England Rugby

Danny Cipriani grabbed a number of headlines prior to this Six Nations.

His form for Sale and the injury to Owen Farrell propelled the fly-half to first-choice backup behind George Ford for the England No. 10 shirt.

The former Wasps man was restricted to that role for the whole of the tournament, however, with Ford playing well throughout.

Cipriani did score off the bench against Italy, but that was his most meaningful contribution on the field.

Despite his limited involvement, Cipriani took to social media to describe the tournament as "the best eight weeks of my life," per The Telegraph.

As it stands, the ex-Melbourne Rebel is an injury away from conducting the England back line as first-choice pivot.

This is some achievement considering the playmaker's colourful past.

After a stunning full debut in 2008, Cipriani looked set for coronation as the successor to Jonny Wilkinson, but that glorious career did not materialise.

An ankle injury towards the end of that season set his development back, and when he returned, Martin Johnson was at the England helm.

He stuck with Cipriani for only a short while, his last cap for six years coming at the end of 2008 as a replacement against New Zealand.

Via Melbourne, Sale and the front of a bus, per BBC Sport, the 27-year-old has matured as a man off the field and found consistency on it, displaying signature moments of skill within a structured, composed way of playing that eventually found favour with the current England setup.

With Farrell engaged in club duty and Ford injured at the end of last season, Cipriani got his chance when he twice came on as replacement for Freddie Burns in the Test series on England’s tour of New Zealand.

Since then, he has surpassed Burns and Northampton's Stephen Myler in the pecking order and is currently ahead of Farrell—if indeed the Saracen is regarded as a viable 10 and not a 12, where he was shunted to in the autumn.

This is one question not yet answered: Had Farrell been fit, would he—and not Cipriani—have played backup to Ford during the tournament?

The son of England defence coach Andy Farrell lost his starting spot to Ford during the 2014 autumn Tests, and that came about after a stop-start domestic season for Farrell and an injury that hampered his form.

England’s thinking about this area of selection is unclear so far. The only certainty now is that Ford is the main man.

How likely is that to change?

England have three warm-up games before the World Cup kicks off: two against France and a final run-out against Six Nations champions Ireland.

Cipriani would have to start all three to bed down as No. 1 fly-half, which isn't going to happen.

Ford is in need of as much game time as he can get at this level to improve his goal-kicking and forge an understanding with whomever England settle on as inside centre.

Luther Burrell played well but didn't answer all the questions about his becoming the man in that role. England could prefer the defensive abrasiveness of Brad Barritt or the game-management and kicking abilities of Farrell.

Manu Tuilagi may also prove his fitness and come back to challenge for that jersey, so Ford will need time to strike up a game-situation relationship with the Leicester man if he is England head coach Stuart Lancaster’s preferred man in that slot.

Whomever Lancaster settles on, throwing Cipriani into the mix would entail starting from scratch as far as a brand-new 10-12 combination goes, and that, with an already relatively inexperienced England back line heading into the World Cup, would be unthinkable.

Additionally, the England hierarchy may see more value in reintroducing Farrell to international rugby after his injury layoff, giving him at least one run-out in the warm-up schedule.

If the coaches opt for a revolving-door policy during these summer Tests to give each man some game time, Cipriani may get a half here or there—not enough to turn selection thinking on its head, unless he rips teams to shreds.

In short, the clock has ticked down on his chances of proving himself, and the best he can hope for is what he got in the Six Nations: some cameos off the bench if the game is safe, perhaps the unenviable job of trying to salvage a result in the last 20 minutes or maybe a start against a group minnow.

Sadly, for this talented player who could have had 50 or more caps by now, the window of opportunity has passed for him to be England’s main man.

England and Scotland collide at Twickenham this weekend after both saw their proverbial Six Nations bubbles burst.

For England, aspirations of a first Grand Slam since 2003 were destroyed in Dublin, while Scotland’s promise of a new era has instead seen three defeats, the most recent a spirit-crushing home reversal to perennial whipping boys Italy.

Stuart Lancaster’s men at least have slim hopes for the championship and will be heavily fancied to turn Scotland over in convincing fashion on home soil. They have not lost to the Scots at HQ since 1983, a 22-12 win for the men from north of the border.

