How England can win the Rugby World Cup

As an England fan, the last three years have been tough to watch. England has had three consecutive 2-3 losing Six Nations campaigns, with no signs of progress. The latest campaign was arguably the lowest point, with a record defeat in the Six Nations to France, followed by a limited performance in Dublin that never seriously threatened a deserved Irish grand slam. England has conceded 18 tries, has an attack that doesn’t threaten better defences, and is currently light years away from the big 4 in International Rugby, with only six months left for the World Cup.

Selection

To turn things around, Steve Borthwick, the coach, must continue to make brave selection calls, such as moving on Ben Youngs. England’s back row changes almost every week, and it’s vital to get the selection right to build momentum through the warm-up games and tournament proper. Jack Willis should partner Tom Curry if fit on the flanks. Billy Vunipola should come back in the picture, and Zach Mercer should be in England’s training squad.

At scrum half Alex Mitchell and Raffi Quirke should compete for the starting shirt, with Owen Farrell as the fly half, and Manu Tuilagi or Ollie Lawrence partnerning Henry Slade in the centres.

Discipline

England’s discipline has been one of the worst of any tier 1 nation over the past few years. England gives away double-figure penalties in almost every game and have suffered numerous game-defining yellow and red cards. The usual suspects for giving away soft penalties are Sinckler, Genge, George, and Itoje, who have struggled to perform at their best since 2020. The coaches should do a better job of educating the players about the laws and convey the message of good discipline to them.

Attack

England’s attack is predictable, narrow, and static. England play deep behind the advantage line, not threatening the defensive line, simply going from side to side, and making it easy for top defences to deal with. To win the World Cup, England needs to score tries. Nick Evans will have longer over the summer to work with the players and get England’s attack firing. England will also have group games against Japan, Samoa, and Chile to build their confidence and get their combinations clicking.

Conclusion

This is a similar group of players to those that got to the World Cup final four years ago, so there is no reason why they can’t get back to that level of performance again. Reaching the semi final is England’ most realistic hope, given how far they’ve fallen the best teams. However, if selection is correct, discipline improves and England’s attack looks potent, with some luck they could spring a surprise and lift the William Webb Ellis trophy in Paris.

Was replacing Eddie Jones the right call?

After 7 years, 81 matches, 59 wins, 3 Six Nations Titles (including 1 Grand Slam), 2 Triple Crowns, 1 Autumn Nations Cup, and a World Cup Final, Eddie Jones has been sacked by the RFU.

Jones leaves as England’s most ever successful coach in terms of win percentage (73%) and with a huge number of glowing tributes from players.

Jones’ World Cup record is superb, he has twice been a losing finalist as head coach with Australia (2003) and England (2019), on both occasions he masterminded incredible semi-final performances to beat The All Blacks. In 2007 he was part of the Springbok coaching set-up as they lifted the trophy, and in 2015 he produced Rugby’s greatest upset as Japan beat the Springboks, and won 4 of their 5 pool matches.

So why on earth would the RFU decide to sack a World-Cup specialist, costing themselves well over £1 million in compensation to Jones and Leicester Tigers for releasing his replacement Steve Borthwick, and knowing Jones with no binding clause in his contract is now free to help a rival nation?

Did a secretive RFU panel that included Phil de Glanville, Jonathan Webb and Sir Ian McGeechan commit an impulsive act of self-harm after a poor year of results, or had Jones’ tenure gone past its sell by date?

2 Years of decline

For two years, England’s performances and results have deteriorated and a gap has emerged between the best teams in the world namely New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and France and the rest of the world-including England.

England’s last two Six Nations campaigns have returned only four wins, two of those against Italy. Amidst these poor results, have come some of the worst performances produced by England teams in recent memory.

England went into the 2021 Six Nations as favourites, but could only muster six points in their opener against Scotland.

Further defeats in Cardiff (not helped by Pascal Gauzerre) and Dublin secured an embarrassing fifth place finish.

The Saracens spine of England’s side that had so much success from 2015-2020, now playing in the Championship struggled to perform for England, and this clearly had a significant impact on the side.

Hope emerged that England could adjust to a new era without their Saracens stars to fall back on, as they went on a five match winning run, comfortably beating tier 2 nations the USA, Canada, and Tonga, before sweeping aside Australia for the seventh consecutive time, and recording a gutsy revenge victory over the world-champion Springboks with a second choice front row.

However this was short lived, as another dismal Six Nations showing in 2022 included a record home defeat to Ireland, another loss to Scotland (England have only beaten them once in their last five matches), and being outclassed in Paris as France romped to a deserved Grand Slam. A nervy win over Wales and a routine victory in Rome pushed England into third place in the table, but make no mistake, another 2-3 record with England’s player pool simply isn’t good enough.

There were factors out of Jones’ control, such as Luke Cowan Dickie’s deliberate knock on that most likely cost England victory at Murrayfield, or Charlie Ewels’ red card after only a few minutes against Ireland. However Jones’ selections were baffling, for example he fielded more out of position wingers than actual wingers, and his tactics were negative, with England only scoring three tries in their four matches against Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and France.

A dreadful 31 point defeat to the Barbarians at home, was followed by Jones’ first defeat to Australia, and as England were outfought by a 14 man Wallaby side.

At this point it seemed Jones had lost the dressing room as for the first time in his tenure England seemed to lack fighting spirit in the games.

However in typical Eddie Jones fashion, a man you simply can never write off, England found something from somewhere to turn the series around and win 2-1 with brave displays.

Pride was restored in the jersey, and hope re-emerged amongst fans as Jones’ project entered its final 12 months, with a World Cup he had been building for for years now on the horizon.

England though plummeted to new depths, suffering a first home defeat to Argentina since 2006, making technical and mental mistakes that an amateur side would be disappointed with.

Jones shouldered the blame for the defeat, and claimed he was experimenting with tactics as he built for the World Cup, a comment that annoyed fans and the RFU hierarchy trying to justify their extortionate ticket prices in equal measure.

A routine victory over Japan brought back a bit of confidence, as did an inspired final 10 minutes against New Zealand where England scored three tries to turn a 25-6 deficit into the most unlikely of draws.

