TRU's Rugby Stock Watch - Week 10

The opening weekend of the autumn internationals, there are few more exciting weekends in the global rugby calendar. Ireland and Scotland carried the flag well for the home nations, whilst there were crumbs of comfort for England and Wales in defeat too, most of which revolved around their well-functioning set-pieces.

Regardless of the results, there were plenty of positives and negatives for Stuart Lancaster, Joe Schmidt, Warren Gatland and Vern Cotter to take from the weekend’s rugby, so with no further ado, here’s our latest Stock Watch.

Stock Rising

Kieran Brookes, Newcastle Falcons and England

England’s tighthead prop situation has been a source of worry recently. Dan Cole has been sidelined by a neck injury, David Wilson has been part of a struggling Bath front row and Henry Thomas has been sitting on the bench behind him. Things changed this weekend however, as Cole made his comeback for Leicester in the LV= Cup, Wilson held up well against New Zealand and Newcastle’s Brookes made a telling cameo late on at Twickenham.

Brookes tore into Ben Franks, earning England two scrum penalties, one of which earned his side a penalty try and added some gloss to a score-line that England arguably didn’t deserve. It was too small of a sample to take too much from, but in a disappointing weekend for English rugby, their concerns at tighthead look to have been alleviated thanks to Brookes, Wilson and Cole.

Robbie Henshaw (and Jared Payne), Connacht (and Ulster) and Ireland

Perhaps a little harsh to leave Payne parenthesised, as the debutant handled himself well in Ireland’s iconic 13 jersey, but his struggles in that position have been well-documented at provincial level. Henshaw, another full-back trying to adapt to a role in the midfield, looked to the manner born however, coping exceptionally well with the move to inside centre, despite playing most of his rugby at 13 or 15.
The long-term goal may be to move Henshaw out to 13, which would accommodate a more natural playmaker at 12, such as Ian Madigan or even Ian Keatley, but the pair of Henshaw and Payne showed more than enough to earn themselves another crack in the midfield, if not against Georgia this coming weekend, then Australia in two weeks time.

Adam Ashe, Glasgow Warriors and Scotland

The number eight, who has just two starts for Glasgow, caused a number of raised eyebrows when he was picked in the XV to play Argentina at the weekend, but the 21-year old certainly showed he belongs at test level with a powerful performance. He was Scotland’s favoured carrier, often given the ball in the tight and charged with giving his side front-foot ball, whilst he also led the team defensively; chalking up an impressive 17 tackles.

By the end of the autumn internationals it seems all but certain that Ashe will have more starts for Scotland than he does for Glasgow. With just two teams playing at the highest club level, Cotter will have to take more similar selection risks during his tenure as Scotland’s head coach, but Ashe looks to be repaying this one in tremendous fashion.

Dan Lydiate, Racing Metro and Wales

Every time Wales play, there seems to be a debate over who should start in the back row. Justin Tipuric has been pressing his claim for a starting spot for a while now, whilst the emergences of Dan Baker and James Davies also add quality to an increasing area of strength for Wales. That said, Lydiate showed just how vital he can be on Saturday, chopping down Australian trees left, right and centre at the Millennium Stadium. He was the only player amongst the tier one nations this weekend to record over 20 tackles.

One-dimensional maybe, but the role he plays in the Welsh back row is pivotal to allowing those around him to succeed. His return to Wales after the autumn internationals will only go to strengthen his position in the XV and if Gatland can turn him into a slightly more proficient carrier, then there’s no reason why Lydiate can’t be considered as one of the best in the world at his position.       

Other Risers – Jonny May, Dave Attwood, Jack McGrath, Rhys Ruddock, Jonny Gray, Greig Laidlaw, Samson Lee, Rhys Webb, Lee Dickson, Calum Clark, Harry Davies, Ellis Jenkins, James Chisholm, Ben Spencer.

Stock Falling

Mike Brown, Harlequins and England

A few months ago Brown was dropping a pass from Kyle Eastmond that could have won England a test match in New Zealand, this weekend he was doing the same at Twickenham. Brown has been one of England’s most consistent performers over the last couple of years, but he has struggled for form all season and that showed when he put Eastmond’s beautifully-flighted pass on the ground in the first half against the All Blacks.

Alex Goode’s form hasn’t been sensational either this season, but with Ben Foden not selected, he could be an option for Lancaster heading into their game with South Africa this coming weekend should the decision to withdraw Brown from the XV be made. Anthony Watson would certainly be another more exciting option, but Lancaster’s appreciation of Goode’s experience and skill set has already been established.

Danny Care, Harlequins and England
Care struggled to inject the urgency and tempo required by England in their second half, admittedly with little ball, to carry on from their impressive first half performance. His kicking was also often aimless and far too long, giving the dangerous All Black back three plenty of time and space to work.
He was not the only player culpable for England’s second half debacle, but even in the first half, he didn’t look like the same Care who so often has defences reeling with his darts around the fringes and quick tap penalties. His place in the XV is safer than his Quins teammate Brown, but it will be important to turn in a good performance against South Africa next weekend, especially with Ben Youngs rediscovering some of his best form for Leicester recently.  

Other Fallers – Rhys Priestland, Gethin Jenkins, Euan Murray, Brad Barritt, Rodney Ah You.