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'Rugby is played on grass, not on paper' - 5 talking points ahead of Wales against England

By PA
Owen Farrell tackles Josh Navidi /PA

Fierce rivals Wales and England meet in Llanelli on Saturday as the Autumn Nations Cup pool phase reaches a conclusion.

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Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key talking points heading into the game.

Form guide suggests a comfortable England win
Ex-Wales and British and Irish Lions flanker Richard Webster once said that rugby is played on grass, not on paper, underlining that there is always hope for the underdog. Rarely, though, can Wales say they have been written off by so many ahead of a home game against England, and it is easy to see why, with Wayne Pivac’s team having lost six of their last seven Tests and England being on a six-game winning run. Since England first played an international match in Wales 138 years ago, fixtures between the countries have often produced a tale of the unexpected, and Wales have beaten their fierce rivals on home soil seven times from the last 10 attempts.

Masters versus apprentices
The back-row battle is invariably pivotal to Test match outcomes, and Saturday’s clash in Llanelli is no different. In England’s corner are two flankers – Tom Curry and Sam Underhill – who appear odds-on bets to be selected for next summer’s Lions tour of South Africa, such has been the duo’s staggering level of consistency. Their opposite numbers this weekend – Shane Lewis-Hughes and James Botham – have three caps and four hours of international experience between them, being thrust into the spotlight and given a chance to shine as Wales find themselves minus injured trio Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi and Ross Moriarty – combined caps total 148. It should be an intriguing contest.

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How Wales can beat England this weekend:

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How Wales can beat England this weekend:

England attack needs sharpening
England have swept all before them since losing to France in their opening game of last season’s Six Nations, winning six successive Tests. Eddie Jones’ team showcased enviable forward power throughout that unbeaten run, notably when dismantling Ireland last weekend. But while there were flashes of individual brilliance – notably wing Jonny May’s stunning second try – England again used brute force and a world-class defence to batter the opposition. Their attacking game has yet to fire, and while Jones has said his attack strategy for the 2023 World Cup will not evolve until next year, a glimpse of it on Saturday would not go amiss.

Centres of attention
As with the back-row, experience says that England also hold a clear advantage in midfield, where captain Owen Farrell and Exeter’s Henry Slade, who has helped club and country win the Gallagher Premiership, Heineken Champions Cup and Guinness Six Nations since mid-October, oppose the fledgling Wales pairing of Nick Tompkins and Johnny Williams – born in Sidcup and Weston-super-Mare, respectively. Williams played for England and scored a try in last year’s non-cap game against the Barbarians, but with a father from Rhyl and after delivering an encouraging Wales debut against Georgia last Saturday, a promising partnership with Tompkins is under way as Wales again find themselves minus an injured Jonathan Davies.

Crowds cannot return quickly enough
Rugby union remains behind closed doors in Britain and Ireland, at least for the time being, and it is hard to envisage a game when fans will be missed more than Wales versus England. Two of the biggest rivals on the international sporting stage will face off at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, complete with an empty stadium and zero atmosphere. This fixture thrives on what emanates from packed grandstands, especially in Wales. Saturday’s occasion might struggle to challenge a church mouse for decibel levels, but it could still prove a match to remember, especially if Wales can summon spirits of the past.

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O
Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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