England Heading in the Right Direction
After England's first warm-up match on the way to the World Cup, Martin Johnson said "I'd rather win a game like that, than score 60 points and everybody think you're great. Come the business end of the World Cup, games will be tight affairs and learning to hang onto the tight ones is a skill that will be vital to any chance of success.
Some fans and sections of the press have had their spirits dampened by the four point winning margin, but I believe that England can take more away from this game in terms of things to build on than their opponents.
First of all we should not forget that Johnson's side contained just four of the players that started the Six Nations fixture in February, compare that with Wales who had 11 of their starting lineup from that night playing on Saturday. England were without the likes of Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Ben Youngs, Courtney Lawes and Nick Easter, these men have all been vital in the development of England's style of play over the last year. But despite the absence of these key players England still had enough to overcome a virtually full strength Welsh side, England have depth in their squad and this will be critical at the World Cup. The performances of Delon Armitage and Matt Stevens, the second of whom returned to the international scene for the first time in two years, will have been very pleasing for the coaching staff. They equipped themselves excellently and didn't look out of place at any point.
The game also showed us that the young Leicester bulldozer Manu Tuilagi will be on the plane to New Zealand barring injury or suspension. He is a top class international centre in the making, and reminds me very much of young Ma'a Nonu. He crosses the advantage-line with aggressive running which he demonstrated perfectly when busting through a couple of tackles to score his first international try. In defence he still flies out of the line to frequently, but the management team can sort this issue out in training. Come World Cup time this 20 year-old could have a big part to play in England's campaign, he may not be a starter but coming off the bench he will be able to wreak havoc on tiring defences in the last 20 minutes of games.
Simon Shaw showed that even at the ripe old age of 37 he still has a lot to offer his country, his ball carrying and ability to offload the ball make him a valuable asset to the squad. In a core of relatively inexperienced locks, Shaw has a mountain of experience, no matter if he is starting or coming off the bench the British Lion always has an impact. I think his performance on Saturday really set the standard for the rest of England's second rows, and his main rival for a place on the plane to New Zealand, Mouritz Botha, will have to play out of his skin to oust Shaw.
Another man who proved his worth to the England squad is Jonny Wilkinson, the man who kicked the winning drop-goal in 2003, threw the gauntlet down to Toby Flood with a match winning display. In the Six Nations he was used off the bench to close games out, but on Saturday he showed that he is still a very effective player from the off. He has the ability to see that an attack is breaking down and just drops back and slots a drop-goal, against the top sides you need to take points at every opportunity, Wilkinson gives you that option. He also created the gap for Tuilagi's try and floated the pass for the young centre to burst onto, it was the best display by Wilkinson in a long time and like Shaw he has now set the standard for his rivals.
But England still have a massive problem at inside centre, on Saturday Riki Flutey was almost anonymous and he looks a completely different player to the one that was England's key man in the 2009 Six Nations. In fairness he has had very little rugby this season and maybe he needs more game time to get his sharpness back, but time is something he doesn't really have. My gut feeling says that Johnson will go with Shontayne Hape at 12, unlike most I am a fan of the ex-Rugby League man. I like his offloading game and I think if you put Tuilagi outside him Hape's game will improve dramatically, but again England don't have time to try and build this combination.
One option could be Toby Flood at 12, he has experience in that position at international level, his passing game is top class and he makes his tackles. Flood outside Wilkinson could be a solid combination, and the Leicester man would provide an extra kicking option which England currently doesn't have. But I just can't see Johnson changing things this close to the tournament, but Flood could definitely be the answer to England's problems.
I also think England have a problem at scrum-half, for me Danny Care just isn't good enough for the top level. He spends more time pointing at the ruck than he does passing the ball, he distribution is slow and often low in quality. At Premiership level he looks top-notch, but at international level he doesn't have the time he does in the domestic game. I'd like to Richard Wigglesworth given a chance to show his skills, he has proved that he can play at the top level when Brian Ashton gave him a run in the team a few years ago. His passing is sharp, his box kicking is accurate and his decision making is good under pressure, he has shown this season how effective he can be behind the powerful Saracens pack. Wigglesworth is real option for England, and I believe he can bring more to the game in terms of consistency than Danny Care.
With two games to go before England start there are plenty of things for them to improve on, but they also have a winning momentum behind them and a lot of positives to take from their latest showing.
