News

England's back row heroes

February 07 2010

English rugby has always loved its loose forwards. Some countries have conveyor belts of fly-halves; the French seem to have propping factories, whilst the Southern Hemisphere consistently produce the best outside backs in the world.

However, nestling away somewhere deep in the English countryside there is a back row academy, an establishment that's produced units of the quality of Dixon, Neary, Ripley and Winterbottom, Teague, Richards, and others of the calibre of Jon Hall, Ben Clarke and Joe Worsley.

The most famous students were of course the imperious class of '03, Hill, Back and Dallaglio, but during yesterday's game a new but quietly assured force emerged, as finally England's back row graduation looked as if it were approaching a state of 'business as usual.'

This year's graduates? The dynamic James Haskell, the streetwise Nick Easter and the palpably lunatic Lewis Moody, who as a unit, were the measureable difference between the Welsh and the English yesterday, as the exciting yet contrasting trio all put in performances of serious substance in a display that the men in white would consider to be a large step in the right direction.

Musing his two tries and Man of the Match display, James Haskell, occasionally cruelly criticized for self-promotion, was quick to emphasize the collective.

"Look, the back row is all about balance, and yesterday we all brought a different brand of of play to the game which complimented each others' abilities.

"Nick was outstanding, and to be honest I thought he'd deservedly win Man of the Match. He made some serious hard yards and cleaned out their line out in the first half. He's a big fella, but people underestimate his ball skills, leadership and rugby intelligence.

"With Moodos (Lewis Moody) you know exactly what you're going to get; manic determination and someone that's in the opposition's face all day, and, with my focus on ball carrying, I'd like to think I bring something contrasting to my two colleagues.

"Yeah, in all, it went pretty well"

Indeed, there is a neat symmetry about the current loose trio and whilst Haskell grabbed the headlines, he paid testimony to the hard yards on the training park;

"We worked hard on attention to detail, knowing each others' games and how and when to react. You get picked for England for what you do for your club, and we have spoken about doing no more than that; bringing your domestic form into the international arena. We also talked about beating our opposite number on a one to one level and that seemed to work," he said.

Nick Easter, always a forthright and honest man, agreed with his colleague.

"You know, they had three guys who went on the Lions tour out there and we had three that did not. I am not saying that was a primary motivation and I'm not having a dig, it's a fact, but it certainly added a little spice to proceedings and I'm glad people felt we came out on top.

"You can't deny that our ability to shine was created by a solid platform from the front five. Steve (Borthwick) hopefully silenced a few of his critics with a great display; his turnover was the turning point for one of our tries and yet again, he dissected their line out, which was a major factor."

"Before the game people were asking how we'd play, focusing on the fact we'd picked a pacey backline, but on the other hand questioning whether or not we'd win enough ball. Well, the possession stats speak for themselves.

"The line-out went fabulously, I think they won two balls in the first 52 minutes, the scrum was solid and, in the loose exchanges, I think we came out well on top, with our power game sucking in a lot of their fringing players and also negating their blitz defence which created room outside.

"Lewis put huge pressure on them in the re-starts and on the aerial game and that was also crucial.

"In defence, I was pleased but at times I thought we were a little narrow, and that's something we'll work upon."

Moody, the Red Rose's one ray of sunlight in November, was for once more of an important cog rather than a vital component, and although groggy after meeting Ryan's Jones rather solid frame literally head on towards the end of the game, still displayed his usual exuberance.

"Definitely a step forward to where we want to be," he said.

"With James and Nick's work making the power yards in the close exchanges, it allows me to get in the faces of the opposition and close down their attacking options. As an XV, what pleased me most of all was the momentum we showed at key points.

"At times we were very good, and we talked at half time about keeping the intensity we went in with, and making sure our concentration levels stayed high. We capitalized on their yellow card, and even though we wobbled slightly in the last quarter, we showed the character needed to seize the vital score and kill them off.

"I also agree with James (Haskell) regarding this unit having a good balance. As he said, back row selection is about picking a combination that has that blend of skills, and most importantly, it's about getting used to knowing each others' game. We're evolving as a unit having played together only a handful of times, and yesterday I'd like to think we put down a marker for where we should be every game."

And, it wasn't only the starting trio that put their stamp on the game. With the recalcitrant Moody almost dragged off by the management for his own safety in the last five minutes, London Irish openside Steffon Armitage immediately made his squat presence felt, grabbing two crucial turnovers in the space of his first three minutes on the field.

"Don't think for one minute that we haven't got guys pushing for our shirts" said Easter.

"Steffon came on and really made an impression in those dying minutes, and snuffed out two strong Welsh attacks. He's a highly gifted player and also brings a different style of play to the forwards.

"You've also got Phil Dowson putting in some seriously strong displays for England A and we're aware he's snapping at our heels, challenging us for our places, keeping the standards high and pushing them even higher. It's a healthy position and it keeps us honest.

"I said two weeks ago that we needed to focus on this game and this game alone, we've done that, we're one from one and now we need to look to next week and be even better in Italy."

All in all, a big display from England, a massive display from the loose forwards, but ironically, one that still shows room for improvement. However, Coach Johnson will be pleased with his charges and you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be looking to take another large stride in the direction of the Six Nations Trophy next week in Rome.