Wales vs England - RWC warmup, Raeburn Shield challenge, and chance to *become* the #1 ranked team

[Scrumhead]

I was pretty happy last week so I’m not going to get too despondent this week.

We may have had a few things underlined again (back row balance for example), but I don’t think we’ve learned anything new.

We’re good enough to beat most teams without playing scintillating rugby. We just need the variety/“inventiveness” Oakboy is referring to in our locker too and I’m not sure we have it.

[Scrumhead]

In other news, France looked very good against Scotland. Granted, I’ve only seen the highlights and apparently Scotland were crap, but France seem to be heading back to the unstructured, offloading game that they do so well.

Even if the form book suggests I shouldn’t, I still fear those f*ckers! Their game with Argentina could be a cracker.

[p/d]

Jones:
We set these games up to deliberately practise things," added Jones. "We've got other options five metres from the line that we haven't shown yet and we won't show for a while.

Phew. And there was me worrying

I'm glad that we used this game to practice sucking at scoring from a 5m lineout in a crucial moment. Would be worried if we went into the RWC without having locked that skill down.

Puja

And let's not forget that is the first time in 88 games that we have gone in at half time pointless. Another thing I assume we deliberately practised

[Raggs]

Last week we got reasonably quick and clean ball, and could therefore play ball in hand. This week we were slowed or turned over often, meaning ball in hand doesn't work and you have to switch styles if you can't improve retention.

Lawes isn't even a good breakdown lock, he's simply bad at it when it comes to actual blindside play. That then forces everyone else to work harder and get tired still doing a worse job.

However, i can still see the sense in not using someone outside the 23. I would however, would have liked to have seen far more off Singleton at flanker, to see if he's a better optionthan Lawes.

[Raggs]

I've got a ton of work to do in th next couple of days, and it's summer holidays, but if i can find a copy online i think I'll try and do ruck marks. Just to see if I'm being unreasonable on Lawes here.

[Timbo]

Unpopular opinion; we should have kicked a lot more in the first half. Played too much in and around half way off slow ball.

[Danno]

I've got a ton of work to do in th next couple of days, and it's summer holidays, but if i can find a copy online i think I'll try and do ruck marks. Just to see if I'm being unreasonable on Lawes here.

Utterly thankless task, so I'll thank you in advance if it happens.

Our breakdown was woefully under-resourced and it feels like a lot of that was down to flankers that aren't flankers being out of position and couldn't assist the carrier

[Timbo]

[Banquo]

Fair play, improving on the surface as you said. We had very low penalty counts in 2019 in the comfortable 6N wins, but still....

[Timbo]

Also went from 8th worst, to 2nd, back to 8th then 1st across the 4 years. So come the World Cup it’s anyone guess to be honest...

[Mellsblue]

My first thought is that there must be a link between picking a lock at 6 and a rookie 3rd(?) choice 7 and our pen numbers shooting up.

[Shiny]

My first thought is that there must be a link between picking a lock at 6 and a rookie 3rd(?) choice 7 and our pen numbers shooting up.

I doubt its a coincidence.

[Epaminondas Pules]

The whole team need a rocket for not adapting to Wales breakdown compete.

[Banquo]

Also went from 8th worst, to 2nd, back to 8th then 1st across the 4 years. So come the World Cup it’s anyone guess to be honest...

yes, obviously we ship more under pressure, as does any side. We do seem to compound our errors, but maybe that's confirmation bias

[Banquo]

The whole team need a rocket for not adapting to Wales breakdown compete.

well yes- adaptation isn't our forte really. More bodies, more support.

[Epaminondas Pules]

The whole team need a rocket for not adapting to Wales breakdown compete.

well yes- adaptation isn't our forte really. More bodies, more support.

And Wales gave us perfect examples all game. Second man latch, flop and seal. Total credit to them. Prevented us disrupting.

[Digby]

Minute 1

Wales kick off with plenty of runners ahead of the kicker, but the use of the painted straight line confuses the officials so it's play on.

