaining faithful to London Irish and saying that any move would only be with their consent, it is a firm step forward for Martin Johnson in securing his man.
And what of Smith? What makes him so highly admired amongst the game’s elite? Just a glance at London Irish’s form of late gives a hint of the impact of his arrival three years ago: after consecutive finishes of 9th, 8th and 10th in the Guinness Premiership, Smith arrives and the exiles finish the campaign in the dizzy heights of 3rd spot. Follow that up with 6th place and European qualification in 2006/07, and an unfortunate last-day malfunction at Edgeley Park this season to just deny them a third consecutive Heineken Cup.
Now to the range of back play that Smith brings to the team. I don’t think many people would deny that the pace, consistency, ingenuity and sheer class that the regular back three of Tagicakibau, Armitage and Ojo demonstrate week in week out, is of the highest quality in the premiership. As a cohesive unit that does the basics as well as it does the awe-inspiring, I can’t think of a rival in English club rugby. This attack-focused unit is moulded around a creative midfield of Catt, Geraghty and Mapasua. Yes, Smith has a wealth of talent to play with, but it takes a master puppeteer to make the characters dance the same dance.
London Irish have honed their back play over the past few seasons and gained a consistency that belied them in their earlier years, without diminishing their flair, creativity and sheer cheek. For this, all eyes (and praise) turn to Brian Smith. Only Ashton when he rejoined Bath before his England move had such an impact on a backline. There are similarities too. Watching an Ashton-inspired Bath was like watching children let out after doing their homework with the words ‘just go and play and most of all, have fun’. Passes behind the goal-line became as common-place as boot-to-ball, yet without necessarily increasing risk. If things went wrong, it was a case of reverting to Plan A and booting the ball to touch, and at least they had a go. After all, an overlap is an overlap wherever you are on the park.
Smith has brought the same enthusiasm to London Irish and achieved that elixir of the modern game: ‘eyes-up-rugby’. Oh to inject some direction and creativity into the stodge of the England backline. If selection of coaches is carried out in the same way as it (supposedly) is for players, i.e. those on form get picked, then you can see why Johnson has placed Smith at the top of his Wanted list.
What do you think – is Smith up to the job? Should England go all-out to secure his services from London Irish? Is there anyone else you think would do a better job?
By Justin Aylward
O2 Scrum on the beach
O2 has announced a line-up of five O2 Scrum on the Beach events taking place this summer at coastal and urban beaches across the country, culminating in the heart of London in August.
Each O2 Scrum on the Beach event will give fans the chance to get up close to their favourite England rugby players, get involved and play beach rugby or simply kick back and enjoy the fantastic acts and live entertainment. As well as being put through your paces in areas such as kicking, passing, running and tackling in the O2 Play Zone and taking part in a game of beach rugby, each event has interactive beach-themed activities including rugby limbo and arm wrestling.
The O2 Scrum on the Beach events, part of the RFU’s summer of rugby, take place as follows:
- Bournemouth, Boscombe Beach – Saturday 12th July 11 - 5pm
- Newcastle, Tynemouth Beach – Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th July, 12 - 6pm
- Birmingham, Centenary Square – Wed 13th August, 11am - 8pm
- Newquay, Lusty Glaze Beach – Sat 23rd & Sun 24th August, 12pm - late
- London – Wed 27th & Thursday 28th August, 11am - 8pm
O2 customers can also access the exclusive O2 Blueroom on the Beach, a VIP chill-out area with free massages, DJs and refreshments. To find out more about the events, rugby fans can visit www.O2.co.uk/scrum.
O2 Scrum on the Beach is part of the RFU’s Play On campaign, sponsored by O2. Following on from the highly successful Go Play Rugby recruitment campaign, this initiative aims to keep school and university players connected with the game. Play On provides a network of rugby contacts, O2 Pathfinders, who will help players find new teams and places to play. Visit www.playonrugby.com to find out more.
England in disarray…still
The so-called new era under Martin Johnson cannot come quickly enough. For 5 years, England has been rubbish and the latest episode in New Zealand has plumbed new depths of embarrassment.
On the pitch, there never seemed to be that collective desire that’s required to take on and beat the great teams - there were a few bright sparks of passion and commitment in the shape of James Haskell and Luke Narraway (among one or two others), but it’s not enough.
Off the pitch, it seems that their unaffected attitude has landed them in trouble. Rather than reflecting on another defeat, there were cheers and beers in a nightclub followed by that alleged debauchery that is simply unacceptable by anyone, let alone professional international sportsmen.
Last week I wrote a fairly optimistic summary of what we could take from the first test, but this week it is all a bit bleak.
Johnson needs to start from scratch.
Johnno has a word in Borthwick’s ear
Just in case he needed reminding of the huge challenge ahead, Martin Johnson has apparently been in touch with his captain to tell him what he needs to do.
