England Rugby

Following their win against the odds in Cardiff on the opening night of the 2015 Six Nations, England are once more back amongst the favourites. And there's been quite a lot of twitter chatter surrounding their chances. But can the analysts be believed? And are the fans biased?

For any side to come from behind against Wales away from home suggests a confident attitude. Having successfully done that only recently at the Millennium Stadium on a score of 21-16, Stuart Lancaster's men now look like real challengers.

In particular, with fly-half George Ford playing well, England possess one of the tournament's most threatening performers. Having scored three penalties and a conversion against the Scots, the 21-year-old notched up more than half the visitors' points that night.

Indeed, despite Ford having such a tremendous match in the No. 10 role, The Independent's Chris Hewett believes one of their biggest strengths lies in their resourceful scrum.

And that's an assertion backed up by England prop Dan Coles.

A mighty source of power and brute force against Warren Gatland's men, they really gave the away side a massive boost by winning turnovers throughout the match. And it was a galvanising stimulus that really rallied them on to fight back from a losing position.

And with confidence continuing to grow in their ability, this weekend's clash with Italy at Twickenham is being viewed more and more by the fans as a potential walk-over.

Ireland to beat France by 7. Scotland to pip Wales by 3 and England by 20+ #SixNations #RBS6Nations #rugby

— Jack Madden (@JackMaddenXV) February 12, 2015

Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward also reckons their recent performance has massively positive repercussions for their World Cup ambitions.

Seemingly unperturbed by the decent performance the Italians produced at the Stadio Olimpico against Ireland, the Red Rose are expecting a whitewash. And the English are steadily overtaking France as the second favourites to win the competition outright behind Ireland, as this recent poll from The Guardian reveals.

But it's still early days, and it's not yet known just how much of an insight England's early form can give us into their overall potential.

After all, they have yet to face any of their contenders for the title. And with both France and Ireland still to come, it looks as though the best, and indeed the worst, could yet be to come.

Yet optimism remains high amongst even the most esteemed of rugby pundits, including Will Greenwood.

And it's easy to see why their stock is rising, as pointed out by Donal Lenihan in his recent piece for The Irish Examiner.

Although they fielded a largely inexperienced outfit against Wales, it made no difference to their usual level of defiance as they trod all over Welsh dreams of a home victory. And their wide players, as pointed out by Lenihan, were instrumental to that.

In fact, their makeshift line-up seems to have bestowed them with a surprise solidity—it's wrong-footed their opponents.

And the players are excited that the momentum is now with them, as highlighted by Billy Vunipola's recent tweet.

Reverting back to Ford's brilliance that night, however, it's clear he remains one of their most important assets. And it will be interesting to see how he copes against Italy. After all, according to the official Six Nations website, the Azzurri gave away 11 penalties against Ireland.

Compare that with the nine penalties the Welsh conceded against England and the in-form kicker could have a field day on home soil. Mind you, that is likely. After all, Ford is scoring more points than both Ireland's Ian Keatley and France's Camille Lopez.

Whatever happens, home fans will hope they get the win to keep their title hopes alive.

Whether or not they manage to repeat the huge 11-52 win from last March in Rome won't matter a huge amount because they're unlikely to win non-believers over until they can do damage against the likes of Ireland or France.

Nonetheless, this upcoming clash against the Italians should give us all a little more insight into whether or not England's powerful scrum and intelligent kicking game was merely a product of surprise or if it was due to a talented superiority.

It will be interesting to see just how they react. 

England came back from a half-time deficit to beat Wales 21-16 at the Millennium Stadium on Friday, kicking off their Six Nations tournament in ideal fashion.

The official England Rugby Twitter account confirmed the triumph, which sees Stuart Lancaster's men move to the top of the table, earning sweet revenge over Warren Gatland's side, who won this fixture 30-3 two years ago:

Wales couldn't have asked for a brighter start in Cardiff, and after a rousing rendition of their national anthem, it was clear from the beginning what motivation their stars were bringing to the table.

It took the hosts little more than a minute to establish their lead after Jonny May was pulled up for failing to roll away in the tackle. Just as he's been doing for Toulon of late, Leigh Halfpenny stepped up to slot a touchline kick which, while far from simple, was made to look as such thanks to his boot.

From there, Gatland's men only grew in confidence, and the probing boot of Dan Biggar put England on the back foot, eventually resulting in a five-metre scrum with their put-in.