Launchbury takes the kick off, but he's having to retreat which will make it harder to withstand the already offside rushing Welsh defenders, to ensure it's as hard as possible for Launchbury we have Lawes crouching down on the floor behind Launch to ensure he's tripped over coming back to earth. I get Lawes isn't going to trust to Launchbury to make the kick so is covering, but quite what he's doing kneeling down behind Launchbury to trip him over and ensure he (Lawes) then can't help at the ruck I don't know.

England do retain the ball however and Heinz clears out to around the 10m line. Not an awful kick, but nothing special either.

Wales win the lineout with Moriarty getting up much faster than Itoje towards the front. Wales maul doesn't go anywhere so the ball is passed back to Biggar who kicks down into the England 22 with no particular purpose in mind.


Minute 2

Daly catches the kick into the England 22. England don't look to play quickly, and Daly punts a rather short clearance into touch.

Wales with a second attacking lineout again throw to the front with Moriarty, it's a nice jump from Moriarty who's up so quickly and not challenged, but it's not exactly pushing the boat out.

Ball is passed back to Biggar who as with the original kick off waits for the chasers to get ahead of him and then sends up another kick. Daly catches.

Inspiring stuff.

Minute 3

Daly kicks the mark clear, and at the third time of asking England finally get in a decent clearing kick almost up to halfway, the first two didn't make enough territory.

Wales win the lineout at the front, and Lawes feeling bad for Wales the kick had restricted their attacking options runs up offside to help them have a territory advantage again if needed. After Lawes has to retreat Wales 9 uses that space he's retreating in to try a little break, it puts Wales slightly on the front foot but they're not showing any enthusiasm to do anything with the ball.

Minute 4

Wales head right and it's nothing more than ball getting passed down the line, but Billy is a little over keen to chase the ball and turns his shoulder to Davies at 13, JD is then easily able to step inside Billy and too gets away a nice offload to Red 6. LCD makes the tackle and then Wales make a series of rather poor passes heading left but England are a little stretched and Watson runs up on the wrong man before having to turn and chase down AWJ.

At the following ruck Wales again leave the ball sitting out of the back of the ruck but we leave them alone to pass back to the right where I'm assuming JJ gets a little greedy looking for an intercept, has to adjust to try and make a tackle on Red 6, but can't adjust enough and gets brushed off. Francis gets Red 6 down but he's gone very low and Red 6 gets away ball off the floor to Owens, and Owens promptly sets about stepping Billy in the inside, second time already Billy has been done by a step inside his right shoulder, getting done by the 13 is probably less embarrassing than getting done by the hooker though.

Red 9 is feeling sorry for England so even by his low standards makes a slow pass with a too long wind up. This initially slow play from Red 9 causes problems down the line (with Wales again looking to pass wide to stretch our defence) and someone wangs a huge forward pass almost along the halfway line, but the officials are again confused by the straight line painted on the pitch and ignore the implications. Ball fumbles through to England who kick into the Wales 22

Minute 5

Biggar clears into touch.

England's first lineout, and whilst there's been an unusually large gap maintained until this point at the lineout Wales compress the space and Red 6 gets up to disrupt the throw to Itoje. Wales again look to go wide, but again their passing isn't the best, until JD shifts the standard from just below par to rank bad, causing Adams to stop and have to cut back inside. This could and perhaps should have resulted in a line break for red had they been able to pass.

Adams gets tackled by Francis, Cokanasiga is over the ball contesting with Halfpenny, but nobody on England's side thinks that's a chance to counter ruck and Cokanasiga is eventually outnumbered, and based on the quick and poor directed TV camera angle safely neck rolled away (I can't think what else Halfpenny has his arm around at any rate).

Wales are horribly slowed down whatever and send a crash ball runner up into Genge, which leads to another slow ruck, after the ball is in the ruck for 5 seconds the ref tells Wales to use it, Red 9 just about gets hands onto the ball 5 seconds after being told to use it, christ he makes Ben Youngs look proactive, and then kicks ball away

[Banquo]

The whole team need a rocket for not adapting to Wales breakdown compete.

well yes- adaptation isn't our forte really. More bodies, more support.

