Preview: England v Australia
Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:47
Under-pressure: Aussie front row
One of rugby's greatest rivalries resumes – rugby365 editor Pete Murison takes a look at what lies in store for the Wallabies as they take on Martin Johnson's 'new' England at Twickenham on Saturday.
This really is a tale of two teams keen to see exactly were they are. Under Robbie Deans the Australians have shown signs of great improvement but still, even Deans would admit, they have some way to go before they will be ready to replicate past glories. A talented bunch of players yes, the complete team - far from it.
England are very much in a rebuilding stage and Martin Johnson, after a successful start last week, will be wanting to see if his fresh looking lineup are ready for the challenge of one of the Tri-Nations powerhouses.
It seems now to have become common practice before any Australian Test for their front row to get a hammering in the media. With Al Baxter, Phil Vickery and Andy Sheridan all keen to get their time in the headlines, there has been plenty of chat building up to this weekend’s encounter.
The truth is it is hard not to question the Australian scrum. Over the last couple years they have struggled hugely. That said, as someone who has watched them quite closely, they do seem to have improved and, by hook or crook, have coped better in recent times than we probably would have expected. Even with that being the case, the powerful English pack would be silly not to try and attack the set piece.
Current Saracens boss, and former Australian head coach, Eddie Jones, shares the view that the visitors have improved in the tighest phases of exchanges but did admit that an on-song Sheridan could do some damage to the Aussie pack on his day.
Speaking to the rfu.com podcast on Thursday Jones said: "At his best he's (Sheridan) an outstanding scrummager,
"I would say the two sides are closer than ever in this area, but if Sheridan scrums at his best he'll certainly make it difficult for Australia."
Moving further down the pack the clash I expect may well be the most vital of the night sees Tom Rees pitted against legendary Brumbies star George Smith.
"The real area of contest will be the breakdown and that's an area where Australia has a lot of great players. Rees is good but he's right at the start of his career, whereas George Smith is probably the best seven in the world right now."
High praise indeed for Smith from Jones but, whether you agree with it or not, we can tell you for free that Smith is an exceptional player and, if given the chance, will pouch and pester all day.
Overall the two team sheets are pretty much what we may have expected, with maybe the odd surprise on either side. The big question for Johnson though is can his inexperienced stars do it all over again? Although they all now have a test cap to their name, Saturday's Twickenham encounter will pose an entire new test for England ‘newbies’ Delon Armitage, Ugo Monye and Riki Flutey.
Danny Cipriani, Danny Care and Tom Croft too are all still gaining experience and this examination - headed up by the seemingly ever-green Stirling Mortlock – has the making of a great spectacle.
I must admit I was surprised by 'Johnno's' decision to leave out Kennedy. The logic is fair enough - opting for a more traditional type of second row - but I would have liked to have seen the Borthwick / Kennedy combination given another try.
The return of Vickery though was one you should have expected. For all Steven's good work and determination, having the hardened Wasps prop forward squaring up against Benn Robinson just makes for a more imposing picture.
For the Aussies the return of Matt Giteau changes the entire complexion of their backline. The hugely talented Force star has the combination of Mortlock and Ryan Cross to direct as well as plenty of young speed out wide at his disposal if he can create the time and space.
The physical presence of Wycliff Palu seems a bit wasted on the bench but in-form No.8 Richard Brown does offer a strong attacking option and, in a trio with Smith and Hugh McMeniman, he will be hoping to get the edge over Nick Easter, Rees and Croft.
Still not completely sold on Luke Burgess, I expect Danny Care will look to put some real pressure on the Wallabies No.9. Care, although inexperienced, has received a lot of praise for his performance last week and Mortlock’s men will do well to keep an eye on him.
Cipriani's mare last weekend will no doubt see him targeted, and fair enough. An another off day, this time against a determined unit, will probably prove far more costly than it did last weekend.
The fact is, the reason we are looking forward to this clash so much is that there are so many battles and storylines within just one all-important Test. Every player and scenario deserves debate but there simply isn’t time.
Expect it to be a hugely exciting encounter - the Wallabies will be up for it, make no mistake, and playing at Twickenham, to a sell-out crowd, Johnson's men will be hugely motivated to continue their rebuilding project. Enjoy!
Players to watch:
For England: Having had a dream debut last weekend the first thing to keep your eye on will be how London Irish star Delon Armitage goes about it this weekend. Massively exciting in attack and completely secure in defence, expect the Aussies to test him out early on. The other two players to watch then are complete contrasts to Armitage. Both Tom Croft and Danny Cipriani had average days at the office against the Pacific Islanders last time out but the dynamic duo will be pushing hard to give better showings.
For Australians: Outside centre Ryan Cross is a fantastic player. Full of heart and drive, the perfect partner for Mortlock, he will certainly give the Wallabies something. Just outside him then, although not playing in his ideal position, Drew Mitchell will offer Ugo Monye a real taste of international competition. Mitchell is an intelligent player and, when in full flight is a tricky customer for anyone to handle. Powerful lock forward Mark Chisholm, who will go head to head with captain Steve Borthwick for lineout supremacy. He had a great game last weekend and will be looking to back it up this Saturday.
Head-to-Head
Lets just say the whole front rows. That’s what they’ll all be talking about pre-match and the battles between, Moore and Mears, Vickery and Robinson
and Baxter and Sheridan should be titanic. The other big matchup, in my opinion, is in the midfield. While the two exciting playmakers Cipriani and Giteau will no doubt have an awesome heads up duel, just outside them, with Mortlock and Cross up against the new England pairing of Flutey and Jamie Noon, this is were Australia might just fancy themselves. The Flutey / Noon combo never really took off last weekend and they are up against a powerful pair this Saturday.
Recent Results:
2007 England won 12-10, Marseille (World Cup Quarter Final)
2006 Australia won 43-18, Melbourne
2006 Australia won 34-3, Sydney
2005 England won 26-16, London
2004 Australian won 21-19, London
2004 Australia won 21-15, Brisbane
2003 England won 20-17, Sydney (World Cup Final)
2003 England won 25-14, Melbourne
2002 England won 32-31, London
2001 England won 21-15, London
2000 England won 22-19, London
rugby365 prediction: Without the doubt the match of the weekend you might have guessed we are expecting a cracker of an encounter. Bothwick’s troops did plenty right last weekend while the Aussies looked vulnerable against the Azzuri. While Deans is an excellent coach I am just not sure his team are quite were he wants them to be just yet. For Johnson of course there is also still a mountain of work to do but, at Twickenham, one is always brave to bet against an England team with ‘Johnno's’ name appearing anywhere on the match programme. England to take it five.
England: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Tom Rees, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Steve Borthwick
(captain), 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Andrew Sheridan
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Simon Shaw, 19 James Haskell, 20 Michael Lipman, 21 Harry Ellis, 22 Toby Flood
Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Peter Hynes, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Stirling Mortlock (captain), 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 George Smith, 6 Hugh McMeniman, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Wycliff Palu, 20 Sam Cordingley, 21 Quade Cooper, 22 Digby Ioane.
Date: Saturday, November 15
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 14.30 (14.30 GMT)
Weather: Some sunny intervals but mid temperatures. Low of 12°C, high of 13°C
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Touch judges: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Tim Hayes (Wales)
TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
What do you think? How will it all play out? Who will star? Let us know what you think.
