A game for the ages this was not. A cold and wet encounter in Cork made for a slow, stodgy fixture between the A sides of England and Ireland. There are some key things that we have learnt in the eighty minutes or so that were played. I've picked out my top five things we have learnt, and here they are.
1. Ireland uses their second string far better than England.
Ireland had a far greater mix of experience in their squad. With fully capped players of D'Arcy, Madigan, and O'Brien, to name but a few, the general feeling is Ireland were testing their players to see if they were ready to control the game during the Six Nations. I've spoken before about how the Saxons system needs to be changed. Madigan is likely to step into the 10 jersey when the Six Nations kick off, and the test gives the Irish selectors an idea of what he can do for the team until Sexton gets back off of the medical bench. Meanwhile England have two completely different squads, and only when injury demands it do the players move between one or the other. You see players slip down and climb up between selections but actually, what does it accomplish? A far better system would be to expand the training squad to forty and allow some of the fringe players, the Cipriani's and the Wigglesworth's in the squad, to play and state a claim. That way, they get to see everyone at once, train together, test combinations.
There should be more games too for the A teams. During the LV cup is a perfect time to trial a Saxons group. A fixture in the winter and one in the summer against the Barbarians is ludicrous, so why not use the LV weekends to test the Saxons against some of paths Premierships best? At least Ireland are experimenting to prepare for the Six Nations, whilst England are putting a mixture of youth and experience in a development squad. Lee Dickson at 29 is getting on, and should be at a point where he is either in the full squad or let to one side in favour of blooding the younger players, looking ahead to beyond this World Cup.
2. When the "feeding" is policed correctly, the scrums actually complete.
On the topic of Dickson, where has the sudden penalising of feeding come from? Yes, a few occasions where it did happen, the referee penalised it, but he did not watch it consistently, which therefore annoyed the players. To do it on the first scrum is madness. The progression to full penalty is correct, but unless every feed is watched and measured against the movement of the scrum, what is the point? The big success story was that the scrums did not collapse until late into the second half. Whilst the policing of the feed wasn't always correct, the engagement process was policed correctly and that stopped it going down. A scrum feed being penalised was startling, but seeing a scrum complete was more wonderful to watch. It's a positive step forward.
3. Burgess isn't ready.
"Saxons win as Burgess debuts." A headline on a rugby website. Why?! If anyone watched the game, they would have seen Burgess actually was completely ineffective. D'Arcy completely nullified any impact he could have made and his handling skills were poor. To get around him in some instances, Slade went for a loop pass to Daly. Pennell seemed to be getting himself out of position to act as a second receiver throughout the game. The hype about Burgess may be based on a fine athlete but a rugby union player he is not. He was compared to Ashton, and that is very different. Ashton had a full season in the Championship with Northampton before he started at Premiership level, and then he had a couple of seasons before he started at international level. Burgess has been rushed, and it is not deserved. It's not fair to him either, I think he'll watch the game back and be fully aware he was not ready. Yes, it's his ninth game of Union and we shouldn't judge him with the same level as the other players. With the sane brush, it's his ninth game of union! What possible reason is there for him to be in the Saxons when there are so many good players who would quite reasonably be miffed that they couldn't show off because of the hype for one man. He's also been called into train for two days with England. Absolutely no justification unless the RFU have put some money into Burgess to bring him across. I would not say for a moment that that is the case, but it seems strange to bring him into the mix for England, citing his rugby education as the reason. Why not leave him at Bath to play in the LV cup? Let him get some club form together, then think about the international scene. I think the World Cup will come too soon for him.
4. Doors not closed on Pennell, and for good reason.
One of the shining stars of Worcester's terrible season was Chris Pennell. He was nominated for player of the season, and he remains loyal to his club. He surely had a ton of loan offers but he opted to stay at Worcester. The tour of New Zealand let the England coaches see what he can do, even if it was a cameo for the A side against the Crusaders. He threw himself into the game, scored a decent try, and gave Lancaster his number. His call up to the Saxons showed how he can be used and is still one of the best full backs in the business. His position of loyalty will not be lost on Lancaster, and so the door remains open for him. His showing in this game was a welcome surprise to those who don't look at the championship very often. His dedication to the cause had him as a second receiver on both sides of Slade to give the option and cover for Burgess. His kicking option is useful and he has a great turn of pace, and his handling isn't bad either. With Foden injured and Watson acting as a winger, he rises up the pecking order for fullbacks. Watch out for this one.
5. Slade and Daly can spark England's midfield.
These two players were electric. Daly's kicking cannon and Slade's versatility to cover centre and fly half mean they would be welcome additions to the England team. And with the centre injuries and Farrell's knee, Slade has been summoned up. Any further injuries would see Daly joining the squad as well, and it certainly would be helpful to have a man who can knock the ball over from anywhere in the 60 or so metres. His running lines are sublime, but his biggest fault in the match was not looking to pass to Yarde, who would have almost certainly scored. The point is, Slade dictated the game cleverly and used his backs effectively, despite his tender years, and shares with Daly a versatility that may hamper them in some teams but means they thrive in their Premiership clubs. They slot into whatever role they are needed and they stand out when they do.
So here's to a fabulous Six Nations!
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