England Rugby

Eddie Jones has been appointed as the new head coach of the England rugby team on a four-year deal.

Confirmation of the Australian's appointment was reported on Friday by England Rugby:

Eddie Jones has been named as the England Head Coach on a four year deal. https://t.co/AGfM9hbqTM pic.twitter.com/0fDYXDbcn6

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 20, 2015

He will take up the role in December and succeeds Stuart Lancaster, who vacated the position earlier this month following England's disastrous 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign.

Jones, 55, will be England's first-ever foreign coach, and his opening match in charge will be the opening Six Nations clash against Scotland at Murrayfield on Feb. 6.

The front-runner for the job since Lancaster's departure, Jones joins the England setup from Super Rugby outfit the Stormers, having only taken up the job with the South African franchise in September.

He had previously led the Japanese national side and engineered, arguably, the World Cup's biggest-ever upset in September by beating South Africa 34-32.

He said he is looking forward to helping England move beyond the disappointment of their home World Cup, where they were knocked out in the group stages, per England Rugby:

Firstly my thanks must go to Rob Wagner and everyone at Western Province Rugby for understanding my decision and allowing me to return to the international stage so quickly. 

The opportunity to take the reins in, possibly, the world’s most high profile international rugby job doesn’t come along every day however, and I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity.

I’m now looking forward to working with the RFU and the players to move beyond the disappointment England suffered at the World Cup and hope to build a new team that will reflect the level of talent that exists within the English game. I believe the future is bright for England.

The England job represents Jones' third head coaching role on the international stage.

He previously had a spell in charge of Australia between 2001 and 2005, during which his Wallabies side were defeated by England in the 2003 World Cup final.

As suggested by Rugby World's Owain Jones, former England captain Steve Borthwick could join Jones' coaching setup having worked with him at Japan and Saracens:

Eddie Jones fits criteria outlined by Ian Ritchie. Spoke to Steve Borthwick last week, full of praise for EJ. Will they reprise double-act?

— Owain Jones (@OwainJTJones) November 20, 2015

Despite England's woes at the World Cup, Jones has a talented group of players to work with and will be confident he can create a winning team.

He has the experience and the track record to suggest he could be hugely successful with England.

It will take some time to recover from the World Cup disappointment, and Jones may well make some big changes—captain Chris Robshaw could be fearing for his job, per Neil Squires of the Daily Express.

But the talent is most certainly there for England to become a force in world rugby once again and, in Jones, there is a high-quality coach now at the helm.

The England rugby team is at a crossroads in its history, and the decision regarding whom is appointed to succeed Stuart Lancaster will dictate how the Red Rose bounces back from arguably its greatest-ever disappointment.

The 2015 Rugby World Cup, where England became the first host nation ever to fail to advance from their group, emphasised how far ahead of the pack southern hemisphere teams currently are—and the same can be said for the coaches.

BBC Sport reported early on Friday morning that former Japan coach Eddie Jones had finalised a deal to take over at the helm, having secured a release from his contract with Super Rugby's Stormers.

In doing so, Jones hasbecome the first-ever foreign figure to lead England, but ex-Australia winger David Campese argued this would be a show of weakness from England in their time of crisis:

"Don't you want an Englishman to coach an English team and win the World Cup? It obviously shows that after the World Cup you guys are lost. You've got all the money in the world—and all the players—and you've still got no idea how to play the game."

But to agree with Campese would be a matter of pride, something England don't boast much of at present. It's true that every World Cup-winning coach has originated from the nation they led to global triumph, including 2003 victor Clive Woodward, but patriotism simply isn't working to great effect.

Of course, at the end of the day, it's the players who go out to do the work, and the southern hemisphere boasts better players and more of them—that much is clear. The infrastructures in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa simply breed stronger teams, and by association, Argentina are catching up.

So, by that logic, southern-hemisphere coaches, whether they played at the professional level themselves or not, can also expect to benefit from a deeper understanding of what makes players and teams truly great.

Just about every other Six Nations side has cottoned on to the fact tacticians from within their own house perhaps don't have the necessary skills, and photographer Darren Heath previously urged England to follow suit:

https://twitter.com/F1Photographer/status/664522133473742848

Ireland have come on leaps and bounds under New Zealander Joe Schmidt, while his countrymen Warren Gatland and Vern Cotter are doing fine work at the helms of Wales and Scotland, respectively.