However a tame defeat to a Springbok side that looked light years ahead of England in all aspects of the game proved to be the final straw.

2 years of a inconsistent selection and negative tactics cumulated in England winning only 5 of their 12 matches in 2022, their worst return since 2008, and made up the minds of the RFU panel to prematurely replace Jones and not allow him the chance to fulfil his ‘mission’ to win the World Cup.

Jones’ mistakes

Throughout the past two years, Eddie Jones has made countless mistakes in selection, and tactics, that have contributed to England’s loss of form.

The Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell 10-12 axis clearly has not worked. The best sides in club and International rugby have a ball carrying 12 who straightens the attack and gets over the advantage line. With Farrell at 12 England kick too much, their attack is too lateral and the result is very little penetration, virtually no line breaks, and few tries.

England now have one of the worst attacks amongst major nations, and despite Jones hiring Martin Gleeson (the seventh attack coach during his tenure) in September 2021 to improve the situation, there has been no evidence on the pitch of progress.

Inconsistency in selection in the back row has meant England have not been able to build combinations that are at the heart of any successful side.

Jones has made no serious attempt to solve the problem England faced at blindside flanker, with Ben Earl overlooked and Courtney Lawes fielded with Jones prioritising a third lineout jumper over a specialist in the position.

Lawes performances at 6 have been limited, and England are off the pace at the breakdown compared to the best teams in the world.

The Verdict

Jones had a masterplan for the World Cup, and believed he was in the process of executing it, as he has done so successfully before.

There was little evidence of this in performances in the last two years.

Jones’ errors in selection, limited tactics, and lack of clarity have undermined the teams’ progress.

The RFU didn’t want take the risk of more mistakes, and decided Steve Borthwick can do a better patching up job in the next 10 months than Jones could do repairing a mess of his own making.

Ultimately I believe it is the correct decision, and anyone who follows the England team closely cannot have missed the staggering decline of the side over the past 2 years.

Eddie Jones deserves enormous credit for the sensational job he did in his first five years as England coach, as well as recognition that a lot of the factors behind England’s decline were not to do with him.

Thanks for the memories Eddie.

England sit at a crossroads entering a vital year

On a day when Ireland and Wales created history by toppling for the very first time Southern Hemisphere superpowers New Zealand and South Africa in their own back yard, England’s victory in Brisbane was overshadowed. But it was hugely significant for the team and Eddie Jones 15 months from a defining World Cup.

England show huge character

England raced out to a 19-0 lead courtesy of a powerful maul, precise kicking from hand and at goal and Australian ill-discipline.

Australia crashed over just before half-time to stay in touch, and when they scored again at the start of the second half and England were reduced to 14 men for Marcus Smith’s adjudged deliberate knock down, it seemed England were on the ropes.

A team that had lost its last four games in convincing fashion could have easily folded in such circumstances.

But England, to their immense credit, stayed in the fight and were able to swing the game back in their favour for a hugely significant win.

Courtney Lawes spoke in the week about how the England group was as unified as any he has ever played in.

Recent performances raised doubts about whether trust in the England camp had broken down, Saturday’s performance showed that the players remain fully committed to the cause.

Deficiencies remain

England’s attack lacks any penetration. The ball handling skills of the team are ordinary and because of this England rarely try offloads or intricate back moves, preferring to just smash it up and get over the advantage line.

This results in very few line breaks, almost no tries from anything other than close range and mediocre rugby to watch.

Marcus Smith is England’s most creative spark and usually at the centre of any flair that the team shows. He struggled on Saturday however and it’s clear that his partnership with Owen Farrell at 12 is not working.

At Harlequins Smith uses Andre Esterhuizen at inside centre as a crash ball runner. This gets Harlequins over the advantage line, draws in defenders and creates space out wide. Farrell does none of these things, and the result of having two fly halves at 10 and 12 is an England attack that is lateral.

Decision Time

England are at a crossroads, Eddie has tried to evolve the side in the last year and improve the quality of attack. With Marcus Smith at fly half, England have tried to play at a higher tempo, as evidenced by the selection of Harry Randall in some Six Nations games, and Danny Care and Van Poortvliet in this series.

Unfortunately it hasn’t worked.

England only scored 3 tries in 4 games against Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France in the Six Nations, and their solitary score on Saturday came from a rolling maul.

England reverted to a kick-chase game against Saturday and had success, even if it was not pretty to watch.

England’s attempted change of style has been a categorical failure. I believe it is time for England to resort to their traditional strengths given the lack of time until the next World Cup.

England now face a series decider in Australia, Autumn Tests against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa, a Six Nations and then a World Cup that will define Eddie Jones’ 8 year reign.

This is a vital year for England and they should focus on strengthening their defence, their set piece and playing a kick-chase game that both Saracens and Leicester, who provide the spine of this team, play at club level.

As an England fan I would love to see an evolution of the attacking game. However winning is the most important thing, and it is clear that this side have a better chance against the top teams in the world when sticking to a pragmatic game plan.

This may mean dropping Marcus Smith and moving Owen Farrell to 10. It may mean box kicking every time England are inside their own half. It will mean England are not an attractive side for the next 15 months, but they might well be a successful one.

When a next head coach is appointed in 2023, England can focus on evolving their game and modernising their attack. But for now, needs must.

Eddie Jones is no longer the right man to lead England

England were outclassed in Paris on Saturday night to conclude a second consecutive abject Six Nations campaign.

French errors kept the scoreboard respectable but the gulf in class between the sides was clear as day.

France flicked on the switch three times to score tries at crucial times, England huffed and puffed but scored only once despite their dominance of possession and territory in the second half.

For France a deserved first title and Grand Slam in 12 years, they have showcased attacking brilliance and stoic defence in equal measure throughout their campaign.

For England, a second straight 2-3 campaign with no complete performance and huge deficiencies exposed.

Attacking Impotence

England’s attack is dreadful. They scored only three tries in four games against Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France and conceded twelve tries in those same matches.

England’s strike moves from first phase are too lateral and don’t penetrate defences.

England simply don’t trust their handling skills in open play and look scared to have the ball.

England’s players take the ball too far behind the advantage line and don’t look for offloads to unlock defences.

