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'No, it’s not terrifying': England's Elliot Daly on Fijian physicality
By Liam Heagney
It was curious how the drumbeat about Elliot Daly supposedly being in a very serious race for Rugby World Cup fitness suddenly fell deathly silent on the last Sunday of August. England released a short statement late that afternoon confirming their squad of 33 and that Jonny May was replacing Anthony Watson for the finals in France and that was that.
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In an instant, grave headlines from the previous week about the Saracens utility were quietly swept under the carpet. He would definitely be flying out to Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and would definitely be available for selection in the September 9 tournament opener against Argentina.
About that dramatic speculation counting Daly out. “No, I wasn’t really injured,” he insisted this week in Aix-en-Provence just days out from England’s quarter-final encounter with Fiji on Sunday down the road in Marseille. “I don’t know really what happened there but I was in the bracket with other people (who were injured).”
That said, he was marked absent from the August 26 Summer Nations Series fixture versus the Fijians, an encounter that England lost 22-30. With Twickenham nowhere near capacity that afternoon, Daly took a seat in the empty West Stand upper tier along with other players surplus to requirement that day.
Seven weeks later, what are the lasting memories of a loss that left England’s chances of success at the finals widely written off? “We probably weren’t physical enough that day,” he reckoned. “We have spoken about it, our defence wasn’t where we wanted it to be so that is one thing we need to obviously up this weekend.
“We have done that; since we have come to France we have definitely improved in that area so we need to keep going with that. We know they are going to be physical and we have to be physical back.”
Daly was the only England player to start all three matches at the World Cup last month, getting named at left wing versus the Pumas and the Japanese before switching to outside centre against the Chileans. He was excluded from last weekend’s pool finale versus Samoa but has been recalled on the left wing to face the Fijians.
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How does Daly rate his form? “I have gone quite well. I have enjoyed playing on the wing and I enjoyed playing 13 against Chile as well, a different challenge there for me. I have enjoyed it so far.”
Tell us more. “I’m on the wing but really I’m there to get my hands on the ball and connect with the 10s and the 15s, get the ball wide really, and take opportunities when they are on.
“As a winger now in international rugby, you need to be able to do a lot so my role is to look for the ball, search for the ball, look for backfield space, and feed that (information) to the 10s or use my left foot to put it in there. There is not one role anymore, there is a certain amount of roles you need to look at to be there.
“The best thing for me is that when I play those positions I understand what they need. As a 13 you need to know where your winger is defensively or you need to know whether he is flat or he is back or whether you need to give the 13 comms if the guy is coming shooting and you need a little tip into that space, that kind of thing.
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“The same at 15 as well in the backfield space. I understand what communication I need to give those guys to make their job easier and then hope to get the right outcome.”
The speculation leading into Friday lunchtime’s latest England team announcement was that Marcus Smith was set to be named at No15 for just the second time as a starter in that position while skipper Owen Farrell was touted to start at out-half with George Ford benched.
That selection is what ultimately transpired, so what changes for England when Smith is on the pitch in the full-back role he has also occupied on a number of occasions as a replacement? “Not much probably changes, though Marcus probably shifts in a little bit more to be that second ball player.
“Him being a 10 he wants to get his hands on the ball and organising the outside. Freddie has been brilliant at the back there and has come on leaps and bounds the last year especially the way he attacks, the way he sees space, the way he gets his hands on the ball when he needs to, and makes good kicking decisions as well.
“I don’t think much changes, I just think Marcus goes in a little bit closer and wants to be that proper second-ball player.
“We have got a very fluid backline,” added Daly. “The way we attack we are happy with anybody on the ball and we just want to get it to the space and into the right areas of the pitch really. The way we train is very like that as well. Pretty quick. You’re not always in the right positions but you make the most of it.”
England brushed aside Australia at the quarter-final stage of Japan 2019, going on to dethrone the All Blacks in the semi-finals and set up a decider against the Springboks. What was the key to that knockout progress and is there a sense this week that what happened four years ago is set to unfold again?
“Probably how clear we were in those two weeks of what we wanted to get after and how we wanted to play,” recalled Daly. “We have got that similar energy coming bubbling this week as well.
"Fantastic, men. Fantastic!"
– England polish their defensive press in Aix-en-Provence ahead of next Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final versus Fiji in nearby Marseille. #ENGvFIJ #EnglandRugby #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/1hPUz0rXVY
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 11, 2023
“When we went into that 2019 quarter-final we were just very clear in our game plan against the opposition, what we were going to do and what the outcome was going to be, and the plans we had in place if they didn’t go that way.
“It has got a very similar vibe to this week which is brilliant because everyone is getting quite excited about the weekend. It’s a big game, a game where you lose you’re out so we know what we want to do and hopefully we can get the right result.”
Daly won’t be complacent, though, in thinking semi-final qualification is a cert. “I don’t think you can ever think that. If you start thinking that then you are liable to drop off in certain areas.
“These games even if you are in front you know how tight these games are, especially Fiji with the skill they have got, they can score from anywhere. We have got to be on for the full 80 minutes and hopefully get the right result.
“There are always slight nerves. When I was younger I probably got a little more nervous but everyone is different, everyone reacts in different ways.
“The great thing about this squad is that we have got players that have been there and done that and understand what we need to get right to be able to perform when it comes to Sunday so we get behind those boys and understand what we need to do and as soon as you understand your role in the team you can just focus on that and the nerves go away.”
There has been so much media chatter about Fijian physicality. Does that prospect of getting bumped hard leave Daly trembling? “No, it’s not terrifying but they have got different strengths probably than our back line but the way that you defend, you don’t defend it any differently.
“You understand what their strengths are, you understand how important first collisions are. That’s probably the biggest thing going into the weekend, our first collisions off set-pieces and that kind of thing are probably the things we need to get right to limit them and then hopefully we get on top in the wide channels after that.
“England is a team that is working hard for each other, a team that is physical, a team that is taking opportunities. By and large this tournament we have done most of those things and we are going in the right direction definitely.
“We want to get better and improve as a team and we have done in this tournament so far. Hopefully, we can go one step further this weekend and be even better.”
New England No15 Marcus Smith perfects his step at training in Aix-en-Provence ahead of Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final. #ENGvFIJ #RWC2023 #EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/ASxSII88jB
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 13, 2023
I have a sneaky suspicion the mix and match of England backline players is going to be their downfall. Two critical players out of position. MS and OF. Should Fiji run from deep and get the odd line break, as they should England could lose this. Case of shrinking rose?