England left the freezing Olympic Stadium in Rome with their 100% record still intact for this year’s RBS Six Nations after yet another hard fought and nail biting victory against a vastly experienced Italian outfit.
Stuart Lancaster said immediately after the game: "Relieved would be one word; proud would be another, we didn't do everything right and we recognise that we still have a long way to go. But the most pleasing thing is that there was no sense of panic."
Never a truer word spoken Mr. Lancaster but what England need after these two matches is a full review of where they are as a team, as the two victories belie what is actually happening in this Red Rose revolution as it is clearly not blossoming in the freezing conditions it has had to endure so far.
England’s head coach will now surely make changes to his starting line up if he has any designs to take on a very impressive, Grand Slam seeking Welsh team at Twickenham in two weeks time. After the battle in the Eternal City there are three clear areas that need improving and the personnel to aid this improvement should not be sought from just the fifteen that took to the field at kick off on Saturday.
LINEOUT
The lineout was an area of weakness for England yet again. Off the top ball is the hardest to defend against and England struggled against the old master Marco Bortolami and inspirational skipper Sergio Parisse. The visiting team, for the second week running went back into their shells and starting banking their lineouts through Tom Croft and Tom Palmer to retain the ball rather than use it productively. Palmer has shown his worth to this side sporadically over the last year but with Mauritz Botha impressing at the set piece and in the loose, especially in a defensive capacity, it is time to unleash Courtney Lawes back into the side to provide that extra dynamic dimension and lineout option in the second row.
BACK-ROW
Lancaster showed his first indication of making a change in this department on Saturday after commenting on the extra verve that Ben Morgan brought to the breakdown after his introduction in place of the labouring Phil Dowson after fifty minutes.
“I thought the substitutes made a tremendous impact,” stated Lancaster. “Lee Dickson and Ben Morgan in particular, they really upped the tempo,” Lancaster continued.
Tempo is certainly a buzz word in the modern day game but it has just reason to be. One of the reasons that England fought back from their nine point deficit was that they started to play the game at their own pace and on their own terms. What Dickson brought to the tempo was urgency and a quicker distribution to link his forwards with his backs. Also, England started to play more off the first receiver in the second period which moved the ball away from a spoiling Italian back row whilst releasing the marauding Morgan at a weaker part of the Azzurri’s defence. If England are to keep possession and build phases when they host Wales at Twickenham then they need to employ this tactic or else the likes of Sam Warburton, Ryan Jones and Dan Lydiate will have a field day on the old Cabbage Patch.
Morgan and Dickson are two players that Lancaster must now entrust with this responsibility. Ben Youngs has not become a bad player overnight but his confidence is dwindling and the spark that we saw against Australia, both Down Under and at HQ, in the past year and a half seems to have been extinguished. Dropping him to the bench may be the catalyst for what would be a very welcome improvement in his abilities.
MIDFIELD
The all Saracens midfield of Charlie Hodgson, Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt has actually been one of the plus points so far in Lancaster’s short tenure. Ironically though, it is the one area that needs the biggest change. Solid as it has been in defence, it has lacked punch and penetration in attack. Farrell is the only piece of this jigsaw that is sure to keep his place. His nerveless goal kicking and marshalling of the defensive line has shown him to be wiser beyond his years and certainly bodes well for England’s future. A fact highlighted by Lancaster when saying that Farrell’s temperament “was unbelievable for such a young man.”
Barritt, admittedly hasn’t had the sort of quick ball that aids his natural game but with Manu Tuilagi returning from injury then the Samoan born, Leicester man is a must pick to fill that outside centre role. What he adds to a team is a dynamic and thrusting power that opens up holes in defences that can be exposed by the so far under worked back trio of Chris Ashton, Ben Foden and David Strettle.
Toby Flood will also be knocking on the interim head coach’s door for a recall at fly half. Yes, Hodgson has scored two tries in two games but he hasn’t got his back line troops firing at all in England’s seemingly insular game plan. Flood seems to have a superior understanding with all around him, forwards and backs, on where and when to put people through holes. Ashton in particular is starved of any ball in dangerous positions at the moment but looking back on last year’s Six Nations he was regularly the beneficiary of clean ball in space courtesy of the level headed Flood, the game in the Millennium Stadium is a perfect example of this. Flood is an exceptional communicator and gets the best out of those who surround him with his deft touches and elusive running. Wales are a sizeable back line outside and inside of the fly-half channel but if England play their big, physical players off Flood and direct their power at Rhys Priestland, the current incumbent of the famous red number ten jersey in Wales, then they may just be able to claim some small victories in this area of the field.
England should not be written off against Wales, as bringing two away victories back to HQ will mean that confidence is high. More expanse and creativity is needed outside of the fly-half channel but with a bright, bubbly start, the aforementioned confidence could start to soar. If that confidence is coupled with the team spirit and culture that has been created within this camp then it may mean that the chariot that conquered the coliseum may come to carry them to victory whilst at home.
Andrew Daniel - Whilst growing up and until this day, my life has always revolved around the world of sport and Rugby in particular. As both a player and ...
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