Sky Sports pundit Stuart Barnes agreed that no matter which way one looks at it, the northern hemisphere is way off the pace compared to those from south of the equator:

The northern hemisphere is a long way behind the southern hemisphere. It normally is.

When the northern hemisphere had their one World Cup triumph under Clive Woodward, his recipe was to focus first and foremost on the autumn internationals against the big three of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. We now have to include Argentina as well because of the development, they're making playing against the big three all the time.

In this hemisphere, we're obsessed with the little island mentality of the Six Nations, the rivalries between Wales and England. We've got to get over that. That is the second-tier tournament.

The "little-island mentality" is an intriguing point. Britain—or more specifically England in this example—has always had a certain pride over The Empire, which ruled most of the world from the 1600s through to the 1800s; the world is a changed place, and their reach is nowhere near as vast or powerful.

Some players would appear to be on board with the idea of hiring a foreign coach, and Northampton Saints full-back Ben Foden has already got to work attempting to earn his place back in the squad:

Have I ever said how much I like Eddie Jones as a Coach 👀 #gettinginthereearly

— Ben Foden (@ben_foden) November 19, 2015

That's not to say we should never see an Englishman at the helm again. If this unnamed figure has the credentials and is genuinely the right man for the job at that point, then by all means he should have his turn.

But that's not the case right now, and however hard England might try to unearth a native suitable for the position, it's a pursuit that won't produce the best results.

The Daily Mail's Will Kelleher recently discussed how Gatland, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika and ex-Springboks coach Jake White were all being examined as candidates, all of which are from the southern hemisphere.

It's a bitter pill to swallow, but the time has come for England to drop tradition—at least for the time being—and turn to a foreign coach.

These are sobering times for England’s players.

Many of them have already donned their club colours while the tournament plays on without them. Meanwhile, the review of their performances in white is under way.

Newspaper columns are piling up by the day as to how it should conclude, as well as whether or not the panel consists of the right people at all. Sam Peters, writing for the Daily Mail, certainly thinks Sir Ian McGeechan should be nowhere near it.

But as the panel get down to work, they would do well to take time out on Saturday and Sunday to watch and learn from the four sides left in the tournament.

Argentina

New Zealand and Argentina, especially, showed the world how best to play this sport during their quarter-final victories.

It is no coincidence that they are umbilically linked by the man who guided the All Blacks to their 2011 triumph, as former England coach Brian Ashton explained in the Independent:

The consultancy work done in the country by Graham Henry influenced some of the key decision-makers in Puma circles and encouraged them to explore non-traditional ways of preparing for, and playing, Test rugby against the strongest opposition. When I made a coaching visit to Argentina in March, it was immediately obvious there was a genuine eagerness to think outside the box. The outcome of that thinking is the reality we saw in Cardiff last weekend, when a proactive Argentina side played with such courage and ambition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1GpzDW0DIw

Courage, ambition and no little intelligence. Dean Ryan points out in the Guardian the strategy of leaving two men out on the wing who, if fed fast enough ball, will always have a two-on-one in front of them. See their first, second and third tries as examples.

It was a clever plan allowed to flourish because the Pumas did what England could not: produce fast ball from forwards smashing their way over the advantage line.

New Zealand

As for the All Blacks, fast ball to send it into the spaces is their modus operandi, but what English coaches and players may want to take more heed of is the fact that against the French, every man, regardless of the number on his back, was able to receive and give the ball quickly and accurately.

Observe reserve tighthead Charlie Faumuina’s pass for Kieran Read’s try and then marvel at an even better effort from Joe Moody, their third-choice loosehead, when he fed Tawera Kerr-Barlow for a score.

 

Australia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARiJ6-1E6A

England have already had firsthand experience of how the Wallabies can eviscerate a team. They have always had clever backs, but they now have a back row with world-class players at spoiling and turning over the ball at the tackle area.

England, as if they need reminding, do not, because they refused to pick Steffon Armitage.