The result is almost no line breaks and endless kicking.

Martin Gleeson joined in the summer to try and breathe life into England’s dwindling attack, but if anything, it has got worse.

With the talent at disposal, Jones and his coaching staff should be doing better.

England’s attack is inexcusably poor and is showing no signs of improvement.

Disastrous Selection Calls

Eddie rolled the dice with several of his trademark left-field selections for England’s trip to Paris.

None of them worked.

George Furbank was recalled from the wilderness to the scene of his disastrous debut in 2020 but struggled to make any impact.

Ben Youngs was recalled at scrum-half but slowed England’s attack down.

England fielded more players out of position on the wing than actual wingers in their campaign and Freddie Steward was the latest deployment.

Steward enjoyed a great game but will move back to his natural position of full-back until the World Cup as Jonny May and Anthony Watson return.

So what was the point in deploying him in a position he likely won’t play again?

All campaign Eddie’s selection calls such as starting Charlie Ewels against Ireland have been awful.

His substitutions have been equally dismal such as bringing on George Ford with twenty minutes to go against Scotland with England leading by 7 points.

England’s coaching staff have been incompetent in preparing the team for matches and in selecting the right players to give the team the best chance of winning.

Time for a change

The consensus of the RFU is that it is too close to the next World Cup to make a change.

Eddie is on the review panel for the campaign and so the likelihood of any change is incredibly slim.

However I believe Eddie is clearly no longer the right man to lead England.

His record in his first five years with England was impressive, but the last two years have seen horrendous regression that can’t be ignored.

There are numerous other candidates who the RFU could pursue to lead England into the next World Cup who would do a better job.

Steve Borthwick, Mark McCall, Warren Gatland and Rob Baxter are all coaches who are outperforming Eddie now.

Michael Cheika took over the reigns in 2014 for Australia and in 18 months led them to a Rugby Championship victory and a World Cup final.

Rassie Erasmus took charge of South Africa in 2018 and in 18 months went one better and coached South Africa to a World Cup victory.

In both cases, the national boards saw that a coaching regime was not working and decided to act.

In both cases, an immediate improvement in performances and results followed.

The RFU should not hesitate to act when reality is staring them in the face and should replace Eddie Jones now.

England suffer record home defeat to Ireland to leave their campaign in tatters

England’s faint Six Nations title hopes disappeared at Twickenham with a record home defeat 32-15 to Ireland.

The loss of Charlie Ewels to a red-card after 82 seconds for a head-on-head tackle on James Ryan gave England a mountain to climb.

England fought bravely for an hour and clawed the game back to 15-15 thanks to heroic defence, smart tactics and a favourable penalty count.

However in the final quarter Ireland took control with two tries to secure a four-try bonus point and an emphatic victory.

England showed courage and spirit but looked blunt in attack and fell away with the game in the balance in the final twenty minutes.

A disappointing defeat that reflects a disappointing campaign in which a new look England have shown glimpses of promising play but ultimately not been good enough.

With 18 months until the 2023 Rugby World Cup , England have been overtaken France, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand in the global pecking order and need to improve immediately on numerous areas starting in Paris next week.

Blunt Attack

England have been outscored by 9 tries to 2 in their three games against Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

England’s attack is slow and predictable, and too far behind the advantage line to threaten opposition defences.

England rarely attempt offloads, preferring to overpower defences through blunt force. England have had very few line breaks, and frequently resort to aimless kicking when their attack stalls.

12 a problem position

Inside centre has become a vital position within successful modern attacks. An inside centre who can carry strongly such as Bundee Aki gets his team over the advantage line and provides his fly half with a simple option.

Additionally he straightens the attack and forces the defence to focus on stopping him, this creates space and overlaps for the outside backs.

At Harlequins Marcus Smith is blessed with Andre Esterhuizen who performs this role expertly.

However due to Manu Tuillagi’s incessant injury problems, England have not found a solution at inside centre and the result is lateral attack.

Lack of X Factor

Max Malins, Jack Nowell and Joe Marchant have performed functionally on the wing throughout the tournament, however they have produced too few game breaking moments.

Neither Malins nor Marchant are natural wingers, and they seem cautious selections given the talent on display in The Premiership.

Injuries to Jonny May and Anthony Watson have limited Jones’ options, but the likes of Adam Radwan have been overlooked.

The result has been a lack of spark and going forward England need moments of magic from their wingers to score more tries.

Individual mistakes

England played well for an hour in their opening game at Murrayfield, and deservedly led 17-10.

The defining moment of the game came when Luke Cowan-Dickie batted Finn Russell’s cross-field kick into touch, and Ben O’Keefe adjudged it was a penalty try and yellow card.

Cowan-Dickie was initially a good position to catch the ball, but lost his balance, panicked, and batted the ball into touch.

Scotland exploited their extra man to win 20-17 and derail England’s campaign before it had even started.

Today England were given a huge handicap after being reduced to 14 men for essentially the entire game.

Charlie Ewels got his tackling technique wrong and made face on face contact with James Ryan leaving Matheiu Raynal with no option but to brandish the red-card.

This left England with little option but to scrap for the remainder of the match and try unsuccessfully to snatch victory through forcing Irish mistakes.

Lack of impact from finishers

Throughout his tenure Eddie Jones has underlined the importance of his ‘finishers’ coming off the bench.

However in this campaign England have looked tired and disjointed in the final twenty minutes of their matches against Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

A lack of impact from players on the bench, and a lack of fitness of England’s starters still on the pitch has led to weak finishes to all three matches.

A lack of ball retention and aimless kicking has compounded the situation, as England find themselves forced to defend for long periods of the game and inevitably fatigue.

Hope is not lost

England can finish 3rd, 4th or 5th depending on next weekend’s results.

England travel to Paris to face a red-hot French side averaging an incredible 31.5 points a game over their last nine tests.

Pulling off a major upset and stopping a French grand-slam would please England fans, however it is the medium to long term that is most important.

Big decisions need to be made on personnel and playing style.

Should captain Courtney Lawes be moved into the second-row in order for England to have a more versatile back row?

Should England look to keep the ball in hand and best utilise Marcus Smith’s attacking instincts?

Who can fill the void at inside-centre?