And Wales gave us perfect examples all game. Second man latch, flop and seal. Total credit to them. Prevented us disrupting.

yep, and even when not stealing our ball or winning a pen, they slowed us down big time.

[Renniks]

I could be wrong, I've invariably tried to forget the game - but am I right in thinking that we at least played well on their attacking breakdowns

There wasn't too much movement around the sides, we didn't over commit, and they didn't score from 5 meters out

We also had a decent number of turn overs…

[fivepointer]

I could be wrong, I've invariably tried to forget the game - but am I right in thinking that we at least played well on their attacking breakdowns

There wasn't too much movement around the sides, we didn't over commit, and they didn't score from 5 meters out

We also had a decent number of turn overs…

I thought we defended pretty well throughout. we get a pass mark here only conceding a single try. Dont think the tackle stats are too shabby either.

[Digby]

Minute 6

England do a bad job of blocking Biggar who gets up above Daly to knock the ball on. England do gather the ball, but then rather than an England or Sarries exit play of the sort we'd expect England suddenly look to play, it's a nice step and offload from Billy, but Watson is driven into touch, and we're a bit fortunate the ref brings it back for the scrum, the ref does note we want the scrum and we wanted to play

Minute 7

Worth noting the scrum was awarded about halfway through the previous minute, but it makes no difference as presented with a chance to do nothing the front rows decide we'd all like to watch nothing, and they duly do their part.

Minute 8

And eventually the scrum is a go, and then it's a penalty to white. 120 seconds of nothing following a technical infringement to award a full penalty. This game really sucks at times.

We couldn't even see the penalty taken after it was awarded as after a busy 120 seconds doing nowt the front rows through we'd like another 30 seconds of them lying on top of each other in a crap version of handbags.

Minute 9

A mere three minutes after Biggar's knock on the game starts again with England kicking the penalty to touch, but it's the only thing which happens in the minute.

Minute 10

England win the lineout with a throw to Lawes, Wales haven't had the straightest of throws you'll ever see, but this one was worse than Owens managed. Still it's our ball, and having not had any ball we kick it away. Not a bad kick in fairness from Heinz which grubbers down the left touchline but Cokanasiga can't get a foot on the ball and it's a defensive lineout to Wales.

Wales win a shortened lineout and oddly so near their lineout pass into midfield smack in front of their posts. Ludlam rushes up a little which commits Ford to the next man and leaves a gap between Ford and Francis, which Francis only just about covers . Really Ludlam should have been happy to let Wales have a ruck smack in front of their posts and see what genius was going to inspire them from there, instead they made a few metres. Having make a little ground Wales stop pratting about and kick down into the England hall where Billy collects the kick

[Sandydragon]

I'm loving your analysis of our firs choice scrum half. Gareth Davies is quick and knows his way to the try line, but the basics of scrum half play such as passing and box kicking are normally not his strong points.

[Digby]

Minute 11

A monster carry from Billy and a fast ruck, followed by an average carry from Launch, some below average support play by LCD and then a slow ruck

Further carries from Launch, Cokanasiga, LCD and possibly someone else all going nowhere until Francis makes some ground on an out to in line but we promptly don't support. Okay nobody on the Wales side is on their feet contesting the ball, but we Ludlam is beaten getting low over the ball by a prop and can't sift him, Cole is watching and no one else is there. It's the sort of muddled play from England which encourages them to kick rather than get better ball in hand. Penalty to Wales

[Puja]

Good work Diggers - I couldn't face the thought of watching that again, let alone doing a minute-by-minute, so your sacrifice is appreciated.

Puja

[Digby]

I'm loving your analysis of our firs choice scrum half. Gareth Davies is quick and knows his way to the try line, but the basics of scrum half play such as passing and box kicking are normally not his strong points.

It's made worse when none of 10, 12 or 13 are exactly fluid ball in hand. So taking advantage of any space that's out there is hard enough before the 9 looks surprised there's a rugby ball at his feet