Wednesday 19 November 2014 09:24, UK
My biggest concern for England at the moment is their lack of adaptability. They have invested so much into playing one way but don't seem to have thought about a Plan B – what happens when your first plan is not working?
England have ten games left to get this right before the World Cup and I really hope they start implementing changes straight away.
This is what I would be doing if I wanted to get England back to winning ways…
1. Midfield changes
England are in a hole at the moment, they have put their faith in a No 10 who is just not performing at the moment. He is clearly short of game time and is not even the best fly-half at his club – Charlie Hodgson is the man at Saracens at the moment.
I would not have Owen Farrell anywhere near the England team because he is so off the pace at the moment. He has certainly been on the pace before and one of England’s strengths in the way they have wanted to play the game. Farrell is a shifter as opposed to a fixer – he does not challenge defences at all. Moving him to 12 is just not an option – it would totally undermine George Ford.
Now is the time to play Ford with Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph in the centre. This is not a risky selection as they play together at Bath and as long as they are given a platform to work on then they will be fine. Brad Barritt will always do a fantastic job for England and help keep their lines clear but again do we want to be creative or do we want to be defensive?
2. Pace, pace , pace
I am always an advocate of playing with pace. England’s defence is okay but their attack is crying out for some pace. England can have all the possession in the world but if they continue to plod it up into contact time and time again then they are not going to frighten anyone. I think Ben Youngs will help put the accelerator down and really get the backline of Ford, Eastmond and Joseph moving. Enough of this slow ball, let’s put some pace on the ball!
3. Backrow shuffle
This is a really difficult one as this is another example of how England have gone so far down the road with Plan A with no other options when that fails. It’s like driving a juggernaut down a one-way street and not being able to turn it around. Ben Morgan will definitely start at No 8 – Billy Vunipola needs to go with Farrell back to Sarries. I have been amazed by his loss of form but it happens and a return to his club will do him good.
However, my biggest concern is on the side of the scrum – there is no other option to really make a big change here. The only chap who can come in and freshen things up is James Haskell but he is not a seven and that is what England desperately need, however all England can call on is another No 6/8.
4. Clinical
This goes hand-in-hand with pace – if you look at the stats from the South Africa game you will see that England did have their chances but could not capitalise on them. Mike Brown carried the ball 13 times with an average of seven metres, we need to get him into the game more as well as the two wingers. It’s pointless having these guys with all this pace and then not using them. They need to attack as a unit and must not be afraid to have a go. England have to get into the red zone and come away with points.
5. Outside advice
I think Stuart Lancaster needs some outside help. Wayne Smith’s name has been bandied about – someone like that who is not as close to the England set-up but who can bring a different perspective to things. Lancaster has brought in Brian Ashton to help but I think he is too close, you need an alien – a southern hemisphere type with vast experience who can give an outside view on the vast potential that England have. This is not a show of weakness, in fact it’s a show of strength because you are listening to people who have the right knowledge.
Watch England v Samoa live on Sky Sports 2 from 6.30pm on November 22 and England v Australia live on Sky Sports 2 from 1.30pm on November 29.