These are all questions that need to be answered building into the tour of Australia in the summer and beyond.

Going to Paris and trying to scrap a result by kicking the ball to France and forcing French errors most likely won’t work and won’t help England progress.

It’s time to let the handbrakes truly off and let a new look England side discover their identity.

What do we have to lose?

A new look England face a stiff Six Nations examination

The ghosts of England’s disastrous 2020 Six Nations campaign where locked down England fans were forced to endure some of the worst performances of Eddie Jones’ reign were expunged by an outstanding trio of Autumn wins against the Southern Hemisphere.

England’s victory over the World Champion Springboks, despite the absence of key players, was a statement win to exercise the demons of Yokohoma and inspire England looking forward to France 2023.

The next stepping stone is the Six Nations, where England face fierce competition from France and Ireland, both fresh of landmark victories over the All Blacks, reigning champions Wales and dark horses Scotland.

Young talent coming through

Eddie Jones’ promise to ‘reset’ his side following last year’s disastrous campaign has seen opportunities afforded to youngsters Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Raffi Quirke and Alex Dombrandt.

All four have translated their excellent club form into strong performances for England and should feature heavily in this campaign.

An injury to Owen Farrell could free up a space in the centres for Luke Northmore in the centres as England look to build combinations going forward.

Marcus Smith’s excellent distribution skills and instinct to attack rather than kick changes England’s tactics and brings the outside backs into the game.

The likes of Jack Nowell and Max Malins will not be consigned to kick chasing duties and can showcase their skills with ball in hand.

England’s incredibly physical tight 5, with captain Lawes at 6 as an enforcer, are tasked with dominating the set piece and winning the battle up front.

Dombrandt should get England over the advantage line with his carrying skills and Tom Curry will be vital at the breakdown winning turnovers.

It is an exciting side ready to play a new brand of Rugby we haven’t yet seen under Eddie Jones with any consistency. A new era is dawning.

Potential banana skins

As with any shift in style, early teething problems can emerge. A trip to Murrayfield against a fired up Scotland is not an easy stage for England to play without fear.

Players deputising have at times struggled. England’s front row debutants felt the heat of the Springbok bully boys at scrum time in November, whilst the highly talented George Furbank had a day to forget in Paris on his debut in 2020.

International Rugby is ruthless, there is very little space and mistakes are punished. There are far fewer come from behind victories than in club Rugby and once you get into a hole on the scoreboard, getting out of it can feel like fighting quicksand.

England have to be accurate from the start in Murrayfield. If they are, I believe they will be too strong for Scotland all across the pitch. Start slowly however, and it could be a long and painful afternoon.

England’s schedule gets tougher as their tournament goes on, with their final two games against a revitalised Irish side at Twickenham before finishing in Paris.

Ireland and France are playing extremely well and look serious contenders for the 2023 World Cup.

Ireland’s physicality is overwhelming at times, whilst France’s flair and attacking game can be unstoppable.

Both games will be a great litmus test of where this England side is at.

With Marcus Smith running the backline, England will likely stick to their new attacking philosophy and allow their young talent to express themselves on the pitch.

England’s best chance of being successful at the next World Cup and beyond is by improving their attacking game and scoring more tries from open play.

It’s going to be a fun ride.

The Verdict

I expect the pattern of recent campaigns to continue, where all of the five aforementioned nations competing for the title have close games and beat each other.

I’m not anticipating a Grand Slam to be won this year.

England have only beaten Scotland once in their last four Six Nations matches, and this year’s opener at Murrayfield could be defining for both sides’ campaigns.

If England win, a trip to Rome and a home game against a Welsh side with huge absentees could easily see England 3-0 going into their final two games.

A loss however, and England could lose confidence with their trickiest games still to come.

The Six Nations has been more unpredictable than ever in recent years and England have twice finished fifth in the last four years.

But in that time they have also won the Six Nations in 2020 and reached a World Cup final.

It is possible to envisage England winning the Championship this year, but also possible to see them finishing 5th once again.

If England can keep key players such as Sinckler, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Smith, Slade and Malins fit through the tournament, they have a great chance in every game.

I’m going to cautiously predict a 3-2 record, and a 3rd place finish for England, with France just pipping Ireland to the title.

Let the action begin!

A disappointing 2021 leaves English cricket at a crossroads.

Chris Silverwood’s England tenure started off in hugely promising fashion.

Test series wins in South Africa, against Pakistan and the West Indies and in Sri Lanka gave England supporters hope going into a defining year in 2021.

Sibley and Burns, playing in a more conservative fashion that Silverwood encouraged stabilised the top order batting, making England less prone to match losing collapses.

Root, Stokes, Buttler and Pope came in under less scoreboard pressure against a softer ball and made defining contributions.

Our bowling attack was too strong for Pakistan and the West Indies in English conditions and Jack Leach and Dom Bess were instrumental in a rare series win in Sri Lanka.

Things for the test side after years of mediocrity were finally looking promising.

The real test however would come in 2021, with a series in India, before hosting New Zealand and India in the Summer and an Ashes series down under.

16 matches against probably the three best test sides in the World in the space of 9 months.

Not to mention a T20 World Cup sandwiched in between.

A chance for England to translate years of excellence in the format into tangible silverware.

England’s hopes fade fast

Probably England’s toughest assignment came first in India.

A magnificent double hundred from Joe Root put England in a dominant position in the first test, and an excellent bowling performance on day 5 saw England take a deserved series lead.

This would be the high point of England’s tour as things swiftly collapsed after.

England were bowled out twice for well under 200 in a crushing Second Test defeat as Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin tore through the batting line up.

Things got worse as England were bowled out for 112 and 81 in a ten wicket third test defeat.

The only positive was Joe Root’s figures of 5-8 on a pitch that turned square from the off.

However India adapted to the challenging conditions better, and England’s complaints about the pitch fell on deaf ears as they fell behind in the series.

Hopes of salvaging an unlikely series draw in the final test disappeared fast as two more poor efforts with the bat saw an innings defeat end a poor tour.

Tough conditions and world class opposition spinners were mitigating factors, but once again in India England had come up miles short and failed to learn the lessons of previous tours.

