Investec Challenge Series 

England v Pacific Islanders - 8th Nov 2008

 Match Preview

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new liiiiiife,

And I’m feeling good!

Well OK, not good exactly, but cautiously optimistic. As England fans, we’ve had a rough 4 or 5 years. Weird selections, conservative tactics, uninspiring results. Hell, even our unexpected appearance in the world cup final in 2007 had a surreal ‘we don’t deserve to be here’ feel about it. But finally, our luck may be about to change. Maybe.

Because, friends, there’s a new guy in town. Well, not so new to English rugby. Martin Johnson, 2003 World Cup winning hero, is back. He’s lost none of his aura. None of his menace. We must hope he’s lost none of his winning mentality. That Jonno is a natural leader is not in question. That he can motivate his troops is a no-brainer. But he has no coaching experience. So is he the guy to turn things around?

Well, his first squad selection certainly shows promise. No Balshaw. A couple of genuine opensides. Form players from non-fashionable clubs. This is indeed a change from what we are used to. More on the squad to follow.

Scowling Jonno 

Perhaps most importantly, Johnson is his own man. We’ve all heard the stories about interference in team matters from non-accountable suits. Well, Johnson will live or die by the results he gets on the pitch, and will make damned sure it’s His team playing His way. Would you like to tell a scowling Jonno that you don’t like his selection for the weekend and that he needs to change it? I wouldn’t. Ironically, this is exactly one of the issues that torpedoed England’s chances of securing the services of Warren Gatland, before he crossed the Severn Bridge to turn Wales from World Cup flops into Grand Slam champions. The conclusion must be that the RFU wanted Johnson all along.

And so a tough start beckons for our new Messiah. A very winnable match against the Pacific Islanders is followed by successive games against Australia, South Africa and a rematch with a Pacific Islands invitational XV. A little daunting, perhaps, but Clive Woodward was similarly thrown in at the deep end, and things eventually turned out OK.

So who will be taking to the field on Saturday? Well, starting up front, props Sheridan and Stevens were two of the most obvious picks, and we should be looking to these two to really impose themselves on the opposition. Pacific Islanders are notoriously ropey in the set piece, despite all their hard running and big hits in the loose. Census Johnston is no mug, but Justin Va’a is pretty much a failed Premiership prop, and Matt Stevens must dominate from the first engagement. Phil Vickery provides experience from the bench, though injuries aside, we shouldn’t need him this time.

Lee Mears’ good lineout stats from the early GP exchanges see him safely into the No.2 jersey ahead of young tyro Dylan Hartley. Mearsey has been thereabouts for a while, but has yet to truly convince that he belongs in an international front row. Now would be a good time to make the step up.

Into the second row, Johnson’s domain, and Simon Shaw’s bulk and cute handling are sacrificed for true lineout security in the shape of Skipper Steve Borthwick and Nick Kennedy. The London Irish lock has been dominating the lineout stats in the Guinness Premiership for several seasons now, and thoroughly deserves this promotion. As well as putting pressure on the opposition throw (a Kennedy speciality), his presence means that Mears has no excuse for missing his jumpers. Tom Palmer will provide dependable lineout work and a little more bulk from the bench.

The back row is becoming an area of strength for England, just as it was in the glory days of 2003. Remarkably, we actually find all 3 positions covered by specialists. Tom Croft’s early season form suggested he was always going to get the nod, whilst Tom Rees has shone in an otherwise stuttering Wasps pack and must have been close to the captaincy. Nick Easter’s selection at 8 provides the first semi-controversial decision of Johnson’s tenure. Sure, he has been playing well at Quins, and provides bulk and experience off the base. But is he dynamic enough at this level? Is he just another Martin Corry? Time will tell, but James Haskell will be itching to explode off the bench and show that his lack of early season form was just a blip. Michael Lipman provides openside cover in an unusual 5-2 bench split.

Danny Care and Danny Cipriani

Half back is where it gets really exciting. A wise man suggested on these boards a few months ago that if you cannot get excited about a Care/Cipriani pairing, then you should check your pulse as you may be dead. For years now England have had to make do with stop-gap scrum halves, who either possess the pass without the pace or vice versa. In Danny Care we finally possess a young man with a pass that will stand up to the rigours of test match rugby, whilst displaying a feisty, aggressive running game that will scare the hell out of the opposition back row and keep them honest. The extra room created should be manna from heaven for Danny Cipriani. The English ‘Wonderkid’ returns to the international fold much earlier than expected following his ankle injury, and will be keen to pick up where he left off against Ireland in last season’s 6 Nations. Never short on confidence, we can expect some flashy shows and daring touches, some of which may actually come off! Leicester duo Ellis and Flood kick their heels on the sidelines.

In the centre, Johnson opts for stability, perhaps mindful of the opposition and their hard, straight running. Riki Flutey wins a first cap at 12 and brings his club partnership with Cips to the bigger stage. Despite not showing the same form as last term, we must hope the forwards can provide him with the ball he needs to ghost through the PI defence. Jamie Noon, Jonno’s other ‘iffy’ selection, will do what he does best. Namely, tackle his heart out and run hard and straight. In fact, thinking about it, he’d make a great Pacific Islander, minus the handling skills.

Paul Sackey

In the back 3, Paul Sackey unsurprisingly keeps his place from last season, alongside two first-timers. Ugo Monye has been tearing it up in the multi-coloured Jester’s uniform for a while now. Genuine pace and a slightly better kicking game than the average winger means he will probably slot in nicely. Delon Armitage answers England’s full back crisis, and we must hope his defensive frailties of a few seasons ago have been ironed out.

Of course, merely picking players on form is not in itself enough. A large part of England’s recent troubles have been caused by slow ball. Our forwards have trundled into rucks, diligently watching their feet positioning, calmly heeling the ball back to the base for the scrum half to carefully pick up and hurl at his 10. Not good enough! That won’t work at this level. We need our forwards flying into the ruck, clearing out the oppo and freeing the ball up for the scrum half to whip it away before the defensive line has had a chance to reform. There we go. Not rocket science. Pretty basic stuff in fact, yet this simple truth has escaped England for 5 years. Has the lesson been learned?

If anyone can radically change England’s whole approach by sheer force of will, then Martin Johnson is surely the man. The Pacific Islands will represent worthy opposition, but England must be looking to get Johnson’s reign off to a winning start. A victory by 10-15 points, with a couple of nice tries along the way, shall constitute a decent start. Any more will be a bonus. Any less will test Johnson skills of diplomacy and media spin. But for the thousands of fans flocking to this exciting dawn of a new era for English Rugby, one burning question remains to be answered......

What will Kelly Brook be wearing?

England:
D Armitage (London Irish); Sackey (Wasps), Noon (Newcastle), Flutey (Wasps), Monye (Harlequins); Cipriani (Wasps), Care (Harlequins); Sheridan (Sale), Mears (Bath), Stevens (Bath), Borthwick (Saracens, captain), Kennedy (London Irish), Croft (Leicester), Rees (Wasps), Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: Hartley (Northampton), Vickery (Wasps), Palmer (Wasps), Haskell (Wasps), Lipman (Bath), Ellis (Leicester), Flood (Leicester).

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