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2024 Guinness Six Nations
A look ahead: the 2014 Six Nations
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<blockquote data-quote="ianw16" data-source="post: 610922" data-attributes="member: 70803"><p>Have to disagree. Farrell stands too deep and crabs sideways. He's not the only England back to do the latter, mind. Any team with a half decent drift defence is not going to be unduly bothered by whoever is on the wing, defence being one of the prerequisites for getting picked in most teams in that position. Very rarely will you see a winger, confronted with plenty of defenders, no matter how good he is, just running through or around the opposition. Ben Smith can do it, Habana is pretty special too, not to mention Savea.</p><p>The main reason that NZ, for instance, come up with wingers with incredible stats for tries per game, is that they generally get the ball to them quickly before the defence can drift (plus teams daft enough to keep kicking the ball to them). This requires a 10, in particular, who can stand flat and still have the rugby brain to see what's on. A decent 12 and 13 help too, but it starts at 10. Farrell just isn't international class imo, and England will struggle unless the players you mention are absolute world beaters and rely on the oppo kicking the ball to them from broken play.</p><p>I've no doubt even Ashton would get a fair number of tries playing outside Carter/Cruden, Nonu and C. Smith, but not if you swapped Carter/Cruden for Farrell. If Savea and B. Smith (or Jane, or Piutau) were in the England backline, they would have nothing like the chances to score that they currently get. You seriously need a decent 10, or they aren't going to get the space that you talk about them needing. And it won't be one on one, more likely one on three or four, with six inches of space to work in.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ianw16, post: 610922, member: 70803"] Have to disagree. Farrell stands too deep and crabs sideways. He's not the only England back to do the latter, mind. Any team with a half decent drift defence is not going to be unduly bothered by whoever is on the wing, defence being one of the prerequisites for getting picked in most teams in that position. Very rarely will you see a winger, confronted with plenty of defenders, no matter how good he is, just running through or around the opposition. Ben Smith can do it, Habana is pretty special too, not to mention Savea. The main reason that NZ, for instance, come up with wingers with incredible stats for tries per game, is that they generally get the ball to them quickly before the defence can drift (plus teams daft enough to keep kicking the ball to them). This requires a 10, in particular, who can stand flat and still have the rugby brain to see what's on. A decent 12 and 13 help too, but it starts at 10. Farrell just isn't international class imo, and England will struggle unless the players you mention are absolute world beaters and rely on the oppo kicking the ball to them from broken play. I've no doubt even Ashton would get a fair number of tries playing outside Carter/Cruden, Nonu and C. Smith, but not if you swapped Carter/Cruden for Farrell. If Savea and B. Smith (or Jane, or Piutau) were in the England backline, they would have nothing like the chances to score that they currently get. You seriously need a decent 10, or they aren't going to get the space that you talk about them needing. And it won't be one on one, more likely one on three or four, with six inches of space to work in. [/QUOTE]
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2024 Guinness Six Nations
A look ahead: the 2014 Six Nations
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