No Home Comforts

Back on friendly turf, there was hope things would turn around with the Kiwis first up.

A highly impressive Rory Burns century in response to Devon Conway’s double century at Lord’s forced a drawn game.

With the series on the line at Edgbaston, a second innings collapse saw England bowled out for 122 and New Zealand win emphatically by 10 wickets.

Another collapse, another series lost and old habits worryingly resurfacing.

England’s five match series against India would be the defining series of the summer.

Win it and the hiccups of the past series could be forgotten, lose it and major questions would be asked.

Joe Root’s hugely impressive 2021 continued as a captain’s century in the second innings salvaged a draw for his team at Trent Bridge in the opener.

And he continued his astonishing form with an unbeaten 180 to put England in a strong position at Lords in the next game.

With India languishing at around 190-8, only 160 ahead and with only tail enders averaging single figures left, it seemed England would have a chase well under 200 on their hands.

An astonishing sequence of play however saw India’s tail wag and put on over 100 runs before declaring, and a shell shocked England were unable to bat the 60 overs required to draw the game.

Root’s men had grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory.

Strange bowling to India’s tail which featured lots of short balls, men on the boundary allowing singles and a priority to intimidate India’s bowlers rather than attack the stumps saw the game slip away.

Incompetent batting caused it to be lost.

England bounced straight back at Headingley with India this time the culprits of a collapse, skittled for 78 within 2 sessions on day 1 and then beaten by an innings and 76 runs.

1-1, 2 games to play, back in London at the Oval.

A match that see-sawed saw all 3 results possible going into the final day.

India seized the initiative in the afternoon sessions as a devastating spell from Bumrah and his support cast saw the match decided.

England had collapsed again on a blameless wicket and gone from a position where winning the game seemed a distinct possibility to where losing was inevitable within the space of just over an hour.

The final test was aborted only hours before play was due to start as India’s players reportedly fearing a Covid outbreak in their camp decided to fly home and ensure they wouldn’t miss any IPL cricket. The match is scheduled to take place this summer now, with England hopeful of keeping their 9 and a half year unbeaten record in August series’ alive.

Two day 5 collapses at Lords and the Oval however cost them the chance of winning a series in which they competed well in for large parts.

More t20 agony for Morgan’s men

England’s preparation for the T20 World Cup was stellar.

Wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the summer, and years of excellent performances and results saw Morgan’s men as second favourites behind star-studded India to lift the trophy.

The group stage was safely navigated, with England winning matches in style against the West Indies, Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to reach the semi final.

India’s surprise exit at this stage saw Morgan’s men take up the mantle of tournament favourites.

A semi final in Abu Dhabi against plucky underdogs New Zealand posed questions, but if England played near their potential they’d surely have too much firepower for the Blackcaps.

And so it seemed for 36 overs, as England posted 166-4 and proceeded to strangle the life out of New Zealand.

With four overs left, New Zealand required 56 runs to win with no recognised batsmen left to come in, and James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell in the middle.

If England could hold their nerve and execute their death bowling, a comfortable victory seemed assured.

What transpired next will haunt England fans just as Carlos Braithwaite’s four 6’s still do.

A 23 run over from Chris Jordan featuring a combination of wides and slot deliveries set the ball rolling.

Adil Rashid failed to stop the flow of runs, but he did pick up the vital wicket of James Neesham bringing Mitchell Santner to the crease to give England hopes.

However Chris Woakes’ over was beasted by Daryl Mitchell to end the game with an over to spare as England once again suffered heartbreak at the death against an inferior opponent because of good power hitting and poor death bowling.

Ashes humiliation

The Ashes offered England one last chance at salvation in a disappointing year.

England’s preparation was limited due to Covid and late arrivals from the T20 World Cup.

Rain spoilt England’s two internal planned warm up games, and expectations were historically low for this England side going into the cauldron that Australia provides.

Preparation cannot be an excuse however when Australia themselves had not played a single test match since January of 2021, with England having had 11 matches to build for the Ashes since that date.

Veterans Anderson and Broad were both omitted in a surprising selection decision before the toss, and Joe Root decided to bat first on what seemed a green and challenging pitch in conditions that would improve as the day and match went on.

Unfortunately England were not batting as the match went on, as they were bowled out for 147 in 50.1 overs on a disastrous morning that started with Rory Burns being clean bowled on the first ball of the series by Mitchell Starc and didn’t get much better.

This was only the second time in Ashes history a wicket had fallen on the first ball of the series and was foreboding for what was set to transpire.

A run a ball 150 for Travis Head put England in a deep hole and after some brave resistance by Dawid Malan and Root on day 3, England once again collapsed on day 4 as Australia romped home to a 9 wicket victory.

The second test saw the return of Broad and Anderson with Wood and Leach making way.

England bowled too short on the first day, meaning that balls that moved off the pitch beat that bat rather than taking edges.

A century for Labuschagne, 90’s for Smith and Warner and quick runs for the tail saw Australia declare on 473-9 with England once again in a backs to the wall position.

The loss of both openers early for the third consecutive time didn’t help things, although Malan and Root steadied the ship.

However just as in the previous test, they both fell with soft dismissals on the morning of day 3, and a collapse subsequently followed.

Australia elected to bat again and set England an impossible 468 for victory, with England’s only hope to bat over 4 sessions to draw the game.

When Root fell in the final over of day 4 to leave England four wickets down, it seemed a mere formality that Australia would romp home on day 5.

However brave resistance from Jos Buttler who saw off 207 balls saw England take the game deeper than expected.

However when he stood on his own stumps, in a dismissal that sums up England’s pitiful tour thus far, the game was all but over, and it soon after concluded with Australia winners by a whopping 275 runs.

Two down, three to play, and the result of the series now seems almost inevitable. One more win for Australia will seal the deal, and England will just want to put up a more competitive showing in the final three tests.

Talk of a comeback is unrealistic as England simply cannot bat. We have seen this for years now, and once again England’s batsmen for the most part look incapable of batting for long periods against a quality and varied Australian attack.

England’s fielding has been awful with dropped catches already in double digits in contrast to Australia who have been sharp and ruthless.

England’s bowlers have looked sterile, lacked clear plans and England looked a tired and beaten team.