The Wallabies taught England another lesson in the scrum. England can try to add all the handling and passing skill they like to their team, but no England side with a weak set piece will ever win a World Cup again.

South Africa

Surely the greatest lesson the Boks have taught us all in this tournament is how to bounce back from adversity. It’s hard to understand the size of the shock the defeat against Japan had on this rugby-crazed nation.

But they dusted themselves off to finish on top of their pool and advanced past Wales with a stoic display to reach their first semi-final.

England are in a pretty deep well right now, but South Africa at least showed them how to grasp the rope and start climbing.

The party no one wants to go to will take place at the Etihad Stadium tonight when England bring the curtain down on a miserable World Cup campaign.

As the post-mortem continues into how they managed to turf themselves out of their own tournament at the earliest available opportunity, England’s much-maligned players have to take to the field to complete the formalities against Uruguay, before they can head for the fancy dress shop and stock up on decent disguises.

It’s a fixture with echoes of England’s footballing counterparts’ dead rubber with San Marino in 1993. World Cup progress was virtually dead in the water but Graham Taylor’s men had to travel to the principality to finish the group.

Even then the embarrassment wasn’t complete until they shipped a first-minute goal.

Chris Robshaw’s men must avoid that fate at least. Los Teros have the taste after crossing the stripe for the first time since doing so against Clive Woodward’s team in 2003.

In truth, few will care about the score, and most will afford any standout performances little value, given the stature of the opposition.

This should have been a game for England’s fringe players to stretch their legs before the front-line troops returned for the knockout phases.

And although we will get to see the likes of Henry Slade and Jack Nowell for the first time in the World Cup, their job is now to sign off on what could be the end of Stuart Lancaster’s reign.

If this is his last game in charge, he can at least reflect on the players brought through under his reign, with a bright future awaiting those two and many more young talents given their first caps by the Cumbrian.

There ends tonight’s reasons to be cheerful. This will be like watching a dentist pull a tooth. It will be painful, but soon at an end.

 

Match details

Date: Saturday, October 10

Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. EST

Venue: The Etihad, Manchester

TV Info: UK, ITV1; Australia, Fox SPORTS; NZ, SkySports; South Africa, SuperSports

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only), Universal Sports (US only)

 

Last five matches

England’s World Cup campaign started with maximum points against Fiji before being ripped apart by consecutive defeats to Wales and Australia, handing them their worst World Cup finish on record and the unwanted tag of the first hosts to exit at the pool stage.

Uruguay have been tossed around like a dog toy by their first three opponents in a hellishly difficult pool.

Their World Cup final came against Russia in a two-leg qualifier that booked their passage to England. Heavily one-sided thrashings have been notable by the vast reduction in their instances in the 2015 World Cup, but the South Americans remain one of the few sides with a vast gap to close.

Team lineups

England have rung the changes to give six players their first start of the tournament. The lineup includes yet another fresh midfield combination with Henry Slade and Owen Farrell outside George Ford.

It is Slade around whom England could build their next successful centre partnership. Before the tournament, Dean Ryan prophetically proclaimed in the Guardian that the Exeter man would not get a look-in until this fixture, but he was at pains to extol the 22-year-old’s qualities after branding him the star turn of England’s warm-up matches.

The attraction of Henry Slade is there for all to see. He plays 10, 12, 13 and full-back, has a kick like a mule and can pass a player into space like no one else in the England World Cup party, bar George Ford. In that first warm-up game against France Slade caused panic in French ranks every time he touched the ball. On debut for England he looked the most mature back on the field, creating one try with ice-cool judgment and a precision pass while crafting a second as stand-in fly-half. Most countries would kill for such talent.

Uruguay have made just two changes from their defeat to Fiji, and are buoyed by the inclusion of scrum-half Agustin Ormachea despite his red card for a second yellow card offence in their previous match.

England: Alex Goode; Anthony Watson, Henry Slade, Owen Farrell, Jack Nowell; George Ford, Danny Care; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling, James Haskell, Chris Robshaw, Nick Easter

Uruguay: Gaston Mieres; Santiago Gibernau, Joaquin Prada, Andres Vilaseca, Rodrigo Silva; Felipe Berchesi, Agustin Ormaechea, Alejandro Nieto; Matias Beer, Juan Manuel Gaminara, Jorge Zerbino, Santiago Vilaseca, Mario Sagario, Carlos Arboleya, Mateo Sanguinetti

Players to watch

George Ford

This should be armchair stuff for England’s reinstated No. 10. Ford was inexplicably dropped for England’s games against Wales and Australia.

