Monday 14 November 2016 16:49, UK
Stuart Barnes reviews England's performance against South Africa, assesses their chances against Fiji and gives his opinions on Wales' squad in this week's talking points.
1. Another Saturday, another win for England as Eddie Jones made it 10 out of 10 since taking charge. From day one he has cracked the whip and demanded more than any of these players have ever given. The result is a team mentally tougher than the one that was so similar in terms of personnel to this current one. The boundaries between success and failure are as much in the strength of the mind as the body.
The Jones regime has a perfect strike rate but has yet to deliver a performance that would be described as memorable. For example, Jones' England has never been near in terms of quality to what we saw from Joe Schmidt's Ireland against New Zealand in Chicago. At some stage England will have to find a level of performance beyond what we have so far seen. But Jones is in no great hurry.
His team are fit, determined, confident and don't have to face New Zealand until 2018. That is the game Jones will have inked into his planner. To be world champions, you have to be good enough to know you can beat the All Blacks.
All he gave his team was "a pass mark" for ending the run of a decade and 12 games without victory against the Springboks but England's discipline was sloppy and South Africa are currently at their least formidable. To see them pick a pine forest of lineout forwards and watch them fail to even compete in the air against England was to scratch your head and wonder.
On the plus side was a magnificent performance from Joe Launchbury, a eye catching 70 minutes from Ben Youngs and an absolute gem of a first phase try....give them a pass.
2. A pass mark should be enough to see them to Eddie's 11th straight win against Fiji this Saturday. The Pacific Island teams are so nomadic in terms of their players' global travelling that it takes time to bring a team together.
In the World Cup, Fiji produced a brave performance against Wales and a more than half decent one against England at Twickenham. Australia drove them around the fringes and demolished them in the tight in their pool game in Cardiff. I wonder if England will start with the ambition witnessed for the Jonny May try or if they might attempt to pummel the Fijian forwards in the tight. It is not going to be a question of whether they will win but how.
The make up of the team will also be interesting. Jones is not one of giving away caps but he wants to get as much depth as possible in his squad. It could be an exciting day for a few fringe players.
3. Ireland's fringe players did their job against Canada, scoring in excess of 50 points to keep morale high ahead of what is arguably the game of 2016.
Schmidt has said he is wary of New Zealand revenge. A good Kiwi, he knows how much those rare defeats hurt an All Black. Schmidt is smart and will know that Steve Hansen and his management will not allow themselves to be outsmarted as they were in Illinois.
The same from Ireland will not suffice because New Zealand will have shrugged off what looked like a hint of complacency and changed the game. Ireland prepared for months to win in America, Schmidt has only a fortnight to mastermind what would be an even greater victory.
4. Congratulations to Beauden Barrett for being named World Player of the Year.
How ironic that the award came in the wake of a quite naive performance against Ireland. He was an easy target for Ireland to read, playing harder and flatter without it ever dawning on him that Ireland were not for cracking. A few chips to turn them would have made Ireland's defence think, instead it just dominated. Still, we all have our bad days.
It has crossed my mind that New Zealand could even start Aaron Cruden at fly-half in Dublin... but what a season Barrett has produced, a fly-half who has ripped the rule book up when it comes to Test match selection.
He has made and scored so many tries that the kicker isn't the first name on the New Zealand team sheet. He has been the most positive player to have emerged on the world scene in years.
5. Positive is not a word that springs readily to mind when considering the Springboks. Five away games this calendar year (if you include the Barbarians match) and not a victory or performance worthy of note.
If they don't break that sorry sequence against Italy we can start throwing around words such as `crisis' like if we were tossing spaghetti.
6. So close again for Scotland....they played some superb stuff against Australia and again came up short.
Vern Cotter has got them playing some excellent stuff and the South African Scot with a Welsh name appears quite a find but now is the time to turn performances into wins.
They beat Argentina convincingly prior to the World Cup, a similar result is needed if Scotland are going to grab themselves some of that self belief upon which Jones feeds his England team.
7. Australia played some good rugby too with Bernard Foley, Israel Folau and the tearaway flankers, Michael Hooper and David Pocock all impressive. But Scotland found a few more defensive chinks than Michael Cheika would have liked.
If Guy Noves' France play with power and pace it could be quite a game between these teams. It is an `if' as big as a French pack.
8. Wales won but the question marks continue to surround Rob Howley's team.
The return of Alun Wyn Jones and Sam Warburton added some beef in the pack and this was probably the reason Wales just about saw Argentina off in Cardiff.
The Pumas look tired as their season and thin squad nears its end but where is a sign of something special from those talented Welsh backs?
Liam Williams is an honourable exception to that particular question. I reckon this versatile man is going to make it to New Zealand as a Lion.
9. Bristol recorded their first win of the season against Sale in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
It came too late for Andy Robinson and, in all honesty, isn't likely to lead to a trophy but when losing becomes a habit like it has for Bristol, any win is important.
I refer you back to Eddie, England and psychological strength.
10. Back to where we started, Twickenham.
It is fair to say that HQ's pre and half-time entertainment with the military marching bands and Essex Dog shows have never done it for me but what a wonderful few minutes at the interval as Laura Wright sang `Hallelujah' in tribute to the great Leonard Cohen.
Whoever came up with the idea, a heart- felt thanks on behalf of we Cohen devotees who happened to be at Twickenham. It was a most moving gesture.
