Goodey and Jim pre-digest the Natwest Six Nations

Former England fly-half Andy Goode and Scotland lock Jim Hamilton may have hung up their boots but they are still making headlines in the game with some strong opinions on The Rugby Pod. Graham Jenkins sat down with them to get their take on the Home Nations’ chances in this year’s Six Nations battle.

England are defending the title once again but nobody appeared to get too excited about the way they played in the autumn?

AG: There was a record win over Australia and we also dispatched Samoa by a big score but we didn’t perform to the level that will be required to win a World Cup. Some facets of our game will get us close, like our defence which was phenomenal at times but we are not fluid enough in attack yet. Owen Farrell is our on-field leader when it comes to the attack, and overall leader alongside Dylan Hartley, but he only played one of the three games and George Ford doesn’t look like the same player without Farrell next to him.

JH: Let’s be honest, Owen Farrell is the best player England have got and I think Eddie wanted to give him a rest and see if they could compete without him in case he gets injured during the World Cup. England are still the No.1 team even when they are not playing well, their defence is world class, their set-piece is amazing and they are well coached. They have also got unbelievable strength in depth when you look at it. What we saw in the autumn was Eddie Jones having the confidence to try different players and try a few different combinations. This England team are still on the rise and New Zealand are only marginally in front of them at the minute.

Ireland are unlikely to let England have everything their own way?

JH: They are another good side and Joe Schmidt has done wonders with them. Not so long ago we were wondering what Ireland would do after losing O’Connell and O’Driscoll and for me a lot of that comes down to the quality of coaching. They beat Argentina and smashed South Africa by a record score that I think went a little unnoticed but I don’t think they were tested that much. Scotland beat them in the last Six Nations so the biggest test for them will Scotland at home and England away.

AG: I agree that Schmidt is a fantastic coach and they have got a great first team when they are all fit but they don’t have the same strength in depth as England. They have some outstanding quality but when Johnny Sexton doesn’t play the team does not function quite as well as it does when he does play, just like Owen Farrell and England. But they are developing some serious talent underneath their top tier and Schmidt is a master tactician. What with the usual ebb and flow of the Six Nations, with injuries and form, it could build to a brilliant finish and when England play them on St Paddy’s Day at Twickenham it is going to be a real humdinger.

Scotland appear to have made some great strides in recent months, are they genuine title contenders?

AG: I want to say no but if you look at the way they performed in the autumn it is clear that they are. They’ve only got two professional clubs up there and haven’t got the strength in depth that England have got but in the autumn, when they had all those injuries, they showed that there is another layer of quality players underneath and that they were still able to compete with the best team in the world and beat Australia.

Finn Russell is their key guy, luckily for the Scots he has been fit but if he got injured I think you would see a completely different outlook from that team. They are contenders but I like winding Jim up, the Scots talk a good game but when it comes to delivering you only have to look at Twickenham last year, they thought they were going to run us ragged but we put 60 points on them.

JH: The biggest plus is the strength in depth Scotland have now which is something we have never had before. That comes off the back of these project players that everyone was questioning and also the level of coaching from Gregor Townsend and his team.

Anyone who is a neutral, and certainly those who aren’t, would have loved the way Scotland played with that all-out attack. There is certainly still a lot to work on, defensively they have got a lot of work to do, and physically as well, but I was really excited about the way they played in the autumn. They’ve got some great players to watch. Huw Jones has been a revelation, every time he gets the ball, one on one, he always breaks that first tackle and always scores from 10m out.

Where do you think Wales sit in the pecking order right now?

JH: I’ve been really disappointed with Wales and I think the Warren Gatland effect has worn off now. It is time for a change because something is not quite right there. They are pretty one-dimensional. Yes, they have got quality players like Alun Wyn Jones, Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams but for me it just seems there is a lack of direction. Everyone else is evolving and Wales seem to be getting left behind. Apart from Scarlets, the regional sides are abysmal. Wales have had so much success with Gatland but it’s time for him to move on. But I think they might be getting into a situation like England did with Stuart Lancaster where they fall off a cliff and then have to rebuild. I would like to see someone like Stephen Jones at Scarlets come in and freshen things up for them.

AG: They are obviously trying to change the way they play. ‘Warrenball’ has been effective for years but other teams have worked it out and when you haven’t got those monster ball carriers, Jamie Roberts isn’t the player he was and that tight five isn’t strong enough, you have got to shift away from that way of playing and it will take time. Rob Howley looks after attack, which is the area where they need to evolve, but I think the criticism of him stems from what certain players were saying after the Lions tour and when you only just scrape past Georgia then that adds fuel to the fire. Let’s not forget they didn’t have Sam Warburton during the autumn and historically Wales don’t have a great autumn but generally front up in the Six Nations so write them off at your peril.