And while there were others to point the finger at before Owen Farrell, his replacement, the Bath man’s contribution once he came on against the Wallabies was notable for the way England suddenly started using the ball in space rather than bashing it into the waiting arms of David Pocock.

It would be scant consolation for the former Leicester youngster if he racked up a record points haul against the Pool A whipping boys.

Uruguay’s half-backs

Felipe Berchesi and Agustin Ormaechea are in the paid minority in the Uruguayan team, both playing in France below the top flight.

Berchesi has a cultured boot and will capitalise on opportunities should England bleed penalties in the way they managed against their last two opponents, while his colleague in the No. 9 jersey would dearly love to add to his own family’s proud history.

His father Diego scored their first ever World Cup try against Spain in 1999.

Prediction

England by 50 points

Odds

England 1/100

Uruguay 100/1

Draw 125/1

 

Via oddschecker

The Pool stage is not yet over and the hosts are out.

But the English corpse must twitch back into life in Manchester on Saturday to finish the job before it can be buried once and for all.

Uruguay have a front row seat at the funeral of England’s World Cup campaign, and must feel like intruders on a very public grief.

Once the game is out of the way, English rugby’s hierarchy must begin looking for the answer to the biggest question of the lot: What now?

One of the biggest criticisms of Stuart Lancaster has been his selection.

From the French-based players ignored to the faith put in a callow rugby-league convert and the panicked dropping of George Ford; These examples add to a catalogue of inconsistencies during Lancaster’s reign that have left England no nearer knowing their best team than they did when he took over.

The review will take its course and the investigations will continue, but the conclusion must ultimately be that a change is gonna come, both in the coach and in the players used.

In terms of the man at the helm, the debate will doubtless ensue as to whether it’s vital he is English, or more important that he has a track record of success wherever he has been.

And that, Stephen Jones of the Sunday Times insisted on BBC 5 Live, must consist of more than just Leeds.

That search will get under way soon, and there is far from an obvious candidate who ticks all the boxes. But the same cannot be said for the players England must turn to. Here are five men who must start when England run out in Edinburgh on February 6 to start the 2016 Six Nations.

 

Steffon Armitage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymr4P1lQXMw

England’s refusal to pick Armitage was eventually shown to be disastrous against Australia, who had two players in the mould of the Toulon man who terrorised the home side at the breakdown.

Armitage, 30, has had a stint in the national side before, and it didn’t go spectacularly well, but the game has moved on, and the No. 7 position has become the key position on the field.

England decided not to go for a specialist in that jersey, and have ended up being punished for it. Time to change philosophy.

It’s not even so much a fixation with Armitage—he is doing what he’s doing behind the biggest, meanest pack in Europe, let’s not forget—England just need a player of his ilk.

Matt Kvesic is the closest England came to a like-for-like player, and he was rubbed off the list long before Lancaster got down to his final 31.

 

Henry Slade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKyNPNlHuVc

Exeter man Slade was picked in the squad, then given no time at all on the field. This despite shining in England’s first warm-up game against France.

In truth, he should have been given a chance in the side much earlier. Slade is a natural footballer who can slide along 10, 12 or 13 comfortably.

The 22-year-old is not a banger, not a heavy hitter, and England must surely wake up to the fact that picking such players does not get them anywhere against the best sides in the world.

Pick Slade at No. 12 and see what he can do alongside Jonathan Joseph of Manu Tuilagi.

 

George Ford

The more you think about it, the more ludicrous the decision to drop Ford for the Wales game seems.

The Bath No. 10 was the architect of England’s win in Cardiff during the Six Nations, and shone in a win over the Wallabies the previous autumn. The World Cup hosts had begun to score tries for fun with Ford at the tiller.

And for some reason, when England reached the crunch phase of their World Cup campaign, they backed away from that approach, and picked a midfield trio for how they could defend, not for what they offered in attack.