Hopefully he mentioned that he needs to work on his presence, and it’s not good enough to just push in the scrums and jump in the lineouts. Everyone needs to see Borthwick carrying the ball in the loose and leading the charge in a Johnno sort of way.
Perhaps he also discussed the hotel room shenanigans that apparently took place last week, and for Borthwick’s sake I hope that if something untoward did take place, he wasn’t involved - I wouldn’t want a dressing down from the great man, even if he is 3,000 miles away.
I wonder also if Johnson discussed match strategy for Saturday’s game. Presumably he’d be reiterating the importance of defence, particularly in the 10 channel, and probably suggesting that the forwards batten down the hatches and hope that Flood can kick them into a position to score with a driving maul or slot the odd penalty.
Do you think he also had some advice on how to ignite the creative spark that must be lurking somewhere in that centre partnership of Jamie Noon and Mike Tindall?
Heineken Cup draw 2008/09
At last, it’s a proper seeding system - no more ridiculous pools with three top sides that robs the competition of some of the finest teams before the knockout stages.
The groups look much more even for next season, although Pool 3 looks particularly exciting.
Heineken Cup 2008/09 draw:
Pool 1
Munster (Ire)
Sale (Eng)
Clermont Auvergne (Fra)
Montauban (Fra)
Pool 2
Wasps (Eng)
Leinster (Ire)
Castres (Fra)
Edinburgh (Sco)
Pool 3
Leicester (Eng)
Perpignan (Fra)
Ospreys (Wal)
Treviso (Ita)
Pool 4
Stade Francais (Fra)
Llanelli (Wal)
Ulster (Ire)
Harlequins (Eng)
Pool 5
Toulouse (Fra)
Bath (Eng)
Newport Gwent Dragons (Wal)
Glasgow (Sco)
Pool 6
Biarritz (Fra)
Gloucester (Eng)
Cardiff (Wal)
Calvisano (Ita)
England v New Zealand team news
England will field a very different side for the second Test against New Zealand, with six changes in total - five of which are in the back line.
As predicted by The Rugby Blog readership, Charlie Hodgson drops out of the match squad altogether with Toby Flood filling his fly-half boots. He will be partnered by Danny Care, who makes his first start in an England shirt after looking sharp from the bench last week.
Mathew Tait is selected at full-back over Mike Brown, Tom Vandell replaces David Strettle and Jamie Noon starts at 12 alongside Mike Tindall.
In the forwards, Tim Payne comes in for Andrew Sheridan who was ruled out through injury - but otherwise the pack is unchanged.
Is this a back line to trouble the mighty All Blacks?
England: Mathew Tait (Newcastle); Topsy Ojo (London Irish), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Jamie Noon (Newcastle), Tom Varndell (Leicester); Toby Flood (Newcastle), Danny Care (Harlequins); Tim Payne (Wasps), Lee Mears (Bath), Matt Stevens (Bath), Tom Palmer (Wasps), Steve Borthwick (Bath, captain), James Haskell (Wasps), Tom Rees (Wasps), Luke Narraway (Gloucester).
Replacements: Jason Hobson (Bristol), David Paice (London Irish), Ben Kay (Leicester), Joe Worsley (Wasps), Peter Richards (London Irish), Olly Barkley (Bath), David Strettle (Harlequins).
New Zealand: Leon MacDonald (Crusaders); Sitiveni Sivivatu (Chiefs), Richard Kahui (Chiefs), Ma’a Nonu (Hurricanes), Rudi Wulf (Blues); Daniel Carter (Crusaders), Andy Ellis (Crusaders); Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes), Andrew Hore (Hurricanes), Greg Somerville (Crusaders), Brad Thorn (Crusaders), Ali Williams (Crusaders), Adam Thomson (Highlanders), Richie McCaw (Crusaders), Rodney So’oialo (Hurricanes).
Replacements: Keven Mealamu (Blues), Tony Woodcock (Blues), Anthony Boric (Blues), Sione Lauaki (Chiefs), Jimmy Cowan (Highlanders), Stephen Donald (Chiefs), Mils Muliaina (Chiefs).
England look for positives in defeat
New Zealand were simply too good for England’s new-look side, and it was a similar story to several other encounters between the two sides. We started strongly, but a few errors led to an abysmal fifteen-minute spell and the match was effectively over. We couldn’t seem to create much out wide, whereas the All Blacks looked dangerous just by running at pace.
However, always optimistic, there do seem to be a number of lessons to learn from the game that can be taken forward into the Martin Johnson era.
The first aspect of note was the quality of England’s rucking, particularly in the first half. It has been a while since our players have hit the breakdown with such conviction, and it was most enjoyable to see Richie McCaw regularly going backwards and generally kept quiet by James Haskell and Tom Rees.