And at the first time of asking, Taulupe Faletau showed tremendous handling to pick and go from the base, peeling off the right and superbly offloading for Rhys Webb to ghost over the line. It may have been the scrum-half who scored, but Andy Howell of Wales Online ensured the No. 8 got his credit:

Halfpenny maintained a 100 percent kicking record to add the extras and give Wales a 10-0 lead, but England responded well to the pressure of seeing their rivals slip out of sight.

Some lax defending from the home team meant Mike Brown could drive at the Welsh, drawing his man and putting a useful grubber through for Anthony Watson to pounce upon and mark his maiden Test try.

Again, the touchdown was impressive, but OptaJonny illustrates this score as being all about the assist:

It's inevitable that after such a fast, furious start, both teams could be expected to step back in terms of intensity, and it was here that place-kicking took precedence as the battle of wits ensued.

Halfpenny and George Ford exchanged penalties, both on and off target. Some excellent ball retention saw Wales enjoy the better possession, but they were restricted to a Dan Biggar drop goal on the stroke of half-time to go in at the break 16-8 leaders, per BBC ScrumV:

Recently retired Welsh prop Adam Jones had nothing but praise for the Ospreys fly-half, who despite being bloodied and bandaged at that point, showed his head was as clear as ever to put Wales in control:

However, some stern words at half-time appeared to take effect with the visitors, who came out with a far more fervent look in the second period and took no time to enforce it.

Applying pressure high inside the Welsh half, England started to turn ball over and some terrific control of tempo from No. 9 Ben Youngs led Jonathan Joseph to a maiden Test try of his own, via the official Six Nations YouTube account:

Shrugging off the challenge of George North is no small accomplishment, but Bath's battler did just that, bulldozing his way over the line. Ford again converted to make it a one-point game at 16-15.

England's ascendancy could have been capitalised upon with a try, too, in the 60th minute, had it not been for a freak bit of misfortune leading James Haskell to run directly into the upright rather than under it.

The Wasps' captain thudded into the padding in what could have easily been the play that put Lancaster and Co. in the driving seat, but they were left to settle for an 18-16 lead following Ford's penalty, with Wales wing Alex Cuthbert being sin-binned in the melee.

The home team did well to withstand England's assault while down to 14 men, but it was following Cuthbert's return that lock Dave Attwood dotted down after a barrage of pressure from those in the white jerseys.

However, it wouldn't stand and the travelling fans' jubilant singing quickly fell silent again, with substitute Nick Easter penalised for crossing in an earlier phase.

Paul Williams of Rugby World felt the call was harsh:

It would matter little, though, as an England team seemingly growing in confidence strengthened their borders and the power of their bench began to show.

Luke Charteris was pulled up near halfway for holding on at the ruck and that was all the opportunity Ford needed to sweep home the fixture's decisive kick.

Trailing 21-16 with just a few minutes remaining, one might have expected a fierce Welsh resurgence at this point, but it never came as England tightened their borders further and finished as deserving victors.

For his kicking exploits and graft in restricting Wales' back-line weapons, Ford was handed man of the match honours, capping off a terrific day for him and all those under the English banner.

With news of yet another injury to a key player—this time Owen Farrell—England's chances of winning the RBS Six Nations Championship grows ever smaller.

BBC Sport reports Farrell will be sidelined for the entire tournament through injury. The fly-half suffered a knee injury in Saracens' European Champions Cup defeat to Clermont Auvergne on Sunday.

Farrell joins a long list of English casualties:

Ben Morgan's recent tweet neatly sums up the extent of involvement a number of these players will have at the Six Nations:

Understandably, the injuries will be a huge source of concern for Stuart Lancaster, who will be hoping to use a successful tournament as a springboard for the World Cup later this year, particularly as several of the players will have been crucial to his plans.

Farrell will be a big miss for England. The 23-year-old is a key attacking player and has scored 290 points for England in his 29 caps, including two tries.

Manu Tuilagi is also one of England's most devastating losses. The powerhouse outside-centre is one of England's strongest and quickest players, and without his rampaging runs and dynamic back play, the side lose that all-important fear factor.

Lancaster faces a particular headache at lock, with Ed Slater and Joe Launchbury ruled out of the tournament. Launchbury is a regular starter for England and a pivotal player for club and country, adding strength and power to the scrum.

Courtney Lawes could return during the tournament, and he will be needed. The world-class talent is as committed to the cause as any and was one of the few standout players in the autumn internationals.

Even the players who will hopefully return midway through the Six Nations may not be able to save England, though. 