When Ford, 22, was brought on at half-time against Australia, he immediately got England going forward with his natural passing game and positional sense.

 

Dylan Hartley—and make him captain

Another decision that now looks hugely questionable is the call to jettison Dylan Hartley on the grounds he was banned for just the opening game against Fiji.

The Northampton hooker’s overall disciplinary record was used by Lancaster as the basis for the decision, citing the red-hot heat of battle coming England’s way and wondering whether it would be too much for the 29-year-old’s short fuse.

But Lancaster lost more than a player with a patchy history.

He lost his best lineout thrower and, as Worcester coach Dean Ryan explained on Sky Sports, was therefore forced to pick Geoff Parling rather than Joe Launchbury to ensure Tom Youngs didn’t go wayward with his throwing. 

Hartley's missing strength at scrum time also impacted on England, as Ryan explained:

We then ended up in scrums when we had to play the ball where we have always got a penalty and kicked for touch and then got the drive on. By playing the ball we are then highlighting the fact that we have not got a cohesive midfield.

He also lost a player with over 50 caps from a side which could ill-afford to shear off that sort of experience if it had any hope of winning the World Cup.

As for the captaincy? Why not? Martin Johnson did not walk around with a halo hovering over his sizeable melon, and neither did Lawrence Dallaglio.

Talk of handing it to Joe Launchbury is premature, just when England have discovered a lock with the sort of work rate and influence on a game Paul O’Connell and Simon Shaw exerted in their pomp.

Now is not the time to burden him with the decision making that metaphorically paralysed Chris Robshaw.

 

Maro Itoje

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2J2bDyjp9Y

Itoje is already an England captain in waiting, and if Hartley is perceived to be too much of a risk, why not hand the young Saracen the job right now? He led the Under-20 side to the World Cup in 2014 and has already skippered Saracens.

Will Carling was 22 when Geoff Cooke gave him the job, remember. Itoje, 20, was involved in the wider squad but got no further on account of his lack of experience.

Now is the time to make the next step for a player who has all the natural physical attributes for international rugby. Perhaps a season or two under Hartley and Itoje would be ready to assume the top job.

England crashed out of their home Rugby World Cup after a disappointing defeat to Australia at Twickenham. 

After entering the tournament optimistic that home advantage could take England deep into the latter stages, fans' disappointment was rife on Twitter.

FT: England 13-33 Australia. Quick check in with England’s Sweet Chariot #ENGvAUS #RWC2015 pic.twitter.com/msOc3lglhz

— Bleacher Report AUS (@BR_Aus) October 3, 2015

I think I see the issue here. The problem was making them giants right before we had to carry them home. Lack of foresight, really.

— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) October 3, 2015

England emulating Belgium at Euro 2000 and South Africa at the 2010 World Cup. Hosts to crash out before the knockouts. Very, very rare.

— Tony Hodson (@tonyhodson1) October 3, 2015

Fans leaving early at your own World Cup. Ouch. #engvaus

— Duncan Bell (@duncanbell3) October 3, 2015

For England, this is as bad as when they were knocked out of their own Cricket World Cup in 1999 before the official song was even released.

— Richard Jones (@rlwjones) October 3, 2015

Might be time to buy another sweet chariot 😟 #ENGvAUS

— David Schneider (@davidschneider) October 3, 2015

ITV in need of a new ident a bit earlier than expected pic.twitter.com/lTdJ5Yq5gQ

— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) October 3, 2015

There were a number of comparisons with the failure of Brazil at last year's football World Cup, where the host nation crashed out in dramatic fashion. It was also noted England's other national sporting teams have not fared well in recent international tournaments. 

Football, cricket, rugby. 3 England teams knocked out in the group stages of World Cups inside 16 months. 13-33 at Twickenham. Mortifying.

— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) October 3, 2015

So England have now been knocked out in the group stage of the rugby, cricket and football World Cups in just over a year...

— David Coverdale (@dpcoverdale) October 3, 2015

England are totally Brazilling this.

— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) October 3, 2015

Sports journalist starter kit pic.twitter.com/fqH8Wz36s0

— Charles Lawley (@CharlesLawley) October 3, 2015

Even Her Majesty herself couldn't turn it around as England slumped to a 17-3 deficit at half-time.