With an unbeaten record at the ground stretching back over 30 years, it would hardly be surprising to find expectancy high among both players and supporters that all England need to do is turn up to make it four defeats in a row for Vern Cotter’s men.

In the past, accusations of arrogance and complacency have been leveled at the English concerning the fixture, only for those misgivings to betray them when Scotland are the opposition.

So yes, on paper, England have the better pack and more incisive back line, and yes, with all the preparation and analysis of the opposition that goes on during a Test week these days, complacency should be the only barrier to a win for the home side on Saturday.

Here are three occasions on which complacency cost English rugby dearly when faced with the boys in blue.

1990, Grand Slam decider

England traveled to Edinburgh for the Grand Slam decider of 1990 against a backdrop of social and political opposition to Margaret Thatcher’s poll tax and its dummy run north of Hadrian’s Wall.

England were led at the time by Will Carling, a man who came to embody—at least for the Scottish supporters who needed a second invitation to identify a hate figure in a white shirt—perceived English arrogance, a notion fuelled in no small part by the tabloids’ transposition of his head onto the body of King Edward II in the buildup.

Carling told Robert Philip of The Telegraph:

We were far too complacent while Scotland were absolutely right for it. We totally underestimated them that day because we'd never entertained the possibility of defeat. But we were out-muscled, outmanoeuvred, out-thought and outplayed. The English lads who had been on the '89 Lions Tour - which I'd missed with a busted leg - didn't really rate the Scots who'd been with them in Australia. Oh, we knew they had four or five very good players but a number of others, to be honest, who were not that great. So the level they rose to was incredible.

Scotland won 13-7, and a Tony Stanger try passed into Scottish rugby folklore.

2000, Slam hopes washed away

The driving rain at Murrayfield didn’t look like it would cause England many problems as they went 10-3 up in their quest for the Grand Slam in 2000.

Scotland had lost all four of their previous games in that year’s Championship, so a healthy lead looked to have set England on their way. But as BBC Sport’s Bryn Palmer recalls, they began to think it was going to be too easy and didn’t respect the conditions—never mind their opponents:

England inadvisedly tried to play rugby in the wet conditions, while Scotland summoned reserves of strength and defensive resolve to repel the favourites.

A ferocious opening quarter saw scuffles breaking out at every turn as the fired-up Scottish forwards - with 7ft giant Richard Metcalfe and flanker Jason White making their debuts - waded into their opposite numbers. A Duncan Hodge penalty opened the scoring, only for England to take a 10-3 lead courtesy of Lawrence Dallaglio's converted try and a Jonny Wilkinson penalty.

But Hodge's kicking first kept the Scots in touch and then put them into the lead, before the fly-half delivered the decisive blow, diving over the puddles from close range for the game-clinching try.

1999, England nearly slip up

A year earlier, England nearly allowed themselves to waste a winning position at Twickenham.

They were 14 points up in the blink of an eye and appeared to see it as a job done, only for Scotland to come roaring back with two tries from Alan Tait and one from Gregor Townsend, per ESPN Scrum.

Had Kenny Logan not left his kicking boots at home, the Scots would have won a glorious last Five Nations Grand Slam, a painful memory that the wing struggled to shake, as he explained years later in The Telegraph: "I’m still haunted by the fact that those kicks cost us the game — and, as it turned out, a Grand Slam triumph in what was the last-ever Five Nations championship."

It was a close shave for England and should serve as a reminder to the players this weekend that with Scotland’s vastly improved back line, they must remain watchful.

It wasn't a lesson they learned quickly back then, however, as they threw the slam away on the final day at Wembley when they lost to Wales in dramatic fashion.

England’s wait for a first Grand Slam since 2003 goes on. Their victory in Dublin 12 years ago was as comprehensive as Sunday's 19-9 defeat at the hands of Ireland, so well-beaten in every department were Stuart Lancaster’s men.

Twelve months ago, England got the better of Ireland at Twickenham, and man of the match Mike Brown had his best day in an England shirt.

The Harlequin made an acrobatic catch to halt a hack by Brian O’Driscoll in the first half, then went on a scorching run to create a try for Danny Care.

In between, he was brave in the air and strong on the counter.

England could have done with another performance from Brown like that at the weekend, but his concussion against Italy ruled him out, and he was replaced by Saracens Alex Goode.