Lancaster's men kick off their campaign with a tough away trip to Cardiff on 6 February. When England last met Wales at the Millennium Stadium in the Six Nations, they received a 30-3 drubbing. With so many injuries to key players, Wales will be eager for a repeat result and look to capitalise on England's misfortune.

England's home match against Italy on Valentine's Day shouldn't be a problem even with injuries, but then they face their toughest test of all. Away to Ireland, a full-strength England would have had a tough match. In such a threadbare state, a win at the Aviva Stadium now seems like a pipe dream. 

Even if the likes of Lawes can return in time for the Ireland game, the damage may have already been done against Wales. Regardless, any returning players aren't exactly going to be in peak condition.

Worryingly, England's reserve players are lacking experience, and their ability to come in and perform at the level of those missing is a big question mark.

Farrell's replacement George Ford shows a lot of promise, but the youngster is inexperienced. The Six Nations will be a huge test for him, and he'll be thrown in at the deep end.

Alternatives to Ford lie in Danny Cipriani and Stephen Myler.

Cipriani, who hasn't started a Six Nations game in seven years, has never been able to consistently show the talent he so clearly possesses. If he plays to his best, then Farrell's absence won't be missed, but that is a big if.

Myler, on the other hand, has been a dependable if slightly safe option for Northampton Saints. The 30-year-old is in good club form, but has just one cap to his name. When it comes to international rugby, Myler is an unknown quantity and whether he can make the step up remains to be seen.

George Kruis and Graham Kitchener could be added to the second-row as replacements for Lawes, Launchbury and Co.

Kitchener is uncapped, while Kruis only made his debut in the autumn as a replacement. As is the case with a number of the players due to come in, both are untested at this level. Kruis' 122 minutes of international rugby is hardly a convincing preparation for the rigours of the Six Nations.

Centre options to replace Tuilagi, Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond include Billy Twelvetrees—who was disappointingly ineffective in the autumn—Luther Burrell and Jonathan Joseph. Twelvetrees, Burrell have three tries apiece, while Joseph has none.

Of those centres, Burrell is the one who's played the best for England, but to put it in perspective, Tuilagi has 11 tries for his country. His qualities simply can't be replaced.

Ultimately, the lack of established internationals remaining for Lancaster's selection will cost them the Six Nations. 

It's entirely possible that one or two could come in, realise their potential and make the step up. But the chances of them all doing that is incredibly slim.

Second place is achievable depending on how Wales perform, but that will be of little comfort to Lancaster and England.

Danny Cipriani and Nick Easter have been recalled by England for the Six Nations opener against Wales, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed after announcing the training squad.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster is without the injured Ben Morgan and Ben Foden for the tournament, with Chris Robshaw captain.

Sale fly-half Cipriani has not started a game for England at No.10 since 2008, per Alex Spink of the Mirror, but he did feature on last summer’s tour of New Zealand.

He has scored 144 points for Sale this season, per the club’s official website, and Mick Cleary of The Telegraph feels Cipriani’s recall is deserved. Cleary writes:

“Cipriani is still seen as something of an enfant terrible in the public eye. The rugby eye views things differently. He has been doing the hard yards for Sale for two-and-a-half years.”

Easter, meanwhile, has not featured for England since the 2011 World Cup, but the 36-year-old will provide experienced back-up at No.8 in the absence of Morgan.

Recent rugby union convert Sam Burgess, meanwhile, has been named in the England Saxons squad to face Ireland Wolfhounds.

.@SamBurgess8 has been included in the England Saxons squad to face Ireland Wolfhounds: http://t.co/IpThh85OdY pic.twitter.com/HU5nUNuu2M

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 21, 2015

England, who have won the Six Nations tournament just once since 2003, per the competition's official website, face Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Friday, Feb. 6.

Italy come next at Twickenham followed by an away date with Ireland. The campaign concludes at home to Scotland and then France. England’s full Six Nations schedule can be found via the RFU’s official website.

There is plenty of talent in the England squad for the Six Nations and we take a look at three who could have a big say in the tournament.

George Ford

An impressive end to the Autumn Internationals has placed Ford as the leading man in the No. 10 shirt, seemingly usurping Owen Farrell at fly-half.

Ford performed well against Samoa and Australia in the autumn after missing the New Zealand tour to undergo a shoulder operation, per Neil Rose of the Bath Chronicle.