One's in the #ENG dressing room. And it's not rugby balls that one is kicking, one can assure you. #InCharge

— Elizabeth Windsor (@Queen_UK) October 3, 2015

As Australia got one over their bitter rivals, there was only one thing fans of English sport could cling to...

This year was all about the #Ashes to be fair. #ENGvAUS

— The Media Blog (@TheMediaTweets) October 3, 2015

We won the #Ashes. That's what really matters. #RWC2015 #AUS #ENG

— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 3, 2015

Won the Ashes though, lads 👍 pic.twitter.com/TrxBLgCpzl

— Ed Malyon (@eaamalyon) October 3, 2015

But all in all, it was a desperately disappointing night for England, whereas Australia qualified for the quarter-finals with a dominant performance.

[Twitter]

Crunch time for England arrives on Saturday night with a win-or-bust encounter against Australia in the Rugby World Cup 2015.

Defeat will see Stuart Lancaster’s men exit their own tournament at the pool stage, while a win still makes it possible to finish first in the section.

Australia’s progress has been serene thus far compared to the host nation, but this is their first true test against one of the pre-tournament favourites.

The World Cup’s history is punctuated regularly with dramatic encounters between these two. This will be their sixth meeting in World Cup play and their first in the pool stages since a 19-6 win for the Wallabies in 1987 at Sydney’s Concord Oval.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5r8kY4aHks

The score is currently 3-2 to England, their most recent success that abrasive quarter-final triumph in the Marseille sunshine in 2007.

For the Red Rose Brigade, they are not yet down and out of Pool A, but this is already knockout rugby.

There are areas all over the field in which this fame can be won and lost, but the key, as with last weekend at Twickenham, London, will be discipline.

Australia have been no strangers to the referee’s whistle so far in this tournament, conceding 23 penalties in their two games so far.

England’s misdemeanours at the breakdown last week need no further discussion, except to say they have been alerted about three awards to Wales that the referee should not have made, per the Mirror.

The match official will doubtless be aware of the extra pressure to get decisions right in this contentious area.

Match details

Date: Saturday, October 3

Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. EST

Venue: Twickenham, London

TV Info: UK, ITV1; Australia, Fox SPORTS; NZ, SkySports; South Africa, SuperSports

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only), Universal Sports (US only)

 

Last 5 games

England’s defeat to Wales was the first they have lost to Warren Gatland’s men since their drubbing in Cardiff in 2013.

Before that, they overcame Fiji on opening night, having won one and lost one to France during the summer and beaten Ireland impressively at Twickenham.

That last pre-tournament game was the most cohesive they had looked since the Six Nations, with wide players Jonny May and Anthony Watson both looking dangerous.

Australia arrived at the World Cup as improbable Rugby Championship winners. They beat South Africa, the All Blacks and Argentina to imbue a self-belief that things are coming together for Michael Cheika’s men.

A cake walk for their second string against the USA en route to the UK was squeezed in before seeing off Fiji and Uruguay since arriving in England.

September 26	England 25-28 Wales
September 18	England 38-14 Fiji
September 5	England 21-13 Ireland
August 22	France 25-20 England
August 15	England 19-14 France

September 27	Australia 65-3 Uruguay
September 23	Australia 28-13 Fiji
September 5	USA 10-47 Australia
August 15	New Zealand 41-13 Australia
August 8	Australia 27-19 New Zealand

 

Team lineups

England welcome back the additional spark of Jonathan Joseph to their back line. Brad Barritt returns to the more familiar No. 12 jersey and Sam Burgess to his role as impact sub.

Ben Morgan is fit to resume the No. 8 jersey with Billy Vunipola out of the competition and Nick Easter backing Morgan up from the bench. Ben Youngs has been passed fit and will again partner Owen Farrell at half-back.

Australia had the luxury of changing almost an entire team for their clash with Uruguay and so welcome back their rested first-stringers for the Twickenham showdown.

Their No. 7/No. 8 combo of Michael Hooper and David Pocock, dubbed "Pooper"—which was somewhat stumbled upon in their Rugby Championship clash with South Africa—was so successful that they have become the talk of the town.