There are plenty of reasons for England’s defeat on Sunday, but missing Mike Brown was not one of them.

1. In the air

Ireland went to the air frequently to test England’s back three, and Goode was the only one to prove up to the task, while wings Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell had mixed fortunes dealing with the bombardment.

2. On the counter

Goode had few opportunities to run the ball back, but his one real chance came under terrible pressure when he gathered Jared Payne’s hack behind his own posts. Goode slithered away from Payne and snaked his way out of danger in a classy manner. No danger of Brown’s absence costing England points in a dire situation there.

3. The try

Goode was the defender Robbie Henshaw out-jumped for his try after Conor Murray posted an inch-perfect kick into the air above the Englishman’s head. This was a case of simple physics. Henshaw had the run on a stationary player and was facing the right way. Goode was standing still and had to almost turn his back to Henshaw to gather the ball. There was only ever going to be one winner, and Brown would have made no difference.

4. The abysmal penalty count

England gave away penalties at the breakdown, were caught offside and were hassled into more errors from an intense, lightning-fast Irish defensive line. Alex Goode had nothing to do with those instances, and Mike Brown would not have been able to change things either.

5. Kicking

Here is one area Brown might have made a difference, but only because he has a huge left boot. Goode’s kicking improved as the game went on, and he was not responsible for points scored as a result of bad exit kicks.

Jonny May is one of the fastest wingers ever to pull on an England shirt. May’s try against New Zealand in the autumn internationals, when he flew past Conrad Smith and Israel Dagg, was one of the best individual scores seen at Twickenham. But is May worth his England place? Does raw speed atone for deficiencies, or maybe liabilities, elsewhere in his game?

England coach Stuart Lancaster asks a lot of his wingers: They need to be all-round modern players, able to kick and catch as well as run. The catapulting of Anthony Watson into the England fold is based on the Bath man’s complete game but also because he is an elusive runner. To use a phrase that has been rapidly gaining popularity, he covers the basics, and Watson’s feet are his “point of difference.”

On the left wing, May’s “point of difference” is his speed: He is regarded by The Rugby Blog as “easily the quickest player England have had available for some time.” But May has been given an easy time of it in other areas: His defence, kicking and claiming of the high ball are not up to standard.

Lancaster wasn’t willing to countenance Christian Wade on the England wing because of his perceived fallibilities in those departments, but Wade is stronger than May across the board. And Wade side-steps rather than running sideways.

Against Wales, May conceded a needless penalty on the half-way line that gave Leigh Halfpenny an easy three points just minutes into the game. He then got his defensive alignment all wrong for Rhys Webb’s try.

Then, against Italy at Twickenham on Saturday, May also had a very mixed game to say the least. It was a performance that confirmed the analysis above.

On 35 minutes, after Ben Youngs’ break, the ball fell to May on the England right with a clear overlap. May, as is his custom, drifted rather than running straight, and the chance was lost. Then, on 43 minutes, with England in a good attacking position in the Italian 22, May attempted a kick that went spectacularly wrong and England came away with no points to show for their efforts.

His defence was also weak, particularly for Luca Morisi's second try (see video below). Morisi is not a powerful No. 8 running at him in close quarters, but a normal-sized back. It was tackling straight out the Chris Ashton school. 

To atone, May flew past two defenders to provide the try for Danny Cipriani. May’s searing pace on the outside was combined with a deft pass to send the replacement fly-half under the posts.

This in a nutshell is May: hugely frustrating, sometimes breathtaking.

England have shown considerable faith in Jonny May. A tryless 2014 Six Nations was followed by an ineffectual tour to New Zealand, before that try against the All Blacks at Twickenham bought him some time. Buoyed by it, he had a confident autumn series. Now the cracks have reappeared. The statistics don't make happy reading: May has only three tries in 13 appearances for England.

No other player, with the possible exception of Owen Farrell in November, has been given such support by Lancaster. May’s fellow wide man, Semesa Rokoduguni, had the opposite treatment. Injured mid-way through the first half against New Zealand, he was subsequently unceremoniously discarded by the England management.

May’s place should come under serious scrutiny soon, not least because he is very unlikely to fit the all-round winger model Lancaster favours. May is a flyer, but, arguably more importantly, he’s also a liability.