He now has a chance to cement his place at No. 10 ahead of the World Cup in September and has drawn glowing praise from Chris Hewett of The Independent, who writes:

Not since Stuart Barnes, perhaps the most influential English club player of the last 30 years, was bending all rugby life to his will at the Recreation Ground during Bath’s golden decade at the end of the amateur era, has a red-rose outside-half offered so complete a range of skills.

Billy Twelvetrees

Twelvetrees is currently the man in possession of the No. 12 jersey after starting England’s last game against Australia.

But the Gloucester man is aware of the competition for that role, per Donald McRae of the Guardian, saying: “It’s such a hotly contested position, much more than even last season. There’s a huge prize in the World Cup.”

The likes of Brad Barritt, Luther Burrell and Kyle Eastmond are other contenders for the job, but Twelvetrees has the natural talent to make the shirt his own.

He just needs to gradually eradicate the type of errors which saw him dropped during the tour of New Zealand last summer.

Billy Vunipola

With Ben Morgan missing the Six Nations due to injury, there is a chance for someone to stake a claim for the No. 8 shirt ahead of the World Cup.

Vunipola will be hoping he can be the man to grab that opportunity.

He endured a frustrating Autumn International series after being dropped for the game against Samoa, per the BBC, and then missing the Australia clash with concussion.

But his performance against Munster at the weekend was described as “phenomenal” by Saracens’ rugby director Mark McCall, as reported by the Press Association via London 24. That sort of display puts him in pole position to start against Wales.

Lancaster has picked a squad which contains both experience and plenty of exuberant youth. There is also a heap of natural rugby talent to call upon.

The test for both Lancaster and the players is to now harness that talent into a cohesive team unit capable of winning the Six Nations again.

The last time England won the tournament was also in a World Cup year in 2011, and lifting the Six Nations would be the ideal preparation for what’s to come later in the year. 

England's hopes for the 2015 RBS Six Nations Championship have been dealt a blow after Manu Tuilagi confirmed his recovery from a groin injury has been much slower than anticipated.

According to Oliver Brown of The Telegraph, Tuilagi isn't sure when he will return.

"With this you just have to take it day by day before you try to come back. ... When it first happened, even the doctor said it would be six to eight weeks," he said.

When asked about a late-February comeback, Tuilagi added:

That would be ideal, but I have to get this right. It’s not like a sprained ankle, where you can just strap it up and get on with it. I have to make sure that if I need another week or two off, then I take it. I have been speaking to all my team-mates about their injuries. They all say that I have to make sure it’s right first. It’s a learning experience.

The Leicester Tigers centre is a key player for England, and Stuart Lancaster's men will miss his presence in midfield.

Tuilagi suffered the injury in September before aggravating it in the Tigers' victory over Ulster Rugby in the European Champions Cup the following month.

The 23-year-old missed England's Autumn Internationals but was expected to recover in time for the Six Nations.

Lancaster is due to name his Six Nations squad on Wednesday. The 45-year-old named a 35-man squad last year, so Tuilagi may well feature in it or be called up should he return to fitness before the end of the tournament.

With England's opening game taking place on February 6, it looks as though the centre will miss at least the first two games and will not likely be fit for the other three.

This will dent England's chances of winning the tournament. Though their other centres are capable players, Tuilagi is the standout candidate.

The 6' powerhouse is one of England's strongest players, and despite weighing a titanic 17 stone, he is also one of the quickest. Tuilagi combines these attributes to devastating effect, scoring 11 tries in 23 starts for his country.

That's more than Billy Twelvetrees, Brad Barritt, Luther Burrell, Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph combined.

The below video shows the kinds of powerful runs and tackles Tuilagi makes, which England are now without:

The centre's presence was missed in the autumn fixtures. England lost to South Africa and New Zealand but salvaged some respectability with wins over Samoa and Australia.

Leicester Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill highlighted Tuilagi's importance to England shortly after the final international, according to Chris Hewitt of The Independent:

England play at their best when Manu plays at his best. When top-level rugby reaches stalemate, you need physicality. That's what he brings. It’s clear that midfield is the  biggest problem area for the Test team, and as Manu is our top No. 13, it's one position solved when he’s around.

Without Tuilagi's dynamism among the backs and his tenacity running forward, England look a different team. A less imposing team. A team without the fear factor that can be so effective at intimidating opposition defences.

In fairness to England, they won the Triple Crown and came second to Ireland only on match-points difference last year, and that was largely without Tuilagi.

However, had they scored two more tries, they would have won the Six Nations. Had Tuilagi played more than the 27 minutes he managed last year, England may well have got those tries.