A sad showing.

Conclusions

Major change is needed in England’s red ball set up.

2021 was a litmus test of where England stood against the best teams in the World and the answer has been emphatic. They are miles off the pace.

England’s batting is almost tier 2 nation standard with countless collapses, soft dismissals, and strange shots all a trademark feature of a poor year.

Joe Root has become only the fourth batsmen in history to surpass 1600 runs in a calendar year, and with one match to go his total of 1630 could go past Graeme Smith (1656 in 2008), Viv Richards (1710 in 1976) and Mohammed Youssef (1788 in 2006).

The fact Root has been so brilliant, and yet the team has struggled so badly with the bat, is indicative of the struggles almost all other batsmen have had.

Root averages 50, whilst no other English batsmen averages over 36, and against a World Class bowling attack like Australia’s, the other batsmen are simply not good enough.

The English domestic four day game, put on the back-burner for over a decade now as more lucrative and fashionable shorter formats have got priority, is not producing batsmen capable of scoring runs at the top level of test cricket.

This has been a problem for years now and the ECB has done almost nothing to rectify it. In fact they’ve made the situation worse by pushing more four day games into May and September where conditions for batting are trickiest.

England still haven’t sorted out their spin issue, Jack Leach was pummelled in the first test as Australia targeted him out of the attack. He was then dropped for the Second Test on a pitch where England desperately needed a front line spinner.

It’s clear Root and Silverwood don’t really trust Leach or Bess, and with no young prodigy spinner likely to emerge any time soon, it seems this problem won’t resolve itself for a while.

Root’s captaincy continues to baffle at times. England’s slips were stood too deep in Australia’s first innings of the series. The result being several nicks fell short and England’s chances of clawing themselves back into the game disappeared.

In the second game Root admitted England had bowled too short, but Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he fell off his seat hearing that because it was the captain’s job to influence that on the field not after the game.

At Lords England’s bizarre bowling at the Indian tail saw a match winning position slip away. In India Root persisted with his seamers for far too long on pitches that turned square.

There’s a long list of occasions where he hasn’t seized the moment as captain and he seems to lack the instinctive feel for the game that the best captains have.

However with the erratic Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler whose wicket keeping isn’t up to test standards and out of form Rory Burns as Root’s only possible replacements as captain, it seems Root is likely to remain captain by default.

One place England can and should make a change as soon as possible is at head coach.

Chris Silverwood has now been in charge for over two years. His first year was a huge success, and his second has been a disaster.

England’s batting looks worse than ever, England’s plans are confused and there’s a lack of coordination between the bowlers and captain about what they’re trying to achieve.

Against India England competed well for large parts, and fell behind in the series due to losing key moments and sessions.

The Ashes however has been different, England have been obliterated from start to finish and look significantly worse than 4 years ago when they lost 4-0.

1 win in England’s last 10 tests is simply not good enough and that record looks likely to extend itself as the remainder of the series plays out.

It’s time for a complete review of English red ball cricket from the domestic game to the test side.

England need a new coach with fresh ideas and a clear plan.

It might take years for England to once again be competitive against the best teams in Test Cricket, but it is a necessary process.

The positive news in the short term for England fans is Morgan’s white ball set up will likely continue to excel, despite a second consecutive heartbreak at the T20 World Cup.

Next year they get another chance at t20 World Cup glory in Australia on hard pitches more likely to suit them and at a tournament hopefully not decided by the toss and dew.

Onwards and upwards, to 2022 we go!

World Champions toppled at Twickenham as Eddie’s kids send a statement

Erasmus banned for a year

World Rugby’s decision to ban South Africa director of Rugby and former World Cup winning head coach Rassie Erasmus for 2 months from all Rugby, 1 year from Springbok matches and publicly apologise to referee Nic Berry dominated the build up to this encounter.

Erasmus’ social media video criticising Berry’s performance after South Africa’s first test defeat to the Lions was found to be abusive, insulting and having questioned the referee’s integrity.

World Rugby described it as pre-meditated and especially egregious as it opens up Rugby to the perils of social media. World Rugby sent a statement that even online their rules still apply.

Today Erasmus announced he wouldn’t be appealing his suspension out of respect for the pressures the hearing has placed on all parties.

Relations between South Africa and World Rugby are now at rock bottom.

A game of two halves

With their water boy/director of Rugby confined to the stands, South Africa were aiming to round off an impressive European tour with victory at the home of Rugby.

Their powerful pack outmuscled Wales and Scotland, and with England fielding an inexperienced front row, the Boks were bookies and most people’s favourites.

England however had built for this contest with comfortable victories over Tonga and Australia.

Eddie Jones’ tactics have shifted as the introduction of Marcus Smith at fly-half has seen England looking to threaten defences and run the ball.

An exciting looking backline featured Youngs and Smith as half backs, Tuilagi and Slade in the centres, and May, Marchant and Steward in the back 3.

If England were to win this game, they needed to run South Africa off their feet.

And for the first 40 minutes, they did just that.

Two early tries for Steward, continuing on from his stellar performance against Australia, saw England race out to a 14-6 lead.

Only ill-discipline and inaccuracy allowed the Boks to stay in touch, trailing 17-12 at half time.

The introduction of Kitschoff, Marx and Koch straight after half time saw a shift in momentum.

South Africa gained ascendancy at the scrum, line-out and maul and won countless penalties as they imposed their game on England.

Two uncharacteristic missed kicks from Pollard, meant that the scoreline didn’t reflect the reality of the second half proceedings for a while.

South Africa did finally convert penalties, and took the lead, only to be hauled back as Raffi Quirke dotted down after a clean line-break from first phase by England split the South African defence apart.

More and more penalties to South Africa followed, and inevitably a yellow card for persistent infringement to Will Stuart saw England reduced to 14 men, and the Boks capitalised with Mpimpi crossing in the corner.

Jantjies missed the conversion to put South Africa ahead, however minutes later Frans Steyn did just that with a 40 metre kick from in front after England were penalised for holding on.

It seemed England would suffer another defeat and the ghosts of Yokohoma would continue.

However, England were able to dig deep and find something when the chips were down.