Both are natural turnover-merchants at the breakdown and wonderful support players to their fleet-footed backs.

There is less bulk on the Wallabies bench than Michael Cheika would have wanted, having lost the 22-stone lock Will Skelton and veteran No. 8 Wycliff Palu to injuries that have ended their World Cups.

England: Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Joe Marler, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling, Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, Ben Morgan.

Australia: Israel Folau; Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Giteau, Rob Horne; Bernard Foley, Will Genia; Scott Sio, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu; Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons; Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, David Pocock.

Players to Watch

Chris Robshaw

No England rugby captain has come under this much pressure since Will Carling and “old-fart gate.”

Chris Robshaw’s call to kick for touch rather than take the shot at goal that could have squared the match against Wales has been raked over all week in the rugby press.

And his qualities as a captain have come under fire as a result, but it hasn’t ended there.

His ability as a No. 7 of world class has also been questioned, per Japan coach Eddie Jones in the Daily Mail: "To me, Robshaw is an outstanding club player, but at international level, he doesn’t have that point of difference. He carries OK, he tackles OK, but he’s not outstandingly good in any area."

All of that not withstanding, Robshaw had a better game than Sam Warburton last weekend. His decision in the 78th minute has overshadowed the fact that he was more effective than the incumbent Lions captain.

Had Robshaw gone for goal and England had squared the match, would Warburton have come under all this flak instead, for it was he who gave that penalty away?

It has become pantomime fare to poke fun at the English skipper this week. Ian Herbert of the Independent has taken aim at his dog, his oratory, his ability as a player and his captaincy.

It’s hard to remember anyone heralding Martin Johnson for his Churchillian team talks. The 2003 World Cup winner was a man for deeds, not words.

Robshaw needs to follow that template on Saturday and give as good as he gets from the twin threat of Australia’s back-row scavengers.

And if his team is behind by a score, at least he has no option when it comes to deciding the best result to go for.

David Pocock

It has almost become de riguer to amalgamate David Pocock and Michael Hooper into one person. The pair’s partnership as breakdown mongrels has been the transformative factor for this Wallabies team.

Pocock was the No. 1 in the No. 7 spot for Australia until injury intervened. He was sidelined by two serious knee injuries that kept him out for more than two-and-a-half years.

During that time, Michael Hooper made such a good job of the role he ended up as interim captain of his country while hooker Stephen Moore recovered from his own injury.

Pocock came back this year to great effect for the Brumbies in the Super XV, and when he was ready to be picked for Australia again, Hooper’s form gave Michael Cheika a conundrum he decided to solve in an unorthodox way: Pick them both.

If English rugby saw the thought of Steffon Armitage playing at No. 8 as a quirky experiment best left to his club coach (were he eligible to play for his country, that is), the folly of such straight-line thinking has been exposed by Cheika’s choice to play Pocock there and retain Hooper at openside with such success.

BBC’s Tom Fordyce wrote:

It shouldn't work. In footballing terms it is playing Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard together in central midfield. Both men play the same type of game: muscular pickpockets at the breakdown, wrecking-balls aimed at the opposing foundations. Both want to be in the same place at the same time.

But work it has. The combination outplayed their vaunted All Blacks counterparts to win the Rugby Championship in Sydney a few months ago. Against Fiji last week, the pair made 41 tackles. Pocock made five turnovers alone.

England supporters and the English media are fixated with how their bigger back row, with no such player in its makeup, will cope with the dynamism of these two short, fast, agile men, but it will not just be down to the players with six, seven and eight on their backs to stop the threat of Pocock and Hooper.

It was notable against Wales how, on several occasions, the first English players to the breakdown were not blowing their opposites away in the same way we see South Africans and New Zealanders attack the rucks.

This is where Pocock and his mate will profit if England are not clinical with their cleaning out. Joe Launchbury and Dan Cole have the responsibility to make this aspect of England’s game better just as much as their back-row colleagues.

Do it not and David Pocock will rack up some impressive stats.

Prediction: England 15-13 Australia

Odds

England 9/10

Australia 5/4

Draw 22/1

Via Oddschecker.com