As they proved in 2014, England are capable of challenging for the Six Nations even without the centre. Unfortunately, they fell short of their ambition, and because of his huge importance to the team, they look set to do so again.

A fourth consecutive second-place finish awaits Lancaster and his side.

The "should he/shouldn’t he" debate over Stuart Lancaster’s decision not to pick Steffon Armitage for England has confounded pundits and coaches for the last 12 months.

With Ben Morgan’s broken leg, sustained on January 9, seemingly ruling him out at least until England’s World Cup warm-up matches, per the Daily Mail, the Toulon back-rower’s worth as a member of the Red Rose squad has again bubbled to the top of the agenda.

A quick recap of the situation

The Rugby Football Union’s position is that no player can be considered for England selection if they are not playing in the English system. As a caveat to that, under exceptional circumstances, Lancaster is able to look overseas for players.

Since moving to Toulon in 2011, Armitage has been a revelation, earning the European Rugby Cup’s European Player of the Year award last season, but Lancaster has stuck to his guns.

The appeal of victory in a World Cup on home soil, however, is enormous. If Armitage’s 2015 form achieves the consistent excellence of the previous campaign, England would be ignoring one of the best back-row players in Europe as they bid to claim a second global title.

But there is more to consider than just this.

Where would he play?

So far this season, Armitage has started four games for Toulon in the Top 14 at No. 8 and five at No. 7, per ESPNScrum.com. In the matches he started at No. 8, Toulon won all of them, and they won three of the five when he played on the openside flank. If Lancaster was looking for a reason to pick him, this inconsistency in selection for Armitage's club doesn’t exactly help the England coach.

In October 2014, The Telegraph's Mick Cleary wrote that this sort of detail was "for another day" and Armitage's form made him deserving of the chance to prove himself a worthy challenger wherever England might end up picking him.

We are four months down the line now, and we are in World Cup year. That detail is for now, and it involves axing Chris Robshaw as captain and No. 7 to give Armitage a go there. Not easy to see happening.

Equally, it is hard to envisage England shifting their No. 8 selection philosophy from using a big, ball-carrying brute who performs that role for his club week in, week out to a player whose apparent versatility sees him regularly swap positions and, in a squad so deep with options, sometimes sit on the bench.

If he were put in the squad, could England, a team bent on winning the Six Nations after two near misses, really use the tournament to let a player test out his attributes in two different positions while the team also attempts to bed in a settled fly-half and midfield combination?

Is his form good enough?

Armitage was Player of the Year last season in Europe. But has he been as eye-catching this term? The answer is no.

Samu Manoa, Sergio Parisse and Nick Easter would all be ahead of him in the queue for individual honours as No. 8s at present. The debate would not even have resurfaced if Morgan, so impressive on his return to the England starting lineup in the autumn, had not been injured. If anything, Easter's recent performances make him the man to reconsider for a return to the squad.

Elsewhere in the back row, Northampton's Calum Clark and Wasps' James Haskell are both pushing hard and are doing so in English club sides.

A dangerous precedent for the Premiership

The Aviva Premiership clubs are already outgunned by their French rivals when it comes to the chequebook. The RFU’s policy to only choose from English-based players for the national side is the one weapon they have in their favour.

It is already patently obvious that Danny Cipriani would not be on these shores if he wasn’t in with a chance of England selection. If he is overlooked for the Six Nations, Sale boss Steve Diamond has already hinted the fly-half will be across La Manche quicker than a jet-fuelled catamaran next season if England ignore him again, per the Manchester Evening News.

Picking Armitage while he plays in France opens the door for other players to depart. It would damage the quality of the domestic league and ultimately harm the national side, with player release made infinitely harder and the attritional nature of the Top 14 leading to an England squad full of battered bodies.

England’s pack is not the problem

Do England need Steffon Armitage? Let's not forget that when he left, there was hardly an outpouring of grief. We have already raised the question of how they would use him. It is unlikely to be as a No. 8 given they have better ball-carriers in that position, and it then becomes a political issue over Chris Robshaw and the captaincy.

With all that in the background, the more prescient question is whether a pack that is already, arguably, the best in the world needs Steffon Armitage? England can try to play like the All Blacks all they like, but to win the World Cup, they must base their game on a massive pack dominating the physical exchanges and giving their backs front-foot ball to damage teams with.

The first part of that equation is well within the current group of forwards’ capabilities, and it is hard to see Armitage adding anything to that.