A yellow card to captain Kolisi for a challenge in the air gave England numerical parity and then supremacy, and England gained field position and won a penalty in front of the posts with just over a minute left.

Marcus Smith cooly slotted the biggest kick of his life to give England a 1 point lead.

All that remained to do with the clock in the red was claim the kick off and kick the ball off the field, and after the TMO deemed Etzebeth’s challenge on Steward in the air to be illegal, the game was secure.

Fortunate for England, as Vincent Koch was in a strong jackel position over the ball at the ensuing ruck to win South Africa the game.

Fortune favours the brave

With only five minutes left, South Africa led the penalty count 18-4.

To lose a game with that count, and with the level of dominance they exhibited at times in the Second Half is incredible.

However they can only blame themselves, they wasted the first half with negative tactics, excess kicking and didn’t produce incisive play to translate their dominance into tries throughout the match.

England scored three great tries, and once again looked threatening in attack all game.

Missing several key starters in the front row, South Africa’s set piece dominance was inevitable, and should’ve been enough to win them the game.

However it wasn’t to be as England dug deep and found a way to win a game they had no right to.

New Dawn for England

Eddie Jones’ decision to reset the England squad, with stalwarts Mako and Billy Vunipola and George Ford omitted from the squad raised eyebrows.

More importantly than any personnel changes however, was his clear shift in philosophy.

Jones was clear that World Rugby’s new laws at the break down, and the introduction of the 50/22, made the balance between running and kicking far closer than before.

Jones had complained in the past that 99% of games are won by the side who kick more, and used this to justify England’s negative tactics.

With Marcus Smith at fly half now being given the green light to play with freedom, these are exciting times for England fans.

England will go into a highly competitive Six Nations on a five game winning streak and with a new attacking ethos.

With 2 years until the World Cup and the shackles now off, strap yourselves in, we’re in for a great ride.

T20 World Cup 2021 Preview-India stand between Morgan’s men and global domination

Five years, six months and twenty days ago on the 3rd April 2016 Carlos Braithwaite hit Ben Stokes for four consecutive 6’s to win West Indies the T20 World Cup.

‘Carlos Braithwaite, remember the name’, are the words of Ian Bishop that England fans and players have heard again and again and again ever since.

Finally England have a chance to put things write and banish the demons of Eden Gardens.

The Conditions

The tournament was moved from India to the Middle East because of Covid19.

Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will play host to the tournament.

Expect to see slow and low pitches where scoring becomes difficult with the field spread and pace off the ball outside of the powerplay.

Scores are generally lower in the Middle East than in other venues for T20 cricket and 160 is a ‘good’ score for the side batting first.

There is a clear advantage to chasing in the Middle East.

Relatively short boundaries make six hitting easier and powerful teams such as the West Indies might have an advantage.

The Favourites

India come in to the tournament as clear favourites.

Their team is packed with World Class talent, and has a younger feel than 5 years ago where they were eliminated in the Semi Final on home soil.

Ishant Kishan will open with KL Rahul. The likes of Kohli, Pant, Yadav and Pant make up the middle order. Spinners Jadeja and Ashwin are experienced performers whilst pacers Shami and Bumrah are the best in the World at T20 cricket.

India seem almost certain to progress from a group that includes Namibia, Afghanistan, Scotland, Pakistan and New Zealand.

If India play to their full potential they will win the tournament. However there are teams capable of challenging them on their day.

England are the number 1 T20 side in the World after years of exceptional performance. Their batting line up includes powerful hitters Buttler, Roy, Bairstow, Malan, Morgan and Livingston.

All rounders Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes are vital to the balance of the side and the bowling attack is likely to include Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid and at least one of Mark Wood, Tom Curran, David Willey or Tymal Mills.

Missing their best bowler in Jofra Archer, England’s bowling could be their achilles heel against the best teams.

England’s batting is as good as anyone’s in the tournament, all their batsmen are proven match winners and England are capable of chasing any score.

Whatever happens, it will be an exciting adventure following England.

West Indies are reigning champions and have a star studded line up. Some argue this team is better on paper than their champion side of 2016.

Openers Evan Lewis and Chris Gayle will get them off to fast starts, whilst the likes of Andre Russell in the middle order have unparalleled power and six hitting potential.

The West Indies are canny operators in this format, with many of their players seasoned veterans from franchise leagues around the World. Write them off at your peril.

The Contenders

Pakistan play a conservative brand of T20 cricket, and are very strong at defending totals. Opener Babar Azam is a run scoring machine and Shabad Khan is one of the best spinners in this format.

Pakistan had a 20 game winning run and reached number 1 in the World playing predominantly in the Middle East only a few years ago.

Pakistan’s players have all had huge experience playing for years on these pitches in the Pakistani Super League.

They are my dark horses for the tournament.

Australia have a world class seam bowling attack with the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood capable of blowing away a top order.

Australia’s batting top order of Finch, Warner and Smith include three World Class individual talents.

Stoinis, Carey and Maxwell in the middle order provide the power and the acceleration.

Australia’s team on paper looks strong, however they struggle to compete with the highest scoring teams in this format.

Additionally the Middle East conditions are unlikely to suit them and they may fare better in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

New Zealand are always competitive and find ways to punch above their weight and limited player pool.

The bowling attack looks very strong, with the likes of Ferguson, Jamison, Boult, Southee, Santner and Sodhi to choose from.

The batting on paper looks light, but New Zealand came within a whisker of winning the World Cup in 2019 when only Kane Williamson made any contributions of note with the bat.

New Zealand are a very intelligent team and don’t be surprised to see them exceeding expectation once again.

South Africa are an inconsistent side, and once again go into a major tournament with a stronger XI not included in the squad than the actual XI they will field in the tournament.

The likes of AB De Villiers, Imran Tahir, Chris Morris and Faf Du Plesis are nowhere to be seen, as Temba Bavuma’s side once again put politics before sporting merit.

Talented individuals in the squad such as Quinton De Kock, Tabraiz Shamsi and Kagiso Rabada can make useful contributions, but South Africa once again look well short of the standard required in a very tricky group.

The Minnows

It seems strange to include 2014 T20 World Cup winners Sri Lanka amongst the minnows, however their fall from grace in International cricket in the past five years has been stark.

