Six Nations: Can England Get Back on Track?

 by Maddy Peel

Eddie Jones’ side still needed to show a lot more flair to beat a dogged Wales team. Hopes were high on Saturday afternoon for fans to see the England side that beat the All Blacks in the World Cup in Tokyo, and, although it cannot be denied that England’s attack looked promising, individual carelessness led to a cool Callum Sheedy kicking three penalties in the final quarter to seal England’s fate. 

Over the recent few weeks, fans may have been cursing Eddie Jones for not including Harlequins’ Marcus Smith in the squad this year. Certainly his raw creativity would have added variation to England’s recent attack. 

However, there were periods in the Welsh game, just moments, where we thought England were back on their feet. Slick hands from Ford, excellent angles from Farrell and Slade, and the ruck speed the quickest it's been so far this championship - everything seemed to be falling into place. Young's try in the 62nd minute left England with all the momentum, with Johnny May not yet failing under the high ball.

But soon this faded, with clumsiness and ill discipline resulting in several penalties, along with the closing try, to give Wales the bonus point win. Something has to be said for Maro Itoje, who although is a world class player, failed to control himself and adapt in a game where the referee was hot on the whistle. Six penalties given away by him, and numerous more given by other players, a penalty count of 14 in total, will make it difficult for any team to win a game, no matter how talented they are. 

Eddie Jones desperately needs to improve on this, as the team’s previous games have looked sloppy in this area. The first try awarded by Pascal Gauzere to Wales was definitely a controversial one. The referee told Farrell, who had just been penalised for not rolling away in a tackle, to speak to his team about their penalty count. He told them ‘time off’ and Farrell huddled his team around to speak to them.

Suddenly it was ‘time on’ from Gauzere, even though the England team was not set yet. Quick thinking by fly half Dan Biggar meant he sent a beautifully weighted kick to winger Josh Adams to score in the corner. Farrell was outraged but Gauzere ignored him and carried on playing. The second try from Liam Williams has again been heavily disputed. A wonderful grubber went from Adams to recent Welsh hero Louis Rees-Zammit. Rees-Zammit fumbled and appeared to drop the ball, but Williams gathered and went over the line. Having gone to the TMO, Gauzere saw no reason not to award the try as the ball had come off Rees-Zammit's thigh. On the other hand, many completely disagreed with this decision again as the ball went forward from the winger’s hands before hitting his thigh. Nevertheless the try was awarded and Wales seemed to be set for another clean victory. 

England quickly responded with fantastic energy, going through a series of wonderful phases through carries from Billy Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler. Vunipola has recently admitted that he hadn’t been himself against Scotland or Italy but the Welsh game has certainly proven he can recover his optimum form. He still has a long way to go though, in order to be selected for the future Lions Tour, as opposite number Faletau put on an immense shift both in attack and defence and was awarded player of the match. Sinckler’s performance was also much improved from previous games - he seemed to have regained that competitive edge that we all love. After the carry from Sinckler, Youngs played a quick ball to George who sent a perfectly timed pass to Watson. His right-footed signature step allowed him to beat 4 Welsh players and finish off a wonderfully worked team try. 

England’s penalty count seemed to have more of an impact as the game went on, with a clumsy clear out from the side of the ruck by Jonny Hill resulting in an ingenious tap and go from Welsh scrum half Hardy. England were caught napping again, with Daly actually not looking at the ball and walking to the other side of the field at the time. Daly has in previous years shown fantastic skill, but his last few performances have shown gaps in his defensive game: too many missed tackles and even some knock-ons in attack. When Bristol’s Max Malins is just itching to be played, many have questioned Daly’s ability and are hoping Jones will change things up in the future. 

The end score was testament to a hard working Welsh team, who made the most of every opportunity, and a clumsy English one. Against Ireland, England will hope to score in the first 20 minutes, as they have done in previous years, which will give them the momentum they need to hopefully win the game. Leadership throughout the forwards will also be crucial, so hopefully Maro Itoje can rise to the challenge. England desperately need to play a clean game or they could end up 5th by the end of the championship.