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meddie Jones paused for a moment Thursday when asked if there was more pressure on the shoulders of England or Wales this weekend. In the good old days, he would have squashed the tempting long jump on the viewing screen, perhaps inviting his Welsh inquisitor to remind him of the score when the teams last met at Llanelli in November.
This time, however, Jones responded as a mid-level hitter from England struggling to break off the mark in Ahmedabad. “Good question,” he replied, venturing only that the Six Nations Middle Saturday is often “a decisive game” for all teams. It was a small but revealing snapshot of how much has changed since his team beat New Zealand to reach the World Cup final 16 months ago.
Perhaps there is a part of Jones that also remembers the time when Wallaby took an off-series side in Cardiff in 2005. Australia blew a 14-6 lead to finally lose 24-22 and, five days later, a tearful Jones was relieved of his duties as head coach. You haven’t gotten to the same point with the Rugby Football Union, but you should probably keep in mind that Brian Ashton, the last England coach to lose to Scotland and Wales in the same Six Nations campaign, ended up being ruled out within weeks. . in 2008.
It is precisely these occupational hazards that often lead Jones to describe winning as the only currency in international rugby. It explains, he says, why he selects the way he does and why his teams play the way they do. Make or break? If it turns out to be the latter, you can at least look your stubborn self straight in the eye and be sure that you did it your way.
Experience has also shown him that the blessed vaccine of a good home win can quickly alter perceptions. Yes, Wales are undefeated in their first two games and looking for a Triple Crown; an accessory that had few alarms a month ago is now increasingly fraught with difficulties. The lessons of history – the 21-13 loss in 2019, the 30-3 beating in 2013 – are everywhere. But cross the Severn Bridge again with a victory, and given the Covid-19 problems afflicting France, the horizon will look significantly clearer Monday morning.
So it should come as no surprise if England spring into action and rumble out with the intention of proving a physical point. Look at your roster of teams, and potentially this is still a good side that, so no one’s forgotten, has won the Six Nations in three of the last five years. Under Jones there has also been a tendency to do well at least once per tournament. Now would be the perfect time to disperse the socially estranged critics and justify all those long, lonely hours hidden away from their families in their Teddington “bubble”.
There are also undoubtedly long-established folks who play for their immediate test futures. There were more changes to the original cast of Dad’s Army than the regulars of Jones’s platoon and here they come again: Captain Farrell, Sergeant Youngs, Corporal Daly, winning his 50th cap, and the one who only keeps his place because her Aunt Dolly does. delicious cucumber sandwiches.
That last part may be a slight exaggeration, but even Billy Vunipola himself openly admits that he has been “trash” lately and needs a good game at number 8.
Social media can be an unreliable indicator at best, but it’s been a while since the patience of middle England has been so severely tested. Good luck to promising Leicester forward George Martin, just 19 years old and parachuted out of nowhere to a 6: 2 bench, but Jones’ refusal to trust Premiership players in a way that doesn’t fit his Prescriptive template says more about him than about them.
Could all this play into the hands of Wales? Turning on is one thing, but England cannot afford to be overly enthusiastic. The two hosts’ previous rivals were reduced to 14 men and referee Pascal Gaüzère was in charge when England lost in Cardiff in a summer warm-up ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
The premature loss of Courtney Lawes is also potentially sinister. England wanted his skill at the lineout and his ball-carrying presence and are now even more reliant on Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler and Tom Curry to drag everyone in their path.
It is interesting that only six players from England have more international appearances than their rivals; This is the 15th most experienced starter in Welsh history with 902 matches and with George North entering his century at just 28, the desire to silence the noisy neighbors never fades.
Wayne Pivac will also tell his players to pick up a handbook sheet for Twickenham of Scotland: resilient and precise up front, but absolutely unafraid to try to play if given the chance. The last six editions of the Six Nations of this match have been settled by eight points or less; With Louis Rees-Zammitt looking electric wide open, there’s no reason to imagine he won’t be around again. If England mis-kick Liam Williams or Dan Biggar, they risk losing the initiative; Nor many in this championship have beaten Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau in the back row.
Yet in the end, this traditional contest is less about specific personal than collective energy, genuine purpose, and staying calm when it counts. They may not leave the pubs of the city and enter the soaring cauldron of Cardiff, but millions will still be glued to their screens. To date, most have come to a forceful conclusion about England: they could use a new momentum at 8, 9 and 10, less mental clutter, more tactical imagination, less robotic adherence to blind conservatism. There were blinks against Italy, but little in the way of clinical attack execution.
And now here is the litmus test, certainly in terms of England’s title defense. After 61 red rose games in charge, and seven wins in his nine games against Wales, restoring a bit of public faith in Jones’ methods would also help. It feels like the pivotal 80 minutes of the head coach’s tenure after 2019 and that understanding could prove decisive – feed off the added pressure and you can still be all white at night. Who do you think you’re kidding, Mr. Pivac, if you think old England is over?