Sri Lanka had to progress through the preliminary qualifiers to arrive here, and did so in convincing fashion.

How they fare coming up against the bigger nations though is a different question and it would be a major surprise to see them reach the semi final.

A similar story for Bangladesh, who brushed off the embarrassment of losing to Scotland in their opening qualifier to reach the Super 12 stage.

Players such as Shakib and Mahmudullah are seasoned t20 performers and expect the Tigers to pull off a surprise or two backed on by passionate Bengalis in the stands.

Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia are all in Group A, which gives one of these outsiders a chance of contending for a top 2 spot.

The most likely to make a mark is Afghanistan who have in Rashid Khan arguably the best spinner in the World in this format, and several powerful batsmen.

The Verdict

India and Pakistan to progress from Group A with New Zealand just missing out.

England and Australia to progress from Group B. I expect Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to pull off several upsets.

Group winners England and India to meet in the final in Dubai on the 14th November, and England to suffer more heartbreak as India’s superstars lift their second T20 World Cup.

The strongest top 4 in over a decade of the Premier League set up a wide open title race.

It looked for a period of the Summer like Manchester City might romp to another title this season.

Last season Man City won the title last year by 12 points, won the league cup and had a 21 match winning run from December to March.

The only blight on their season was losing to Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup Semi final and then again in the Champions League final in Porto.

Despite losing to an inspired Chelsea side with the perfect gameplan to foil them three times in just over a month, Man City’s season was an unquestionable success.

During their incredible winning streak they produced some of the best Football in the history of the Premier League, and were clearly the outstanding team in English Football last year.

The addition of Jack Grealish for £100 million just added yet another weapon to Guardiola’s arsenal and the potential arrival of Lionel Messi or Harry Kane threatened to make the league not competitive.

It wasn’t to be however as Messi moved to Paris and Daniel Levy ensured Harry Kane would stay in North London for at least one more season.

Chelsea then added one of the best strikers in Europe in Romelu Lukaku, Man United went one better and poached Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players of all time who at 36 is still a goalscoring machine and Liverpool strengthened vulnerable areas such as centre back.

The result has been an incredibly strong ‘big 4’ sides in the league this year, who already look a cut above all other teams and who look set for a four way tussle for the title with no clear favourite.

Tuchel’s Chelsea hitting their stride

An astonishing European run saw Chelsea swat aside Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Man City to win Champions League glory.

The question facing Tuchel’s side was, could they replicate the outstanding performances on a consistent basis in the league.

And the answer so far has been an emphatic yes.

A tough start to the season with trips to the Emirates, Anfield and the London Stadium in their first five games have been navigated and Chelsea sit top.

They have showed both defensive resilience, to hold Liverpool at bay for an entire half with only 10 men, and their attacking quality scoring three second half goals against Tottenham.

Lukaku has been outstanding with vital goals against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Zenit already under his belt.

Gary Neville said today, ‘anyone who finishes above Chelsea has a great chance of winning the title’ and he’s absolutely right. This Chelsea side look the real deal.

Manchester City short of a striker

Most people had assumed that the departure of Sergio Aguero would lead to Man City finding a centre forward in the summer transfer window at all costs.

It wasn’t to be however, and Man City go into a season where they are contenders for four competitions with only one striker in their squad in Gabriel Jesus.

Guardiola has so far used Ferran Torres as a false 9 in early weeks, with Jesus playing on the right wing.

It seems Guardiola is content to use an array of options as a centre forward, and hope that City’s movement, interplay and link up is good enough to negate the absence of the strengths of a conventional striker.

So far however it has been hit and miss, with City firing blanks against Leicester in the Community Shield and Spurs in their opening league game.

A 0-0 draw at home to Southampton with City’s first shot on target coming in the 90th minute raised more alarm bells.

Trips to Stamford Bridge and Anfield over the next two weekends will be revealing.

Whatever happens, it’s clear that Man City face stiff competition to retain their crown and may need to reach new heights to retain their title.

Ronaldo already making an impact

Settling in and adjustment periods only apply to mere mortals.

Only a few days after arriving in Manchester, Ronaldo scored a brace against Newcastle, and has since scored against Young Boys and West Ham. 4 goals in 3 games and don’t expect him to slow down anytime soon.

Love him or loathe him, he is a phenomenon, a once in a generation talent and he elevates Man United to serious title contenders this season.

Ronaldo elevates players around him, and Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes and today Lingard have produced moments of game winning quality.

Man United look like scoring with every attack right now and have quality to come back from injury such as Cavani.

Promising times for Man United fans who have been a level off the best since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. The gap it seems might finally have been bridged.

Liverpool going under the radar

After a disappointing title defence last year, the verdict was out on Liverpool this season.

A comparatively quiet transfer window raised questions about whether rivals had pulled further ahead.

Liverpool have done their talking on the field so far and scored 12 goals and only conceded once.

A key win against AC Milan in the Champions League confirmed Liverpool as contenders on all fronts this season.

Salah has started the season on fire with four goals, Van Dijk looks back to his dominant best and Alexander Arnold is as involved as ever in Liverpool’s best attacking play.

Liverpool are ticking all the boxes thus far and there is a feeling something special might be brewing on Anfield.

Conclusion

With four very strong teams it feels like the Premier League has gone back to the 2000’s where Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal were the best sides.

They had titanic clashes in the league and in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man United are probably four of the best six teams in Europe right now.

We should enjoy watching them slug it out this year like heavyweight boxers for the ultimate prize.

Prediction

Before the season, I predicted Man City would prove too strong.

I thought that the quality in their squad would give them the advantage.

However after 5 weekends of action, I am now leaning towards Chelsea as potential champions.

Lukaku has transformed Chelsea’s attack into a potent force, and defensively Chelsea have only conceded one goal all season.

Both Man City and Liverpool have numerous World Class players and could easily be crowned Champions too.

Man United’s holding midfield options have been impacted by the injury to McTominay.

They have less depth at full back and in central midfield than rivals and I feel they’ll have to settle for fourth.

I think Chelsea will win the title, with Man City second, Liverpool third and Man United fourth.

One thing is certain, it will definitely be fun to watch!