There were were some interesting happenings last weekend in Europe; here are 6 things from RBS 6 Nations.
This week we look at Tongan cousins, maul laws, the try of the week, the Italy dilemma, eye-gouging and the affable Aussie Eddie Jones.
Billy Vunipola about to tackle Taulupe Faletau on Saturday
The cousins
Much was written about cousins Billy Vunipola (England) and Taulupe Faletau (Wales) playing no.8 against each other last Saturday.
But they have played against each other before in tests and they aren’t cousins—their mothers are related but are not sisters.
Billy, born in Brisbane, and elder brother Mako, born in Wellington, travelled to Wales in 2000 with their mother to join father Fe’ao who had gone there to look for work in Pontypool two years earlier.
The boys met up with Tonga-born Taulupe, the same age as Mako, and they had many rugby tussles together. All three played for the same East Wales Under 11s team. It didn’t matter that Billy was two years younger: he was big enough.
In the test on Saturday, Billy had a slight edge with some of his signature train-wreck runs. Taulupe was quiet early as his team was struggling, but he helped the Wales’ resurgence with a dominant run to score.
When Mako came off the bench at 57 minutes, all three were on the park at the same time.
He came in the side sir – as I do – Wales v France 2016
The mauls
It’s obvious that Six Nations is not using the new law maul “interpretations” practised in Super Rugby. (But why do we call them that when we should say: “correct procedures as written in the Law Book”).
In the first minute of Ireland v Italy, the Italy hooker threw to the lineout then ran to the side of the maul. The acting lineout “half back”, a flanker, had the ball but was not bound to the maul, just pressing against it, which meant he was at the back when it slid past him.
Then he bound onto his tight head prop who had come from behind.
Angus Gardiner, refereeing his first Six Nations’ game, was watching.
Had he been refereeing Waratahs v Reds, as he did in Round 1 of Super Rugby, Gardner would have penalised Italy.
Rule of thumb: if the hooker scores a try from a lineout maul, it is usually legitimate, because he has run over to the back of it. If is scored by somebody playing halfback at the lineout, it is usually bogus.
Jamie Heaslip scores the try of the year – to date
The try
This was the try of the tournament to date.
With 30 seconds to go in the first half, Ireland recover their own 22 drop-out and outhalf Jonny Sexton works a wrap-around move and passes to fullback Simon Zebo. He is nabbed but is able to backhand a pass 60 metres out to 13 Jared Payne, who is in the tram tracks and squeezing team mate Andrew Trimble out of play.
Payne dishes the ball inside to Sexton, backing up, and 25 metres out he passes further inside to Trimble, who is cutting in and looking for work where he can find it.
He unloads to reserve Fergus McFadden in the middle of the park and he runs diagonally before passing, almost too late, to worthy no. 8 Jamie Heaslip, who scores on the opposite side of the field from where the move started.
Commentator Hugh Cahill said: “That was as good a try as you will see in international rugby.”
I have to agree: it was a cracker.
Italy skipper Sergio Parisse – is it time they went?
The Azzurri
This is the 17th year that Italy have played in Six Nations and they were last for the eleventh time on Saturday with a week to go in the tournament. Scotland with four wooden spoons is the only other team to have won it more than once.
Italy have won only twelve out of 85 games and never finished higher than fourth.
Six Nations, with Italy, seemed a good idea in 2000, after all, they could do away with the pesky bye week; but their introduction lowered the standard of the previous competition.
So what to do?
It is time that the leaders of the European Rugby Cup, currently Georgia, get a shot in Six Nations. This could be an automatic advancement with the 6N wooden-spooner being relegated, or there could be a play-off in the country of the 6N team.
Or perhaps a 6N spoon holder has to be last for two years in a row before that process takes place. This will give newly-promoted teams a year of grace.
Tomas Francis – here is your defence
The eye gouge?
There was a few contentious issues in the England v Wales game, including the alleged physical and verbal abuse by Joe Marler and whether or not George North was in touch on the last attack.
But in the 72 minute England THP Dan Cole pulls down a maul and gets carded; he walks off rubbing his face somwhere. The eagle-eyed TMO Ben Skeen reports that possible foul play has occurred.
Indeed there is reserve prop Tomas Francis coming into the collapsed maul, with his left hand low. His hand meets Coles’ face and the fingers curl up. It looks like an eye-gouge and it is no wonder that Cole is rubbing his face, but Skeen says it is inconclusive.
The Twickenham crowd who saw it on the screen would have thought: how so?
But look at where Francis was looking as he arrived. He lifted his head and closed his eyes for protection. His fingers may have sensed something soft and he curled them up.
Or that’s what I would say to the judiciary.
Eddie Jones – he should resign
The coach
It was difficult for England rugby when they couldn’t progress to the RWC finals, and appointing a foreign coach for the first time wasn’t ideal either.
But Eddie Jones has been like a breath of fresh air as we Aussies thought he would be. But we didn’t know if he could produce decent results for a shell-shocked side early in his tenure.
His team selections, given the injuries to England players, were unremarkable, except for the appointment of his captain. Nor was the selection of wunderkind 6/lock Maro Itjoe a brilliancy: he would have played this year anyway.
No, his best contribution was changing the mindset of the Poms to challenge opponents, not suffocate them.
This grew on the England players and Wales experienced the fruits of it. It faltered eventually, but such was not unexpected: their high tempo pressure game was new and old thinking seeped in.
The only problem I have with Jones, the affable Aussie, is that I fear that my dislike of the England rugby team may diminish because he is with them.
Eddie Jones should resign.
