England's 'new dawn' starts well - But it was far from perfect
Saturday 11 February 2012
Stuart Lancaster and his England side got their new era off to the perfect start on Saturday with a 13-6 over Scotland. There is no doubting it was a massive victory for this young side, and while there were several positives, there are also plenty of areas that need improvement. Here are the key things I picked from the game:
The new boys
One of the biggest positives from an English perspective was the way the debutants and inexperienced players handled the cauldron of Murrayfield. England have taken much more experienced sides to Scotland in the last eight years and crumbled under the pressure. This side seemed to relish the battle, and in rugby that can be half the game.
Chris Robshaw led by example and made some brilliant tackles. While Mouritz Botha and Phil Dowson had good second halves after a shaky first 40 minutes. Brad Barritt was probably the stand-out performer for England. His tackle count was beyond belief, he won some penalties with his aggression at the ruck and when he did touch the ball he made inroads. But we need to see him with ball in hand in Rome.
Defence
While England were second best for most of the game, their effort and work ethic kept them in it. Scotland blew a couple of golden chances but the scramble defence was terrific. The Saracens combination in the back line really came to fore with Strettle, Barritt and Farrell all making huge hits at crucial times. They won't beat the better sides relying solely on defence but it was refreshing to see an England side working so hard for each other.
Owen Farrell and Ben Youngs
Despite the boo's ringing around the stand Owen Farrell looked nerveless when he stepped up to land the winning penalty. He looks like he was born for the test stage. It wasn't just his goal kicking, but his defence and kicking from hand was excellent. There is no question that he is going to be a big player for England not just in the next month but also in the next four years. But against Italy we need to see him with the ball in his hands.
In contrast Ben Youngs looked a shadow of the player that burst onto the international scene against Australia last season. His box kicking was poor and his distribution from the breakdown was again to slow. He had zero impact on the game, he really needs to up his game or face losing his place to Lee Dickson
The breakdown
England again failed to dominate this area and a couple of penalties cost them six points. They were unable to generate any quick ball and as a result we saw almost nothing of them as an attacking force. The lack of an out-and-out seven is still a big issue in the long term. However Robshaw performed well and was helped out at the breakdown especially by the tight-five. Alex Corbisiero and Geoff Parling won a couple of huge turnovers, which allowed the danger to be cleared. There was no doubting the effort at the ruck, but England need to really sharpen up in this area for the bigger games.
The back-row
The balance of the back-row didn't seem right at times on Saturday. Dowson struggled at the base of the scrum, but worked well round the field. Tom Croft did his usual work at the line-out but was largely anonymous for the 80 minutes. He doesn't look like the player that was so influential in the Lions tour of 2009. Lancaster has to get Croft firing again, or the Tigers man could lose his spot to Dowson or Tom Wood. When Ben Morgan entered the fray he immediately gave some solidity at the scrum and made a brilliant carry with his first touch.
It wasn't the perfect performance, but there is a lot for Lancaster and his coaches to build on for the rest of the competition. With two home games to come after the Italy game, England could once again be contenders for the title.