It wasn’t just in defence that England looked sharp up front - the forwards carried well in attack, with Andrew Sheridan standing out in particular. Luke Narraway was slightly unconvincing in this area, and Joe Worsley carried well when he came on so perhaps this is a change to consider for next week?
The lineout was also functioning well against some fairly formidable opposition, with a number of stolen throws throughout the game.
In the backs, Mike Tindall had a reasonable game, but neither he nor Olly Barkley ever appear to be much of a threat. David Strettle and Mike Brown looked fairly lightweight and got thrown around by the bigger, stronger men in black. Topsy Ojo took his two tries brilliantly, but didn’t get much quality ball to attack with (how many times have we said that about England’s backs recently?).
As for Charlie Hodgson, he’s the sort of player that I’d really like to see perform well. He seems like a decent sort of chap, but he didn’t seem to bring much control to the game and that shambles of a tackle on Ma’a Nonu isn’t acceptable at this level. He wasn’t even kicking, so it’s difficult to see what he brings to the side - it’s sad to say that that could (and perhaps should?) be his last England cap.
Next week, I’d like to see Haskell at Number 8 with Worsley restored at 6; Ben Kay should partner Steve Borthwick, who offers more impact than Tom Palmer; Barkley should step into Number 10 with Jamie Noon taking the centre berth.
When Andy Robinson was finally sacked, I never thought I’d ever be advocating a Noon / Tindall partnership, but for some reason it seems appropriate in these circumstances - perhaps that’s how Andy felt for so long!
What else can England take from the game?
There’s a feast of rugby lined up for Saturday
Put the Guinness in the fridge, wheel in your favourite armchair and close the blinds - there’s an incredible amount of international rugby on offer this weekend.
It’s New Zealand v England first up at 8.35 and an opportunity to see two sides in transition. Both teams look very different from those that competed in the Rugby World Cup, and the performances of each will be scrutinised closely by fans and media alike.
Australia host Ireland straight afterwards at 11.05. The Irish were competitive last week against the All Blacks and they stand a chance of turning the Wallabies over on their soil.
After an hour’s break, South Africa and Wales reconvene for the second test at 2pm. The Six Nations Grand Slam winners will need to be put in a much more convincing performance to avoid another thumping from the World Champions.
Finally, in the evening, there are three to choose from - England Saxons v Ireland A in the Churchill Cup at 7pm, Argentina v Scotland at 8.10 and then Canada v Argentina (another XV) at 9pm.
I’m excited.
Listen to England players’ post-match reaction
O2 are sponsoring an interesting new service, whereby people can register on their site to receive a phone call from one of the England players straight after the match.
It’s a free service, so I’ve signed up just to see what they say. Here’s the link - http://www.o2blueroom.co.uk/Rugby/SummerTour/Default.aspx.
I think it will be a voicemail, as opposed to an opportunity to quiz the players on their performance live from the changing room, but I’ve been wondering what they might say…
Andrew Sheridan: “We dominated in the scrum, they had some big lads but none as big as me. I pushed them back and gave them a hard time all day, but their backs were pretty good and that was the difference.”
Topsy Ojo: “It was a tough game, but I’m pleased to have made my debut. I would have liked to get more ball, but the forwards did a great job with their driving at the fringes of rucks. It’s just a shame there were too many turnovers, otherwise it could have been our day. Also, it turns out that that Suivatu chap (or whatever his name is) is quite quick…he skinned me a couple of times.”
Rob Andrew: “We learned a lot tonight. We learned about the All Blacks, we learned about our defence, we learned a lot about our set piece and about ourselves. We will be conducting a review of the game over the next six months to see what else we can learn from it, and really take that forward into our next game.”
Any suggestions?!
England team to face New Zealand
The headline news is that Topsy Ojo will make his well-earned debut this weekend against the All Blacks in Auckland - what a way to start your international career.
Olly Barkley and Mike Tindall form an interesting centre partnership that should be able to live with the sheer enormity of Ma’a Nonu and provide Charlie Hodgson with another kicking option.
Tom Palmer gets the nod at second row, which is a slight area of concern for me, and James Haskell, Tom Rees and Luke Narraway form a pacy back row.
What are your thoughts on the selection?
M Brown (Harlequins); T Ojo (London Irish), M Tindall (Gloucester), O Barkley (Bath), D Strettle (Harlequins); C Hodgson (Sale), R Wigglesworth (Sale); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), M Stevens (Bath), T Palmer (Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath, captain), J Haskell (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), L Narraway (Gloucester).
Replacements: D Paice (London Irish), T Payne (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), D Care (Harlequins), J Noon (Newcastle), M Tait (Newcastle).
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