International Rugby

[paul_e]

This is more like it, JJ has been unplayable and for our 3rd the timing of the passes and running lines beautiful.

[Jon Crofts]

Ireland can fire on as many cylinders as they like next week, England will win.

[paul_e]

Ireland can fire on as many cylinders as they like next week, England will win.

If England put in another display like today I don't think there's a team in the world that could compete other than NZ.  People will talk about missed tackles but that really is missing the point, the running lines and delayed passing meant our runners were taking the ball at full pace and with space to go in or out and then they targeted the weak shoulder and broke the line, it's very hard to do anything about it when a team is playing at that level and a 40 point win against the side ranked 5th in the world really shouldn't be understated, we were absolutely exceptional.

[nigel]

Certainly didn't see that score coming before KO.
Imagine the score had the Scottish player been red carded, as he should have been!!

JJ looked a man on a mission after being left out last week. His lines were sublime.

[peter w]

Scotland really did fancy their chances but unfortunately for them they ran into England when we played brilliantly. Unhappy with the ease of their 3 tries but that's a minor blip on a day where we were on another level.

[nigel]

Scotland really did fancy their chances but unfortunately for them they ran into England when we played brilliantly. Unhappy with the ease of their 3 tries but that's a minor blip on a day where we were on another level.

It makes me wonder whether they underestimated England a touch.

[UK Redsox]

England had started slow in the other games but a combination of the early yellow, Scotland forgetting how to tackle and the return of JJ mad this a completely different game to the others

[paul_e]

England had started slow in the other games but a combination of the early yellow, Scotland forgetting how to tackle and the return of JJ mad this a completely different game to the others

It's not that they forgot how to tackle.  the fundamental problem was they picked 3 7s in the hope that they could kill the breakdown and create a lot of turnovers.  We planned for that and played with Ford and Farrell both standing very flat.  What that does is mean that if you have carriers like our pack who run through the tackler you make their 7s all have to run round to the back foot which nullifies them.  With those 3 chasing shadows around the fringes there was loads of space in the 12-13 channel and a runner like JJ will exploit that space for fun.  If you watch it back on the 5-6 clean breaks from JJ (4 of which were tries) they never got him lined up to tackle it was always the sort of desperate lunge you do when you know you've been beaten.

[nigel]

They could have lined him up all game, but, JJ's lines were superb and the dummy runners and passing from both George and Farrell held up the defence brilliantly

[paul_e]

They could have lined him up all game, but, JJ's lines were superb and the dummy runners and passing from both George and Farrell held up the defence brilliantly

That's what I mean, the way we played meant there was always a weak shoulder for him to target.  You'd normally angle him out and let the back row drifting across cover the inside line but they had no back row cover so the defenders had to try to read his line and he's too good for for that if he's hitti ng the ball at full pace on the gainline.

[nigel]

They could have lined him up all game, but, JJ's lines were superb and the dummy runners and passing from both George and Farrell held up the defence brilliantly

That's what I mean, the way we played meant there was always a weak shoulder for him to target.  You'd normally angle him out and let the back row drifting across cover the inside line but they had no back row cover so the defenders had to try to read his line and he's too good for for that if he's hitti ng the ball at full pace on the gainline.

Exactly right, Paul.
His line for his 3rd try was sublime. I think it caught everyone out, even us watching on TV. I've watched it few times now and still nearly miss it.

I think he could have had his name penciled in for the Lions on that performance.

[peter w]

What was impressive also was that the 3 times Scotland scored we immediately went down the other end and scored also. At no point could they think that they would have a platform to get some set-pieces going because we were just so well drilled. As paul mentioned earlier, and as Eddie Jones said, they knew that Scotland would try and go hard in the middle which would create a softness around the flanks which we exploited.

[Jon Crofts]

Scotland's pick and go was probably the best aspect of their game, they executed it well and a bit of a shame we couldn't have kept at least one of their tries out. JJ was clearly MotM but I thought Hartley was immense, probably one of his best games as captain, Launchbury was also huge yet again.

[cheltenhamlion]

Plenty of praise for Farrell and Ford as well. When they are that flat I would back us to destroy any opposition.

[clash city rocker]

In years gone by I would expect us to falter when we play Ireland but with Jones in charge I think we will win...He has changed many things but it's the mentality that he really seems to have changed...An incredible self belief that if you stick at it the result will come.